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| NUNES TOPS SOUTH 40 CLASSICS AT BRONSON BULLRING | Using caution flags to his advantage, Orlando's David "Fudd" Nunes led all the way to take the 30-lap main event for the South 40 Motorsports Classic Auto Racing Series at The Bronson Motor Speedway "Bullring" Saturday night. Nunes won the first heat event to earn the pole for the feature. Jim Rahman took the measure of the field in heat two that saw a wild frontstretch crash which found Bud Spencer sitting backwards with no rear wheels on his car. Spencer, running fourth in points, thought he was done for the night but Rahman came to his aid loaning him a spare rear-end assembly allowing Spencer to make the feature.
Nunes jumped to a commanding lead as the green flew to start the 30-lapper, as Danny Shearer and point leader Ed Yates got together going into turn one. Yates spun into the infield and got on the racetrack just in front of the leaders.
Dan Hammerbeck spun his coupe on the backstretch on lap two bringing out the first caution thus allowing Yates to catch back up to the field.
Nunes again took off like a rocket on the restart as Rahman moved into the second spot. Rahman was hooked up and ran down Nunes in just three laps and was challenging for the lead when the second caution came out on lap 12. Bronson Speedway Race Director Rick Bristol, making a guest appearance in the class, ran out of brakes and hit Russ Antonucci's car in turn one. Bud Spencer, already the victim of one wild ride in that heat race crash, ran over the back of Bristol's car and took another wild ride. This time he was more fortunate as there was no damage to his machine while Bristol continued despite some rear body damage. Antonucci, also making his first start in the South 40 Classics, went to the pits with the rear bumper bent in on the left rear tire.
Nunes again got a good jump on the field as the race restarted but was quickly reeled in by Rahman and now third-place Eddie Thornton. Meanwhile Ed Yates had moved into fifth spot and was having a dandy battle with Granpa Mo Davenport who was doggedly holding on to fourth spot. Dan Hammerbeck got into the back of bud Spencer's car on lap 20 with Spencer spinning on the front straightaway. Neither car was damaged but both were sent to the rear of the field. Under caution, Rahman went to the pits as his car began to overheat.
Thornton, winner of three straight South 40 Classic features was now poised to make it four in a row as he restarted right behind Nunes for a ten lap dash to the checker. Nunes had other thoughts as he again was faster on cold tires and he was able to hold off Thornton for his second win of the year and admitted the well-timed cautions worked to his advantage. "What I needed was a new right rear tire," said Nunes. "The car was fast until that right rear got hot. The cautions really helped me out because if the race had gone all the way under green I probably wouldn't have finished in the top five," he said. Nunes, driving the Gold Mechanical Services/Wood Racing coupe, won $300 for the victory plus an extra $50 in lap money for leading at laps 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25. Thornton was pleased with his second-place run in his AMSOIL sponsored coupe but was unable to pick up much ground on point leader Ed Yates as Yates was able to pass Davenport after the last restart to get a third place finish despite a spin in his heat and the spin on the opening lap of the feature. Davenport held on for fourth but admitted that his 72-year-old body was "plum worn out" after the race. Dan Hammerbeck made a banzai charge over the final few laps to nab fifth spot after going to the rear of the pack twice. Danny Shearer, Mike Albert, Bud Spencer, Rick Bristol, and George Hall III rounded out the top ten. Al Hagan's 11th place finish earned him yet another FASTWAX Rookie of the Race award while Thornton picked up the Action Performance Hard Charger award coming from ninth on the grid to finish second. The South 40 Motorsports Classic Auto Racing Series is back in action next Friday night, August 3rd, at Orlando Speedworld.
OFFICIAL FINISH:
1. David Nunes, Orlando #54
2. Eddie Thornton, Orlando #4
3. Ed Yates, Orlando #74
4. Mo Davenport, Palm Pay #27
5. Dan Hammerbeck, Clermont #2
6. Danny Shearer, Melbourne #77
7. Mike Albert, Winter Springs #24
8. Bud Spencer, Palm Harbor #7
9. Rick Bristol, Orlando #1
10. George Hall III, St. Petersburg #9
11. Al Hagan, Merritt Island #6
12. George Hall, Jr., St. Petersburg #32
13. Jim Rahman, Clermont #5
14. Russ Antonucci, Jacksonville #3
15. E.T. McGhee, Deland #21
16. Patrick Sanders, Orlando #30 (DNS)
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