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| Stoner Stands Tall At Citrus | by Larry MacMillan
Inverness, Fl 8/25/01) With an increase in the Late Model purse the hot shoes came to race for the new $1,500 win money and race they did. The top four in the three heat qualifiers pulled pills for starting positions in the 30lap feature. Fred Stoner pulled the #1 pill and from the green flag to the checkers it was catch me if you can. Jim Smith caught him but couldnt make the pass. He hung on to second until the final turn for the flag when Rex Struble made the pass to nose him out of the spot. Dale Sanders came off the outside pole only to slide back to sixth and then came back for another top five finish in fourth. Point leader Herb Neumann Jr. started 12th and made his run for the front settling for his seventh top five finish of the season. Heat wins went to Tim Sharrone, Dale Sanders and Perry Lovelady.
Rookie Chris Hooker moved to the pole position when Warren Baughn was unable to take the green flag in the 20-lap Sportsman feature. Hooker went on to out power the entire field, for his second win of the season. Alan Struble made the only serious run to the front from his seventh starting spot to hold out for a solid second place finish. Wayne Lewis, Terry Cater and Mark Dominique round out the top five. Johnny Sanders and Rex Struble picked up the heat wins.
James Green was another flag to flag winner in the Street Stock main with 16 cars chasing him all the way. Green kicked off the night with an unchallenged heat win and then came back to hold off points runner up Ernie Reed, taking his first win of the season. Michael Bell borrowed a ride to maintain his run in the points race and picked up a solid third with Dean Lawyer right on his rear bumper at the flag. Kathy Ray held off the balance of the 17-car field for a fifth place run. Kevin Roberts picked up the second heat win and spun out on lap twenty of the feature.
In a preview of the upcoming Lenny Brown/Ed Ironside Perry Memorial 50 set for next weekend, 23 Mini Stocks took the green flag in a race that saw its share of bumping and grinding. Another pole sitter took a flag to flag win as Jimmy Bartley became another first time winner in the division. Rob Wheatley picked up a borrowed Motor from Corts racing and charged from his 10th starting spot to give the winner some heat at the end. Rookie Jay McKenzie had his best finish of his young racing career with a sold third. Frank Coleman moved back into the point lead after Mark Sowell rolled his racer on turn one and two that gave him a DNF for the night. Doug Hopper overcame an early mishap to pick up a fifth place finish. Bartley, Wheatley and Sowell were the heat winners.
Hobby Stock action saw twenty four cars take the green flag and Tommy Smith rolled out of his 13th starting spot, wasted no time moving to the front for his second win of the season. Brother Richie Smith started 14th and took a little longer to make it up to second and followed Tommy to the line, further padding his point lead. Chris Allen advanced from 15th to third for his best finish after a late start on the season. J.D. Goff came from 19th to finish fourth just ahead of Holly Hand who held out for fifth. Dustin Aaron, Glen Colyer Sr. and Roy Perkins logged the heat wins.
Thunder Stock action saw Josh and Jeff Teague have a match race for the flag. Young Josh led from flag to flag while Jeff gets the Hard Charger nomination for working his way from 19th to pick up a second over the 23-car field. Point leader Stuart Madison logged his 14th top five finish being chased by Gary Johnson and Robert Jordan to the flag.
Mini Stocks will be racing for a $4,600 purse Saturday night in their 50-lap memorial race. Major Sponsor J.D. Smith and Sons Pest Control has been joined by numerous other sponsors to put together the big purse run for the Lenny Brown/Ed Perry Memorial race. Both former Mini Stock racers passed away last year. Fast qualifier will pick up $50, while the leader in lap 5 and 11 (former car numbers for Perry and Brown) will pick up $50 each from Neumanns Auto Seat, Tops, and Tint. The leader at the 25-lap mark will get an additional $100 and the leader of the most laps will get a $100 bonus from Astec/ ICC. The winner will take home $750 plus any bonuses he can garner, which could easily add up to $1,000.
Added to the race card will be the Figure 8s plus all the regular divisions and the Favorite Driver Contest drawing for September will go at intermission.
Citrus County Speedway Results 8/25/01
Late Model Feature – 30 Laps – 17 Cars
1. # 7 Fred Stoner Hernando
2. # 3 Rex Struble Homosassa
3. #2x Jim Smith Inverness
4. # 1 Dale Sanders Lecanto
5. #38 Herb Neumann Jr. Inverness
1st Heat Winner - #32 Tim Sharrone – Floral City
2nd Heat Winner - #1 Dale Sanders – Lecanto
3rd Heat Winner - #68 Perry Lovelady – Lakeland
Sportsman Feature – 20 Laps – 10 Cars
1. # 3 Chris Hooker Inverness
2. #93 Alan Struble Brooksville
3. #99 Wayne Lewis Zephyrhills
4. #12 Terry Cater Inverness
5. # 7 Mark Dominique Lecanto
1st Heat Winner - #36 Johnny Sanders – Homosassa
2nd Heat Winner - #69 Rex Struble – Homosassa
Street Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 17 Cars
1. #53 James Green Jr. Inverness
2. #55 Ernie Reed Crystal River
3. #22 Michael Bell Brooksville
4. #54 Dean Lawyer Beverly Hills
5. #63 Kathy Ray Floral City
1st Heat Winner - #53 James Green Jr. – Inverness
2nd Heat Winner - #31 Kevin Roberts – Inverness
Mini Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 23 Cars
1. # 6 Jimmy Bartley Bushnell
2. #88 Rob Wheatley Inverness
3. #1X Jay McKenzie Inverness
4. #20 Frank Coleman Brooksville
5. #15 Doug Hopper Port Richey
1st Heat Winner - # 6 Jimmy Bartley – Bushnell
2nd Heat Winner - #88 Rob Wheatley – Inverness
3rd Heat Winner - #5 Mark Sowell – Hernando
Hobby Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 24 Cars
1. #21 Tommy Smith Floral City
2. #42 Richie Smith Hernando
3. #17 Chris Allen
4. #14 J.D. Goff Brooksville
5. #15 Holly Hand Zephyrhills
1st Heat Winner - #98 Dustin Aaron – Brooksville
2nd Heat Winner - #44 Glen Colyer – Homosassa
3rd Heat Winner - #07 Roy Perkins – Inverness
Thunder Stock Feature – 20 Laps – 23 Cars
1. #20 Josh Teague Clearwater
2. #2x Jeff Teague Hernando
3. # 2 Stuart Madison Inverness
4. #40 Gary Johnson
5. #27 Robert Jordan Hernando
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