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| Eddie Gainey Still Tops In Lake City Late Model Sporstman | Bubba The Love Sponge Wins Sprint Heat Race
By Jon Harney
The Florida Sprint Car Association made their first visit to Lake City Speedway and provided the crowd with hot racing action. Tampa radio celebrity Bubba The Love Sponge made a grand entrance as his chartered helicopter landed near turn three and dropped off Bubba just before the heat races began. Despite having no experience on the high-banked 3/8 mile oval, Bubba pulled off a win in his heat race and even took time to sign autographed pictures during the intermission.
Twelve sprint cars made the start for their feature. Polesitter Otto Scrape nabbed the early lead with front row mate Tighe Schloss in tow. Gene Lasker started scratch on the field, but used his experience to knit through traffic and begin challenging for the lead near the halfway mark. Lasker and Schloss, however, hooked up on lap 12 which ended their bids for the win and eliminated Lasker from the event. Numerous cautions marred the race as the high-powered sprint cars struggled for grip on the racing surface. Scrape was never seriously challenged for the remainder of the event and won by a comfortable margin. Scott Boyles ran steady, stayed out of trouble, and came home second. Schloss recovered from his midrace incident for a third place finish. Bubba was fourth and Larry Pickett was fifth.
Street Stocks followed last week's bruising feature with another tough, gritty effort. While the rest of the pack traded plenty of paint, Duane Techenbrock looked to have them all covered until he cut a tire with five laps remaining. This set the stage for a rematch of last week's showdown between Jason Garver and Shane Taylor. Garver made a move on Taylor back on lap 13 which proved to be pivotal as Taylor was unable to return the favor and ended up finishing behind Garver at the stripe. Dean Sands was third and was trailed by Marvin Hassell and Eric Giambrone. Sands and Garver immediately protested each other in tech. A complete engine teardown was called for and continued into the very late hours. The official outcome was unavailable at press time.
Eddie Gainey tuned up for next week's GA/FL Late Model Sportsman challenge race with another easy win in combined Late Model/Limited Late Model race. Randy Merwin provided a scare on lap 18 as heavy flames shot out from his car's engine compartment. The firey ride continued down the entire length of the front stretch in full view of the fans. A few anxious moments passed before Merwin provided a big sigh of relief as he crawled out of his car slightly shaken, but completely unhurt. Gainey provided the rest of the heat in the race as he handily outdistanced the pack for the win. Everett Phillips stayed within shouting distance of Gainey and was the best of the rest. Danny Brevig and Wilson Griffis (the first Limited Late Model) were the remaining finishers. Merwin, despite the fire, was scored in fifth.
Derek Crawford earned his first win of the season by outmuscling Kyle Owen at the start of the Modified feature. Chip Owen would join Kyle in the late stages of the race and once again the brothers gave no quarter nor asked for any. Chip found a lane under Kyle with two laps remaining to snatch second. Kyle would up third while James Blackmer was fourth with Travis Burris following.
Coleman Jandle III led all fifteen circuits of the Pure Stock feature to earn the win over the sixteen-car field. Stephen Dasher made a pass on Michael Sheffield and gave Jandle some pressure, but Dasher came up short at the finish line. The final order was Jandle, Dasher, Gene O'Steen, Troy Davis, and Trisha Taylor.
This Saturday night will feature the second round of the GA/FL Late Model Sportsman Challenge Series. Cars from the Northern Florida and Southern Georgia areas will battle 40 laps to claim the $1500 first prize. Lake City Speedway is also calling on all kids to bring their bicycles to the track and challenge each other in a big bicycle race on the front stretch. Gates open at 5 PM and racing commences at 7:30. Call 229-891-2886 for more information.
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