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| Padgett Dominates Lake City Speedway Action | By Jon Harney
Lake City, FL - Florida drivers took a 3-1 series lead over their Georgia counterparts as the GA/FL Late Model Sportsman Challenge Series resumed at Lake City Speedway.
Bobby Padgett's night started on a high note when he outqualified the field with a lap of 17.174 seconds around the high-banked 3/8-mile track. Eddie Gainey started from the rear of the pack due to arriving too late for qualifying. Gainey survived contact with the fourth turn wall and numerous cautions to pose a threat to Padgett in the first half of the race.
Gainey's bid for the win drifted away in the second half as Gainey's ride faded while Padgett's car stayed the course. Padgett won with room to spare over Gainey, Jeff Henry, Jay Johnson, and Leo Johnson.
Street Stocks provided the best action of the night. Polesitter Adam Bedenbaugh looked to be the man to beat early on until succumbing to mechanical woes.
Duane Teckenbrock inherited the lead and held off Jason Garver for eight laps before Teckenbrock rode high out of the corner and opened the door for Garver to race past. Teckenbrock reeled in the leader and valiantly tried to regain earlier glory and got a strong run inside Garver on the last lap but just missed out at the checkers by a nose.
Points leader Shane Taylor had nothing for the leaders but did maintain his points advantage over Dean Sands by beating him out for third. Kevin Bedenbaugh finished fifth. This was Garver's second win in a row.
Wesley Keller blasted to the lead on lap two and appeared to be another repeat winner. Keller's car suddenly betrayed him during a caution on lap 10 which sent the leader to the pits.
His crew was able to effect a repair and stay on the lead lap, but his chances at victory were ended. Coleman Jandle III made the most of the gift and led the remaining circuits to victory. Jerry Fortner finished a solid second, Nick Brown started dead last and raced to third. Keller recovered to nail down the fourth spot and Chuck Strickland's Dodge was fifth.
In a sloppy race, Kyle Owen caught Kevin Bayless napping on a restart and took a lead he would never relinquish in the Modified main.
A last-lap altercation scattered the finishing order behind Owen and Bayless. When the smoke and dust emerged, so did Bill Stalnaker as he limped past the line for third in his first open wheel Modified race. Tate Tatum and Bill Johnson trailed Stalnaker.
Jeff Stalnaker Sr. proved he can win in other people's equipment as he piloted the #03 normally driven by Curtis Clark to a win in the Mini Stocks. Joe Lawson kept Stalnaker Sr. busy throughout the race yet could never sustain enough of a run to overtake the leader.
Lawson had to settle for second ahead of Bill Stalnaker (who had just finished the Modified race before doing battle in the Minis), Jeff Stalnaker Jr., and Travis Martin.
The Florida Mini Sprint Series returns to Lake City Speedway this Saturday night and will race heats and features along with Late Models, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Mini Stocks. Gates will open at 4 PM and the first heat race will start at 7:30 PM.
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