|
| Clyde Hart Memorial Twin 125's | By John Barker
SAMSULA, FLORIDA - Travis Kittleson won race one surviving a crash-bang affair in FASCAR Super Late Model Series Clyde Hart Memorial Twin 125 action July 4 at New Smyrna Speedway.
Kittleson of Merritt Island, Fla. stayed out of a 14 caution flag plagued race and took the lead in lap 89 to secure his second 2002 FASCAR Sunbelt victory.
"We had a really bad run the last couple of weeks and we've had some real bad luck, but nothing stops this team," said Kittleson. "Toward the end the clutch started slipping."
Jimmy Cope of Pinellas Park, Fla. set fast time turning the one-half mile New Smyrna Speedway in 18.097 seconds or 99.46 mph and led 30 starting Sunbelt drivers to green. Nine cars inverted.
Only six Sunbelt Late Models finished on the lead lap and only 10 would finish a wrecked filled race.
Cars lost for the evening with more than cosmetic damage included: Tommy King in lap 40; Mike Good lap 57; Mike Williams lap 57; Wayne Anderson lap 57; Shane Sawyer lap 92; Scott Bramlett lap 92.
Jack Cook of Ormond Beach, Fla. took the early lead and held it for 81 circuits and was one of only two race leaders.
Sunbelt point leader Dick Anderson of Wildwood, Fla. went into the pits for tires and quickly returned for a lap 36 start following a caution. Anderson finished second. "We had a flat right rear tire and all we had to put on was a worn one," said Anderson. "I feel like if we'd had a new tire to put on I could've got up there and given Travis (Kittleson) a good race."
"He (Kittleson) deserved the win, he did a good job."
Although Anderson would finish second he did manage to challenge the winning Kittleson several times - he just didn't have enough to make a pass.
Just prior to halfway Cook still held the lead pursued by Drawdy and Kittleson. Shane Sawyer of West Palm Beach, Fla. is fourth and Barry Willoughby of Pt. St. Lucie, Fla. is fifth.
Sawyer took over third putting Kittleson to fourth in lap 76. A major caution in lap 79, number 10 of the night, came out involving Scott Bramlett of St. Cloud, Fla., Cook and Drawdy. Drawdy would carry on until lap 81, but then retired to the pits.
In lap 89, it's Kittleson, Anderson, Cope, Chad Pierce and Barry Willoughby in the top five. Lap 93, produces caution 12 bringing out the red flag when Sawyer and Bramlett hit hard out of turn four. Bramlett is able to get out of his car but is transported for medical treatment.
In lap 120, Kittleson still holds the point followed by Anderson, Pierce, Willoughby and Cook.
Cook was unable to hold off a charging Cope, because of body damage and Cope takes over fifth. Cope who made some strong race charges had wearing tires at the end.
Kittleson crossed the stripe followed by Anderson and Pierce. Rounding out the top five were Willoughby and Cope.
The next FASCAR Sunbelt Super Late Model Series event will be July 20 at USA International Speedway for race one of the Triple Crown.
LATE MODELS
Jason Boyd was back in victory lane again winning the FASCAR Goodyear Challenge Series race two of the Clyde Hart Memorial Twin 125's July 4 at New Smyrna Speedway.
Boyd of Orlando, Fla., driving the GPC Staffing Chevrolet took the lead in lap 31 and faced several threats from second place finisher Wayne Morris of Mulberry, Fla., but held his pursuer off.
"We ran good the first half of the race," said Boyd. "On lap 75 we had tires going down or something. The car was shoving in the middle and it just wouldn't turn."
"Wayne (Morris) was running hard, but I knew if I ran my race he wasn't going to get by me."
Morris was bad on short runs and Boyd held the trump card in that department.
"The lapped traffic hurt me there at the end," said Morris. "We were a lot better on long greens. I'd run him down then he'd get away from me on restarts."
"He (Boyd) did a hell of a job," said Morris. "I think we had the car to beat, but we just couldn't beat him to the front when it counted and cautions didn't fall our way tonight".
Boyd also set fast time turning the one-half mile track in 18.78 seconds or 95.3 mph and led 34 starting cars to green flag racing. Five starting cars were inverted for the start.
By lap 8, Larry Osteen of Clermont, Fla. was in the lead followed by Morris, who had raced from fifth to second in the Michael Holley Chevrolet and Joey Miller of Lakeville, Minn.
In lap 18, Osteen was still up front and followed by Morris. Boyd went to the outside and had quickly moved to third. Running fourth was Miller and Brad Barkis of Ft. Myers, Fla., driving the Fast Equipment ride followed.
Lap 31, Boyd again went outside and this time took the point and Osteen followed with Morris now third. Barkis is fourth and Jerry Symons of New Smyrna is fifth.
Boyd still leads at lap 50 with Osteen, Morris and Symons, who made a pass of Barkis moving to fourth.
At 67 laps, Boyd has a five-car lead with Morris second and Symons third. Osteen fourth and Barkis fifth.
During lap 74 Morris is trying to close on Boyd and Symons drops slightly off the pace in third. Boyd, who had opened up an eight-car comfortable lead has Morris still tracking him down.
On the restart Boyd and Morris open a 10-car lead over Symons and Barkis, who are battling hard for the third spot. Barkis passes Symons in lap 88.
Morris caught up with Boyd in lap 89 and is now looking to make a pass.
Goodyear point leader Symons goes behind pit wall in lap 95 dropping off the pace, but would later return.
In lap 116, Boyd and Morris are still doing battle for the lead with a 10-car lead over third place running Barkis. Miller passed Osteen for fourth in lap 119.
In lap 120, Morris is still running Boyd hard trying to dial him in, but still doesn't have the right combination to do so.
Lapped traffic now plays an issue and Boyd handles it well with Morris still looking for a way to the point.
In the final lap it was Morris, who tried to move inside of Boyd, but lapped traffic slowed his effort and he settles for a second place finish.
Boyd crosses the stripe followed by Morris, Barkis, Miller and Osteen.
The next FASCAR Goodyear Challenge Series race will be at August 3 at New Smyrna Speedway.
Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board!
news@karnac.orgor send a letter to the editor!
|
