Maryland Drivers Haul Off Loot at Thundercross Classic Car Event
by Dave Westerman It was an interesting weekend of Classic Auto Racing Series competition at Thundecross Motorsports Complex, especially for Westminster, MD driver Daryl Winkler who led most of the way Friday night and didn't win, then led all of 20 feet on Saturday night and won. Friday evening's program was hampered by a nearly continuous mist and light rain which kept the track very slick and made it difficult for the underpowered Classics and their Goodyear Spec Eagles to get a good grip on the surface. Cosby, TN's Brian Ball and Winkler took heat race wins to earn front row spots for the 20-lap feature and when the main event started, it was apparent no one was going to touch Winkler as he was the only driver able to utilize the "cushion" to his advantage. Ball and Winkler's fellow Westminster, MD resident Mike Ashwell got into a heated duel for second, both trying to find any kind of grip in the low groove. Action was slowed by four caution flags, all for minor spins, and on each restart, Winkler would pull well ahead of the field. But on lap eleven, it became apparent Winkler had been punishing his right rear tire a little too much as it went flat. Despite that fact, Winkler led two more laps on his flat shoe, before being black-flagged from the speedway. Ashwell inherited the lead and led the remaining seven laps, all under green, to score his first Florida win all while driviong with a cast on one arm. Ball held on for second followed by Randy Grief (up from 10th at the start), Frank Conrad, and Larry Sexton. They were the only drivers to finish as Winkler was credited with sixth spot. Saturday night was cool and windy, but the track was in much better shape and provided a great show for a surprisingly large crowd. Three drivers, Joey Strehle, Bud Spencer, and Knoxville TN's Robbie Sands had problems severe enough on Friday night to prevent them from running Saturday. However, three cars that did not race Friday were at the track for Saturday's show including Orlando Sentinel automotive editor Steve Smith, who was making his debut in the Series, and Florida State Senator Bill Posey, who jetted down from Tallahassee for Saturday's program, his first ever race on a dirt track. Also, local Okeechobee resident E.B. Carr was able to make it back from a convention on Saturday to drive his car which was wheeled by Larry Sexton to fifth place the night before. In order to conserve time with six classes running on the program, only one heat was run and Daryl Winkler quickly asserted himself as the favorite by winning it and earning the pole for the 20-lap main. Winkler would employ a different strategy on this night however as he faded to fourth in the early going, obviously taking better care of his tires. Maryland driver Mark Jago took the early lead until passed by Brian Ball on lap five. Ball led through two minor caution periods, but it was night one winner Mike Ashwell moving to the point on lap eight, looking for the $100 bonus put up by Frank's Sandblasting of Ft. Pierce to any driver who could win both nights. The race turned in to a crowd-pleasing four-car battle as Ashwell had to contend with Ball, Jago, and Winkler, who moved up to the outside line and began his charge. Winkler would get some help on lap 16 as Ball got sideways out of turn two and was tapped into a spin by Jago. Ball was penalized to the rear of the field and later recovered to finish sixth. On the restart, Winkler blew by Jago and the race between he and his good friend Ashwell was on. The fans were on their feet as the two raced side by side the entire white flag lap with Winkler passing Ashwell coming down to the checker, leading only the final 20 feet of the race and winning by just the length of his front bumper. Ashwell claimed second, just missing out on the bonus money, while Jago took third making it a 1-2-3 sweep for the Maryland drivers who run most of their races on dirt and had a bit of an advantage on the Florida and Tennessee contingent, who are primarily asphalt specialists. The best run of the night had to be that of Bill Posey. Having never run dirt before, Posey started 11th then cooly worked his way throught the field hugging the inside berm to finish fourth. Randall Grief was the only Florida driver to finish in the top five both nights, taking fifth on Saturday. The Classic Auto Racing Series now takes a month off to prepare for the first points race of 2003 right here at Thundercross Motorsports Complex on March 8th.
OFFICIAL FINISHES FOR SPEEDWEEK 2003 AT THUNDERCROSS:
Friday Night, 2/7 1) Mike Ashwell, Westminster, MD #77 2) Brian Ball, Cosby TN #33 3) Randy Grief, Orlando, FL #88 4) Frank Conrad, Ft. Pierce, FL #11 5) Larry Sexton, Ft. Pierce, FL #90 6) Daryl Winkler, Westminster, MD #111 7) Daryl Grief, Deland, FL #1 8) Bud Spencer, Palm Harbor, FL #7 9) Robbie Sands, Knoxville, TN #87 10) Mark Jago, Baltimore, MD #12 11) Greg Helton, Orange City, FL #3 12) Joey Strehle, Deland, FL #42
SATURDAY NIGHT 2/8/03:
1) Winkler 2) Ashwell 3) Jago 4) Bill Posey, Rockledge, FL #00 5) R. Grief 6) Ball 7) E.B. Carr, Okeechobee, FL #90 8) Helton 9) Joel Ashton, Ft. Pierce, FL #78 10) Conrad 11) D. Grief 12) Steve Smith, Groveland, FL #2
