Bradenton, Fla. - Perfect weather greeted a packed house for opening night at DeSoto Super Speedway this past Saturday night with a full card of racing on top of school bus figure 8s the fans definitely got their moneys worth.
The new Turner Tree and Landscape Limited late Model Series made its debut at the High Banks and 21 of the high powered cars lined up for qualifying. Casey Johnson surprised the crowd when he grabbed low qualifier mid way through with a 15:09 second time. Johnson is in his second year in the Limited car making the transition from the dirt sprint car world. But when the smoke cleared it was former Open Wheel Modified stand out Doug Moff who blistered the track with a 15:00 time to take fast time honors.
After the roll of die and the field inverted it was Richard Elkins who sat on the pole to take the first green of the series. Elkins lead several laps before the 107 car of Glenn Morris over took him.
Johnny Jackson looked like he might have his night end early when he was caught up in an early lap wreck backing his car hard into the dirt mound that protects the light pole in turn three sending one of the huge tractor tires flying out onto to track. Jackson was pulled off the mound, fired his machine up, and pulled away. After feeling the car out under caution he fell to the tail of the field and continued to race.
Moff proved his fast time was no fluke as he moved himself from mid pack to take the lead before the mid point of the race. Even thought there were several cautions that bunched the field up Moff was able to master the restarts and pull away from the rest of the pack.
Though Moff ran away with the race for the win the battle was hot and heavy behind him and as the laps wound down for the second spot. When the checkers finally flew it was Moff taking the win, Morris was able to hold off the charges of Scott Kleiber third, and Chad Allman fourth. Rounding out the top five with a great charge from the rear was the battered machine of Johnny Action Jackson.
The T.B.A.R.A. Winged Sprints had 29 cars on hand for their debut at the Souths Fastest Short Track needing to run 3 heat races and a B-Main race to decide the 24 car field. When it was all said and done though the #79 machine of David Slawiak claimed the checkers over a hard charging Keith Butler #19. Slawiak climbed the fence ala Indy car winners.
Twelve full-sized and one Little bus roared onto the track for the 25 lap School Bus Figure 8 feature event. The green flag dropped and the action started right away with the buses beating and banging off each other from the get go. Johnny Sarppriacone in the 69 bus took off to the early lead and was the bus to beat early on in race jumping out to a huge lead.
The Big one of the night occurred when the 9 bus of Andy Whitted who was running in the top 5 barreled into the intersection and also into the Little bus of Roth Randell in the intersection. Whitteds bus flipped but after a few tense moments the driver scrabbled out of the bus to the cheers of the crowd. Andy later said, I think she's done.
Sarppriacone looked like a shoe in until he blew a front tire allowing veteran bus racer Bryan Hayne to take the lead. Hayne had to make a maneuver to avoid another bus and lost the lead but eventually made his way to the back to the front to take the checkered flag, Jimmy the Cowboy Volk made a last lap dash to take the second spot over Sarppriacone.
Keith Thorbin took the checkered flag in the Pure Stock feature but was Dqed in Tech giving the win to Rob Taylor, Howard Higgins took the second spot, third went to Ed Street, fourth was Dale Shelton and rounding out the top five was Conrad Molter.
The first Mini-Stock feature of year was a barn burner and when they crossed the stripe it was out of towner Brian Richardson taking his first trophy at DeSoto, second went to John Wilson who held the lead most of the race until a late caution bunched the field, third was Todd Freed Jr., fourth went to Joe Gagen and fifth was Buddy Traylor.
