Samsula, Fla - In spite of a late afternoon rain that delayed practice for about two hours, New Smyrna Speedway opened it's 2003 race season with one heck of a show.
With fog rolling in fast, only feature events were run for the F.A.S.T. Sprints, FASTRUCKS, Late Models, Open Wheel Modifieds, Sportsman, Mini Stock, Super Stock and Strictly Stocks. Both fans and drivers were just happy to return to their hometrack New Smyrna Speedway.
David Steele sat on the pole for the F.A.S.T. Sprints first appearance at the speedway. Only one caution dampered the event when on lap 10, J.J. Dutton spun up in turn 4 while running fifth.
Steele took the lead on the green and never looked back taking the checkered with Kevin Cahill, Tommy Nichols, Shane Miller, and Lee Cipray in the top five.
Hopefully the wingless sprints will return again to New Smyrna as the fans really enjoyed their racing.
Bobby Orr set on the pole for the Late Model feature and was able to take his first win after leading from green to checkered. Don Hess, running in second, had his hands full of Mike Murphy, Tim Clark and Chris Lawrence until lap 3 when Dave Green spun in turn 2.
On the restart, Murphy's machine slows as he slowly goes around the track and into the pits giving Lawrence the third place position. On lap 9 coming off turn 4, Lawrence spins bringing out the caution once again.
On the restart, it is Orr, Hess, Clark, Mark Smith and Dave Green in the top five. On lap 12, Hess spun coming off turn 4 and does a little mud bogging in the muddy frontstretch grass. Hess refires the car and joins the field at the rear of the race.
Orr holds the point with Clark, Mark Smith, Dave Green, and Hess in the top five. On lap 13, Smith and Green both spin at the top of turn 1 with Scott Seithar having no place to go and slightly hitting the front end of Green's car. This was all she wrote as the three retired from the last two laps.
Orr held strong and took his first ever Late Model feature win with Tim Clark in second and Don Hess in third. In tech, Hess with dq'd for weight giving the third place position to Mark Smith.
Chase Goodson sat on the pole for the Mini Stock feature. Goodson, a regular competitor in the Florida Mini Stock Challenge that had run Ocala Speedway the night before, hails from Georgia.
Goodson took the lead on the green but it was a total restart as Ted "Mr Mini Stock" Vulipus's car broke on the backstretch coming into turn 3. Vulipus was done for the night, not the way he intended to start the 2003 season.
Goodson once again took the lead on the green with Tim "Missileman" McPhail, Rex Christensen, Ron Debeau, and Chad Carpenter in the top five.
McPhail, running in second, suddenly finds himself side-by-side with Debeau. The two go at it for several laps but by lap 6, Debeau takes second and McPhail falls to third. On the next lap, Debeau takes the lead with McPhail going with him to second putting Goodson to third. But on lap 9, Goodson's car has a fire under the hood and stops on the backstretch. The safety crew and wreckers get to him promptly putting out the fire and Goodson is fine, just his car was alittle toasted.
It is clear sailing for Debeau on the restart as he takes the checkered for his second career win at New Smyrna Speedway. Following Debeau across the checkered was Tim "Missileman" McPhail, Rex Christensen, Chad Carpenter, and Ben Hutto.
FASTRUCKS were once again out in good number as Paul Grynewicz III sat on the pole for the 50 lap event. Grynewicz III took the lead on the green with Wendell Bristol, James Wright III, Brian Luloff, and Shane Russ in the top five. The first caution of the race came out on lap 4 as Luloff, running in fourth, spun at the bottom of turn 4 and rejoining the field in the rear of the race.
Grynewicz III holds the point on the restart with Bristol, Paul Grynewicz, James Wright IIII, and Shane Russ in the top five. But on the next lap, a caution is thrown for debris on the track.
The field is realigned for the restart and Grynewicz III takes the point. Shane Russ is now on the move first taking over fourth, then third, and by lap 9 he is in second place and giving the new leader Paul Grynewicz all he has for that first place position.
Not only was Russ on the move but Jimmy Gill, winner the night before at Orlando SpeedWorld and starting in the rear of the field, has made his presence known by lap 15 when he shows up all the sudden in sixth place. Lap 20, Russ takes the lead.
On lap 28, the caution is thrown for Paul Grynewicz III, our pole sitter and early leader, when he loses his tranny and smoke trails the truck. The clean-up crew make sure that the track is safe for the restart and by lap 35, we are back to racing action.
Russ holds the lead on the restart with James Wright III, Jimmy Gill, Jeff Guibault, Wendell Bristol and Tommy King in the top five. By lap 37, Gill has taken over second pulling Wright III to third.
The last caution of the race was thrown on lap 41 as Gary Foxworth blows an engine. The track is cleaned, the trucks realigned and it is Russ to the point on the green.
Lap 47, Russ finds his hands full of Gill all over the rear-end of his truck but Russ does some really good driving and does not let Gill shake him. Russ holds strong and takes the checkered followed by Jimmy Gill, James Wright III, Tommy King and Jeff Guibault.
Mark Vandevender lead from green to checkers in the Open Wheel Modifieds. This was a caution free race. Following Vandevender on the start was Bobby Blake, Jim "Hoot" Flynn, Justin Henderson and Chad Pierce.
Pierce has mechanical problems and has to retire his machine from the race on lap 3. Jim "Hoot" Flynn flexed his muscles and took the second spot away from Blake with Justin Henderson following Flynn for third.
Blake fights back retaking the third position putting Henderson fourth but in the end, Blake was shuffled back. Flynn tried but could not take the lead away from Vandevender who was on a mission for a win.
Vandevender took the checkered followed by Jim "Hoot" Flynn, Justin Henderson, John Lidek, and David Hite. Flynn decided that the fans needed one last thrill as he spun and headed towards the turn one wall after passing the checkered. Flynn was fine but not sure about the car.
Ron Lufcy sat on the pole for the Sportsman feature event but it was Earl Beckner who took the lead and never looked back. On lap 1, Danny Shearer, a regular Sportsman driver in 2002 at Orlando SpeedWorld, hit the turn 4 wall sliding down on to the pit road entrance. Shearer was fine but his car, which he just finished that day, had to be taken in on the hook, not the way he intended to start the season.
The race was restarted with Beckner on the point followed by Ron Lufcy, Chris Pedulat, John Nusbaum and Steve Redditt in the top five. With no more cautions, it was a go for the gold race as Bill Spade moved into the fourth position and Steve Redditt to fifth.
Beckner crossed the checkered with the win followed by Ron Lufcy, Chris Pedulat, Bill Spade and Steve Redditt. The top five Sportsman were torn down with Chris Pedulat and Steve Redditt disqualified in tech. After tech the top five were Earl Beckner, Ron Lufcy, Bill Spade, Bill Love, and Jim Snyder.
Bobby Riley sat on the pole for the Super Stock event and took the lead on the green followed by Jeff Colburn, Bob Tromaley, Josh Wronkowski, and Charlie Collins. Ted Head, coming on strong, moves his way into the top five taking third with Colburn fourth and Collins fifth.
Josh Wronkowski puts the medal to the pedal and takes the lead putting Riley second. Now Riley has his hands full of Ted Head who is looking to the point. Head takes second putting Riley third.
Lap 10, Henry Rader spun at the bottom of turn 4 bringing out the caution. The race restarts with Wronkowski in the lead followed by Head, Ron Whaley, Riley, and Charlie Collins. Riley spins on the backstretch but is able to right the car and get going without bringing out the yellow but losing his fourth place position.
Wronkowski takes the checkered followed by Ted Head, Ron Whaley, Charlie Collins and Jeff Colburn. The top five were teched and none were found illegal.
The last feature for the night was the Strictly Stocks who saw James Smith Sr. lead from green to checkers. Smith had his hands full with Tim Edmundson who ran in second but Edmundson just could not pass Smith.
Steve Santo Pitso showed his strength as he took away second from Edmundson and set his eys on Smith but just plain ran out of laps to complete his chase.
Michelle Dyal ran a strong fifth for most of the race losing that position at the ending laps to Roger Ladeau. Smith crossed the checkered followed by Steve Santo Pitso, Tim Edmundson, Jason Charette, and Roger Ladeau.
Next week at New Smyrna Speedway, the Road to Charlotte Late Model event with racing action in Super Lates, Open Wheel Modifieds, Sportsman, Mini Stock, Super Stock and Strictly Stock.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Late Models
1. #30 Bobby Orr 2. #8 Tim Clark 3. #48 Mark Smith 4. #47 Dave Green 5. #00 Scott Seithar 6. #63 Chris Lawrence 7. #26 Mike Murphy 8. #39 Russ Moore
#64 Don Hess - dq'd
Open Wheel Modifieds
1. #7 Mark Vandevender 2. #57 Jim "Hoot" Flynn 3. #16 Justin Henderson 4. #31 John Lidek 5. #9 David Hite 6. #75 Bobby Blake 7. #51 Chad Pierce
Mini Stocks
1. #4 Ron Debeau 2. #7 Tim "Missileman" McPhail 3. #v3 Rex Christensen 4. #31 Chad Carpenter 5. #38 Ben Hutto 6. #16 Chase Goodson 7. #71v Ted Vulipus 8. #71 ?
FASTRUCKS
1. #94 Shane Russ 2. #5 Jimmy Gill 3. #56 James Wright III 4. #16 Tommy King 5. #92 Jeff Gulibault 6. #7 Brian Lufoff 7. #18 Wendell Bristol 8. #97 Curt Haywood 9. #03 Charlie Worth 10. #93 Jeff Firestine 11. #2 Mason Love 12. #33 Kelly Caudill 13. #83 Tom North 14. #09 Scott O'Neill 15. #140 Ted Ed Head 16. #32 Bill Stacey 17.#21 Pat Dunn 18. #76 Tim Shaffner 19. #25 Gary Foxworth 20. #1 Bobby Owens 21. #44 Paul Grynewicz III 22. #40 Paul Grynewicz 23. #78 Graham McCorney 24. #4 Al Neumann 25. #50 Andy Breedlove
F.A.S.T. Sprints
1. #0 Dave Steele 2. #87 Kevin Cahill 3. #03 Tommy Nichols 4. #5 Shane Miller 5. #0c Lee Cipray 6. #7x Mike Love 7. #88 Joby Barrington 8. #86 J.J. Dutton 9. #7 Lonnie Fishback
Sportsman
1. #3 Earl Beckner 2. #07 Ron Lufcy 3. #15x Bill Spade 4. #2 Bill Love 5. #55 Jim Snyder 6. #70 John Nusbaum 7. #48 Coy Kaiser 8. #77 Danny Shearer
1. #21 Josh Wronkowski 2. #92 Ted Head 3. #2 Ron Whaley 4. #23 CharlieCollins 5. #3 Jeff Colburn 6. #8 Bob Tromaley 7. #57b Brent Brown 8, #57R James Smith 9. #01 Chuck Smith 10. #56 Tom Root 11. #24 Clifford Arata 12. #28 Henry Rader 13. #50 Steven Dembinsky 14. #1 Joe Arnold
Strictly Stocks
1. #65 James Smith Sr. 2. #58 Steve Santo Pitso 3. #66 Tim Edmundson 4. #21 Jason Charette 5. #10 Roger Ladeau 6. #26 Michelle Dyal 7. #77 Ron Smith 8. #37 Steve Metts 9. #15 Mike Laffard 10.#91 Travis Scott 11.#92 Curtis Smith
