Spencer Takes Win for Classic Auto Racing Series at Orlando SpeedWorld
by Dave Westerman ORLANDO, Fla. (March 28, 2003) - The Classic Auto Racing Series made its first appearance of the year at Orlando Speedworld Friday night as the track got a full show in for the first time this year after two rainouts.
When all was said and done, Palm Harbor's Bud Spencer was in victory lane with his '34 Ford Sedan, known affectionately as the "Lavender Love Machine."
With several make-up features scheduled for Speedworld's regular classes, no heat races were planned and officials threw a bit of a curve at the drivers opting to go with time trials for the Classics rather than heats.
"The Bald Bomber," Daryl Grief of Deland, winner of the 2003 opener at Thundercross Motorsports Complex, picked up where he left off by setting fast time of 16.305 seconds, but wasn't as lucky with the pill draw as the top six qualifiers were inverted and that put Spencer on the pole for the 25-lap feature.
Grief, who expected to start dead last in the feature per new rules voted in by drivers last year that places the top two finishers of the previous race at the back of the field for the next race, didn't have the handicap enforced because time trials were run instead of heats.
Only twelve cars took time as 2002 Door Operating Systems Rookie of the Year Patrick "Bam Bam" Sanders blew the engine in his car in warm-ups while Joey Strehle didn't make it out in time to qualify.
Frank Conrad, E.B. Carr and Simeon Spagnuolo didn't show up at the track until after qualifying was completed, and Al Hagan made it just in time to suit up and get on the track for the feature. All of those drivers were lined up behind the cars who qualified while Sanders moved to a back-up car slated to be driven by David Marsh.
As the green fell it was side by side racing until the field got to turn three where Ben Booth tapped Ed Yates' car sending him into a spin. George Hall, Jr. then broadsided Yates in the passenger door. The crash took out Hall, Jr. while Yates went to the pits for repairs and got out just after the second start of the race, but lost a lap in the process.
Following the second start, Spencer and Booth raced side by side until Harvey Ewing and Frank Conrad got tangled up at the start of the second lap to bring out the caution. Ewing continued, but Conrad parked his machine. Joey Strehle, who started 12th, had already moved up to sixth.
On the restart, Spencer continued to lead Booth, Wayne Ashton, Jim Rahman, Grief and Strehle with Strehle passing Grief for fifth on lap six.
One lap later, Rahman's engine exploded going into turn three. Grief and Strehle got together trying to avoid the oil putting Grief on the sidelines and sending Strehle pitside to replace a bent wheel.
Spencer and Booth continued to run nose to tail with Wayne Ashton nipping at their nerf bars. Bill Posey, who had worked his way into fifth, began to slow with a deflating tire.
The tight three way battle got even closer on lap 21 as Ashton got under Booth for second and pushed up into Spencer. A major altercation was avoided and Spencer held on to take the win with Ashton and Booth in his shadow. Booth's third place run earned him the Door Operating Systems Rookie of the Race Award.
Simeon Spagnuolo did the passing job of the night coming from 14th on the grid to fourth while Greg Helton had a good run for fifth.
E.B. Carr started 15th and finished sixth while Sanders did a great job in an unfamiliar car to claim seventh. Posey battled his tire problem to eighth with Ed Yates coming back for ninth and George Hall III having a good run for tenth.
Sharen Ewing made her debut in the series and placed a respectable 12th, just one spot behind her husband Harvey.
Spencer's win gives him the early season point lead over Ben Booth, Greg Helton, E.B. Carr and Daryl Grief.
The Classic Auto Racing Series has a week off before beginning a very busy April/May schedule starting with a visit to the high banks of New Smyrna Speedway on April 12th.
OFFICIAL RESULTS - ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD - 3/28/03:
1) Bud Spencer, Palm Harbor #7 2) Wayne Ashton, Ft. Pierce #78 3) Ben Booth, Deland #12 4) Simeon Spagnuolo, Vero Beach #21 5) Greg Helton, Orange City #3 6) E.B. Carr, Okeechobee #90 7) Patrick Sanders, Winter Garden #88 8) Bill Posey, Rockledge #00 9) Ed Yates, Orlando #74 10) George Hall III, St. Petersburg #9 11) Harvey Ewing, Brooksville #17 12) Sharen Ewing, Brooksville #16X 13) Al Hagan, Merritt Island #6 14) Jim Rahman, Clermont #5 15) Joey Strehle, Lake Mack #42 16) Daryl Grief, Deland Heights #1 17) Frank Conrad, Ft. Pierce #90X 18) George Hall, Jr., St. Petersburg #32
