Perfect Weather Sets the Stage for some HOT Racing action at SpeedWorld
by Jane Smith
Bithlo, Fla (May 9, 2003) - Perfect Florida summer eve's heat set the stage for the 50 lap Super Stock Special and all other FASCAR divisions Friday night, May 9, at SpeedWorld. Fans had a really hard time keeping cool with all the action going on on the asphalt.
Nineteen Super Stocks filled the field for the 50 lap event but before the 50 laps were done, many had fallen out due to overheating problems. A sure sign that summer is almost on top of us and it is meltdown time.
Ron Whaley set fast time but after the famous pill drawing, it iwas Bob Beiler on the pole with his yellow #44 "Banana" Super Stocki. But it was Bob Wines who jumped to the lead on the green and lead many of the 50 laps.
Justin Reynolds brought out the first caution when he spun between turns 3 and 4. Bob Beiler had to take his machine in with mechanical problems and was out for the night. Reynolds continued and the race was green again.
On the restart, Bobby Owens, driving Andy Nichols #22 Super Stock, dusted the wall and Brent Brown did a loop between turns 3 and 4 but neither incident brought out the yellow. Top five were Bob Wines, Jim "Hoot" Flynn, Wally Wemrow, Ron Whaley and Cory Freed.
Lap 17 after setting fast time, Whaley broke and ended his hopes for the 50 lap win. Wines, who had no power steering, was not only fighting his car to turn but found a very strong running Cory Freed on his bumper. By lap 25, Freed was able to pass Wines and take the lead with Wines, Flynn, Rob Watford and Butch Pierce in the top five.
Lap 25, Billy Cuddy and Bob Riley get together bringing out the caution and both retire to the pits. On the restart, Freed holds the lead followed by Wines, Flynn, Watford, and Pierce.
Watford gets a good run and passes Flynn with Pierce following behind. Watford takes third, Pierce now holds fourth and Ron Edwards stands fifth. Freed takes the checkers with Bob Wines, Rob Watford, Butch Pierce and Ron Edwards in the top five.
Notes: Butch Pierce also lost his power steering and was a limp noodle when he exited his car at the end of 50 laps. His car ran around 240 and he was going to find the race or blow up.
Bob Wines also had no power steering and was a limp noodle after 50 laps. Kory Freed, after doing a good donut for the fans in Winner's Circle, entertained fans with smoke and water from his car and had to be towed back to the pits. A number of cars had to pit because "hey" they were just plain too hot too trot.
Derrick Wood sat on the pole for the Bandolero Bandits and lead from green to checkers. Only one caution was thrown when Gerald White Jr. spun in turns 1 and 2 Wood held the point on the restart and took the checkered with Chad Atkins, Josh Williams, Mathew Jarrett, and Blake Eden in the top five.
Brandon Thomson had the pole for the Bandolero Young Guns and also lead from green to checkered. With only one caution on lap 2 for Kevin Henry when he spun in turn 1, Thomson was able to fend off the hard charging top five. Thomson took the checkered followed by Kevin Henry, Troy Atkins, Scott Jarrett, and Chelsea Schilling.
Gary Green had the pole for the Mini Stock division but it was points leader Tim "Missileman" McPhail who jumped to the point on the green and never looked back. Randy Blakeslee spun in turns 3 and 4 with Green spun in turns 1 and 2 bringing out the yellow. Green ended retiring to the pits and McPhail took the checkered followed by Mike Williams, Dick Laszlo, Randy Blakeslee, and Gary Green.
Mike Williams is the son of Michael Williams and this was his first race in his #32 Space Coast Steel Mini Stock. Williams ran a good race and the Mini Stock division welcomes him to Orlando SpeedWorld.
Tim "Missileman" McPhail took the heat win.
Rusty Ebersole had the pole for the 14 car field of Super Late Models. and took the lead on the green followed by Mike Good, Rick Wood, Coy Riddle, and Mike Heingardner.
Lap 8 saw a red flag when Matt Griffin, Greg Brooks, David Hart, and Heingardner all got tangled up in turns 3 and 4. Heingardner did not sustain much bodily damage but had to retire but Brooks and Hart definitely made hard contact with Hart getting hit in the driver's door. The field was cleared, the track was cleaned and it was back to green.
On the restart, Ebersole held the point with Good, Wood, McLeod and Mack Hanbury in the top five. Rick Lyons, who was in a bad wreck a number of weeks back and this was his first night back at the track, spunm on lap 17 on the backstretch and found himself headed in the wrong direction. The yellow was thrown with Lyons rejoining the field in the rear.
Ebersole held the point and took the checkered followed by Mike Good, B.J. McLeod, Rick Wood and Mack Hanbury.
B.J. McLeod and Ricky Wood took the heat wins. McLeod, who was out just to practice and not win the heat, ended up at the front and decided he might as well go for it and he did and won. Which only proves, you never know in short track racing what will happen.
Rob Kasey had the pole for the Sportsman feature but on the start, he and Donnie Smith got together coming off turn 2 spinning each other out on the backstretch. This called for a total restart.
On the restart, Donnie Smith (a new daddy as of April 16) took the lead but it was short lived as Justin Hall got loose coming off the frontstretch collecting Erick Traves who hit the turn 1 wall hard. The two cars were towed in on the dreaded hook, the track cleaned, and the race restarted.
Smith was able to jump out again and take the point on the restart followed by Doug Samion, Richard Hight, Michael Albert, and Rob Kasey. Lap 10 Samion tries hard to pass Smith for the lead but in the process got himself loose and had to slow to regather his car giving Smith the momentum to get further ahead of the pack.
But on lap 14, Samion gets alittle anxious spinning the leader out on the backstretch and both are sent to the rear of the field in spite of the fact that Smith had lead all 14 laps of the race. Smith and Samion go to the rear and it is a green, white, checkered.
Richard Hight got the lead from the incident and was able to hold for the win taking the checkered followed by Michael Albert, Rob Kasey, Donnie Smith and Doug Samion.
Richard Hight took the heat win.
Shane Held sat on the pole for the Open Wheel Modified division and lead green to checkered With no cautions, this was a hard racing feature. Matt Wheeler, Frank Polly, Jim "Hoot' Flynn and Dave Riley were the top five on the green but Dink Sullivan was able to pass Riley and take over the fifth place spot.
Lynn Dicandio also got a run and was able to pass Riley for sixth and just plain ran out of laps to further himself to fifth. All in all, a very good race.
Following Held to the checkered was Matt Wheeler, Frank Polly, Jim "Hoot" Flynn, and Dink Sullivan.
Shane Held took the heat win.
Next Friday Night, May 16, hold on to your hats as the Pro Modified Series hits the 3/8th mile oval of Orlando SpeedWorld. Also on the program that night will be the Legends along with the Bandolero Bandits and Young Guns, Super Lates, Sportsman, Mini Stock and Strictly Stock. Super Stocks will have the night off.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OUR MOMS FROM ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD!!!
OFFICIAL RESULTS - May 9
SUPER STOCK 50 LAPPER
1. #12 Cory Freed 2. #7b Bob Wines 3. #17 Rob Watford 4. #57x Butch Pierce 5. #28 Ron Edwards 6. #49 Jason Foster 7. #57b Brent Brown 8. #12oz Jim "Hoot" Flynn 9. #08x Paul Hudson 10. #33 Frank Constantio 11. #17x Lee Wagner 12. #117 Richard Goff 13. #20 Justin Reynolds 14. #64 Billy Cuddy 15. #46 Bob Riley 16, #2x Wally Senrow 17. #2 Ron Whaley 18. #22 Bobby Owens 19. #44 Bob Beiler
BANDOLERO BANDITS
1. #33 Derrick Wood 2. #60 Chad Atkins 3. #6 Josh Williams 4. #9 Mathew Jarrett 5. #17 Blake Eden 6. #01 Matt Bowers 7. #38 Gerald White, Jr. 8. #18 Ryan Rust 9. #74 Eric Salvesen
BANDOLERO YOUNG GUNS
1. #54 Brandon Thomson 2. #9 Kevin Henry 3. #14 Troy Atkins 4. #97 Scott Jarrett 5. #75 Chelsea Schilling 6. #40 Jessica Murphy 7. #63 Shane Henry 8. #26 Blake Direks
MINI STOCK
1. #7 Tim "Missileman" McPhail 2. #32 Mike Williams 3. #07 Dick Laszlo 4. #77 Randy Blakeslee 5. #46 Gary Green
SUPER LATES
1. #47 Rusty Ebersole 2. #27 Mike Good 3. #78 B.J. McLeod 4. #33 Ricky Wood 5. #45 Mack Hanbury 6. #43 Bo Jackson 7. #5 Rick Lyons 8. #71 Russ Shaw 9. #7 Bobby Lyons 10. #1 Coy Riddle 11. #15 Mike Heingardner 12. #6 David Hart 13. #26 Matt Griffin 14. #44 Greg Brooks
SPORTSMAN
1. #23 Richard Hight] 2. #29 Michael Albert 3. #75 Rob Kasey 4. #48 Donnie Smith 5. #04 Doug Samion 6. #71 Tony Wilson 7. #76 Eric Traves 8. #50 Justin Hall
OPEN WHEEL MODIFIED
1. #55 Shane Held 2. #96 Matt Wheeler 3. #34 Frank Polly 4. #57 Jim "Hoot" Flynn 5. #17 Dink Sullivan 6. #20 Lynn Dicandio 7. #05 Dave Riley 8. #721 John Bennett 9. #00x Wayne Southard
