Classic Cars Dodge the Raindrops - Kelley and Booth Score Wins
by Dave Westerman
The Classic Auto Racing Series, like so many other racing groups in the State of Florida, has been seeing way too much rain lately. However, after over a month of inactivity, the CARS Series managed to get both programs in this week at Orlando Speedworld and Desoto Super Speedway.
Skies threatened off and on Friday night at Speedworld, but the wet stuff held off as 21 Classics showed up to do battle.
Gary Kelley of Del Rio, TN was down south for a little vacation and he made his presence felt quickly as he dominated the opening heat race to earn the pole position for the feature while Ft. Pierce, FL driver Wayne Ashton copped heat race two and would start from the outside pole.
Kelley, who has six wins so far this year at his home track in Newport, TN, moved out to a commanding lead at the drop of the green with fellow Tennessee driver Brian Ball slipping into second in his "new look" 1940 Ford coupe.
Kelley and Ball set a blistering pace as Ashston settled into third spot in front of Patrick "Bam Bam" Sanders, Jim Rahman and David Marsh.
On lap six, Ed Yates, Frank Conrad, and Ben Booth were racing three wide for seventh spot when Booth spun in turn one to bring out the caution flag.
Kelley continued to set the pace, well in front of Ball and Ashton after the restart. Al Hagan, who had made repairs following a heat race crash, was on the move taking eighth spot on lap eight after starting 13th. Also on lap eight, Marsh pulled the Whitlock 7-11 into the infield with overheating problems.
Hagan was still on the charge, taking sixth from Frank Conrad on lap 12 with the running order now Kelley, Ball, Ashton, Sanders, Rahman, Hagan, Conrad, Ed Yates and Bill Posey.
With the Tennessee hotshoes firmly in command, lap 15 would change the complexion of the race behind them.
Hagan and Conrad got together while battling for sixth. When it was all over, the red flag was out as Bud Spencer found himself on top of Hagan's machine. Also involved were Ed Yates and Ben Booth. Hagan's car was a mess and he was through for the weekend. Spencer and Yates also had their cars towed to the pits while Conrad and Booth restarted the race from the rear.
As the field fired the cars up for the return to racing, third-running Ashton pulled off with an overheating engine. E.B. Carr, and newcomer Chip Green also pulled off the track.
Once the green flew again for the remaining five laps, it was clear no one had anything for Kelley as he sprinted away. Rahman passed his teammate Sanders for third on the restart but was well behind Kelley and second place Brian Ball as the field took the checker. Sanders held on for fourth spot while point leader Booth made a late charge over the final two laps to nab fifth. Bill Posey had a steady run to finish sixth with Daryl Grief coming from 18th on the starting grid to finish seventh. Joey Strehle was eighth in his new sedan with Keith Baiga making a surprise start in Strehle's other machine, then running to a good ninth place showing. George Hall III had yet another good effort to round out the top ten.
Action shifted Saturday evening to Desoto Super Speedway near Bradenton, the first time the Classics have competed at John and Camille Sarppraicone's immaculate facility since 1997, and the fans would not be disappointed.
With very nasty looking weather moving in on the speedway, fans were treated to maybe the best heat race of all time in the Classic Auto Racing Series as Bud Spencer, Bill Posey, Daryl Grief, and Patrick Sanders ran side by side for eight laps with not one bit of contact. Posey worked the outside lane the entire race, actually leading three laps, but Spencer held his line and led the lap that counted to earn the pole for the feature.
The second heat was just as close with Ben Booth grabbing the top spot from Frank Conrad then fending off the wild challenges of Joey Strehle, Gary Kelley, Jim Rahman and Conrad to take the win and get the outside pole slot for the 20 lap feature.
It would be over three hours before the CARS drivers would get to run their main event as the skies opened up for a typical late afternoon/early evening Florida thunderstorm.
The weather was just as bad all over the state and nearly every track had called off its program but Desoto officials opted to wait out the rain. "These guys and gals in the pits and the fans in the stands pay good money to come here and race or watch a race," said John Sarppraicone. "That's why we do everything in our power to get the show in. We've only been rained out once this year while most other tracks have thrown in the towel five or six times already," he said. Twice it looked like the rain was abating, only to pick up again. After over two hours of anything from a heavy downpour to a steady sprinkle, the precipitation stopped and track drying efforts began. Shortly after 11PM, the Classics made their way to the track for what would be a fantastic caution-free race.
Ben Booth grabbed the lead from Bud Spencer at the drop of the green and settled into the front position. Starting outside row four, Kelley was quickly on the charge, taking third on lap six, then passing Spencer for second a lap later.
For the remainder of the race it would be Booth on the inside lane and Kelley on the outside lane with Brian Ball moving to third and looking high and low for racing room, even attempting some inside moves to make it three wide on a couple of occasions.
They continued to race side by side for the lead with Kelley actually leading lap 17, only to get a bit wide in turn one and hand the top spot back to Booth.
Coming down for the white flag, Booth's car stumbled off the low side allowing Kelley to get enough momentum to power by in turn one and take the lead and race to an apparent win. Spencer was running fifth but spun in turn four on the white flag lap.
The finish was Kelley, Booth, Ball, Joey Strehle, and Daryl Grief. Kelley's victory celebration was short-lived however as eighth place finisher Patrick Sanders presented $1800 to CARS officials, the amount needed to claim Kelley's winning engine.
Kelley, who indicated this was the only engine he had to finish the season with, opted not to sell and per CARS rules was disqualified, earning no money and points for the night.
Kelley said he and his crew were down here to have a good time and he might have considered pulling the engine out and selling it to Sanders had it not already become Sunday morning with a long ride back to Tennessee ahead of him.
So, with Kelley's DQ, the veteran Ben Booth finally picked up his first win in the Classic Auto Racing Series while adding to his overall series point lead as well as picking up the Door Operating Systems Rookie of the Race Award for both nights.
The adjusted order of finish showed Booth the winner with Brian Ball second and Joey Strehle third. Daryl Grief and Bill Posey finished up a strong weekend with a fourth and fifth place showing while Jim Rahman, Sanders, Ed Yates, Spencer and George Hall III rounded out the top ten.
The next race for the Classic Auto Racing Series will be Saturday night, August 2nd at Orlando Speedworld for race two of the Dick Westfall promoted Summer Shootout Series.
CLASSIC AUTO RACING SERIES RESULTS:
ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD - 7/11/03 (20 Laps):
1) Gary Kelley, Del Rio, TN #18 2) Brian Ball, Cosby, TN #33 3) Jim Rahman, Clermont #5 4) Patrick Sanders, Winter Garden #8 5) Ben Booth (R), Deland #12 6) Bill Posey (R), Rockledge #00 7) Daryl Grief, Deland #1 8) Joey Strehle (R), Lake Mack #X11 9) Keith Baiga, Deland #42 10) George Hall III, St. Petersburg #9 11) George Hall, Jr., St. Petersburg #32 12) Eddie Ward, Ft. Pierce #54 13) Frank Conrad, Ft. Pierce #11 14) Tim Ousley, Windermere #88 15) Wayne Ashton, Ft. Pierce #78 16) Ed Yates, Orlando #74 17) David Marsh, Orlando #7-11 18) Chip Green, Ft. Pierce #54 19) Al Hagan, Merritt Island #6 20) Bud Spencer, Palm Harbor #7 21) E.B. Carr, Okeechobee #90
DESOTO SUPER SPEEDWAY - 7/12/02 (20 Laps):
1) Booth 2) Ball 3) Strehle (#42) 4) Grief 5) Posey 6) Rahman 7) Sanders 8) Yates 9) Spencer 10) Hall III 11) Hall, Jr. DQ Kelley DNS Carr DNS Conrad
