Adams wins Mr. Bud Sprint Car Championship at East Bay
by Bill Green
TAMPA, Fla. -- After two of the most emotional weeks ever for East Bay Raceway Park fans and racers, the Mr. Bud Sprint Car Championship was an opportunity for the local racing family to get back to some great racing.
The track was tacky and quick for Mr. Bud Sprint qualifying and 20 cars would contend for the Championship title. First on the track would be "Superman" Sport Allen with a respectable 14.569 elapse time. That time would hold up for only six more cars, until young Danny Martin, Jr., known to his fans as "The Hammer," set fast time with a new "Regular Season" Track Record of 13.911 for 360 Sprints at East Bay Raceway Park. Kenny Adams retains his "Winter National" Track Record of 12.431.
The top-5 qualifiers for the Sprints included: USCS driver Greg Wilson's #20 going 5th quick at 14.489, Brian Maddox in the #82 went 4th fast at 14.435, EBRP point's leader Johnny Gilbertson went 14.252 in the #21 for 3rd fast and 3-clicks off Danny Martin's fast-time would be "The Malabar Missile" Kenny Adams in the #4A car at 14.247.
Pill draw would be very interesting, as the top-10 qualifiers would pull for their starting positions, but 7th place qualifier Danny Jones, a regular runner with the USCS series, would be DQ'd in tech for an improper wheel. That moved newcomer Doug Auld and the Sprint Car & Midget Magazine car into the top-10 pill draw. Doug would use the opportunity to draw #1 and the coveted pole position, but outside Auld would be "Lonnie Prevatt Memorial" winner Kenny Adams. Fast qualifier Danny Martin, Jr. would pull the #10 pill and start outside row 5, with points leader Gilbertson starting 7th and 2nd in points Sport Allen starting behind Adams in 4th, outside row 2.
Mr. Bud feature would see several stories within the story unfold.
First off, Doug Auld was smart enough to know better than take the pole position. Tom Winegardner, Jr. used the move up to the pole as an opportunity to show his 2003 improvement, holding the lead for 18 laps. Daryl Smith would take the crowds breath away with a spectacular wreck in turn 3, all but destroying his car. During the red for Smith, "Superman" proved he was human, as Sport Allen would retire the #88 Dayton Andrews Dodge machine with an oil leak. Gene Lasker would come from dead last on lap 3, after a visit to the pits for a tire change, to a great 6th place finish. While, Danny Martin, Jr. would thrill the fans with a run from 10th to just short of a win in his 150mph, Flying Pumpkin.
Taking his second major event in as many weeks, with back-to-back "Lonnie Prevatt Memorial" & "Mr. Bud Championship" wins, "The Malabar Missile" Kenny Adams would make it 27 feature event wins for 2003. In Victory Lane, an emotional Kenny Adams would speak from the heart, "This one is for Donn Goodson and Billy Harter, we miss then a lot, it's been a tough month, a few terrible weeks, but they made this all possible and I'm so glad to see Julie (Billy Harter's wife) back at the track."
Second to Adams would be "The Hammer" Danny Martin, Jr., with Greg Wilson third, Tom Winegardner, Jr. fourth, Johnny Gilbertson finished fifth and wrapped up the 2003 Sprint Car Championship at East Bay Raceway Park.
Street Stock feature would have a wild finish with Bruce Harvey going into Victory Lane sideways, so to speak, as he, Tim Hunt and Jason Bronson would get tangled up in turn-4, on the final lap dash to the finish. Hunt finished second, with Bronson third, Wayne Hayes would finish fourth and Danny Paris would come back to fifth.
Mini-Stocks would see Ryan Mitchell lead them to the green and never look back, as he would take the win, with Dorsey Strickland second, Scotty Williams third, Chad Rose fourth and Rich Livernois fifth.
Late Models would be the fourth class onto the track for features and everyone would battle a tough track to the checkered flag. Phillip Cobb would use a powerful late race set up to take the victory from Bobby Alexander, Sr. whom would settle for second, Donnie Tanner third, K. D. Kelly fourth and David Schmauss fifth.
Limited Late Models would finish the evening's feature programs, with Bill Howard in Victory Lane. Second would go to Dale Pope, third to Timmy Bronson, fourth was Roger Crouse and a hard charging Phillip Brower would come from 22nd to fifth.
Next week brings a close to the East Bay Raceway Park 2003 season, with the final Mr. Bud Championship for our Late Model Class on Saturday Nov. 15th and the final Friday Night Under-The -Lights for the Go-Karts on Nov. 14th.
