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IT'S
TIME TO RACE!!
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FASTRUCKS put on "Ice"...Watts is a "FASTKID" at SpeedWorld
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by Dave Westerman
Fans got a double whammy of truck racing Friday night as the ASA FASTRUCKS and FASTKIDS made their first appearance of the 2004 season at Orlando Speedworld with their usual close competition spread out among some wild action.
The FASTKIDS race was pure dominance for Winter Springs resident Sam Watts on his "home" track. The 13-year old phenom won the very first FASTKID race he entered last week at Charlotte County Speedway and had the field covered from the drop of the green flag Friday night.
Watts set fast time and was also the third fastest of all the trucks entered in both divisions!
Luck of the draw put Watts on the pole and he was on cruise control from the drop of the green flag with only Dalton Zehr able to stay reasonably close to him.
The race was pretty tame but was one of those that a driver like Matt Martin would like to forget. Martin was involved in four caution flags (not all of his own making) including a turn four incident that sent the cars of Amanda Gogel and Mitch Webb to the pits. However, Martin soldiered on to a fifth place finish.
Watts took the win followed by Zehr, Josh Crenshaw, Joey Morales and Matt Martin.
The 50-lap FASTRUCK headliner looked to be a barn burner just from the starting line-up. Fast qualifier Dustin Skinner found himself starting mid-pack with point leader Tommy King and several top runners like Jimmy Gill starting deep in the field.
James Wright III snared the early lead but it was Jeff Firestine really putting on the pressure in the early laps as the fans were on the edge of their seats with all the three-wide racing and "rubbing" going on.
Firestine managed to get by Wright near the mid point of the race only to slip high a few laps later allowing Shawn Icely to take over the top spot.
At this point, caution-flag-itis set in for a number of incidents during the final third of the race including a scary crash into the pit entrance wall by Eddie Moran.
The water barrels did their job though and, although his "bell was ringing," Moran climbed from his destroyed truck a bit groggy but in OK shape physically.
Billy Barstow also took a hard shot into the turn three wall backwards but fortunately he too was unhurt.
Firestine seemed to have a faster truck, but Icely was not to be denied as the Sarasota driver took his first career win in the FASTRUCK Series. Firestine was second with Wright coming back for third after slipping as far back as fifth at one point. Marty Zehr came home fourth giving the Zehr family two top five finishes on the night while Tim Shaffner was fifth.
Kevin Williams, George Morales, George Gorham, Tommy King and Wendell Bristol rounded out the top ten while local favorite Sean Bass came home in 12th after starting 29th. Bass was unable to qualify as his crew had to change a transmission after warm-ups.
Bass came back to win the 15-lap Mini Stock feature in wire to wire fashion in his Speed-Pro Special. For the young Auburndale driver, it was his fourth win of the season. Chad Ashley was second for the fifth time in eight races this year while R.J. Arnone, Michael Seay, and Dick Laszlo completed the top five. Ashley won the heat.
Richard Hight held off a late charge from Justin Hall to nab his third Sportsman win of the year. Bobby Joe Woodley, Tony Wilson and Bill Hall trailed. Hight also won the heat race.
There was plenty of wild action in the Super Stock feature, but when the dust cleared, Daytona's Ron Whaley had earned his fourth checkered flag of the season after a great battle with John Castro who settled for second. Rim-riding Ted Head came home third in front of Rick Johns and Dave "White Fire" Wright. Super Stock heats were won by Castro and Doug Gould.
Richie Laszlo took yet another Strictly Stock win in his Ford Fairmont Futura out-running Casey Riley, Clint "Green Hornet" Snyder and Michelle Dyal.
RESULTS - ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD - 5/21/04:
ASA FASTRUCKS (50 Laps):
1) Shawn Icely #27
2) Jeff Firestine #93
3) James Wright III, #56
4) Marty Zehr #6
5) Tim Shaffner #29
6) Kevin Williams #60
7) George Morales #96
8) George Gorham #10
9) Tommy King #16
10) Wendell Bristol #18
11) Jimmy Gill #5
12) Sean Bass #20
13) Anthony Barreca #12
14) David Pollen, Jr. #88
15) Daniel Sassnelt #17
16) Danny Anderson #50
17) Gary Foxworth #25
18) Dustin Skinner #42
19) Brandon Anderson #46
20) Kelly Caudill #33
21) Johnny Gazdacko #23
22) Stuart Robinson #51
23) Al Neumann #4
24) Donald Davis #3
25) Chris Thorn #2
26) Billy Barstow #01
27) Brandon Johnson #14
28) Eddie Moran #11
29) Marty Wolf #02
DNS Travis Nichols #22
FASTKIDS (25 Laps):
1) Sam Watts #73
2) Dalton Zehr #5
3) Josh Crenshaw #07
4) Joey Morales #96
5) Matt Martin #66
6) Cody Pitts #8
7) Spencer Taylor #46
8) Mitch Webb #2
9) Amanda Gogel #4K
MINI STOCKS (15 Laps):
1) Sean Bass #28
2) Chad Ashley #87
3) R.J. Arnone #30
4) Michael Seay #10
5) Dick Laszlo #07
6) Dick Owens #4
7) Randy Blakeslee #77
8) John Cook #24
9) Amanda Tonchuk #18
10) Stephen Simpson #007
11) Rick Gamache #61
SPORTSMAN (15 Laps):
1) Richard Hight #23
2) Justin Hall #50
3) Bobby Joe Woodley #98
4) Tony Wilson #71
5) Bill Hall #56
6) Bruce Gayton #93
SUPER STOCK (15 Laps):
1) Ron Whaley #2
2) John Castro #5
3) Ted Head #92
4) Rick Johns #66
5) Dave Wright #65
6) Bill Loomis #24
7) Bob Beiler #44
8) Ron Edwards #28
9) Brett Woodley #90
10) Doug Gould #71
11) Roger Benton #14
12) Corey Freed #12
13) Todd McCreary #24Q
14) Bob Starr #05
15) Donald Springer #118
16) Robert Ward #25
DNS Bobby Riley #46
STRICTLY STOCKS (12 Laps):
1) Richie Laszlo #07
2) Casey Riley #56
3) Clint Snyder #15
4) Michelle Dyal #26
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