Tampa Fl. June 3 2006 It was one of those racing nights that will have fans talking for weeks to come. Clear skies, temps in the upper eighties, and a full pits greeted the nearly full house to open the month of June. One hundred sixteen cars competed in five classes of wall-to-wall action that left nobody disappointed.
The Limited Late Model class really had their act together tonight but nobody better than Jeff Mathews. Mathews started on the outside of the front row and shot into the early lead right at the green leaving the rest of the twenty four car field to battle it out behind him. Spots two thru five were hotly contested the entire distance of the fifteen lap main and changed often in a very clean race. Tim Gay held on to the runner up spot ahead of David Simpson, Roger Crouse, and J.R. Prather Jr. Simpson, Mathews, and Gay won their respective heats.
In Four Cylinder Bomber action K.C. Laramee would find victory lane on this Saturday night in a race that was decided in the final straightaway. The top five changed positions several times per lap in this slam bang affair. K.C. was able to prevail over Johnny Lookado, Jimmy Alvis, David Riner, and B.W. Hogwaller. The “Odessa Flash” George Christensen claimed heat race number one and in heat two Laramee took the win after first time starter Billy Music had a short night end on his roof. Music was unhurt.
Next up were the Late Models for their twenty car, twenty-five lap main. With the track surface just about perfect and three full grooves to work with the fans knew they were in for a show. The fans were right. Ted Erskine jumped out to an early lead but lost the handle on the number eight car dropping him to the back of the pack. Eleventh starter David Schmauss picked his way through the field of twenty to take the lead away from Bobby Alexander late in the race. Once again, the entire head of the field was in doubt the entire event as spots changed often. Schmauss prevailed at the checkered flag for the win ahead of Alexander, Phillip Cobb, Roger Crouse, and K.D. Kelly.
Post race action turned to the tech shed as Schmauss and Crouse were protested. Both cars came up right and the finish stands as official. Kelly and Wallace Peacock garnered heat wins.
The Gagles Open Wheel Modifieds refused to be shown up by the Late Models and put on a race that can only be described as a barnburner. The crowd was on their feet early and often over the fifteen-lap distance. Roger Crouse and Jamie Burrows brought the twenty-four car starting field to the green and stayed lock step for laps, as the racing behind them was always two and sometimes three wide. Buzzie Reutimann used his track savvy and countless years of experience to pick his way to second using the bottom groove and on the last turn of the white flag lap made his bid for the lead. The entire top five was jumbled over the last two laps as the racers picked their spots and what grooves to use to the best advantage. Devin Dixon grabbed second in the scramble with Jamie Burrows holding on for third ahead of Roger Crouse and David Schmauss. The fans gave the entire field a huge round of applause on the cool down lap in appreciation of a job well done and a race well run. Crouse, Reutimann, and Jeff Mathews took the prelims.
Street Stocks rounded out tonight’s action packed program and they didn’t want to be out done either. Tim Spencer led the twenty-four starters to green and held off all challengers in tonight’s fifteen lap final run. No cakewalk here either as Spencer had to hold off repeated challenges from several different drivers. Paul Gibbs worked his way to runner up spot by the last lap but contact with Tim Yeager sent him spinning in turn one and Yeager to the back of the field for contact. Steven Johnson used the entire racetrack to move from eleventh to second at the finish followed by Charlie Paris Jr. who recovered from an early race incident not of his making and a trip to the back of the pack back to third. Cam Canova was in the fight the whole way but had to settle for fourth and fourteenth starter Jeff Stewart made his way into the top five. Daniel Lewis, Johnson, and Paris took heat wins.
When all was said and done, it was a memorable night of racing on the “Clay By the Bay” and the best part is we get to do it all again next Saturday night. Hope to see you here!
