Ty Dillon gets First Feature Semi-Pro Legends Win at Winternationals at SpeedWorld
THOMSON AND DILLON FIRST TIME WINNERS IN WILD SPEEDWORLD LEGENDS ACTION There was plenty of red-hot racing action Friday afternoon during the 4th Annual Winternationals at Orlando Speedworld to help offset a sunny but very cold day.
It just didn't seem like anybody actually wanted to win the Legends Car pro Division feature. In the first 15 laps, Brandon Thomson, Nick Pistone and Craig Goess, Jr. traded the lead five times before a turn two tangle between Roger Austin, Jr. and Kory Abbott slowed the action.
Goess asserted himself out front with Pistone right on his bumper until the two made contact on lap 20 with Goess spinning. Both were sent to the rear of the field allowing Paddy Rodenbeck to assume the lead.
Rodenbeck was looking for two in a row, as he led Cole Miktuk at the restart only to see Pistone pound the wall in turn three on lap 23 to slow the action once again. On the restart, Rodenbeck and Miktuk made contact with Rodenbeck looping his machine, and, for the second time in the race, the first and second place cars were placed at the back of the pack for the restart.
Thomson inherited the lead at this point and raced to his first win of the Winternationals taking the checker just as Rette Causey hit the wall in turn three with Rodenbeck doing likewise in turn four. Both drivers were OK.
Following Thomson to the checker were Jason Dunn, Thomas Hartensveld, Jr., Brandon Dunn and Cameron Patrick. Thomas Van Wingerden, Scott Knox, Kyle LaPier, Abbott and Kyle Beattie rounded out the top ten. Thomson, Rodenbeck and Pistone won the heats.
Things were even crazier in the Legends Car Masters Division feature starting off on the opening lap when Clay Hair gave a little "pay back" to Cy Harvey stemming from an altercation the day before. Race Director Brad Hockaday, not willing to deal with such shenanigans, gave both a last row starting spot for the restart.
The second try starting the race wasn't much better as Doug Hall spun going into turn one. the field was then set up in single file running order for the third try at starting the race with Cotton Spry setting the pace until lap seven when Hair tagged Larry Friddle going into turn three. Bruce Little came along and tagged Friddle's car and even though he was not the cause of the incident, Little was the only one to leave the track on the hook.
Tim Brockhouse took up the chase on Spry until the two came together on lap 11 sending both to the rear of the field handing the lead over to Florida veteran Andy Logan.
Logan was looking good as he led the next seven laps but it was time for the leaders to get in trouble again as Logan was tagged by second-running Brian Weimer coming out of turn two. Again, both front runners were relegated to the back for the restart. Also, at this time, it was determined Spry's car was leaking oil and he was forced from the race.
Local Speedworld regular Jimmy Rodriguez now assumed the lead for a one lap dash to the checker. The West Palm Beach driver had never won a feature event in his career and had Hair right behind him for the restart.
Despite being sent to the rear twice, Hair was not to be denied as he managed to spoil a huge upset by taking the win at the stripe by the length of his front bumper for his third victory in four Winternationals races. Rodriguez settled for a very close second over Cy Harvey, a resurgent Brockhouse and Gary Bursey. Mike Verhaagh, Hall, Friddle, Rick Whitmore and Logan completed the top ten. The pair of Masters Division heats were won by Spry and Harvey. The Legends Car Semi-Pro feature was tame by comparison and saw the fourth winner in as many days.
Ty Dillon snared the lead from Zach Stroup near mid race and sped to the win ahead of Stroup and point leader John Stancill. Stancill's third place run came from the back of the starting grid after he had to switch to a back-up car following a hard heat race crash.
Josh Williams came home in fourth with Chelsea Schillig fifth. The remainder of the top ten consisted of J.R. Allen, who led the opening five laps, Zach Zimmerly, Travis Baer, Tony Sansom and Jimmy Norman.
Heat races for the Semi Pros were won by Allen, Williams and Stroupe. Results of the Legends Car Charger Division feature were frozen following a protest of the engine in apparent winner Matthew Stover's car. Unofficially, Stover took the win, his third of the Winternationals, over R.S Senter, Curt Britt, Dalton Bergman and Randy Garven.
In the Bandelero Bandits it was Dillon Bassett taking his second win of the week over Nicholas Stroupe, Critter Saile, Evan Bell, Bodie Bellinger, Layne Clifton, Zoey Guignardi, Jesse Kirila, Blake Jones and Zachary Harris. Bellinger and Stroupe won the heats.
The Bandelero Young Guns feature fell to Ryan Glenski, also his second win of the week. Trailing Glenski to the checker were Chad Fincum, Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Donovan Ponder, Meghan Dillner, and Bryce Walker. Bassett was the heat race winner.
Thomas Van Wingerden won his third Thunder Roadster main event of the week taking the win over heat winner Jesse Bunnell, Steve Carter and Tom Clarke.
Action for the 4th Annual Orlando Speedworld Winternationals concludes Saturday afternoon starting at 1:30PM.
OFFICIAL RESULTS ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD - FEBRUARY 16 WINTERNATIONALS
LEGEND MASTERS
1. #29 Clay Hair 2. #19x James Rodriquez 3. #37ns Cy Harvey 4. #13 Tim Brockhouse 5. #83m Gary Bursey 6. #7 Mike Verhaagh 7. #55 Doug Hall 8. #8 Larry Friddle 9. #06 Rick Whitmore 10. #1FL Andy Logan 11. #23 Bob Wilson 12. #66 Tom Clarke 13. #40 Brian Weimer 14. #01 Ray Paprota 15. #16 Cotton Spry 16. #19 Bruce Little 17. #78 Hermann Greinig 18. #39 Ronnie Poland Sr.
LEGEND PRO
1. #54 Brandon Thomson 2. #20 Jaon Dunn 3. #01 36 Thomas Hartensveld Jr. 4. #20D Brandon Dunn 5. #20P Cameron Patrick 6.; #12 Thomas Von Wingerden 7. #86 Scott Knox 8. #12x Kyle LaPier 9. #5 Kory Abbott 10. #96B Kyle Beattie 11. #74 Paul Schrein 12. #81 Craig Goess 13. #8 Roger Austin 14. #16 Cole Miktuk 15. #33 Rette Causey 16. #129 Paddy Rodenbeck 17. #99 Nick Pistone 18. #11 Chris Lemonds 19. #53 Jeremy Lundy
LEGEND SEMI-PRO
1. #21X Ty Dillon 2. #51 Zach Stroupe 3. #20x John Stancill 4. #6 Josh Williams 5. #75 Chelsea Schillig 6. #01 J.R. Allen 7. #94 Zach Zimmerly 8. #66 Travis Baer 9. #55 Tony Sansom 10. #2 Jimmy Norman 11. #211 Kara Clarke 12. #34 Shaughn McCormick 13. #12 Corey Smith 14. #5 Gene Kirila 15. #113 Luke Fleming 16. #57 Bryan Silas 17. #7 Chad Hackenbracht 18. #38 Ryan Moore 19. #87 Darrel Vance 20. #24 Parker Hammons
LEGEND CHARGERS
1. #26 Matthew Stover 2. #01x R.S. Senter 3. #101 Curt Britt 4. #37b Dalton Bergman 5. #69 Randy Gavin 6. #76 Jamie Smith 7. #3 Dean Moslow, Jr. 8. #99 Alex Kempf 9. #20 George Cushman 10. #59 Austin Aguirre 11. #17 Phillip Bell 12. #6A Bryan Beland
THUNDER ROADSTERS
1. #12 Thomas Van Wingerden 2. #96 Jesse Bunnell 3. #9 Steve Carter 4. #66 Tom Clarke
