Rain showers again tried to dampen things Saturday at Orlando Speedworld, but a bit of late afternoon sunshine helped dry the track for a full evening of racing excitement.
The RE/MAX Legend Cars were back in action with 25 cars signing in for the night's activities. After heat race wins were taken by Jimmy Norman and Mike Verhaagh, Zack Colangelo led flag to flag to win the Legend Charger feature for less-experienced drivers in his first ever race in a Legend Car over Mason Ketterman, Gerald Campbell and Dallas Ingram. The win also allowed Colangelo to tag the back of the 25 lap main event.
Josh Williams, the most recent winner here, had the pole for the feature and quickly jumped out to an early advantage, but third starter Kory Abbott was right on his tail. Before the third lap could be completed, Dalton Bergman spun coming off turn four with Gerald White, Jr. taking a hard shot into the wall trying to avoid him. White was a bit sore, but otherwise OK while his racer needed a ride on the ABC Towing roll-back to the pits.
Abbott made quick work of Williams after the restart and began to pull away leaving everybody else to fight for second. Lap ten saw the second caution as Alex Kempf spun off turn two.
Abbott continued to lead easily as the third caution flew for Colangelo spinning in turn four. Chelsea Schillig, who was running in the top five at the time, suddenly took her car to the pits. Schillig had thought she'd been told on her RaceCeiver Radio to go have a loose bumper repaired, but that apparently was not the case as there was nothing wrong. "You can't really understand what they're saying most of the time," said Schillig. "I guess they were trying to move me into a different position or something, but it sounded like they wanted me to go to the pits," she said.
Schillig re-entered the race at the tail of the field just as the green reappeared, but just for three laps before Colangelo spun a second time in turn two.
Abbott had no problems in taking yet another win at his home track while Williams had another great run for second. A late charge netted Darin Coker the third spot with Jimmy Norman fourth and Shaughn McCormick fifth. Mike Verhaagh was sixth and took the Masters Division honors while David Tart, Rick Wetmore, James Rodriguez and Mark Bibeau rounded out the top ten. Completing the finishing field were Leonard Hearndon, Schillig, Kempf, Tony Sansom, Bryan Beland, Colangelo, Gary Verdier, Bob Wilson, Mitch Verhaagh, Bergman and White.
The Outlaw Modifieds made their second trip to Speedworld for 2007 and, as usual, put on a great show. Twin heat races were claimed by Steve Quick and Billy Campbell with Quick living up to his name, jumping out to the lead at the drop of the green from his pole position slot.
Quick looked to have the car to beat as he led easily, but his machine suddenly slowed during lap seven and he pulled off the track. That left John Gilbert III and Zack Rudd to fight for the top spot which they traded back and forth several times before Billy Campbell caught and passed them both on lap eleven. One lap later, Gilbert and Rudd tangled in turn two to bring out the caution. Gilbert was done for the night while Rudd made a quick pit stop and returned.
On the restart, third running John Parrish had his car fail him and he too dropped off the pace and into the infield. Campbell had clear sailing the rest of the way as he took the win over Cliff Steinmann and Doug Hopper. Marty Neikens was fourth while Tom Meyer took fifth then lost control and hit the front stretch wall going into turn one. Meyer was not hurt.
Rudd came back to finish sixth with Craig Sherar, Ric Voisey, Ric Mills, Parrish, Gilbert, Quick, Robert Campbell and Mike Donahue rounding out the finishers.
A pair of Carolina kids dominated the Hearndon Construction Bandolero action.
The Bandits heat saw a wild finish as leaders Stephen Bergh and Critter Saile got together allowing Shawn Hooven to take the win. Saile was penalized to the rear of the feature grid for his actions as Charlotte, NC's Bergh got around Hooven to lead the majority of the way for his first win here driving his "Pepsi Can." Saile "sailed" through the field but could not catch Bergh and settled for second followed by Hooven, Zach Harris, Kevin Muglach, James Crow, Coty Bibeau and Daniel Conlin.
Shawn Hooven's older brother Mark took the Young Gun heat win but it was another NC driver who came home with the feature race win as Brandon Lynn led most of the way for his second win of the year at the Orlando track. Mark Hooven was second trailed by Gerald Campbell, Donovan Ponder, Kaleb Hearndon and Carl Haagh.
In Florida Open Wheel Lite action, there was a scary moment in heat two when the throttle stuck wide open on Jeff Ripley's car and he clobbered the turn one wall. Fortunately Ripley was not hurt but the right front of his car took a beating and he was done for the night. Phil Krauthoff ran away with the feature, building over a half-lap lead before a late race caution brought the field back to him.
Krauthoff was up to the challenge as he took the win over Max Howe, Jeff Wolfe, Jason Stout, Roger Richmond, Robert Johnson, David Kellogg and Sonny O'Sullivan. Heat race wins went to Krauthoff and Howe.
Jim Erb, who won the Strictly Stock feature the night before in an Acura, dusted off his Chevy Monte Carlo and won the ABC Towing Hurricane feature. Erb took the lead early and led all the way to take the victory over Gary Thomas, Mark Walls, Rob Reynolds and Miguel Barrenechea. Completing the finishers were Brian Townson, Mark Fritzler, Mike Retsch, Blaize Fisher, Alex Fortune, Alan McClelland and Richard Barrenechea. Erb and Thomas won the heats.
After winning the heat, Matt Covington also topped the feature for the Outlaw Strictly Stocks taking the win over Joe Arnold, Rick Poffenberger and Scott Mickens.
OFFICIAL RESULTS ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD SEPTEMBER 15, 2007
BANDOLERO BANDIT
1. #70 Stephen Bergh 2. #12 Critter Saile 3. #27 Shawn Hooven 4. #54 Zach Harris 5. #97 Kevin Muglach 6. #9 James Crow 7. #65 Mark Beebo 8. #20 Daniel Conlin DNS
1. #2 Phil Krauthoff 2. #60 Max Howe 3. #33 Roger Richmond 4. #83 Jeff Wolfe 5, #27 Jason Stout 6. #72 Robert Johnson 7. #28 Dave Kellogg 8. #0 Sonny O'Sullivan 9. #68 Jeff Ripley DNS
1. #11 Billy Campbell 2. #23 Cliff Steinmann 3. #15 Doug Hopper 4. #70 Marty Niekens 5. #4 Tom Meyer 6. #2 Zack Rudd 7. #56 Craig Shear 8. #22 Ric Mills 9. #69 Ric Volsey 10. #9 John Parrish 11. #77 John Gilbert III 12. #1 Steve Quick 13. #10 Robert Campbell 14. #20 Mike Donahue
RE/MAX LEGENDS
1. #5 Kory Abbott 2. #6 Josh Williams 3. #00 Darin Coker 4. #2 Jimmy Norman 5. #34 Shaughn McCormick 6. #7 Mike Verhaagh 7. #3 David Tart 8. #06 Rick Wetmore 9. #19 James Rodrigues 10. #65 Mark Beebo 11. #53 Leonard Hearndon 12. #75 Chelsea Schillig 13. #99 Alex Kempf 14. #56 Tony Sansom 15. #6A Bryan Beland 16. #7C Zack Colangelo 17. #44 Gary Verdier 18. #27w Bob Wilson 19. #9 Mitch Verhaagh 20. #37 Dalton Bergman 21. 38 Gerald White, Jr. 22. #07 Dave Gleason DNS
OUTLAW STRICTLY STOCK
1. #7 Matt Covington 2. #3 Joe Arnold 3. #43 Rick Poffenferger 4. #9 Scott Steel
HURRICANE
1. #32 Jim Erb 2. #76 Gary Thomas 3. #6 Mark Walls 4. #A1 Rob Reynolds 5. #35 Brian Cosier 6. #22 Miguel Barrenechea 7. #22 Brian Townson 8. #12 Mark Fritzler 9. #54 Mike Rresch 10. #7 Blaze Fisher 11. #29 Alex Fortune 12. #23 Alan McClelland 13. #20x Richard Barrenechea
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