"I'm
noticing a turn of the tide on racing Web sites like Florida's
Karnac.com, the gathering place for the most dedicated race
fans in the state." -Orlando Sentinel
Punta Gorda, FL...Saturday Night was the first annual Freddie Stutz Memorial TQ Midets race, honoring the legend race car drivers. After five years of sitting and collecting dust, Sprint car drivers Wendy Mathis and Mark Gimmler dusted off their TQ Midgets for this race.
The TQ Midgets started off the evening with two heat races with Ted Durfee starting on the pole for the first heat race. Durfee jumped to the lead at the start of the heat race and remained up front until lap four when his car started having motor issues and had to pull his car into the infield. This handed the lead and win over to Michael Belusar.
On the second heat race Freddie Stutz son, Jay Stutz was on the pole for the six lap heat. Jamie Barnum would lead the first lap, but Jack Duffy would take over the front spot the following lap and stayed their to capture the heat win. Next up would be the six lap heat race for the Dwarf cars with Jef Wolf leading the field to the green. Larry Hubbard II took the lead on the start of the heat. Mike Belusar brought out the only caution the the third lap when he spun his car out in turn four. Larry Hubbard II took the six lap heat victory.
The first feature race of the evening was a twelve lap Bandolero race with eight year old Reese Chase on the pole. When the green flag waved Mark Hooven took over the lead with Taylor McFadden battling hard with Hooven for several of laps for the lead. McFadden cleared Hooven for the top spot on lap seven, however three laps later Hooven passed him to the lead the final two laps. Mark Hooven was the winner with Taylor McFadden in second and Michael Atwell made a last lap pass on Shawn Hooven to take the third spot.
Kenny Gilley sat on the pole for a twenty five lap feature race for the Fab 4 class. Gilley jumped to the lead and started pulling away from the field when the first caution came out on lap four. The caution came out for Thomas Willis with something breaking on his car and the track had to be checked to make sure no fluid was on the track. Tony Shore got into the side of Ashton Scott's car on the restart of the race and both cars came to a stop in the bottom of turn three.
The lead changed on the sixth lap when Jason Perkins passed Kenny Gilley for the lead. Mike Lacore brought out the next caution on lap twenty one, when his car came to a stop on the top of the turn one wall. The last caution to wave was on lap twenty three with Jeremy Perkins and Zach Smith making contact on the frontstretch. Brent Null had gotten into the back Perkins car and something started to leak out of Null's car into the track. Jason Perkins went on to capture the victory with Brandon Scott and Kenny Gilley completing the top three spots.
Dwarf cars were the next feature race with Larry Hubbard II out front for the twenty lap race. Andy Pryor took the lead from Hubbard II before the first lap was completed and led until the second lap. Mike Belusar took over the lead on the third lap from Pryor. The only caution for the class came out on lap twelve for Sam Mancuso spinning his car out in turn one. Mike Belusar was the winner with Andy Pryor finishing in the second spot and John Bailey finished in third.
The Legend cars returned to CCMP for their twenty five lap race with Mitch Verhaagh leading the field to the start of the race. Verhaagh took the lead at the start of the race and stayed their until the third lap. Mark Hooven brought out the first caution on the second lap when his car spun out in turn three. His car went up the track and collected the cars of Gerald Campbell and Conrad Molter, both went to the top of the track to try avoiding contact with Hooven. The contact ended Campbell and Molter's evening.
On the restart for lap two Mitch Verhaagh was still leading when Devin McLeod challenged Verhaagh for the spot. Mcleod took over the lead on lap four. The last caution came out on lap ten with Zach Napleon's car slid to a stop on the frontstretch. Fast Qualifier Josh Williams took over the lead from Devin McLeod on lap tweleve and never looked back for the victory. Devin McLeod had to settle for second and Mike Verhaagh was third.
Jay Stutz started on the pole for the twenty six lap, Freddie Stutz Memorial race for the TQ Midgets. On the start of the race Ray Smith looped his car around on the backstretch of the track with help from Michaek Belusar. On the next restart Jay Stutz jumped to the lead and led the first three laps. Mark Gimmler came from the back of the pack to take the lead from Stutz by the fourth lap. Lap nine had a scary moment when Ray Smith flipped his car onto it"s side. Smith was fine but it did end his evening. The last caution came out on lap thirteen when Jamie Barnum spun his car out in turn four. Mark Gimmler checked out from the rest of the field and took the win for the Freddie Stutz Memorial race. Jack Duffy came in the second position, while Wendy Mathis took home the third spot.
It was a crash fest for the Road Warrior division with Jerry Tetting sitting on the pole for what was suppose to have been a twenty five lap feature. On the start of the race Jon Prescott spun out on the backstretch, while Don Jericka spun out his car coming out of turn four. This caused a complete restart with Teeting leading the field to the green again.
Chris Loney led the first lap and then all of the sudden his car came to a stop of the top of turn two, this handed the lead to Jerry Tetting. With Loney stopping on the track it brought out the first race caution and Loney went to the puts, but made it out back in time for the restart of the race.
Codey Benoit took the lead from Tetting on the restart and led the second lap before Jeff Firestine got around him. Lap four saw the caution again when Don Jericka and Chris Loney made contact with one another and sent Chris Loney spinning on the backstretch. Bryan Boxell spun out his car on lap seven in turn four.
Time had ran out and the flagman was about to give the field tow laps to go when the last caution came out on lap ten. Jon Prescott had spun his car out on the bottom of turn four and put alot of dirt onto the track. The race ended on lap ten with Jeff Firestine taking another win. Codey Benoit finished in second and Ander Jackson took the third spot.
Josh Williams was the polesitter for the fifty lap Fastruck feature. Williams jumped out fron on the start of the race and within a few laps TJ Duke was side by side for the lead with WIlliams. Both trucks raced side by side for about six laps before TJ Duke completed the pass on Williams for the lead. The only caution to come out was on lap fourty five when Tom Carlough, who was a lapped car, gotten into the way of the leaders. Tyler Laing who was battling with Josh Williams for second spun out Carlough's truck. Carlough was put to the rear of the field since he was in the way of the leaders. TJ Duke took the victory with Tyler Laing finishing in second and Josh Williams came in third.
The Pro 4's ran a twenty lap feature with Eugene Connell leading the field around to the start of the race. Connell jumped out front on the start of the race to lead for two laps. Kevin Underwood brought out the first caution when he spun his car out in turn four. The next caution came out for John Rizzo on lap five, that is when a tire came off of his car in between turns three and four. Lap ten saw the next caution for the spinning car of Blaine Baer in turn one.
Brandon Reichert had gotten into the back of Baer's car resulting in the spin. One the final lap John Pummel Jr had gotten into the back of Blaine Baer's car in turn three and collected Brandon Reichert in the collision. Codey Benoit went on to win his fourth race in the Pro 4's this season. Kevin Underwood and Dylan Bigley completed the top three spots.
The final feature event of the evening were the Thunder Trucks. Ray Scott led the trucks to the start of the twenty five lap feature. Lance Sober led the first nine laps of the race, before Andy Pryor took his truck to the front.
The first caution came out for Curt Mays when his trucks spun out in turn two, on the thirteenth lap. Lance Sober got into James Dellea's truck on lap nineteen bring out another caution. The contact caused James Dellea to go spinning in turn four.
On the final lap of the race, James Dellea and Robert St. John were racing each other hard for the second and third spots. Both trucks made contact on the frontstretch and got hooked together until they got into turn one and unhooked. Robert St. John fell off the pace while Dellea was able to keep going. Andy Pryor took the victory with James Dellea coming in second and Lance Sober came from the back from the earlier caution to finish in third.
