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| Citrus 2003 Champions Crowned | by Larry MacMillan
(Inverness, Fl. 12/19/03) Six Divisions Champions and 60 drivers shared special awards and a $24,600 points fund Friday night at the Citrus County Fair Grounds Auditorium Friday night. Awards, bonuses and the points fund were put together by promoters Billy Hooker and Jimmy Wear with the help of the fans who supported the 50/50 program during the season. The Citrus County Chronicle also announced their Drivers of the Year awards in all six divisions based on their own point system which follows the NASCAR format with some extras thrown in.
Late Model Champion Mike Bresnahan pulled off his second point’s championship while participating in the Sunbelt races and Florida Pro series during the season with only one feature win in the race for the crown. Herb Neumann Jr., Jim Smith, Ricky Carlton, Dale Sanders, Billy Bechtelheimer, Danny Johnson, Rex Struble Harold Cannon Jr. and Richie Smith shared the top ten positions in their abbreviated regular point season. Richie Smith picked up Rookie of the Year honors. Brook Oglesby came up with the Most Improved Driver award. Dale Sanders was honored for the Sportsmanship award and Ricky Carlton won the Chronicle Driver of the Year award. In the Fans Favorite voting it was Jim Smith.
Mike Bell moved from the 2002 Street Stock championship to the 2003 Sportsman champion with an impressive record. Sharing the honors for top ten were Bill Oesterreicher, Bill Ryan, Johnny Sanders, Mike Veltman, Kyle Bookmiller, Stephen Anderson, Johnny Gann, J.D. Goff and David White. Mike Bell also took Rookie of the Year while David White was Most Improved Driver, Johnny Sanders won the Sportsmanship Award and Fans Favorite was Bill Oesterreicher. Mike Bell was voted the Chronicle Driver of the Year for his second consecutive year.
Ernie Reed worked for five years to pick up his first Street Stock Crown. Danny Cretty, Joe Viverito, Mickey Burns, Daniel Webster, Owen Leigh, James Hendrickson, Travis Nichols, Melvin Farmer and James Green round out the top ten. Rookie of the Year went to Mickey Burns, Fans Favorite Daniel Webster, Most Improved James Hendrickson and Sportsmanship Award went to Danny Cretty. Mickey Burns never found the Winner’s Circle but 20 top five finishes earned him the Chronicle Driver of the Year award in the division.
Chris Hooker earned the Rookie of the Year award, Chronicle Driver of the Year, plus the 2003 Championship in the tight Mini Stock division race. Chris Thornton, Phillip Joyner Jr., George Neumann, Mike Lawhorn, Dustin DesChamps, Richard Stroup, Steve Griffin, Dan Smith and Rob Wheatley took the balance of the top ten spots. Phillip Joyner Jr. was the Most Improved Driver, Dustin DesChamps got the Sportsmanship Award and Fans Favorite went to George Neumann.
Richie Smith took his third consecutive Hobby Stock Championship crown in 2003. Young Curtis Neumann took runner up spot plus Fan’s Favorite and Chronicle Driver of the Year awards. Balancing out the top ten were Dean Lawyer, Roy Perkins, Sport Wilson, Alvin Williamson, Josh Teague, Troy Davis Glen Colyer and Tim Whitehead. Josh Teague took Rookie of the Year honors, Todd Downs Most Improved Driver and the Sportsmanship award went to Frank Stromquist.
Pat Quick proved to be the Quickest in all divisions as she was the first woman to take a Citrus County Championship in the 48 year history of the track. Pat took more trips to Victory Lane, earned more points and top five finishes than any other driver at the speedway in winning the Thunder Stock Championship and the Chronicle Driver of the Year Award. Lee Keller, Larry Triana, Tim Wilson, Louie Cioe, Derek DeSomma, John Donahue, Wayne Heater, Rick Badessa and Lynn Farmer picked up the balance of top ten positions. Derek DeSomma was voted the Rookie of the Year. John Donahue Most Improved Driver. Ray White won the Sportsmanship Award and Larry Triana was voted Fan’s Favorite.
Promoter Billy Hooker was the promoter spokesman for the track at the banquet in the absence of Jimmy Wear who is recuperating from a terrible automobile accident that will have him laid up for about six months and promised a bigger and better 49th racing season in 2004 which will kick off with the second leg of Winter Spectacular III on January 17th featuring another 125 lap Super Late Model race plus a full race program. The regular season will kick off in February. The entire month of March we will take off for the Citrus County Fair and more improvements at the track. Point action will pick up on April 3rd with a full schedule through the middle of November. The speedway will host several Sunbelt races, eight 50 lap specials for the Late Models who will be running in a separate point’s system. Sprint cars will be back plus all the regular divisions and Figure 8’s. Sportsman will run once a month in 40 lap features. A new schedule is forthcoming after the Holidays.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL FROM ALL OF US AT CITRUS COUNTY SPEEDWAY!!!!
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