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Hot weather and Hot tempers at Citrus County Speedway
Warmer weather greeted fans, crews, and drivers as they filled the Citrus County Speedway Saturday night. With the end of the world forecast at the drop of the green flag, it was nice to see how many fans and racers decided to spend their last hours on earth at the speedway. Once the invocation and national anthem were done at 6pm, it was clear the masses had been spared, so it was time to get down to some good old short track racing. And on this night, the fans would not be disappointed.
Headlining the night was the Street Stock division with 22 cars registering to race for their 35 lap, $500 to win feature race. From the start of the heat races, you could tell the Street Stocks meant business on this race night. After the heat races were over, one of our young fans rolled the tracks giant foam dice to determine the inversion for the feature races. The dice came up with a 3, which would invert the first 3 rows for the feature events. Along with the increased purse for the evening, Advanced Waste Solutions put up an addtional $100 bonus to the first driver that would start last and win the feature race. The 3 row inversion would put the 8 car of Michael Stalnaker on the pole position for the feature race. Stalnaker was given first shot at going to the rear for the bonus, Stalnaker would decline and keep his pole position for the start of the race. Outside polesitter Curtis Flanagan would then have the choice to take a shot at the bonus money, there would be no hesitation on Flanagan’s part, he took the challenge and headed to the back to start dead last in the 21 car starting field. Flanagan has been the car to beat this year, and if anyone would have a shot at taking the bonus money in this large field of cars, it would be him. With Flanagan taking the bonus money challenge, the 42 car of Ritchie Smith would now move to the outside front row for the start of the 35 event.
Coming to the green flag the 79 of Mike Wilson would take the early lead from his 3rd starting position, passing polesitter Stalnaker in the first few laps. The 42 of Smith would get by Stalnaker for 2nd and go to work on the 79 of Wilson. Smith would take the lead from Wilson and pull out to a comfortable lead. At the tail of the field the 3 of Flanagan was charging to the front, passing 10 cars in the first 6 laps, and up to the 7th position by lap 11. The Street Stock drivers did a masterful job running the first 16 laps caution free. On lap 17 however, Flanagan’s run to the front would take a serious blow as contact between Flanagan and the 8 car of Michael Stalnaker would send both drivers to the rear for the restart. On the restart at the halfway mark, Smith would lead followed by the 79 of Wilson, and the 27 of John Makula in 3rd. After the restart, the 3 of Flanagan would start his charge to the front again, making it back to the 5th position in only 5 laps. Lap 25 saw the 10 car of Kenny May and the 98 car of Bubba Martone make contact. With Martone being a lapped car, May was given his spot back, and the 98 of Martone was sent to the rear. Smith continued to lead, with pressure now from Wilson, and Flanagan had made his way back to third with only 10 laps left.
On the restart the battle for second was on, Flanagan, now running 3rd, would get the second position when the 79 of Wilson would get loose going into turn 3. A restart on lap 28 would see Wilson get back by the 3 of Flanagan for a brief moment, as Flanagan would quickly power back to second and set his sights on leader Smith. You could feel the excitement in the air, as Smith and Flanagan have had many battles in the past, and you just knew this one was going to be no different. As Smith and Flanagan came to take the two to go, Flanagan pulled inside of Smith at the flag stand in an attempt to take the lead. Smith would close the door on Flanagan as the two cars entered turn 1 sending sparks and tire smoke everywhere as the two drivers traded paint. The side by side battle down the backstretch would end in turn 3 with the 42 of Smith spinning, with neither driver wanting to take blame for the incident, both were sent to the rear for the restart. The 79 of Wilson would benefit from the contact, inherit the lead, and go on to take the victory and the $500 win purse. Following Wilson to the line were the 33 of Bill Ryan in 2nd, and the 27 of John Makula in 3rd. Smith would end up 8th at the checkered, with Flanagan in 9th. Both drivers would exchange words on the track, in their cars, before heading to the pits. Wilson was happy in victory lane, but saddened by the loss of his grandfather just over a week ago, he dedicated the victory to his grandfather. The 79 of Wilson, the 19 of Jeff Stalnaker Jr., and the 98 of Bubba Martone took the heat wins.
16 Taylor Made Homes Pure Stocks to the green for their 35 lap $250 to win feature race. Taylor Made Homes, the class sponsor, put up an additional $200 bonus for a driver to start dead last and win the feature. It took all the way to 7th place starter James Peters in the 5, to accept the challenge. The 27 of Sheri Makula would get out to an early lead before the 35, of defending class champion David Walls, would move to the top spot. By lap 10, 6th place starter Levi Roberts in the 15, would now be putting the pressure on Walls. Roberts would make the pass for the lead on lap 14 and check out. A few laps later saw the 5 of Peters have his motor go up in smoke, ending his run to the front for the bonus money. With the field now tightened back up, a few drivers would take advantage of the caution. The 39 of Carl Peters would get the 2nd spot and focus on catching Roberts for the lead. Lap 33 saw a caution for hard contact with the turn 4 wall involving the 9 of Tyler Stickler and the 65 of Happy Florian. Stickler would be towed to the pits and done for the night. This set up a 2 lap shootout between Roberts and Peters. Peters would get close on the restart, but wouldn’t have enough speed to challenge for the win. Roberts would go on to take the victory followed by the 39 of Carl Peters, and the 27 of Sheri Makula. Heat winners were Roberts and Peters.
8 Modified Mini Stocks would take the green for their 20 lap feature with the 33 of Chris Allen taking home his first feature victory of the season. Allen took the lead from the 2 of Jeremy Gerstner on lap 3 to go on to a very popular victory. The entire Allen family have been long time supporters of the speedway, and always there to lend a hand to a fellow racer. The 15 of Jason Rendell would come home 2nd followed by the 18 of Jesse Henley in 3rd. Point leader Clint Foley would have early contact with the 24 of Phil Edwards and the 18 of Henley in a 3 wide battle that would send him to the pits for repairs. Foley would return to the race one lap down and finish 6th. Jesse Henley in the 18, took the heat win.
13 cars took the green for the Street Stock/Pure Stock figure 8 race with the 71 of Neil Herne taking the early lead. The 35 of Thomas Peet would catch Herne and take away the lead before half way. The lead would be short lived as the 35 of Peet would make contact in the intersection with the 09 of Wayne Heater. The contact would take the body work off the whole left side of Peet’s car, as well as flatten his left front tire. Peet has been snake bitten this year, having problems while running in the top 3 several time this year. Peer would make repairs and rejoin the field in the rear. Herne would restart as the leader, but on lap 14 a flat right rear tire would send him for a spin and to the pits for repairs. On the restart the 6 of Ronnie Schrefiels would inherit the lead, only to have his right rear tire also go down sending him to the pits under green. The 62 of Eric Sharrone would take the lead from the 8 of Tim Wilson in the chaos and go on to take his 2nd victory of the season. Wilson would come home an apparent 2nd followed by the 44 of Charles Herne. Once the cars made it to the tech area, the 8 of Wilson would be disqualified for being 40lbs under the minimum weight for the class. This would move the 44 of Charles Herne to 2nd and the 33 of David Ross to 3rd.
The new Hornet division saw 4 cars take the green flag again with the 27 of Robbie Robertson taking the victory, followed by Kane Dixon in 2nd, and Johnny Pendarvis in 3rd.
This Saturday night will see the return of School Bus figure 8 racing to the speedway with the all women’s Powder Puff School Bus figure 8 race. Also on the race card will be the Sportsman, Street Stock, Pure Stock, Mini Stock, Pro figure 8’s, and the Florida Open Wheel Lights. Please visit the track website at www.citruscountyspeedway.com for complete details. Don’t forget that this Saturday is the last night of Spring Savings month with adult grandstand admission only $10! See you at the races!
Warmer weather greeted fans, crews, and drivers as they filled the Citrus County Speedway Saturday night. With the end of the world forecast at the drop of the green flag, it was nice to see how many fans and racers decided to spend their last hours on earth at the speedway. Once the invocation and national anthem were done at 6pm, it was clear the masses had been spared, so it was time to get down to some good old short track racing. And on this night, the fans would not be disappointed.
Headlining the night was the Street Stock division with 22 cars registering to race for their 35 lap, $500 to win feature race. From the start of the heat races, you could tell the Street Stocks meant business on this race night. After the heat races were over, one of our young fans rolled the tracks giant foam dice to determine the inversion for the feature races. The dice came up with a 3, which would invert the first 3 rows for the feature events. Along with the increased purse for the evening, Advanced Waste Solutions put up an addtional $100 bonus to the first driver that would start last and win the feature race. The 3 row inversion would put the 8 car of Michael Stalnaker on the pole position for the feature race. Stalnaker was given first shot at going to the rear for the bonus, Stalnaker would decline and keep his pole position for the start of the race. Outside polesitter Curtis Flanagan would then have the choice to take a shot at the bonus money, there would be no hesitation on Flanagan’s part, he took the challenge and headed to the back to start dead last in the 21 car starting field. Flanagan has been the car to beat this year, and if anyone would have a shot at taking the bonus money in this large field of cars, it would be him. With Flanagan taking the bonus money challenge, the 42 car of Ritchie Smith would now move to the outside front row for the start of the 35 event.
Coming to the green flag the 79 of Mike Wilson would take the early lead from his 3rd starting position, passing polesitter Stalnaker in the first few laps. The 42 of Smith would get by Stalnaker for 2nd and go to work on the 79 of Wilson. Smith would take the lead from Wilson and pull out to a comfortable lead. At the tail of the field the 3 of Flanagan was charging to the front, passing 10 cars in the first 6 laps, and up to the 7th position by lap 11. The Street Stock drivers did a masterful job running the first 16 laps caution free. On lap 17 however, Flanagan’s run to the front would take a serious blow as contact between Flanagan and the 8 car of Michael Stalnaker would send both drivers to the rear for the restart. On the restart at the halfway mark, Smith would lead followed by the 79 of Wilson, and the 27 of John Makula in 3rd. After the restart, the 3 of Flanagan would start his charge to the front again, making it back to the 5th position in only 5 laps. Lap 25 saw the 10 car of Kenny May and the 98 car of Bubba Martone make contact. With Martone being a lapped car, May was given his spot back, and the 98 of Martone was sent to the rear. Smith continued to lead, with pressure now from Wilson, and Flanagan had made his way back to third with only 10 laps left.
On the restart the battle for second was on, Flanagan, now running 3rd, would get the second position when the 79 of Wilson would get loose going into turn 3. A restart on lap 28 would see Wilson get back by the 3 of Flanagan for a brief moment, as Flanagan would quickly power back to second and set his sights on leader Smith. You could feel the excitement in the air, as Smith and Flanagan have had many battles in the past, and you just knew this one was going to be no different. As Smith and Flanagan came to take the two to go, Flanagan pulled inside of Smith at the flag stand in an attempt to take the lead. Smith would close the door on Flanagan as the two cars entered turn 1 sending sparks and tire smoke everywhere as the two drivers traded paint. The side by side battle down the backstretch would end in turn 3 with the 42 of Smith spinning, with neither driver wanting to take blame for the incident, both were sent to the rear for the restart. The 79 of Wilson would benefit from the contact, inherit the lead, and go on to take the victory and the $500 win purse. Following Wilson to the line were the 33 of Bill Ryan in 2nd, and the 27 of John Makula in 3rd. Smith would end up 8th at the checkered, with Flanagan in 9th. Both drivers would exchange words on the track, in their cars, before heading to the pits. Wilson was happy in victory lane, but saddened by the loss of his grandfather just over a week ago, he dedicated the victory to his grandfather. The 79 of Wilson, the 19 of Jeff Stalnaker Jr., and the 98 of Bubba Martone took the heat wins.
16 Taylor Made Homes Pure Stocks to the green for their 35 lap $250 to win feature race. Taylor Made Homes, the class sponsor, put up an additional $200 bonus for a driver to start dead last and win the feature. It took all the way to 7th place starter James Peters in the 5, to accept the challenge. The 27 of Sheri Makula would get out to an early lead before the 35, of defending class champion David Walls, would move to the top spot. By lap 10, 6th place starter Levi Roberts in the 15, would now be putting the pressure on Walls. Roberts would make the pass for the lead on lap 14 and check out. A few laps later saw the 5 of Peters have his motor go up in smoke, ending his run to the front for the bonus money. With the field now tightened back up, a few drivers would take advantage of the caution. The 39 of Carl Peters would get the 2nd spot and focus on catching Roberts for the lead. Lap 33 saw a caution for hard contact with the turn 4 wall involving the 9 of Tyler Stickler and the 65 of Happy Florian. Stickler would be towed to the pits and done for the night. This set up a 2 lap shootout between Roberts and Peters. Peters would get close on the restart, but wouldn’t have enough speed to challenge for the win. Roberts would go on to take the victory followed by the 39 of Carl Peters, and the 27 of Sheri Makula. Heat winners were Roberts and Peters.
8 Modified Mini Stocks would take the green for their 20 lap feature with the 33 of Chris Allen taking home his first feature victory of the season. Allen took the lead from the 2 of Jeremy Gerstner on lap 3 to go on to a very popular victory. The entire Allen family have been long time supporters of the speedway, and always there to lend a hand to a fellow racer. The 15 of Jason Rendell would come home 2nd followed by the 18 of Jesse Henley in 3rd. Point leader Clint Foley would have early contact with the 24 of Phil Edwards and the 18 of Henley in a 3 wide battle that would send him to the pits for repairs. Foley would return to the race one lap down and finish 6th. Jesse Henley in the 18, took the heat win.
13 cars took the green for the Street Stock/Pure Stock figure 8 race with the 71 of Neil Herne taking the early lead. The 35 of Thomas Peet would catch Herne and take away the lead before half way. The lead would be short lived as the 35 of Peet would make contact in the intersection with the 09 of Wayne Heater. The contact would take the body work off the whole left side of Peet’s car, as well as flatten his left front tire. Peet has been snake bitten this year, having problems while running in the top 3 several time this year. Peer would make repairs and rejoin the field in the rear. Herne would restart as the leader, but on lap 14 a flat right rear tire would send him for a spin and to the pits for repairs. On the restart the 6 of Ronnie Schrefiels would inherit the lead, only to have his right rear tire also go down sending him to the pits under green. The 62 of Eric Sharrone would take the lead from the 8 of Tim Wilson in the chaos and go on to take his 2nd victory of the season. Wilson would come home an apparent 2nd followed by the 44 of Charles Herne. Once the cars made it to the tech area, the 8 of Wilson would be disqualified for being 40lbs under the minimum weight for the class. This would move the 44 of Charles Herne to 2nd and the 33 of David Ross to 3rd.
The new Hornet division saw 4 cars take the green flag again with the 27 of Robbie Robertson taking the victory, followed by Kane Dixon in 2nd, and Johnny Pendarvis in 3rd.
This Saturday night will see the return of School Bus figure 8 racing to the speedway with the all women’s Powder Puff School Bus figure 8 race. Also on the race card will be the Sportsman, Street Stock, Pure Stock, Mini Stock, Pro figure 8’s, and the Florida Open Wheel Lights. Please visit the track website at www.citruscountyspeedway.com for complete details. Don’t forget that this Saturday is the last night of Spring Savings month with adult grandstand admission only $10! See you at the races!