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THOMAS TAKES SPORTSMAN 50 FOR 4TH WIN IN A ROW - TUCKER AND BARRINGTON SCORE
AGAIN AT NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY
Night number ten of the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series at New Smyrna
Speedway featured a 50-lap contest for the Sportsman cars and yet another good
field of cars put on a spectacular race for the fans gathered on "Fan
Appreciation Night."
Twenty-three cars signed in to run the Sportsman headliner. Derrick Wood was
slated to drive the #77 car he had been running out of the Jim Daley stable of
cars wrenched by Sheppard Racing Enterprises but had a mechanical issue. With
the Daley team having a total of seven cars in the pits, Wood switched to the
#1 car for the race and would eventually show the fans just how good a young
driver he is later in the big race.
Orlando's Patrick Thomas continued his recent "hot streak" by setting quick
time at 19.531 seconds, easily topping the 19.666 second laps of Scott
Bramlett of St. Cloud who finally seemed to have his new car "humming" after
some early season difficulties. Junior Beckner was quick as always timing in
third at 19.878 followed by Aaron Williamson, who was making his first start
of the year here in his wildly-popular "Frozen" special. Richard Goodrich
timed in fifth quick, and found himself starting on the pole position for the
50-lapper when eighth quick timer Michael Williams' team discovered a problem
after qualifying and was unable to start.
The start of the feature was a mad scramble as outside pole-sitter Donny
Williams surged ahead only to be tapped into a spin by Goodrich as the field
entered turn four on the opening lap. Beckner had nowhere to escape the melee
and wound up with a badly damaged car while Williams went to his pit box with
considerable damage along with Goodrich who had a broken right front shock
mount. Bramlett and newlywed Sandy Lee, who flies down from his home in Lee,
NH to compete, also were involved but able to avoid any major damage.
Williams and Goodrich later returned to the race although both were 12 laps
down and were never a factor although they picked up a few extra needed
points.
Fast qualifier Thomas, slated to start on the inside of row four, now found
himself on the pole for the initial start. With the cars moving up on the
inside row, all the machines slated to start in front of Thomas (Michael
Williams, Goodrich and Beckner) were out of the event before a lap could be
completed. Most thought Thomas would run and hide from the field based on his
three consecutive wins in the class but Aaron Williamson, the new outside pole
man, had other ideas.
Williamson grabbed the advantage on the second start of the race and he and
Thomas put on one of the best two-car side-by-side battles of the year over
the first 13 laps. Williamson was credited with leading 11 of those laps with
Thomas edging just ahead to cross the stripe at lap six and leading lap 13
just before everything came to a screeching halt when Michael Held, making
just his second Sportsman start, got a bit high coming off turn four and got
into the wall at just the right angle to send his car up in the air, then over
on it's roof for a long upside-down slide all the way to the entrance of turn
one. A brief fire was quickly put out and the young driver scrambled out
unhurt.
Following the red flag to clean up the Held incident, Thomas, now scored as
the leader, restarted from his preferred outside lane and he got out to a
quick lead as Williamson settled into second. Lee hit the front stretch wall
on lap 15 to bring out the yellow flag but he was able to make it to pit road
on his own where his crew went to work repairing his car although he would
lose a lap in the process before getting back onto the speedway. On the
restart, Bramlett got by Williamson and into second as he tried to chase down
Thomas. Timmy Todd, Jr., who had finally diagnosed a miss in his engine just
before race time but started well back on the grid, breezed into fifth spot
around season opening night winner Michael Seay who was behind the wheel of
another one of the Jim Daley entries.
Seay got a bit loose coming off turn four while battling for sixth place on
lap 29 and spun to bring out the caution. One lap later George Alexander
looped his mount on the front stretch for yet another yellow. On each
restart, Thomas was able to fend off the challengers behind him including a
hard-charging Austin Howell who began pressing Bramlett for second.
Lap 32 saw Goodrich loop his car off turn two and into the inside wall ending
a bad night for him. On the restart Williamson got loose on the inside lane
off turn two and spun collecting Todd. Todd fell out of the event after a
stellar run while Williamson restarted from the tail of the lead lap cars.
Bramlett put on some big pressure on the restart but slipped low allowing
Howell to move into second. Alexander spun off turn four on lap 37 to bring
out the final caution. Howell had a fast car but could not get close to
Thomas over the final laps as Thomas sped to his fourth straight win, a huge
accomplishment considering the quality of competition in the Sportsman class
this season. Howell's second place effort was negated as he was disqualified
in tech for soft tires (the second time this has happened to him this year)
moving Bramlett to the runner-up spot as he finished a race for just the first
time this year after a crash on opening night followed by a myriad of
transmission issues.
Williamson blew back through the field to claim third while Derrick Wood put
on a show in the late laps driving an unfamiliar car to a great fourth place
finish. Another hard-luck driver this year, R. J. Glaser, got his first top
five finish of the season followed by Hudson, NH visitor Dave Helliwell giving
the Daley/Sheppard team three cars in the top six. Brandon Christian motored
to a steady seventh place finish with D. J. Farr, Seay and Alexander rounding
out the top ten. Completing the finishers were Lee, Donny Williams, Mike
Dahm, Todd, Ron Gustafson, Goodrich, Held, Beckner, Ted Helmes and George
Dahm.
Tank Tucker out ran heat winner Matthew Green into turn one at the start of
the 25-lap Modified feature and was checking out on the field when the only
caution of the race flew on lap 20 for debris off the car of Jim Higginbotham.
Jerry Symons had moved by Green for second on lap 11 and the fans were poised
for another epic battle between the two veteran drivers from New Smyrna Beach
who have slugged it out many times over the years including a wild finish just
two weeks before.
That battle would never come about though as Symons took his car onto pit road
just before the restart with a mechanical issue and "The Hammer" was out of
the running. From that point Tucker ran and hid over the final five laps to
score his second win in a row as Bobby Blake of Eustis made a late pass on
Green to claim second. Matt Wheeler came home fourth trailed by Scott Millar,
Matt Jarrett, Higginbotham, Symons and Mike Dahm.
Sanford's Billy Barrington claimed his third straight victory in the Bomber
class scoring a fairly easy victory in his Chevy Cavalier over point leader
Shane Sutorus who took second in his Saturn station wagon that had the right
front fender flapping in the breeze. Charlie King came home third trailed by
heat winner Greg Bruce, Aaron Overman, Joseph Rock, James Skinner, Travis
Soukup and Richard Roark.
Bobby Kennedy of Daytona Beach took both Spectator Racing one-on-one oval
drags and then the five-lap race as he made a quick $200 driving his very fast
1990 Nissan 240SX.
Week number 11 of the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series this coming
Saturday night will be Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange (SADE)/Sunbelt Rentals
night at the speedway. featured will be the Pro Late Models, Super Stocks,
Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini Stocks and the Bombers.
Rich Clouser still leads the Pro Late Model point standings but has seen
steady Zach Jarrell cut his lead to just three points. Blaise Hetznecker is
third in PLM points, seven markers behind Clouser with Noah Corman fourth, 11
points back. After opening the season with four win in a row, both Justin
Reynolds and Ted Vulpius have nice-sized point leads in their respective Super
Stock and Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini Stock classes. Reynolds holds a 19
point lead over Bobby Holley while Vulpius is 13 markers ahead of second place
Brad Blanton. Shane Sutorus continues to lead the Bomber points by 20 over
James Skinner.
Pit gates open Saturday afternoon at 3:30 pm with practice from 5-6:30 pm.
Grandstand gates open at 6 pm. Come early for the weekly pre-race party that
starts at 6 pm with live music, $1 Beers, and half price bar food. Racing
action starts at 7:30 pm with heat races for the Super Stocks, Sunshine
Seamless Gutters Mini Stocks and Bombers. After intermission, the Super
Stocks are up first for 25 laps of feature racing followed by 25-lap events
for the Pro Late Models and Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini Stocks. The
Bombers wrap up the evening with a 20-lap contest.
Adult admission is $15 with all seniors (65+) and active military getting in
for $13. However, if you go to the New Smyrna Speedway Facebook page, you can
print a coupon for $5 off your general admission. As always, all kids 11 and
under are admitted free of charge.
Photos:
1) Sportsman winner Patrick Williams (Jim Jones)
2) Michael Held upside down...
3) Modified winner Tank Tucker (Jim Jones)
4) Bomber Winner Billy Barrington (Jim Jones)
5) Happy 72nd birthday to track owner Robert Hart...
AGAIN AT NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY
Night number ten of the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series at New Smyrna
Speedway featured a 50-lap contest for the Sportsman cars and yet another good
field of cars put on a spectacular race for the fans gathered on "Fan
Appreciation Night."
Twenty-three cars signed in to run the Sportsman headliner. Derrick Wood was
slated to drive the #77 car he had been running out of the Jim Daley stable of
cars wrenched by Sheppard Racing Enterprises but had a mechanical issue. With
the Daley team having a total of seven cars in the pits, Wood switched to the
#1 car for the race and would eventually show the fans just how good a young
driver he is later in the big race.
Orlando's Patrick Thomas continued his recent "hot streak" by setting quick
time at 19.531 seconds, easily topping the 19.666 second laps of Scott
Bramlett of St. Cloud who finally seemed to have his new car "humming" after
some early season difficulties. Junior Beckner was quick as always timing in
third at 19.878 followed by Aaron Williamson, who was making his first start
of the year here in his wildly-popular "Frozen" special. Richard Goodrich
timed in fifth quick, and found himself starting on the pole position for the
50-lapper when eighth quick timer Michael Williams' team discovered a problem
after qualifying and was unable to start.
The start of the feature was a mad scramble as outside pole-sitter Donny
Williams surged ahead only to be tapped into a spin by Goodrich as the field
entered turn four on the opening lap. Beckner had nowhere to escape the melee
and wound up with a badly damaged car while Williams went to his pit box with
considerable damage along with Goodrich who had a broken right front shock
mount. Bramlett and newlywed Sandy Lee, who flies down from his home in Lee,
NH to compete, also were involved but able to avoid any major damage.
Williams and Goodrich later returned to the race although both were 12 laps
down and were never a factor although they picked up a few extra needed
points.
Fast qualifier Thomas, slated to start on the inside of row four, now found
himself on the pole for the initial start. With the cars moving up on the
inside row, all the machines slated to start in front of Thomas (Michael
Williams, Goodrich and Beckner) were out of the event before a lap could be
completed. Most thought Thomas would run and hide from the field based on his
three consecutive wins in the class but Aaron Williamson, the new outside pole
man, had other ideas.
Williamson grabbed the advantage on the second start of the race and he and
Thomas put on one of the best two-car side-by-side battles of the year over
the first 13 laps. Williamson was credited with leading 11 of those laps with
Thomas edging just ahead to cross the stripe at lap six and leading lap 13
just before everything came to a screeching halt when Michael Held, making
just his second Sportsman start, got a bit high coming off turn four and got
into the wall at just the right angle to send his car up in the air, then over
on it's roof for a long upside-down slide all the way to the entrance of turn
one. A brief fire was quickly put out and the young driver scrambled out
unhurt.
Following the red flag to clean up the Held incident, Thomas, now scored as
the leader, restarted from his preferred outside lane and he got out to a
quick lead as Williamson settled into second. Lee hit the front stretch wall
on lap 15 to bring out the yellow flag but he was able to make it to pit road
on his own where his crew went to work repairing his car although he would
lose a lap in the process before getting back onto the speedway. On the
restart, Bramlett got by Williamson and into second as he tried to chase down
Thomas. Timmy Todd, Jr., who had finally diagnosed a miss in his engine just
before race time but started well back on the grid, breezed into fifth spot
around season opening night winner Michael Seay who was behind the wheel of
another one of the Jim Daley entries.
Seay got a bit loose coming off turn four while battling for sixth place on
lap 29 and spun to bring out the caution. One lap later George Alexander
looped his mount on the front stretch for yet another yellow. On each
restart, Thomas was able to fend off the challengers behind him including a
hard-charging Austin Howell who began pressing Bramlett for second.
Lap 32 saw Goodrich loop his car off turn two and into the inside wall ending
a bad night for him. On the restart Williamson got loose on the inside lane
off turn two and spun collecting Todd. Todd fell out of the event after a
stellar run while Williamson restarted from the tail of the lead lap cars.
Bramlett put on some big pressure on the restart but slipped low allowing
Howell to move into second. Alexander spun off turn four on lap 37 to bring
out the final caution. Howell had a fast car but could not get close to
Thomas over the final laps as Thomas sped to his fourth straight win, a huge
accomplishment considering the quality of competition in the Sportsman class
this season. Howell's second place effort was negated as he was disqualified
in tech for soft tires (the second time this has happened to him this year)
moving Bramlett to the runner-up spot as he finished a race for just the first
time this year after a crash on opening night followed by a myriad of
transmission issues.
Williamson blew back through the field to claim third while Derrick Wood put
on a show in the late laps driving an unfamiliar car to a great fourth place
finish. Another hard-luck driver this year, R. J. Glaser, got his first top
five finish of the season followed by Hudson, NH visitor Dave Helliwell giving
the Daley/Sheppard team three cars in the top six. Brandon Christian motored
to a steady seventh place finish with D. J. Farr, Seay and Alexander rounding
out the top ten. Completing the finishers were Lee, Donny Williams, Mike
Dahm, Todd, Ron Gustafson, Goodrich, Held, Beckner, Ted Helmes and George
Dahm.
Tank Tucker out ran heat winner Matthew Green into turn one at the start of
the 25-lap Modified feature and was checking out on the field when the only
caution of the race flew on lap 20 for debris off the car of Jim Higginbotham.
Jerry Symons had moved by Green for second on lap 11 and the fans were poised
for another epic battle between the two veteran drivers from New Smyrna Beach
who have slugged it out many times over the years including a wild finish just
two weeks before.
That battle would never come about though as Symons took his car onto pit road
just before the restart with a mechanical issue and "The Hammer" was out of
the running. From that point Tucker ran and hid over the final five laps to
score his second win in a row as Bobby Blake of Eustis made a late pass on
Green to claim second. Matt Wheeler came home fourth trailed by Scott Millar,
Matt Jarrett, Higginbotham, Symons and Mike Dahm.
Sanford's Billy Barrington claimed his third straight victory in the Bomber
class scoring a fairly easy victory in his Chevy Cavalier over point leader
Shane Sutorus who took second in his Saturn station wagon that had the right
front fender flapping in the breeze. Charlie King came home third trailed by
heat winner Greg Bruce, Aaron Overman, Joseph Rock, James Skinner, Travis
Soukup and Richard Roark.
Bobby Kennedy of Daytona Beach took both Spectator Racing one-on-one oval
drags and then the five-lap race as he made a quick $200 driving his very fast
1990 Nissan 240SX.
Week number 11 of the NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series this coming
Saturday night will be Sanford Auto Dealers Exchange (SADE)/Sunbelt Rentals
night at the speedway. featured will be the Pro Late Models, Super Stocks,
Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini Stocks and the Bombers.
Rich Clouser still leads the Pro Late Model point standings but has seen
steady Zach Jarrell cut his lead to just three points. Blaise Hetznecker is
third in PLM points, seven markers behind Clouser with Noah Corman fourth, 11
points back. After opening the season with four win in a row, both Justin
Reynolds and Ted Vulpius have nice-sized point leads in their respective Super
Stock and Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini Stock classes. Reynolds holds a 19
point lead over Bobby Holley while Vulpius is 13 markers ahead of second place
Brad Blanton. Shane Sutorus continues to lead the Bomber points by 20 over
James Skinner.
Pit gates open Saturday afternoon at 3:30 pm with practice from 5-6:30 pm.
Grandstand gates open at 6 pm. Come early for the weekly pre-race party that
starts at 6 pm with live music, $1 Beers, and half price bar food. Racing
action starts at 7:30 pm with heat races for the Super Stocks, Sunshine
Seamless Gutters Mini Stocks and Bombers. After intermission, the Super
Stocks are up first for 25 laps of feature racing followed by 25-lap events
for the Pro Late Models and Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini Stocks. The
Bombers wrap up the evening with a 20-lap contest.
Adult admission is $15 with all seniors (65+) and active military getting in
for $13. However, if you go to the New Smyrna Speedway Facebook page, you can
print a coupon for $5 off your general admission. As always, all kids 11 and
under are admitted free of charge.
Photos:
1) Sportsman winner Patrick Williams (Jim Jones)
2) Michael Held upside down...
3) Modified winner Tank Tucker (Jim Jones)
4) Bomber Winner Billy Barrington (Jim Jones)
5) Happy 72nd birthday to track owner Robert Hart...
Attached Files
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