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Another victory for central Florida racing
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Location: Blogs Running Wide Open |
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| Posted by: Joe VanHoose |
4/20/2007 3:17 PM |
Plus some bits and pieces from NASCAR and FASCAR.
° As dismal as Florida short track racing has been in some areas of the state, this weekend offers a glimmer of hope. Putnam County Speedway in nearby Palatka will reopen its gates Saturday with plans of running a full season schedule with six divisions.
It's rare these days to see tracks open or reopen with so many other tracks -- Jacksonville, Golden Gate, Hialeah, St. Augustine -- closing. Car counts are up at Ocala Speedway and Citrus County Speedway, which signals that local racing in central Florida is as healthy as it's been in a long time.
° The same could not be said for modified touring series, especially if they connect to FASCAR. The FASCAR Gulf Coast Modified Series race at Ocala Speedway last Friday produced only 16 cars, and Ocala Speedway regulars dominated the race and swept the top 10.
The majority of the cars that raced Friday race weekly at the Ocala track, which means the Gulf Coast series could be in more trouble when it travels to another track.
A series that attracted full fields over the past few years, the series is yet to start a field of over 20 in 2007. Its Xtreme Modified Series counterpart has faired even worse, which makes FASCAR's decision to create two modified series instead of one big series an ill-fated one.
° Moving to NASCAR, how great was that race on Sunday? The Samsung 500 at Texas saw about a dozen contenders, controversial crashes and decisions, and an old veteran seemingly come out of nowhere to win.
Jeff Burton passed Matt Kenseth on the last lap to win the race and move within eight points of points leader Jeff Gordon. Gordon looked to have the car to beat but slapped the turn 4 wall twice and faded. Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. led many laps and was leading the race when he slowed to miss Tony Stewart's spinning car and got slammed in the back by Kyle Busch.
Stewart's day went awry a few laps earlier when rookie Juan Pablo Montoya spun him. After the race, Stewart appeared to be a little more that frustrated when he said that NASCAR racing wasn't fun anymore and that he couldn't wait to retire.
Stewart's current contract expires in 2009.
° Stewart's rant would normally spur on several stories, but Earnhardt's decision to get in an opponent's car at the end of the race stole all the attention.
Already retired from the race with a sour engine, Earnhardt climbed behind the wheel of Kyle Busch's Hendrick Chevrolet, the very car that ruined his dream-day an hour earlier. Busch had already left the track, believing that his crew could not fixed his mangled car.
For the record, this is nothing new. Drivers have historically filled in for each other under similar circumstances, but uncertainty over who Earnhardt will drive for next year made some believe that Earnhardt might as well have signed a contract with Hendrick Motorsports that day.
But Earnhardt will not be in a Hendrick car next year. He was merely helping out another team in need, and that should be greeted with applause, not speculation.
° OCALA SPEEDWAY RESULTS FROM APRIL 13
Gulf Coast Modifieds
1. Robbie Cooper
2. Wayne Jefferson
3. Alan McCafferty
Late Models
1. Scott Millar
2. James Powell III
3. Kevin Bryant
Street Stocks
1. Jeff Stalnaker
2. Pete Close
3. Shane Nichols
Thunderstocks
1. Chris Oliveri
2. Bill Thomas
3. Josh Brown
V8 Stocks
1. Jesse Corbitt
2. Larry Welter
3. James Sullivan
4-Cylinder Stocks
1. Justin Durbin
2. Brandon Elwood
3. Joey Durbin
Sportsman
1. Dave Kinsey
2. Arthur Conquest
3. John Mamph
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