FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Columbia Motorsports Park - 11-30-03
LAKE CITY, Fla. - Jimmy Cope of Pinellas Park lived up to his nickname "Mr. Excitement" as he raced from the rear of the starting grid to take the lead with 67 laps remaining and coasted to victory in the Jim Douglas Chevrolet Suwannee 200 at Columbia Motorsports Park.
The race concluded the 2003 season for the Florida Pro Super Late Model Series. Jay Middleton came home a strong third in the race and claimed the 2003 Florida Pro Series Championship, the first title of any kind in stock cars for the young Lake City, FL driver.
Fast qualifier Wayne Anderson drew an eight for the inversion, then promptly placed himself on the outside pole in the re-draw. Rookie of the Year Mike Faulk drew the number one and started from the pole.
Third starting Brian Finney spun in turn four and a full restart was ordered. The second try was much better and Faulk was able to snare the early lead despite a hard try by Wayne Anderson. Faulk was ahead by a fender when caution flew on lap two for David Hussey's spin in turn three.
Anderson continued to press Faulk for the top spot and got by on lap 14 only to see the red flag unfurled as Georgia driver Dwight Thompson blew the engine in his Pontiac going into turn one.
Reverting back to the last green flag lap, Faulk was placed back at the head of the field for the restart.
It didn't take long for Anderson to put his Calabrese Racing/Airframe International Chevy out front though with Brian Finney also passing Faulk and beginning to put the pressure on Anderson. Meanwhile, Jimmy Cope, who had started 24th in the 28 car field, was already up to 12th by lap 25.
Debris on the track slowed the pace on lap 26 and Hussey spun again to bring out another caution on lap 31. Tal Etheridge, another Georgia visitor, slid off the track trying to avoid Hussey and had to pit with a flat tire.
Cope was flying, taking eighth spot on lap 41 just before Jeff Sloan slid off the track in turn two on lap 41. Sloan's car hit the dirt bank and did a complete flip in a huge cloud of dust. Sloan was not hurt and unbelievably drove his machine back to the pits but was not able to return to racing.
At this point both Ona, WV driver Gary Chapman (in the Armstrong Homes car) and Hubert Simmons, Jr. also parked their mounts for the balance of the event.
Wayne Anderson and Brian Finney continued to set a blistering pace but were slowed again on lap 69 as caution came out for some back markers who decided to race through the infield in turn one and kick dirt on the race track. By now, Cope had moved up to sixth while Jeff Scofield retired from the event, his car never really running as he'd hoped.
Al Berry spun on the front stretch to bring out the caution on lap 79. Just after the restart, Cope passed Dick Anderson for fifth then took fourth from Patrick Williams on lap 92.
On lap 94, Mac Johnson slid off the track in turn four to bring out the caution, losing a lap to the leaders before he could get back on track. The field took the half way signal under caution and headed to the pits for the mandatory half-race pit stop for fuel. Crews were also allowed to change tires and make any other adjustments they could in the nine non-counting laps being made by the Jim Douglas Chevrolet Silverado Super Sport Pick-up Pace Truck.
The top ten at 100 laps were Wayne Anderson, Brian Finney, Jay Middleton, Jimmy Cope, Patrick Williams, Fain Skinner, Rick Carlton, Dick Anderson, Mike Faulk and Doyle Boatwright.
Cope looked to be even faster after his pit stop as he dogged Middleton for nine laps before taking third place on lap 109. Rick Carlton's good run ended as his car slowed and he headed to the pits on lap 114.
Cope dispatched Finney from second with Middleton following into third spot as Finney's car didn't appear as strong after the mid race stop.
After leading the open laps, Mike Faulk's car began to go away on him and he eventually brought his machine to the pits on lap 125, costing him his shot at the 2003 title as he entered the race as the only driver with a chance to overtake Middleton. Faulk, however, had already wrapped up the 2003 FPS Rookie of the Year crown.
The field continued to run under green and Cope began to stalk Wayne Anderson for the lead, diving past for the top position on lap 133 just a lap before caution flew for Terry Cater who stalled in turn four.
Cope was on rails and quickly pulled out to a big lead. The race would be slowed only twice more; on lap 142 for Tal Etheridge going off track in turn three and for a scary Kevin Dicks spin on the front straight. Both drivers were able to continue. Patrick Williams, driving Jay Middleton's back-up car, had a good run going until something broke and sent him pitside at lap 161.
The final 14 laps were all green and Cope was in a class to himself as he took the checker for his third Suwannee 200 win. Wayne Anderson came home a distant second with Middleton doing just what he needed to win the championship by finishing third. Dick Anderson, driving son Wayne's "house" car trying to work out some handling problems, made the right changes during the mid race stop and drove back up to fourth at the finish with Fain Skinner driving a steady heads-up race to nab fifth place.
Brian Finney wound up sixth with Scot Walters coming home seventh. Doyle Boatwright was eighth with Kevin Finney ninth. Mac Johnson was one of the fastest cars on the track at the end, but could never make up the lap he lost. Still Johnson wound up tenth.
OFFICIAL FINISH -FLORIDA PRO SERIES JIM DOUGLAS CHEVROLET SUWANNEE 200:
1) Jimmy Cope, 2) Wayne Anderson, 3) Jay Middleton, 4) Dick Anderson, 5) Fain Skinner, 6) Brian Finney, 7) Scot Walters, 8) Doyle Boatwright, 9) Kevin Finney, 10) Mac Johnson, 11) Steve Lamb, 12) Kevin Dicks, 13) Jody Turner, 14) Craig Seewald, 15) Tal Etheridge, 16) David Hussey, 17) Patrick Williams, 18) Terry Cater, 19) Mike Faulk, 20) Jimmy Andrews, 21) Al Berry, 22) Rick Carlton, 23) Kent Bissell, 24) Jeff Scofield, 25) Gary Chapman, 26) Hubert Simmons, Jr., 27) Jeff Sloan, 28) Dwight Thompson.
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Charlotte County Speedway - 10-25-03
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Although not in the forecast, teams found cloudy and windy conditions when they arrived at the track. Radar showed a small rain cell over the track moving away, but in the interest of time, qualifying was scrapped and the field lined up according to points. This was a big break for Jay Middleton as he had the pole for the 100-lap race with Mike Faulk outside of him for the start. The first attempt to go green was negated by a multi-car tangle in turn three involving Franklin, Ricky Thorpe, Frank Welch, Sean Lemaster, and Kenny Vaughn. Lemaster's car received the worst damage and he pitted to "modify" the front end of his car.
Attempt number two saw Middleton and Faulk get together and spin in turn four with the rest of the field somehow able to miss them. Unfortunately, Scot Walters got rear-ended by another car and suffered enough damage to become the first car out of the race.
The third try was the charm as Middleton snared the early advantage while Franklin headed to the pits on lap two with a flat tire, but stopped on the track just long enough to bring out the caution. Franklin's crew worked feverishly, but he lost five laps before he could get back in the race. Middleton was definitely dialed in as he began to pull away from Faulk following the restart while Brian Finney was easily the quickest car on the track, taking third from Doyle Boatwright on lap ten.
Caution was displayed on lap 17 when Thorpe spun in turn two. Following the restart, Steve Lamb's car slowed with mechanical ills and he headed for the pit area and out of the race. Middleton remained firmly in command only to be slowed again on lap 23 as Lemaster and Ray Derry locked horns in turn two. Engine trouble eliminated yet another of the top contenders on lap 29 as Bobby Coyle headed to the pits. Middleton had opened up a sizeable lead while Finney chased down and passed Faulk on lap 32 and looked to have something for Middleton. Lemaster spun in turn two to bring out the caution on lap 45, giving Finney the opportunity he needed to close up on Middleton. As the green came back out, Middleton again began to pull away as Finney was not running as fast as he did earlier.
Only one more caution slowed the race on lap 70 for Thorpe's spin in turn four, but Middleton had the field covered for his first major Super Late Model win and first in Florida Pro for his North Florida Pharmacy race team. Finney was disappointed with his second place finish as he felt he had the best handling car, but a miss developed in the engine just after he took second so he just "rode" the rest of the way. Faulk held on to his second place position in points with a third place finish while Boatwright ran his usual steady race to get fourth just in front of local stand out Chris Turner. Ray Derry and Frank Welch (who was running a "crate" engine in his car) were sixth and seventh on the lead lap while Craig Seewald was eighth, two laps back. Franklin and Thomas Gordon rounded out the top ten, both five laps down. RESULTS - FLORIDA PRO SERIES - CHARLOTTE COUNTY SPEEDWAY - 10/25/03 (100 Laps): 1) Jay Middleton, 2) Brian Finney, 3) Mike Faulk, 4) Doyle Boatwright, 5) Chris Turner, 6) Ray Derry, 7) Frank Welch, 8) Craig Seewald, 9) Mike Franklin, Jr., 10) Thomas Gordon, 11) Sean Lemaster, 12) Ricky Thorpe, 13) Bobby Coyle, 14) Kenny Vaughn, 15) Steve Lamb, Mi 16) Scot Walters,
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Hialeah Speedway- 10-4-03
HIALEAH, Fla. - Making only his third start of the season anywhere, former Florida Pro Series champion Mike Franklin, Jr returned to the series Saturday night at Hialeah Speedway and came away with a controversial victory in the Bill Flingos Memorial 100.
Franklin, wheeling a car normally driven by Eddie Hamby, began the century run six in the 15 car field as pole sitter Steve Lamb set the pace on the flat third-mile oval. With the field trying to get settled in the early going, Franklin tagged Doyle Boatwright with the latter spinning to bring out a yellow flag. Franklin went to the tail of the field and just made him more determined to do well before the home crowd.
Lap 32 saw Boatwright spin in turn one to move Winchell to second and Franklin to third as each driver tested the other in an effort to pass. No change in the top running order until lap 60 when engine woes slowed Lamb's Ford and Winchell took the point with Franklin all over his rear bumper. Franklin worked Winchell low in the corners lap after lap and finally, on lap 77 the two combatants made contact with Winchell's Ford spinning wildly off turn four, ending up on the apron at the flag stand. No yellow flag was displayed and Winchell rejoned the field right in front of new leader Franklin to remain at the tail of the lead lap.
New second place runner Jay Middleton had nothing for Franklin as the two time champ sped to the chekcers over the young college student. Craig Seewald brought his Ford home third ahead of Winchell and Steve Godlewski.
Complete finish of Florida Pro Series 100 showing finishing position, driver and laps completed. 1. Mike Franklin, Jr. 100; 2. Jay Middleton 100; 3. Craig Seewald 100; 4. Joe Winchell 100; 5. Steve Godlewski 100; 6. Ray Derry 100; 7. Danny Maddox 90; 8. Doyle Boatwright 90; 9. Steve Weaver, Jr. 89; 10. Steve Lamb 62; 11. Mario Hernandez 47; 12. David Weaver 42; 13. Michael Faulk 39; 14. Bobby Coyle 25; 15. Kevin McMickle 14.
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Columbia Motorsports Park - 8-30-03
LAKE CITY, Fla. For the second straight Florida Pro Series Super Late Model race, Gainesville's Mike Faulk claimed the win but was not the driver to celebrate in victory lane at Columbia Motorsports Park near Lake City.
Friday night practice was washed out by a severe thunderstorm that literally flooded the pit area with over three inches of rain in less than an hour. High winds also twisted the Armstrong Racing Teams tent into a pretzel.
However, dry conditions greeted teams and fans for Saturday as 21 Florida Pro series machines made their way into the speedway.
Archer's Patrick Williams set quick time in the Armstrong Homes/Dave's Towing Chevy and started third in the field after the top ten in qualifying drew for position.
Rich Pratt of Anthony and Florida Pro point leader Jay Middleton of Lake City had the front row spots for the start of the Gaylon Roberts Memorial "Workingman's 100" with the first try at starting this one setting the tone for the rest of the night as Donnie Oden, Chuck Hiers and David Browning got tangled up going into turn one at the drop of the green flag. All three were able to continue as the field assembled for a complete restart.
Pratt quickly assumed command as the race got under way with Middleton, Williams and Dwayne Dempsey in tow. David Hodges, Jr. was looking strong in the early going but got tapped from behind and spun on lap three. No caution was thrown as Hodges got under way nearly a lap down. By lap ten, Pratt had opened up a several car length lead over Williams in second and Middleton in third.
Lap 15 would see an incident that would create some controversy later on. The caution was tossed for fluid on the track in turn one, apparently gasoline. The red flag was thrown so that the track could be cleaned up. At this point, David Froelich was assessed a penalty for jumping the original start.
As the field took the green flag, Froelich drove into the car of Mike Faulk, lifting the rear end of Faulk's car into the air and sending him into a spin in turn one.
Froelich was disqualified for rough driving while Faulk was given his place back in the line-up. Although the leader had passed Faulk while he sat on the apron of the track, Faulk was not shown a lap down because the full field had not completed a lap under green, so the restart line-up reverted back to the way the cars were running on lap 15. Later several drivers would contest that Faulk was a lap down at the finish, however, since caution laps were not counting after the original red flag was flown on lap 15, the red flag situation did save Faulk from losing a lap at the time.
Again it took two more tries to get the race back under way, but once the field actually took the green, Pratt was getting incredible restarts, putting several car lengths on Williams even before they crossed the start-finish line.
Middleton made a pass of Williams for second on lap 29 with Williams slipping all the way back to sixth on lap 33 as Dempsey moved to third ahead of Faulk and Fain Skinner. Action was getting hot and heavy behind Pratt as Skinner passed Faulk for fourth on lap 39. Three laps later, Dempsey made a move on Middleton for second. On lap 45, Skinner made an inside move on Middleton for third coming out of turn four and the two made contact doing everything but crash heading into turn one. However, a piece of debris on the front stretch off of Skinner's car brought out the caution.
The field was set for a restart at lap 50, with the top ten at the halfway mark consisting of Pratt, Dempsey, Middleton, Skinner, Faulk, Williams, Doyle Boatwright, Brian Finney, Kevin Durden, and Hodges.
Things would get totally crazy at this point. As the field took the green, Brian Finney tagged Doyle Boatwright's car with Boatwright spinning down the frontstretch collecting the cars of Hodges, Durden, David Browning and Steve Throop and bringing out the red flag. All drivers were OK but Boatwright, Hodges, Throop and Browning were done. Third running Middleton pitted at this time too but returned to the track at the back of the field. The next try to get the race started was negated when Fain Skinner was slow to come up to speed with Chet Morrison and Patrick Williams getting together and keeping the caution out. The field came down to take the green once more, but again Skinner's car balked on the restart. Kevin Durden slowed and Todd Ponce ran up and over Durden's machine. Despite having the entire left side sheet metal torn off his car, Durden was able to drive back to the pits although both he and Ponce were also done for the evening. The restart line-up continued to revert back to the last completed green flag lap (lap 45) but the top ten had changed considerably with Pratt and Dempsey still one and two, now followed by Skinner, Faulk, Williams, Morrison, Middleton, Finney, Al Beckelheimer and Craig Seewald.
Finally the field got back to green flag racing, but not for long as Beckelheimer spun in turn four on lap 52 for what would be the final caution of the race.
Pratt continued to set the pace but Dempsey was playing a veteran driver's waiting game staying right on the Groeb Farms Chevy's bumper with Faulk moving by Skinner for third. Middleton worked his way past Skinner's damaged car to take fourth on lap 73.
Pratt appeared to have his first Florida Pro win in the bag, but the handle was going away on his car. Dempsey made his move with two laps to go and slipped past for the lead. Faulk got by Pratt for second as the white flag came out.
Dempsey zipped by the checker for the apparent win followed by Faulk, Pratt, Middleton and Skinner.
For the second race in a row, the apparent winner did not meet the proper weight rule for the type of heads on the engine, and Dempsey was disqualified. Just as happened at Citrus County Speedway, Faulk's engine was checked and pronounced legal and he was awarded his second straight win although he has never been able to accept the accolades he'd like in victory lane with his Blake Construction/Eatmon Racing Engines Monte Carlo.
Pratt moved up to second with point leader Middleton third but losing a bit of ground again to race winner Faulk who continues to gain in the championship standings.
Fain Skinner brought his well-initiated new car home fourth while Patrick Williams wound up fifth. Chet Morrison was sixth with seventh going to Finney. Craig Seewald was eighth and the last car still running. Ninth and tenth spots were awarded to Doyle Boatwright and Kevin Durden although neither driver actually made it past lap 50!!!
Complete Results of Gaylon Roberts Memorial "Workingman's 100" showing finishing position and driver.
1) Mike Faulk, 2) Rich Pratt, 3) Jay Middleton, 4) Fain Skinner, 5) Patrick Williams, 6) Chet Morrison, 7) Brian Finney, 8) Craig Seewald, 9) Doyle Boatwright, 10) Kevin Durden, 11) David Hodges, Jr., 12) Al Beckelheimer, 13) David Browning, 14) Todd Ponce, 15) Steve Throop, 16) Donnie Oden, 17) Chuck Hiers, 18) Dr. Al Berry, 19) Steve Lamb, DQ Dwayne Dempsey, DQ David Froelich.
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Citrus County Speedway- 8-16-03
INVERNESS, Fla. It took two days at the track and two hours in the tech area, but young Mike Faulk claimed his first ever win in Florida Pro Series Super Late Model action at Citrus County Speedway Sunday afternoon. The biggest Florida Pro Series field in three years, 33 cars, was ready for action under a hot, boiling sun late Saturday afternoon with 31 cars taking time. Albany GA driver Jeff Gordon had problems in warm-ups and was done for the day while Craig Seewald showed up just as qualifying was ending and had to start the B-main at the tail of the field.
Citrus County Speedway Late Model point leader Mike Bresnehan had his A&G Tractor & Debris/Reed's Auto Body Chevy hooked up on the hot racing surface and set quick time of 13.557 seconds followed by the FPS Friday night Ocala Speedway winner Rick Carlton who cut a lap of 13.600 in his Citrus Truck Accessories/McNatt Plumbing Monte Carlo. Wayne Anderson (13.637), Brock Oglesby (13.666), and Rich Pratt (13.702) rounded out the top five qualifiers.
With just the top 14 cars from time trials locked in, the B-main line-up was as good as any regular feature line up you'd see at any track and included four of the top five drivers in Florida Pro Series points.
Up and coming driver Shane Seig of Tucker, GA was in Dick Anderson's Great Clips/Country Joe Homes machine and pretty much dominated the 20-lap distance slowed only by a lap 14 caution when David Hodges, Jr. and Keith Zavrel got tangled up in turn two.
FPS point leader Jay Middleton of Lake City ran second the entire distance in his North Florida Pharmacy Chevy followed by local favorite Daniel Keene, Jr., Brian Finney, Scot Walters and Danny Johnson. The top six automatically transferred to the 100-lap main event. Doyle Boatwright, Steve Lamb, Hodges, Seewald and Joe Winchell took the provisionals to make up the 25 car starting grid.
A planned driver introduction/autograph session was scrapped as ominous clouds began to build behind the speedway to the east and the cars quickly lined up trying to beat the rain that was moving in.
Neither of the top two qualifiers did well in the re-draw among the top ten with Bresnehan picking number 10 and Carlton starting eighth. Mike Fritts had the Sytsma Hurricane Racing/Torbert Farms Monte Carlo on the pole as the green flag flew, but slipped badly off turn four allowing outside polesitter Mike Faulk to grab the early lead.
Just as the field completed lap five, a bolt of lightning hit just behind the grandstands and fans began to head for the exits. Two laps later, with a light rain beginning to fall, Scott Grossenbacher spun in turn four to bring out the caution. With a heavy rain now falling, the red flag was tossed on lap nine and the field parked on the backstretch to allow crews to cover the cars with everyone seeking shelter as the storm turned nasty. Within a half hour the infield and parking lots were flooded and with severe lightning still in the area, it was decided to pack it in for the evening and complete the race on Sunday.
Drivers and crews returned late Sunday morning and were told they could work on their cars, but could not change tires. There would also be no practice, meaning the teams would be going at it "cold turkey" as far as setting up for the hot daytime conditions. With temperatures near 95 degrees and fans using umbrellas to keep the sun rather than rain off them, the race resumed with 91 laps to go. Since it had started to rain when Grossenbacher had spun the night before, he was allowed to restart from the position he was in when the spin occurred.
The restart line-up saw Faulk leading followed by Fritts, James Powell III, Oglesby, Herb Neumann, Jr., Pratt, Carlton, Bresnehan, Anderson, and Patrick Williams. Only one driver did not return as Daniel Keene, Jr. had a family committment planned for Sunday so 24 cars took the green.
Faulk quickly jumped to a three car length lead while Fritts had his hands full with Powell. The hot slick conditions however were making it a one groove race track as small chunks of asphalt and rubber were starting to coat the outside groove making it virtually impossible to do any passing on the high side.
On lap 16, Carlton and Bresnehan got together in turn four with Bresnehan clipping Carlton's car again as the tried to get going causing quite a bit of cosmetic damage to both cars. Thus the top two qualifiers were placed at the back of the restart line-up.
As the green flew, Faulk was looking good while Powell was "rooting" on Fritts. Carlton went to the pits just as Brian Finney spun on lap 31 in turn two and was hit by Doyle Boatwright to bring out the second caution. Danny Johnson spun to avoid the other crash and lost a lap in the process. Johnson continued, but Finney and Boatwright were done for the day.
Sixth running Rich Pratt got out of the groove and lost several spots just after the restart while Faulk, Fritts, Powell, Oglesby, and Neumann, continued to run in order.
Lap 52 would see all kinds of action as Brock Oglesby got shoved out of the groove just as Grossenbacher and Chris Turner locked horns. Oglesby, with his tires picking up all kinds of debris from the high side of the track, could not negotiate turn four and slammed the wall to end his afternoon after a good run.
On the restart it was Faulk still leading Fritts and Powell but Powell now had to contend with Wayne Anderson in fourth and Anderson likewise having fifth-running Patrick Williams on his bumper. Caution flew again on lap 63 as Herb Neumann, Jr. got turned around by Aric Almirola with both cars being sent to the tail of the field for the restart.
As the green came back out, it was becoming apparent that Faulk was losing his grip in the corners. Fritts was doing everything he could to unnerve the young driver while have to deal with a relentless Powell knocking on his back door.
Then came "the wreck that never was" on lap 82. Fritts attempted to diamond off the low side of turn four but Faulk blocked his move. Fritts had already committed though and literally drove over the front end of Faulk's car doing his best Joie Chitwood imitation as the car got up on two wheels. "I looked up and all I could see was clouds," said Fritts. Amazingly both drivers regained control and kept going without losing any positions. However, the flagman, seeing two cars coming directly at him with one on two wheels, instinctively threw the caution flag expecting a major altercation that fortunately never happened.
After a quick huddle, Florida Pro officials decided to call it a no caution situation and return to racing with the same line-up as they crossed the line completing the lap. This stirred up even more controversy as Fritts had crossed the stripe first making him now the new leader.
The final laps ran off without incident as Fritts zipped to an apparent victory with FPS Rookie point leader Faulk holding off Powell for second followed by Anderson and Williams.
Fritts and his crew were taking everything in stride in victory lane while Faulk was protesting he should have been put back in the lead after the last caution came out and Powell's crew saying both cars should have been sent to the rear for bring out the caution. Since everyone was too hot to really argue much, all the action moved underneath the shade of the oak trees in the tech area where things would get even more interesting as crews were told to start tearing down their engines.
After about an hour, it was determined the heads on the seven-year-old engine being used in Fritts' car did not meet the weight rule prescribed for that head in the Florida Pro Series rules, thus he was disqualified.
Faulk's crew, headed up by Mike's dad, former standout driver and well-known race car fabricator Lee Faulk, went to work removing the required pieces. Everything passed with flying colors and Faulk picked up his first career Florida Pro Series victory. Powell's 9:1 powerplant also was deemed legal and he was awarded second spot.
"I just want to thank my dad, my crew, Blake Construction, and Eatmon Racing Engines for helping me get here," said Mike Faulk. "You don't know how proud I am right now." said Mike's dad Lee. "I got my first big Late Model win right here at Citrus and to have my boy do it here to is awesome. I love it but I think this "kid" stuff is gonna be the death of me yet," joked Faulk.
The official finish behind Faulk and Powell saw Wayne Andersaon third, Williams fourth and Bobby Coyle with an outstanding steady drive to fifth. B-Main winner Seig also drove a head-up race to grab sixth with Rich Pratt, Scot Walters, Danny Johnson and Scott Grossenbacher rounding out the top five.
Complete Results of Citrus County Florida Pro - 100 showing finishing position and driver.
1) Mike Faulk, 2) James Powell III, 3) Wayne Anderson, 4) Patrick Williams, 5) Bobby Coyle, 6) Shane Seig, 7) Rich Pratt, 8) Scot Walters, 9) Danny Johnson, 10) Scott Grossenbacher, 11) Jay Middleton, 12) Aric Almirola, 13) David Hodges Jr., 14) Herb Neumann, Jr., 15) Craig Seewald, 16) Steve Lamb, 17) Mike Bresnehan, 18) Brock Oglesby, 19) Chris Turner, 20) Joe Winchell, 21) Doyle Boatwright, 22) Brian Finney, 23) Rick Carlton, 24) Daniel Keene, Jr., DQ Mike Fritts,
Did Not Qualify - Keith Zavrel, Brian Rogers, Steve Godlewski,Eddie Hamby, Kevin Durden, Jimmy Thompson, John Gerstner, Jeff Gordon,.
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Ocala Speedway- 8-15-03
OCALA, Fla. Despite a stellar field of Florida Pro Series Super Late Models, the biggest for any Super Late Model race this year at Ocala Speedway, no one had anything for former Florida Pro series champion Rick Carlton as he dominated the field for all 100 laps Friday night.
Twenty-seven Florida Pro Series cars signed in with Craig Seewald being the only driver unable to time trial after a wall-banger in practice. Seewald would be able to make repairs and join the tail end of the field for the 100-lapper.
Shane Seig, driving the Great Clips car for Dick Anderson, set quick time at 14.713 seconds but saw that time disallowed in tech when his car came up light on the scales. Merritt Island schoolteacher Brian Finney's lap of 14.721 seconds would thus become quick time followed by Rick Carlton at 14.728, Wayne Anderson at 14.739 and Wayne "Rocketman" Jefferson at 14.777.
The re-draw of the top ten qualifiers saw Finney pick the eighth spot and Anderson tenth. Carlton picked the outside pole while Florida Pro series point leader Jay Middleton of Lake City took the pole in his North Florida Medical Chevrolet.
Carlton wasted little time taking the lead at the drop of the green with Middleton settling into the second spot just ahead of local favorite Patrick Williams in the Armstrong Homes entry. Seig, relegated to last on the starting grid following his DQ after time trials, pulled off the track and out of the race on lap five.
Carlton had his McNatt Plumbing Monte Carlo on a rail, pulling out to a healthy advantage before the first caution flag came out on lap 15 as Scot Walters got together with another car and spun into the infield off turn four. Despite some body damage, Walters was able to continue.
Carlton continued to lead Middleton, Williams, Mike Bresnehan and James Powell III following the restart. Powell breezed by Bresnehan on lap 25 bringing Wayne Anderson with him. Caution number two came out on lap 34 as Keith Zavrel spun in turn four.
With Carlton still dominating, Anderson slipped past Powell for fourth just before the caution flew for bodywork flying off the car of Walters. Walters took his now "air conditioned" car to the pits.
The race was back under green on lap 60 with Carlton cruising in front of Middleton, Williams, Anderson, Powell and Bresnehan. Powell's car began to slow and he faded back into the field, eventually dropping out on lap 71. Carlton was flying, opening up a full straightaway advantage over Middleton while Williams had his hands full trying to hold off Anderson's Calabrese Racing/Airframe International Chevy.
Wayne Jefferson brought out the final caution flag on lap 85 as his engine expired. The red flag was thrown to clean up the oil left on the track, setting up a 15-lap shoot-out for the win. However, this was Rick Carlton's night. On the restart he simply drove away from the field to claim his first Florida Pro win in two years. Middleton solidified his point lead with a second place finish while Williams held off the hard-charging Anderson for third.
Aric Almirola did the passing job of the night, starting 13th and methodically working his way up to fifth. Bresnehan, Rich Pratt, Brian Finney, Mike Fritts, and E.J. Wise rounded out the top ten.
Complete Results of Ocala Florida Pro - 100 showing finishing position and driver.
1) Rick Carlton, 2) Jay Middleton, 3) Patrick Williams, 4) Wayne Anderson, 5) Aric Almirola, 6) Mike Bresnehan, 7) Rich Pratt, 8) Brian Finney, 9) Mike Fritts, 10) E.J. Wise, 11) Brock Oglesby, 12) Michael Faulk, 13) Joe Winchell, 14) John Gerstner, 15) David Hodges, Jr., 16) Steve Lamb, 17) Scott Grossenbacher, 18) Jody Turner, 19) Wayne Jefferson, 20) James Powell III, 21) Doyle Boatwright, 22) Scot Walters, 23) Keith Zavrel, 24) Eddie Hamby, 25) David Hussey, 26) Craig Seewald, 27) Shane Seig,.
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Hialeah Speedway- 7-19-03
HIALEAH, Fla. - Using a front row starting spot and home field advantage, former track champion Darryl Shelnut made his first start of 2003 at Hialeah Speedway a smashing success Saturday night as he led all 100 laps in winning the Florida Pro Series tour event on the flat third-mile oval.
Wheeling Tommy Sytsma's Hurricane Racing entry, Shelnut had a mirror full of fast qualfier James Powell III from the sixth lap on as both played a lightning quick game of cat and mouse. On lap 74 the two touched briefly on the front straight but confidence and experience saw both able to recover and continue the battle to the checkers.
It took three attempts to get the event under way with points leader Doyle Boatwright one of the casualties of a multi-car tangle. Joe Winchell ran third for most of the event and was able to keep that spot to checkers desptie late race engine woes. Jay Middleton and J.R. McMickle rounded out the top five in the 19 car field.
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Columbia Motorsports Park- 5-31-03
Making no mistakes along the way, Doyle Boatwright was in the right place at the right time to get his second career Florida Pro Super Late Model Series win Saturday night at Columbia Motorsports Park near Lake City.
For the second straight race here, young Tallahassee ace Marc Mitchell set quick time only to lose it in tech, this time due to an improper carburetor. Chris Turner, up from Naples and making his first visit to the fast half-mile, ended up with quick time at 16.876 seconds over the 16.979 clocking of Plant City's Jeff Scofield.
The top six re-drew for starting positions with Scofield picking the pole and Boatwright outside. Houma, LA visitor Chet Morrison and Turner made up row two while Mitchell changed carbs and started from the rear of the line-up.
Scofield jumped out to a quick lead as the field took the green for a 100-lap race that would be full of highs and lows for many drivers. As the field raced into turn one, 12th starting Michael Faulk got turned around but kept going although he was nearly a lap down to the field.
Faulk would gain all the distance he lost right back on lap four as David Froelich and Jimmy Britts touched on the front straight with Froelich spinning wildly into turn one. Froelich got his Florida Fresh special pointed in the right direction without hitting anything as the caution came out and he got going before the leaders came around.
Scofield continued to set the pace, but on lap 10, several cars got into some dirt kicked up on the track in turn four with Rich Pratt spinning and David Hodges, Jr. heading out into the boondocks to miss everything. All cars restarted in the positions they were in prior to the incident.
As the race returned to green flag conditions, all eyes were on Marc Mitchell who had moved all the way up to sixth by lap 25. Caution would slow the field two more times on laps 28 and 34 for stalled cars on the track.
With Scofield and Boatwright still setting the pace, it wasn't long until things got heated again as Jimmy Britts got into Chris turner as they battled for fifth spot with Hodges again taking a trip out in the grass to avoid the incident. Britts received a trip to the rear of the field as racing resumed again.
On lap 46, third running Jay Middleton slowed and headed to the pits with a broken top link on the rear end of his car. A lap later, Turner headed to the pits with mechanical troubles and dropped out as well. Mitchell, who had worked his way up to fourth, all of a sudden lost the handle and slipped back to eighth.
Taking advantage of everyone else's problems and a good-handling car despite his two off-track excursions, David Hodges, Jr. had now worked his way to third place. The race was finally settling into a green flag mode when suddenly, on lap 56, Scofield's car slowed with a broken pulley and he coasted to a stop in turn one, done for the night.
The restart lineup at lap 60 found Boatwright out front with Hodges now second. Chet Morrison, who was having an up and down evening including a scary situation early in the race that saw him almost head out into the sand dunes in turn two, seemed to have his act together and was running a strong third. Faulk had driven a steady race following his lap one mistake and was now fourth with Fain Skinner, Froelich, and Mitchell lining up in order.
As the green flew, Morrison began to fall back, unable to keep his car in the low groove of the race track. Going into turn three on lap 66, Mitchell apparently had a tire go down and spun getting hit hard by Jimmy Britts in the process. Mitchell's car flew off turn three and out into the field as Britts took his car to the pits for repairs. The red flag was thrown, but fortunately Mitchell was unhurt although his car was done for the night. Britts made repairs and returned, still on the lead lap.
Hodges made several efforts to track down Boatwright, but the Starke driver had just too much for the rest of the field. Two late cautions for problems involving John Namour's car allowed Hodges to get additional shots at Boatwright, but he pulled away over the last few laps to take the win in his Henry Hodges Construction Ford Taurus.
"The car was pushing just a little bit late in the race," said Boatwright. "But I was able to make up for any lack of horsepower I had because it handled so well in the turns. We're building a new addition to our house, so this money will come in handy," he said.
Hodges, who brought his Pontiac Grand Prix to the track with the primary intention to sell it in order to get "a better car for the longer races" was showing a bit more love to his old horse after the race and took his best ever Florida Pro finish in second.
Faulk showed tremendous patience working back up from his early miscue to nab third spot while Froelich also shrugged off his earlier wild slide to claim fourth place money. Fain Skinner finally got his car to stay together for a full race and he took the checker a solid fifth.
Rich Pratt also ran a steady race to get sixth while Britts came back from two incidents to get seventh. Louisiana driver Morrison battled an ill handling car late, but managed an eighth place showing in his first Florida start with Al Beckelheimer ninth and the last car on the lead lap. Hollywood's Craig Seewald drove his "ancient" Ford T-Bird to tenth, one lap down.
Complete Results of Florida Pro - 100 showing finishing position and driver.
1) Doyle Boatwright, 2) David Hodges, Jr., 3) Michael Faulk, 4) David Froelich, 5) Fain Skinner, 6) Rich Pratt, 7) Jimmy Britts, 8) Chet Morrison, 9) Al Beckelheimer, 10) Craig Seewald, 11) David Hussey, 12) John Namour, 13) Jody Turner, 14) Marc Mitchell, 15) Jeff Scofield, 16) Jay Middleton, 17) Chris Turner, DNS Steve Lamb,
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Columbia Motorsports Park- 5-10-03
Merritt Island's Brian Finney and his Bob Steele Chevrolet crew had his Monte Carlo dialed in perfectly Saturday night as Finney dominated all 125 laps of racing as the Florida Pro Series Super Late Models finally got their second race of the year in the books.
Newcomer Marc Mitchell of Tallahassee made an immediate impact as the only car to run in the sixteen second bracket in time trials turning a quick lap of 16.970. However, Mitchell's car came up light on the scales and his time was disallowed. After some discussion, Mitchell and his crew opted not to add weight and begin the race from the back of the grid, instead loading up and heading back to the State Capitol.
Thus, defending FPS Rookie of the Year Jay Middleton ended up with quick time in the North Florida Medical machine and he drew a six while Finney, who timed second quick, drew the pole with point leader Wayne Anderson on the outside of the front row.
Finney snared the lead at the drop of the green with Anderson quickly following him into turn one, however caution would fly just as the field was completing the opening lap.
Fourth-starting Jonny Kay got a bit high in turn four and spun around, backing into the turn four wall just hard enough to end his race much earlier than planned.
On the restart, Finney, Anderson, and Michael Faulk began to pull away from the rest of the field. Meanwhile, Jacksonville's David Browning, who missed practice and qualifying and started dead last, had already moved up five spots by lap fifteen. By lap 20, 11th starter Jeff Scofield had moved up to fifth and was coming strong. Two laps later, Scofield moved into fourth spot, but leader Finney was already a half lap in front of him with Anderson still second but unable to match the speed of Finney's machine.
Scofield was still on the move taking third from Faulk on lap 36. Browning was not far behind and charging as well until his engine soured on lap 48 and he retired from the event.
The field stayed under green until lap 51 when Faulk spun while battling Rich Pratt for fourth, losing two laps in the process. Once again, there was another long green flag run which was working to Finney's advantage. By halfway, only seven cars were on the lead lap: Finney, Anderson, Scofield, David Froelich, Middleton, Pratt and Doyle Boatwright.
Kent Bissell spun on lap 75 for the third caution of the race. On the restart, the engine in Kevin Finney's machine blew going into turn one coating the track with oil and bringing out the red flag for a long clean-up.
Once the green flew, it finally looked like Anderson might have something for Finney, but as the laps clicked off, Finney again began to pull away to a comfortable advantage.
The final yellow flag would come out on lap 118 as David Froelich lost power in his mount while running fourth. As other drivers took evasive action, Rich Pratt looped his car at the top of turn one but he remained on the lead lap.
Anderson did his best to make the five lap dash for the checker interesting, but Brian Finney had the field covered on this night and he sped to his second career Florida Pro Series win, picking up an extra cash bonus as well from Troy Groeb of Groeb Farms near Ocala.
Anderson held off Scofield for third spot with Middleton fourth and Boatwright fifth. Pratt finished sixth, on the lead lap, slowed by a spark plug wire that apparently got knocked off during his spin. Michael Faulk, driving for Blake Construction, and Georgia's David Hodges, Jr. were seventh and eighth, both two laps down. Kent Bissell was ninth, three laps back while Froelich was credited with 119 laps, good enough for tenth spot.
No rest for the weary as the Florida Pro Series drivers head for Hialeah Speedway on May 24th to make up the race rained out two weeks ago, the come right back to Columbia Motorsports Park on May 31st for another 125 lap event.
Complete Results of Columbia 125 showing finishing position and driver.
1. Brian Finney, 2. Wayne Anderson, 3. Jeff Scofield, 4. Jay Middleton, 5. Doyle Boatwright, 6. Rich Pratt, 7. Mike Faulk (R), 8. David Hodges, Jr., 9. Kent Bissell, 10. David Froehlich, 11. Steve Lamb, 12. Jimmy Britts, 13. Kevin Finney, 14. David Browning, 15. Fain Skinner, 16. Jonny Kay, 17. Marc Mitchell (DNS).
FLORIDA PRO SERIES RESULTS - Charlotte County Speedway- 3-22-03
Wayne Anderson plans to stay close to home this year for his racing efforts and his new Florida Pro Series team made an impressive debut Saturday night, leading all but three laps of the 100-lap FPS season opener held at Leroy Davidson's Charlotte County Speedway in Punta Gorda.
Seventeen Florida Pro Series Super Late Models made the trek to the newly repaved Charlotte County quarter-mile oval and practiced with the backdrop of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels doing maneuvers overhead as part of a big air show going on next door at Charlotte County Airport.
Anderson was expected to set fast time judging from timed laps in practice, but he brushed the wall on his second qualifying lap and ended up fifth quick as David Froelich, Jr. led the group with a lap of 14.350 seconds, almost two-tenths quicker than second quick Jay Middleton.
Froelich pulled ten for the re-draw, thus the top ten in qualifying pulled pills to set the starting line-up. Froelich would start eighth while Shane Sawyer was on the pole with local standout Chris Turner ouside of him in his first FPS start. Billy Bigley, Jr. lined up third with Scot Walters on the outside of row two and Anderson fifth as the field took the green.
Sawyer led lap one until Bigley blew by for the lead. Bigley's turn at the point would be short-lived as Anderson was dialed in and took the top spot on lap four bringing 2002 FPS Rookie of the Year Jay Middleton with him.
Jody Turner became the first driver to drop out of competition as the engine went sour in the Jacksonville driver's car on lap seven. Green flag racing continued until lap 17 when the first caution came out for a Kent Bissell spin. Anderson and Middleton resumed their battle for the point as caution was out again on lap 27 as Kevin Gillum's looped his car.
Once the green came back out, it remained apparent that Anderson and Middleton had the cars to beat.
Caution was out again on lap 38 as Brian Finney and Scot Walters got together with Finney heading to pit road with rear end damage and Walters pitting to replace a tire.
Just before the halfway mark, Kenny Vaughn got turned around by Gillum to bring out caution number four. Vaughn was given his spot back in the running order.
At halfway it was Anderson leading followed by Middleton, Chris Turner, Bigley, Froelich, Doyle Boatwright, Mike Faulk, Steve Lamb and Vaughn, all on the lead lap. Polesitter Shane Sawyer dropped from the running on lap 52 then caution came out for the fifth time on lap 57 as Ricky Thorpe hit the turn one wall.
Anderson and Middleton continued to hold the top spots as Bigley moved back up to third as green flag racing continued to lap 75 when Doyle Boatwright and Mike Faulk got together in turn four with Froelich hitting Faulk's car and having to head for the pits with major front end damage.
Then on lap 85, the rear end broke on Boatwright's car and he spun in turn four, done for the night.
Anderson, Middleton, and Bigley continued to set the pace as the final caution flag flew on lap 92 as Kent Bissell hit the turn one wall. As the field took the five to go signal, the red flag was displayed to allow crews to clean up radiator water spilled from Bissell's machine.
Anderson dominated the final five laps as Middleton held on for a solid second place finish. Bigley drove a car just prepared in time for this race to a nice third place with Steve Lamb turning in the run of the evening in his new Ford Taurus coming from 12th on the starting grid to fourth while Super Late Model rookie Chris Turner, a top Modified driver over the past few years at Charlotte County, was an impressive fifth. Veteran Kenny Vaughn, steady as ever, took sixth and was the last car on the lead lap.
Mike Faulk and Kevin Gillum were seventh and eighth, one lap down, while Scot Walters was ninth, two laps off the pace and the last car running. Bissell was credited with tenth spot.
The next Florida Pro Series event is slated for April 26th at Hialeah Speedway.
