Great night of racing at CCMP !

Tonight was awesome. a huge crowd watched the best SLM race of the year! what a finish with Joe Winchell, Scott Grossenbacher, and Mike Franklin!!! Edge of your seat action thru the entire race and a close finish with Joe winning and scott about 3 inches behind!!! (well it sure was close)… The crowd could have come just to see Bobby Diehl get some pie in the face! :wink:
was a fun night. we didnt have many open wheels but they put on a really good race. Sean McLaughlin won followed by Tony Careno and Jeremy Gerstner…
carol aka ozzie

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OWM’s @ CCMP

Sean McLaughlin
Tony Careno
Jeremy Gerstner

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Dec. 13 - Dustin Chisholm wins Desoto Champ Kart Series finale

We will also post the full race story (copied below) with photos later on Sunday, at the Desoto Champ Kart Series website:
http://www.desotochampkartseries.com

It was a night of surprises at the 3/8 mile low-banked paved oval of Charlotte County Motorsports Park in Punta Gorda, FL! And when the feature ended, and the top three finishers stopped their karts on the front stretch to get interviewed by the track announcer, a few new faces were in Victory Lane, while a very familiar face had claimed his first career points championship with the Desoto Champ Kart Series!

Nineteen champ karts came to Charlotte County Motorsports Park to take their shot at winning the race sponsored by:

2008 Series Primary Sponsors:
VEGA Tires from http://www.TSRacing.com,
GECKER Motorsports at http://www.Geckermotorsports.com,
C&D Motorsports and Hurricane Speedway at http://www.hurricanekartinginc.com,
Cutting Edge Kart Shop at http://www.cuttingedgekartshop.com
COMPETITION Karting, Inc. in Welcome, NC
HEAT RACING of Brandon, Florida

2008 Series Race Sponsors:
VP-Motorsports at http://www.VP-Motorsports.com,
J. Hite Exterminating at http://www.hiteexterminating.com
PBS Sales and Service of Tampa at http://www.pbssalesandservice.com
5 STAR MOTORSPORTS at http://www.5starmotorsports.net

Thanks to all of the sponsors for their support of the Desoto Champ Kart Series!

Five drivers made their debut last night with the Desoto Champ Kart Series. These were car (and truck) racers Cody Benoit, Dean Butrum, Logan Lenard, Jeff Firestine and Paul Benfer.

Two heat races were run, with the odd pill draws running the first heat, and the even pill draws running the second heat.

The first heat was won by recently crowned 2008 Desoto Super Speedway Late Model Points Champion Dustin Chisholm with JD Cordon pushing him across the line, followed by Rance Williams.

The second heat was won by PJ Letourneau, with Mitchell Stevens in second, followed by Michael Burns in third.

The feature rolled out onto the track at approximately 8:30pm. Champ kart family and crew could be seen waving and cheering from the pit grandstand as the field circled the track for it’s pace laps!

When the field took the green flag, Mitchell Stevens moved to the front, with Dustin Chisholm pushing hard in second.

Mitchell and Dustin would continue to run in a tight two-kart draft until lap 18, when Dustin slipped by Mitchell for the lead.

Kelli Burns contained her strong recent performances at CCMP, as she moved into the third place position with PJ Letourneau pushing hard in fourth.

Coming to the checkered flag, Dustin Chisholm held off Mitchell Stevens for the win, with Kelli Burns crossing the line in third! This was the first career DCKS podium finishes for both Mitchell and Kelli!

Congratulations to Dustin Chisholm on claiming his second Desoto Champ Kart Series win of 2008!!

IN ADDITION to the feature winners trophy and payout, Dustin also collected a VEGA TIRE! from Tod Spaude and Raymond of http://www.tsracing.com, that had been posted for any driver who could win with VEGA tires on both the right front and right rear!

And after the feature cash payout was given out, the fun continued for the top ten points finishers in the 2008 CCMP Points Series… :smiley:

Starting with the tenth place finisher, each of the top-ten points finishers were summoned to the front of the awards table, and series director Phil Harp presented them with their prizes.

And, even though the CCMP Points Series only counts five races (seven races with 2 drops), the series was able to give away approx. $900 last night in year-end contingency prizes, trophies and giftcards, due to the amazing support of our series sponsors.

The Desoto Champ Kart Series would like to extend a special thanks to HEAT RACING. Even though the economy is down and they are sponsoring several other series and tracks, Robin and Gary Green wanted to do something special to help the Desoto Champ Kart Series racers. As a result, HEAT RACING agreed to sponsor the year-end points funds for the 2008 CCMP Points Season. Thanks to Robin and Gary Green for all of your support this season!

Also, a special thanks goes out to Lewis Dowell of Competition Karting Inc. (CKI) in Welcome, NC. Lewis has posted three $100 giftcards, one for each of the three DCKS points champions in 2008!!! (Triple Crown, DSS Track Points, CCMP Track Points). Thank you Lewis very much!

The following year-end awards were given out last night to the top ten points finishers:

1st Place - Phil Harp - 2008 CCMP Series Points Champion:
Champions Trophy
$100 Giftcard from Competition Karting Inc., redeemable for any store merch.
$50 Giftcard from HEAT RACING of Brandon , redeemable for any store merch.
FREE ENGINE REBUILD LABOR (any make), parts extra from C&D Motorsports/Hurricane Speedway
FREE CLUTCH REBUILD, parts INCLUDED (any make), from CUTTING EDGE KART SHOP

2nd Place - Alan McKinney - 2008 CCMP Series Points:
Trophy and $100 Giftcard from HEAT RACING of Brandon , redeemable for any store merch.

3rd Place - JD Cordon- 2008 CCMP Series Points:
Trophy and $100 Giftcard from HEAT RACING of Brandon , redeemable for any store merch.

4th Place - Brian Scherrer - 2008 CCMP Series Points:
Trophy and $100 Giftcard from HEAT RACING of Brandon , redeemable for any store merch.

5th Place - Rance Williams - 2008 CCMP Series Points:
Trophy and $100 Giftcard from HEAT RACING of Brandon , redeemable for any store merch.

6th Place - PJ Letourneau - 2008 CCMP Series Points: TROPHY

7th Place - Ron Letourneau - 2008 CCMP Series Points: TROPHY

8th Place - Tim Simmons - 2008 CCMP Series Points: TROPHY

9th Place - Paul Letourneau - 2008 CCMP Series Points: TROPHY

10th Place - Scott Hailey - 2008 CCMP Series Points: TROPHY

If you’ve ever wanted to race in front of cheering fans, be interviewed by the track announcer after the feature, race for cash in EVERY race, and watch some of Florida’s best car racing after the champ kart feature is completed (at no additional cost), please consider trying a race with the Desoto Champ Kart Series! Everyone is welcome to participate in this unique karting experience. The complete 2009 DCKS schedule will be posted later today (Sunday).

Finishing Order:

  1. Dustin Chisholm - Victor Peters - Chapparal Trucking
  2. Mitchell Stevens - Ambassador Racing
  3. Kelli Burns
  4. PJ Letourneau - Top Deck Concrete, Inc.
  5. Phil Harp
  6. Tim Simmons
  7. Michael Burns
  8. Rance Williams - Gecker Motorsports
  9. Scott Hailey - National Semi-Trailer Corp.
  10. Ron Letourneau - PBS Sales and Service
  11. Barry Bartlett - PBS Sales and Service
  12. Dean Butrum
  13. Paul Letourneau - PBS Sales and Service
  14. JD Cordon - Victor Peters - Creative Early Learning
  15. Cody Benoit
  16. Logan Lenard
  17. Alan McKinney - PBS Sales and Service
  18. Jeff Firestine
  19. Paul Benfer

And after the feature, Tina Scopano and Sandi Letourneau laid out a huge spread of food for all the racers and crew. A large crowd quickly gathered in the PBS Racing team pits, to enjoy the yellow rice and chicken, bread, salad, lasagna and deserts!! Thanks to the Scopanos and Letourneaus for their hospitality!

Thanks also to everyone for coming out last night! Everyone seemed to have a great time.

For a complete schedule of ?Events?, and rules, please visit the series website at: http://www.desotochampkartseries.com

If you have any questions about the series, please contact series director Phil Harp at 727-510-5401. Contingency and race sponsorships are always welcomed by Phil for each race. This group is very appreciative of all the race sponsors and supporters during the 2008 season!

The DeSoto Champ Kart Series - A little different… a little bigger… let the drafting begin!

man what a finish to the Latemodel race, Very good show!!

thanks to all the CCMP staff for a great night of racing and making me and my crew feel welcomed.
To the Road Warriors -good run 97, way to hold the line and not get un-nerved to the OTHER 33- thanks for your money and looking forward to getting more of it next year

PUN 33 Bomber/Road Warrior

Pun you put on a show too.

Your driving skills and patients were demonstrated well last night. As well as your car. You are right about the good night of racing. The late madel race was the best asphalt race I’ve seen in a long time. It was hard to tape, I wanted to lay my camera down and watch. God job on your 2nd old buddy. Bob…

Congratulations Joe. You are the best and a true friend and gentleman. I won’t ever forget your kindness this year to me.

Jane

hey jane… you woulda loved it!!!

Joe and Mike were side by side!!! this race was the best ive seen since the ARCA race at USA… the racers actually R~A~C~E~D!!! What a show they put on and clean!!! you didnt know where to look first because there was action all over the track… i was especially proud of Sean LeMasters. to me it was the best ive ever seen him race. he was up front and he didnt mess up once. If you are reading this Sean…YAHOOOOOOOOOO!
Scott Grossenbacher is a welcomed addition to the track. scott was sent to the rear and only missed winning by a few inches. nice guy too…
felt bad for billy bigley. he was out pretty fast with car troubles. a broken bolt or something. good racing by Jeremy gerstner… another fun great guy.
Mike Franklin asked me who was my favorite driver… is he crazy??? how on earth could i ever pick? they are all my favorites and i sure miss seeing Patrick Williams, James Powell, Tim Russell, Sawyer, Glover, and all the drivers who arent able to travel so far.James found one thing he loves more than racing. Little Saige! cant say i blame him but sure do miss them!
also compliments to the OWM… so happy to see Tony in the top 3… its hard to beat Sean!!! sure did miss the Rocketman. Hey! BJ was there. he wasnt racing but he was there. so happy to see him!!!
well Jane… me and hailey are gonna bake cookies. have a fun filled wonderful day! Give Alex a hug for me! i bet you miss Rusty huh? do you have his new address so i can send him a card. email it to me please. thanks
OZZIE

p.s.
you are so right about Joe Winchell. he and Lori are 2 of my closest friends. i love them very much and they both have huge warm hearts!

Thanks Carol!

I’m glad we were able to put on a good show. I finally got smart and fired myself as crewchief and replaced me with Todd Blevins, which has made a huge difference with the car. We still have a little work to do to get further up front but we’re definitley lookin forward to next year at CCMP! See ya Jan 31st for the season opener Super Late Race!
Sean

They where all Pro’s.

There where over 100 plus cars again in the pits. The PURSES over $20,000.00 paid over. Great Racing, Fans, Sponsors, Staff, and all are FRIENDS. It doesn’t get better than THIS!!! And I can tell you it’s well worth getting a little pie in your face.
Thanks
Bobby Diehl:huepfen024:

Pie In The Eye!

#1 It was tasty wasn’t it? Bobby wih=th pie for Avery.
#2 The longest foot. Joe winchel won by a foot!
#3 Champ Kart upset!

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What a GREAT NIGHT for the Toy’s for Tot’s!!!

The Marines Sgt. said that this year has been a very slow year for the program. But, CCMP “Night for the Kids” was one of the BIGGEST one night stands they could remember. It is always such a great feeling we get when we can make a difference. We’ve had over 60 plus events that have supported the Community since the CCMP opened. With the NEW Program “CCMP’s Hands Around the Community” we can even make “giving back” a bigger part of how to do it. Some wonder how in these times CCMP can be so successful? We welcome you to come this weekend and see the passion that goes into making a difference. “Avery’s Night” will be another week, but as just as important as last weeks show (or cause) this one will make a difference as well. Please come out and be part of the reason CCMP is so very successful in these times. Remember the important saying; “One is not Judged by how much they have, but rather in how much they do for other’s”!
Hope to see everyone this weekend. Please help make a difference!
Thanks for all those who have support us in the past. And we welcome the new ones to our future.
Bobby Diehl