New Smyrna Speedway Race Recap for 6/27/15 and Clyde Hart Memorial Preview for 6/3/15

ancrdave · September 29, 2021, 3:14am

THOMAS MAKES SURE BOUNTY GOES UNCOLLECTED - THREE NEW FACES IN VICTORY LANE AT
NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY

It was definitely hot both temperature-wise and racing-wise Saturday night at
New Smyrna Speedway for week number 16 of the NASCAR Whelen All-American
Racing Series. Things stayed pretty much the same in the Sportsman class
while three new faces took wins in visiting Hampton Inn Victory lane, two for
the very first time at the storied high-banked half-mile.
The track placed a $200 bounty on Sportsman hot shoe Patrick Thomas. If
someone could beat the Oviedo driver, provided he was still running at the
checker, that driver would earn an extra $200 bonus. Another strong field of
Sportsman cars were entered as 18 machines were in the pits. New Hampshire
driver Sandy Lee practiced both his regular #10 ride and the newly refurbished
#77 out of the Sheppard Racing Enterprises shop in Deland and opted to race
the #77 while the #10 sat idle for the feature. Those two cars were among the
eight that were fielded by Lee and his partner Jim Daley and the “Outlaw
Sportsman” team was loaded for bear to try and claim the bounty on Thomas
along with a number of top teams.
Twin heat races helped set the field for the feature with the
Daley/Lee/Sheppard team claiming both 8-lap victories. Derrick Wood outpaced
the field in the first heat while Matt Jarrett again picked up the ride in the
team’s #20 car and won the second heat after a dandy side-by-side battle with
Lee while Thomas could do no better than fourth.
Austin Howell of New Smyrna Beach had the pole for the 25-lap headliner with
defending track champion Donny Williams flanking him in a car with lots of new
“skin” after a big crash two weeks before. Howell jumped out to a quick lead
at the drop of the green and looked like he might have a car capable of
holding off Thomas and the rest of the field. Howell had built up a sizable
advantage before Richard Goodrich and D. J. Farr got tangled up in turn four,
ending the night for Farr, the personable young driver from nearby Lake Helen.
During the caution, Howell pitted from the lead and made his way to his slab
in the infield, done for the evening. Howell was utilizing a new outlaw-style
nose on his mount and it was not allowing enough air flow causing the engine
to overheat. At the same time first heat winner Wood also dropped from the
competition with mechanical woes after running in the top five early.
Ron Gustafson inherited the point for the restart but Thomas was charging hard
after starting eighth on the grid and he took the lead from Gustafson on lap
13. From that point track owner Robert Hart could put his wallet away as no
bounty would be collected on this night. Junior Beckner looked to have a car
capable of running with Thomas but, after he took second from Gustafson on lap
19, Beckner was too far behind to try and catch Thomas as the race ran the
remaining distance under green. Things got crazy behind the lead pair as the
field took the white flag. Teammates Gustafson and Lee tangled up and spun
coming off turn four. Since the field had already taken the white flag,
starter Ralph Miller put out the checker and yellow flags together to end the
race with the finishing order set as the field crossed the stripe to take the
white flag. Jarrett was the big mover here as he kept his foot in the gas to
go by the spinning cars and others that slowed as he would claim the third
spot behind Thomas and Beckner.
For Thomas, it was his sixth win of the year in nine starts and he padded his
point lead over second finisher Beckner. Lee bounced back to take fourth over
Williams while Goodrich, Brandon Christian, Timmy Todd, Jr., Gustafson and
Mike Dahm rounded out the top ten and were the only cars still running.
Rounding out the finishers (all DNF’s) were Howell, Wood, Farr, George
Alexander, R. J. Glaser, George Dahm and Warren Howie.
The Pro Late Model race ran green to checker and saw a familiar face back in
victory lane for the first time this season. Brad May had won three features
in a row but did not compete as he was unable to make it back from vacation to
New Smyrna by race time although his car owner Bobby Sears had the car ready
to load in the trailer just in case. Anthony Cataldi of Umatilla and his team
made the trek from Pensacola where they competed in twin 50-lap events Friday
night at Five Flags Speedway and he drew the outside pole for the feature,
then proceeded to lead the first nine laps of the 25-lap contest.
Daniel Keene, Jr. moved up from his fourth starting position and snared the
point from Cataldi then drove away from the field to score his first win of
the year here. The Weeki Wachee driver came across the line well ahead of
second place Cody Blair who passed Cataldi for the runner-up spot on the final
lap. Cataldi claimed third trailed by Tim Russell (making a rare Pro Late
Model start), Noah Cornman, Blaise Hetznecker, Zach Jarrell, Jeff White and
Dalton Smith.
Robert Deal of Titusville made his first start of the regular season a good
one as he sped to victory in the Modified 25-lap headliner for his first
career win at New Smyrna. After winning the heat, Deal led every lap of the
main event that was slowed only by a lap 19 turn one spin by Joe Jacalone.
Although the yellow brought the field back up to Deal for the restart he
easily pulled away from James “Tank” Tucker to secure the win. Tucker held
off his arch rival Jerry “The Hammer” Symons for second. Just the fact that
Symons was actually able to race was a near miracle. The engine blew in his
machine during the second practice session and his Gene Kelly Roofing/American
Auto, Tires & Service crew loaded the car in the trailer and took it back to
their nearby shop where they installed a back-up power plant actually making
it back to the speedway before intermission was over.
Matt Wheeler claimed the fourth spot ahead of Matt Jarrett while Chris Harvey,
Jacalone, Bob Glover, Mike Dahm, George Dahm and Brent Tyler rounded out the
finishers. Shain Held was unable to compete after suffering mechanical issues
in practice.
Joseph Rock led every lap of the Bomber feature with a car considerably faster
than it had been all year. Rock’s fast Chevy Monte Carlo was deemed to be
“just a bit” illegal in tech after the race and he was disqualified. That
handed the win to second finisher Richard Roark who claimed his first-ever
career victory. Shane Sutorus claimed the second spot in front of Billy
Barrington, point leader James Skinner, Dustin Higdon, Aaron Overman and Keith
Wylie.
Coming up this Friday night, July 3rd, it’s the annual Clyde Hart Memorial
100-lapper for the Super Late Models. The event honors the memory of Clyde
Hart who built the speedway back in the mid-1960s. After a variety of
promoters leased the track from him, Mr. Hart decided he could do a better job
himself and he then operated the facility until his passing in 1998. Clyde’s
son Robert still owns and operates New Smyrna Speedway along with his wife
Jane and son Andrew.
Defending race winner Steven Wallace has indicated he will not be able to
compete this year but wanted to tell the fans he is really going to miss being
there. “We’ve just had a lot of bad luck lately and don’t have a car race
ready,” says Wallace. That doesn’t mean there won’t be a bevy of drivers
trying to claim the Hart trophy and a good amount of cash that goes along with
it.
Young Harrison Burton, son of NASCAR Sprint Cup veteran Jeff Burton, plans to
be in the field at a track he says is “one of his favorites.” Stephen Nasse
of Pinellas Park will make his first New Smyrna start of the regular season in
the Hart Memorial. Current NSS Super Late Model point leader Anthony Sergi is
among the entrants as is Brad May. Both drivers hail from Oviedo and have
each won twice this year. Also entered are veterans David Rogers of Orlando,
Tim Russell of Longwood and Plant City’s Jeff Scofield. Daniel Keene, Jr. is
also entered after winning with his Pro Late Model last Saturday night.
Progressive Racing Engines is sponsoring the Fast Time award for the Clyde
Hart Memorial. The driver who posts the fast qualifying time of the evening
will receive a nice $500 cash prize from Progressive Engines.
Also in action will be the Super Stocks, Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini Stocks
and the Bombers. Both Justin Reynolds (Super Stock) and Ted Vulpius (Mini
Stock) will be looking for their seventh wins of the season as both drivers
lead the point standings of their respective classes.
Gates open Friday afternoon at 2 pm. A practice session for Super Late Models
only will be held from 4-4:45 pm followed by division practice for the Super
Stocks, Mini Stocks and Bombers from 4:45-5:30 pm. Grandstand gates open at
6pm with the regular pre-race party at the Throttle to Bottle Pub featuring
live music, $1 beers and half-off bar menu.
Super Late Model qualifying takes place at 6:15 pm with racing beginning at
7:30 pm with a 25-lap feature run for the Super Stocks. Next up, after driver
introductions, will be the Clyde Hart Memorial for the Super Late Models. The
evening concludes with a 25-lap contest for the Sunshine Seamless Gutters Mini
Stocks and 20 laps for the Bombers.
Adult admission is $20 with all seniors (65+) and military with valid ID being
admitted for $18. All kids 11 and under are admitted free of charge.