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Fans got a double whammy of truck
racing Friday night as the ASA FASTRUCKS and FASTKIDS
made their first appearance of the 2004 season at Orlando
Speedworld with their usual close competition spread
out among some wild action.
The FASTKIDS race was pure dominance
for Winter Springs resident Sam
Watts on his "home" track. The 13-year old
phenom won the very first FASTKID race he entered last
week at Charlotte County Speedway and had the field
covered from the drop of the green flag Friday night.
Watts
set fast time and was also the third fastest of all
the trucks entered in both divisions!
Luck of the draw put Watts
on the pole and he was on cruise control from the drop
of the green flag with only Dalton Zehr able to stay
reasonably close to him.
The race was pretty tame but was one
of those that a driver like Matt Martin would like to
forget. Martin was involved in four caution flags (not
all of his own making) including a turn four incident
that sent the cars of Amanda Gogel and Mitch Webb to
the pits. However, Martin soldiered on to a fifth place
finish.
Watts
took the win followed by Zehr, Josh Crenshaw, Joey Morales
and Matt Martin.
The 50-lap FASTRUCK headliner looked
to be a barn burner just from the starting line-up.
Fast qualifier Dustin Skinner found himself starting
mid-pack with point leader Tommy King and several top
runners like Jimmy Gill starting deep in the field.
James Wright III snared the early
lead but it was Jeff Firestine really putting on the
pressure in the early laps as the fans were on the edge
of their seats with all the three-wide racing and "rubbing"
going on.
Firestine managed to get by Wright
near the mid point of the race only to slip high a few
laps later allowing Shawn Icely to take over the top
spot.
At this point, caution-flag-itis set
in for a number of incidents during the final third
of the race including a scary crash into the pit entrance
wall by Eddie Moran.
The water barrels did their job though
and, although his "bell was ringing," Moran climbed
from his destroyed truck a bit groggy but in OK shape
physically.
Billy Barstow also took a hard shot
into the turn three wall backwards but fortunately he
too was unhurt.
Firestine seemed to have a faster
truck, but Icely was not to be denied as the Sarasota
driver took his first career win in the FASTRUCK Series.
Firestine was second with Wright coming back for third
after slipping as far back as fifth at one point. Marty
Zehr came home fourth giving the Zehr family two top
five finishes on the night while Tim Shaffner was fifth.
Kevin Williams, George Morales, George
Gorham, Tommy King and Wendell Bristol rounded out the
top ten while local favorite Sean Bass came home in
12th after starting 29th. Bass was unable to qualify
as his crew had to change a transmission after warm-ups.
Bass came back to win the 15-lap Mini
Stock feature in wire to wire fashion in his Speed-Pro
Special. For the young Auburndale driver, it was his
fourth win of the season. Chad Ashley was second for
the fifth time in eight races this year while R.J. Arnone,
Michael Seay, and Dick Laszlo completed the top five.
Ashley won the heat.
Richard Hight held off a late charge
from Justin Hall to nab his third Sportsman win of the
year. Bobby Joe Woodley, Tony Wilson and Bill Hall trailed.
Hight also won the heat race.
There was plenty of wild action in
the Super Stock feature, but when the dust cleared,
Daytona's Ron Whaley had earned his fourth checkered
flag of the season after a great battle with John Castro
who settled for second. Rim-riding Ted Head came home
third in front of Rick Johns and Dave "White Fire" Wright.
Super Stock heats were won by Castro and Doug Gould.
Richie Laszlo took yet another Strictly
Stock win in his Ford Fairmont Futura out-running Casey
Riley, Clint "Green Hornet" Snyder and Michelle Dyal.
FastKids Results
Orlando Speedword - 5/21/04
1. Sam Watts
#73
2. Dalton Zehr #5
3. Josh Crenshaw #07
4. Joey Morales #96
5. Matt Martin #66
6. Cody Pitts #8
7. Spencer Taylor #46
8. Mitch Webb #2
9. Amanda Gogel #4K
Reproduced
with permission.
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