Tracks: Two 'Rookies' Win At Auburndale Speedway
28 September 1999
By Larry W. VergonWith a rain out the previous week, and a full moon, it was a wild and wooly night of racing at Auburndale, especially in the Limited Late Model Sportsman and Street Stock classes. Many cars sustained substantial body damage, and several were new cars or newly rebodied and painted. One of the latter, Mitch Hawk Jr., pulled into the pits with a plain red car, taped his number on the right side for the heat race, and applied number and sponsor decals before the feature started. He left the track with the right side door pushed in from the front wheel to the rear wheel and no left rear fender. With all the carnage, it appeared that few cars received any major structural damage.
Tommy King won his second Limited Late Model Sportsman feature in this, his rookie season. King started the 25 lap feature inside the second row and inherited the lead during a lap 6 caution when race leader Ray Cuzzone's car puffed a large cloud of smoke and pulled immediately into the infield.
King, in his Ford, held off the challenges of Bart Weatherford for the remainder of the caution filled event. Weatherford stayed close to King throughout the event, even when Dave Dunkin pulled alongside in the outside groove on lap 20 and the two raced side by side for three laps.
Dunkin fell back, then pulled even with Weatherford again in turn three of the white flag lap, and the two cars were side by side to the finish line, with Weatherford taking second. Dunkin had to settle for third, with Westley Bass and Von Pope rounding out the top five. Robbie Storer and Cuzzone won their heats.
In the Modified Mini Stock 25 lap feature, 16 year old Duane Parker, a rookie in the class, showed great "race sense" on the third lap, as he took advantage of a dogfight for the lead involving three wide racing into the first turn, turned left and drove to the inside of the scramble, taking the lead out of turn two. Parker led the remainder of the event, for his first feature win of the season. Jay Kaminski raced from a ninth starting position to take second, Scott Sharpe was third, points leader Tony Davidson came from thirteenth at the green to fourth, and Jason Rendell was fifth, after starting eighth. Heat Race wins went to Wayne Weaver and Mike Rudder.
The 25 lap Street Stock Feature was a wild and caution filled event, with Jeff Warren moving to the lead early from his fifth starting position. He survived the multiple restarts to win his first feature of the season.
Brian Donohue, sporting a new silver paint job, came home second, after starting in ninth. Billy Jones started eighth and finished third, with Jeff McCaw starting twelfth and finishing fourth, and Richard Todd bringing a new entry home in fifth, after starting twenty-first. Donohue and Robert Gullet were heat winners.
V8 Pure Stock points leader Greg Bacon won his third feature in a 20 lap race and increased his point lead, with an engine they built from four old engines, after exploding his at the last race. He had no idea how well it would hold together, and had plans to drive another car, just in case. The engine held together as he drove from sixth at the start to the win. Johnny Vaughn had his best night of the year, finishing second in the feature, after starting eighth, and winning his heat. Jason Todd was third, after taking the green in fourteenth, Willie Lacey fourth, up from thirteenth, and David Thompson drove from eleventh to fifth. Dan Rising won the other heat race.
The 4 Cylinder Pure Stocks ran a 15 lap feature, with Timmy McKenzie starting fifth and taking the win. Scott Taylor was second, followed by Randy King, Matt Craig, and Joe Thomas. Taylor won the heat race. The Dwarf Cars were at Auburndale Saturday, with Allen Davis taking his third feature of the season at the quarter mile oval. Paul Hunsburger was second, followed by BobHoffman, Don Hess Jr., and Bill Burback. Heat races were won by Davis and Hoffman.
Auburndale will be closed next Saturday, Oct. 2, for the NASCAR Goody's Dash Series race at USA International Speedway. Racing resumes Oct. 9, with Limited Late Model Sportsmen, Street Stocks, Modified Mini Stock, V8 Pure Stock, 4 Cylinder Pure Stock and a return of the Dwarf cars. Race time is 7:00 PM.
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