Local Headlines

by BJ Cavin- VSP Media

BARBERVILLE, FL- Saturday night will bring another full slate of quality racing to Volusia Speedway Park, featuring the highly popular Florida Mini Sprint Association, plus action from Volusia's own Late Models, Sportsman, Street Stock, Thunder Stock, and Challenger divisions. In addition to the traditional racing action, the top ten Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Late Model racers in the season points race will participate in a Late Model Elimination Event where the drivers will battle each other head to head until only one is left standing. And after racing every weekend since the season began at VSP, the Budweiser Modifieds will take this Saturday off for a little R&R.

One of the most popular series to visit Volusia Speedway this season is the Florida Mini Sprints, as these little winged monsters blister the clay of the big half mile at over 130 miles per hour. So far Jesse Teed has dominated the Volusia appearances, but that won't be the case this time around. Teed is recovering from a tangle with a wayward power tool in a work related accident, and that will take him out of his mini sprint this weekend, thus opening the door for anyone else who might feel the urge to step up in his place. And there are a host of others who could fill the role, as the FMSA competitors are evenly matched and always competitive.

Donnie Chappell continues to win races, and that has him sitting solidly on top of the points battle coming into this weekend's Late Model events. He will again be the man to beat when the green flag waves from the flagstand on Saturday night in both the feature race and the elimination contest as well, but Matt Hartley continues to be his chief competition and although Hartley may be in second place, he is fully capable of stepping up and taking one from the top dog. Other Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Late Model competitors to watch include Bobby Richardson, David Clegg, and Lawton Minchew. Those guys may not be current threats to Chappell in the points race, but on any given night one or more could finish with a trip to the Destination Daytona Victory Lane.

Aaron Barsness got the job done last weekend as he outpaced the Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman Division and picked up a win, and it is certain that the 11 car will most likely be a factor this coming Saturday no matter which driver might be behind the wheel. Both Barsness and Scott Lagasse have risen to the top of the competition at present, but Corey Holley and Blaise Hetznecker remain above the 11 tandem in the points race, but just barely. Holley was a no show for last Saturday's race, while after picking up his first win the previous week, Blaise Hetznecker suffered an engine failure before he ever got onto the clay this past weekend and ended up doing a lap in a borrowed Thunder Stock just to get some points. So things are now very tight at the top of the heap, and certainly this Saturday's race will provide some changes in the rankings.

The lure of money caused some of the Daytona Sportswear Street Stock racers to be MIA at VSP last weekend, and that opened the door for Phil Brown to grab a win and solidify his perch at the top of the points standings thus far. Although Brown runs in the front pack every Saturday, his win total hasn't reflected his consistent performances that had him leading the points in the first place. Meanwhile Mick Kulack ran his second impressive race in a row on Saturday night, only this time he failed to get the win and settled for second place. That keeps him second in points behind Brown while Chris Brown's third place finish puts him on an even keel with Bubba Christian. Depending on how things go this weekend there could be more changes coming at the top of the points ladder, especially if any other racers decide to go missing on Saturday night.

As of late the Thunder Stock racer to beat seems to be Alan Peacock, who raced his way to yet another Destination Daytona Victory Lane celebration last Saturday night despite the best efforts of an equally determined Donnie Birdwell. Birdwell has strung together a series of impressive finishes as of late and that has enabled him to make some serious gains in the season points race, but Tom Hughes is still the points leader with Peacock a not so distant second. And consistency has placed Alan Lane in the top three in points so far with the potential to move up further if his fortunes on the track continue to be solid. The competition seems to be catching up to Peacock's superiority as of this past week as Peacock had to work for his win, so maybe by this Saturday someone like Birdwell will be poised to outpace the 13 car.

The friendly rivalry between Casey Feaster and RJ Glaser heated up as the Sparkle N Shine Challengers raced under the Sunday afternoon sun this past weekend. Feaster found something to his liking at the very top of the big half mile and used it to hold off Glaser, who was determined to make the shorter route around the bottom work to outpace the faster route at the top. But in the end it was Casey Feaster who prevailed again thus remaining at the top of the points totals with RJ Glaser close enough behind him to reach out and grab the leader. This battle is not going to end anytime soon, and as Feaster admitted after Sunday's race, Glaser's moment is coming. Its just a matter of when.

Volusia Speedway Park will open the grandstand gates at 5:30PM this Saturday evening with races slated to begin at 7PM. Fans who attended the Sunday afternoon races from this past weekend can present their ticket stubs for $5 off of their admission this Saturday, while prices will remain the same for everyone else. For more details on this weekend's action, or to see the complete and updated schedule of events at the World's Fastest Half Mile, please visit us online at www.TheVolusiaSpeedway.com.

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