Local Headlines

by BJ Cavin- VSP Media

BARBERVILLE, FL- After three consecutive weeks with no racing at Volusia Speedway Park, nature finally granted a pass to the big half mile oval and the postponed "Holy Cow 25" Jack Miller Memorial Race featuring the Daytona Harley-Davidson 360 Sprint Cars took to the clay. The night also featured exceptional racing from the Florida Mini Sprint Association, plus hot action for the Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman Division, the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks, Volusia Speedway's Thunder Stocks, and the Sparkle and Shine Car Wash Challengers. Plus the night would not be complete without two exciting dash races as well, both paying cash money to the winners, plus an appearance from the vintage racers of the Daytona Antique Auto Racing Association.

The first of two dashes for cash featured the Daytona Harley-Davidson Sprint Cars, going for just 4 laps, as Matt Kurtz, Terry Witherspoon, Danny Martin, and Sport Allen, turned it loose on a very fast track. Martin had to work for it, but he prevailed and walked away with the cash prize from Suburban Propane of Bunnel and Deland. Witherspoon followed for second place while Sport Allen was third.

The second Dash For Cash was an 8 lap event paying $88 to the winners, featuring Volusia's Thunder Stocks and the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks in memory of VSP racer Dennis North who passed away unexpectedly just one week previous to the event. Four Street Stocks and four Thunder Stocks started the race and ran on the track together, as officials scored the event separately and awarded separate envelopes of cash to each respective winner. Philip Brown ran away for the win with the Street Stocks while Donnie Birdwell had a tougher time getting the win with the Thunder Stocks, and both drivers handed their winnings back to Dennis North's widow, Julie, in the Destination Daytona Victory Lane.

The racers and fans at Volusia Speedway Park raised well over $2000 for the North family, including Dennis' wife Julie and his son, five year old Cole. Other events included a raffle for many prizes donated by friends of the family and local sponsors, all to help raise money to assist the family with expenses. However that total was incomplete as many of Volusia's racers were happily handing over their payout checks to the North family after racing had ended for the night.

The Jack Miller Memorial "Holy Cow 25" featuring the 360 Sprint Cars sponsored by Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley-Davidson, saw plenty of action as Danny Martin again found his way to the Destination Daytona Victory Lane, but without quite a struggle along the way. Tony Agin held the early lead but quickly surrendered it to Sport Allen, and Allen held off a hard charging Danny Martin for a huge chunk of the race until a slower car formed a rolling pick and allowed Martin to zoom past.

The race was red flagged on lap 18 after a violent crash into the wall exiting turn 4 brought the crowd to its feet and sent chunks of the racing surface flying completely over the frontstretch grandstands. Darren Orth lost control of his sprint car in the turn and dug into the surface, which flipped the car end over end and directly into the catch fence and wall along the frontstretch with the fence and the wind of the car absorbing much of the impact. Orth's wreckage landed right side up against the frontstretch wall with a brief fire quickly extinguishing itself as rescue crews raced to the scene. Orth was able to eventually walk away from the wreckage unscathed.

The pause for the Darren Orth accident allowed Sport Allen and Robbie Smith to have Danny Martin on a very short leash for the final few laps of the race, but Martin prevailed in the end. Sport Allen finished behind him in second place while Robbie Smith settled for third. Otto Scrape cashed in on a respectable fourth place finish and Tyler Godwin rounded out the top five across the stripe.

Anytime the Florida Mini Sprint Association takes to the big half mile at Volusia Speedway Park there is going to be hot action on the track, and Saturday night was no exception. And while the Moss family of racers were either in the lead of the race at some point or were firmly planted in the top three, Jesse Teed got the win after clamoring out of his 8th row starting position and blasting his way into the lead on lap 10. So Jesse Teed returned to Destination Daytona Victory Lane on the night as RaeLynn Moss followed after a last lap pass for second place, and David Pleaugh finished third. Justin Kolves and Andy Detton rounded out the top five.

The Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman Division took to the clay with defending champion Aaron Barsness on the pole, but it was Ronnie Ponce who stole the show. Paul Shead rocketed out to an early lead only to have a mechanical failure end his night early, and that handed over the top spot to Ponce who had no problems holding it until the end. Ronnie Ponce scored the win with Aaron Barsness holding off Blaise Hetznecker for second place. Stanton Mills drove the 99 to fourth place behind Hetznecker and Steve Shead notched a top five on the night.

James Smith held the pole position as the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks attacked the big half mile and each other, but Philip Brown quickly shot to the lead and took control while everyone else scrambled for position behind him. Later in the race James smith emerged from that ongoing scramble to challenge Brown for the win, but the 13 car was a little too tough for the 11 to handle. While Phil Brown celebrated another win in the Destination Daytona Victory Lane, Steve Branton came home in second place followed by James Smith in third. Chris Lane put the 5 machine into fourth place and Mick Kulack rounded out the top five in his new ride.

Volusia Speedway's Thunder Stocks saw a fair an mount of attrition even before the green flag waved to begin their feature race on Saturday night. Points leader Tom Hughes suffered a mechanical failure at the beginning of his heat that never let him get up to speed and sent his car home on the trailer before the other heats were completed. Then the second place man in the points standings, Alan Peacock, had his engine expire during the Dash for Cash to benefit the North family, ending his night prematurely. That left the door wide open for someone to step through, and that someone was DJ Nobles. Nobles took control early and never looked back, while Alan Lane finished a distant second and Donnie Birdwell followed in third place. Johnny Blackwelder and Brian Schrunk both had respectable nights as they finished fourth and fifth.

RJ Glaser had the top spot in the points race coming into Saturday's Sparkle and Shine Car Wash Challenger feature, but he found himself occupying the back row at the start along with Casey Feaster, who only arrived at the track just as the Challengers were taking the green for their heats. The fans may have been watching for both of then to head for the front, but with Ray Hunter and Mark Commitale filling the front row at the start and the track surface showing the effects of a tough night of racing, that was a tall order to fill. Ray hunter suffered a flat tire which left Commitale in the lead, and Denica Hetznecker battling with Johnny Alexander over the second spot. Mark Commitale would never look back and blazed his way to the Destination Daytona Victory Lane, while "Rowdy D" Denica Hetznecker would win her battle and score a second place finish in her first race in a new race car. Johnny Alexander was third, with RJ Glaser getting the better of Casey Feaster as they finished fourth and fifth.

Volusia Speedway Park will go racing on Saturday night for the final time this coming weekend as we celebrate "Christmas in July" and a $1000 cash carrot gets dangled in front of the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks. Fans will also see the return of the Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat Late Models and the Quality Brands Budweiser Modifieds, plus more exciting action from the Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman cars, the All Quality Products Mini Stocks, the Thunder Stocks, and the Sparkle and Shine Car Wash Challengers. For more information, visit www.TheVolusiaSpeedway.com.

Volusia Speedway Park results for 7/9/11

Jack Miller Memorial/Daytona Harley-Davidson Sprint Cars

1- 24 Danny Martin Jr.
2- 82 Sport Allen
3- 6S Robbie Smith
4- W3 Otto Scrape
5- 4C Tyler Godwin
6- 83 Mark Ruel Jr.
7- 1* Tim George
8- 93 Matt Kurtz
9- 36 Ken Laureno
10- 30 DJ Peeples
11- 20 Gary Avera
12- 59 Dan Statter
13- 38 Tony Agin
14- 43 Terry Witherspoon
15- 34 Darren Orth
16- 3K Kurt Taylor
17- 83A Christine Auld
18- 8 Rich Alexander
19- 3 Dennis Misuraca
20- 3A AJ Maddox
21- 22 Shawn Murray
22- 42 Tim Grubaugh
23- 98 Hal Wilson
DNS- 14 Ryan Partin
DNS- 21 Donnie Avera
DNS- 9 Brandon Grubaugh

Florida Mini Sprint Association

1- 7 Jesse Teed
2- 23 RaeLynn Moss
3- 711 David Pleaugh
4- 83 Justin Kolves
5- 6 Andy Detton
6- 16 Chris Pacetti
7- 167 Kurtis Hughes
8- 67 David Hall
9- 62 Joey Spivey
10- 18 John Moss
11- 68n Dirk Miller
12- 10 Sean Clark
13- 71 John Craddock
14- 88 Morgan Blanchard
15- 8 Eddie Moss Jr.

16- 76 Danny Statter
17- 1M Eddie Moss
18- 22 Andrew Kurjack
19- 4 Terry Taylor

Daytona Machine Shop Sportsman

1- 57P Ronnie Ponce
2- 11 Aaron Barsness
3- 17H Blaise Hetznecker
4- 99 Stanton Mills
5- 10 Steve Shead
6- 95 Matt Mcgillivray
7- 18 David Showers Jr.
8- 17K Marc Kinley
9- 22 Brandon Humphries
10- 2X Brandon Evans
11- 57H Heinz Haas
12- 94 Don Tingley
13- 38 Colin Wright
14- 8 Chris Day
15- 20 Cheyenne Cox
16- 80 Paul Shead
17- 71 Davy Cline
18- 54 Tim Hughes

Daytona Sportswear Street Stock

1- 13 Philip Brown
2- 2 Steve Branton
3- 11 James Smith
4- 5 Chris Lane
5- 2S Mick Kulack
6- J2 Jodie Stratton
7- 388 Walt Kahrz
8- A2Z Chuck McHone

Volusia Speedway Thunder Stock

1- 15 DJ Nobles
2- 05 Alan Lane
3- 31 Donnie Birdwell
4- 81 Johnny Blackwelder
5- 16 Brian Schrunk
6- 24 Randy Strehle
7- 66 Harold Erickson
DNS- 13 Alan Peacock
DNS- 69 Brad Fender
DNS- 29 Tom Hughes

Sparkle and Shine Car Wash Challenger

1- 6 Mark Commitale
2- 16 Denica Hetznecker
3- 8 Johnny Alexander
4- 004 RJ Glaser
5- 20 Casey Feaster
6- 01 Danny Wolf
7- 15 Jamie Hughes
8- 79 Ray Hunter

This article posted by Volusia Speedway . Click here for more track information.