Archive for CFSS Reports
Jun
15
CFSS Race Report – 06.12.10
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Date: June 12, 2010
Track: Punta Gorda Speedway (Punta Gorda, FL)
Series: Checkered Flag Sprint Series (feat. FMARA TQ Midgets)
Admission:
Adult – $10
Seniors – $8
Kids 11-17 – $5
Kids 10 and under -Free
Pit Pass – $30
# of Sprint Cars: 18
# of TQ Midgets: 10
Who Won:
Sprints :
Heat 1 – David Slawiak
Heat 2 – Scotty Adema
Heat 3 – Jimmy Alvis Jr.
Feature – JIMMY ALVIS JR
TQ Midgets :
Heat Race – Ted Durfee
Feature – TED DURFEE
Crowd Grade: A+. Lawn chairs were a very popular carry in item. The grassy knoll in turns 3 and 4 was full of chair toting spectators. What a great idea, your very own comfy seat with cup holders to hold your favorite frosty adult beverage, overlooking south Florida’s new favorite short track on a balmy Saturday night. Had you taken all of the fans perched on the lawn and put them in the grandstands, it may have been standing room only. And why wouldn’t the place be packed? Ten bucks people! Where else can you get this kind of show for $10?
Track Grade: B+. The facility as a whole was very clean, neat, and tidy. The new management has done a lot of work in what little time they’ve had since the previous owners.
Food Ordered: Fried bologna sandwich.
Food Grade: A++. The Flying Flatfoot would have been in heaven! During our adventure to Anderson Speedway and the Little 500 last month, we of course had to eat at White Castle at least twice a day. Well they had a fried bologna, egg, and cheese sandwich on their breakfast menu, so I had to try it a few times. Upon opening the first one, Penrose loudly exclaims “HA …. That’s no bologna sandwich! A bologna sandwich is a slab of meat on a bun … Are you kidding me? “. I liked it, but the Two Lap Wonder continued to discount its validity as a “real” sandwich because of its size. Well friends, I found the elusive and mythical delight that our Editor at Speed warned me of. It was bigger than most hamburgers that I’ve had. As Rachael would say, totally Yum-O! One of these monsters and I was done for the rest of the night. And it was only $2.50! I was disappointed that the country’s best BBQ, Smoking D’s BBQ, wasn’t there, but the bologna sandwich made up for it.
Drinks Ordered: Sweet Tea (of course)
Drinks Grade: A-. Although it’s not nearly as good as that which I found at Volusia, it was a close second. Good enough I had to taste test 2 large glasses. After a long, hot, nasty day of doing yard work, it really hit the spot. Not to mention that Brian and I spent 6 days straight at racetracks that when we would ask for sweet tea, they would say “sweet …what”. The Beer Shed had Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Lite. All in cans and only $2.50 apiece.
Series Grade:
- Sprints: A
- TQ Midgets: C+
The CFSS continues to pull decent car counts. Due to an early engine casualty on Billy Riddle’s hot rod, 17 of the 18 cars that made the tow started the feature. The staff of the CFSS is super friendly and always offer me a printed lineup sheet complete with driver names, numbers, and hometowns. Curtis “Bean Pole” Whalin is one of the best push truck drivers in the country and runs a tight ship with the on track communication. The drivers of the CFSS haven’t let me down yet on the show that they put on. From Florida’s favorite flaming flagman to the girls in the scoring tower, it’s a top notch organization from top to bottom.
The FMARA is still having trouble getting cars to the track. The ones that do attend put on one heck of a good show. They ran all 10 cars in the same heat. I think they could have easily split it in half and had 2 heat races. This club is becoming super competitive with the limited car count. By my stopwatch, our little friends were only 3 tenths slower than the sprint cars. That kind of speed in such a little car makes for big excitement.
FSCF.com Driver Of The Race:
TQ Midgets: Ted Durfee
Ted drove a nearly flawless race. He charged his way from the 6th starting spot up to 3rd by lap 3. By lap 7, he managed to work his way by the living legend, Jack Duffy, to take over the second spot, and on lap 10, he took the point and never looked back. He survived a few late race charges from Mike Belusar to prevail at the checkers. The Heartbreak of the night was, hands down, Jay Stutz. After having some handling issues in the heat race, Jay’s team had the car on a rail for the feature in the hot lap session. Stutz was poised to be a contender to win the “Fast” Freddie Stutz Memorial. But on lap one of the feature, while trying to avoid a flipping car in turns 3 and 4, Stutz was hit on the side of his mount, ending his night and any chances of taking home the trophy in memory of his late father.
Sprints: Jimmy Alvis Jr.
David Slawiak and Alvis Jr. made up the 3rd row for the feature. By lap 3, Slawiak and Alvis Jr. were running 1st and 2nd with some very talented youngsters, Amanda Ferguson and Channing Conley, hot on their heels. Slawiak would lead the first 13 laps dicing his way through some heavy lap traffic. But Alvis Jr. wasn’t far behind. And on lap 14, Alvis Jr. used the traffic to his advantage and slipped under Slawiak. Alvis Jr. would lead the remainder of the circuits around the very tough 3/8 mile to pick up the first sprint car victory of his career. Alvis Jr. was able to keep some of Florida’s best behind him. Rounding out the top 5 behind him were Slawiak, Mark Gimmler, Scotty Adema, and Gary Gimmler.
Other Notes:
* When I arrived at the track at 6:00, there were parking attendants to assist the mob due to lack of parking still available. I jokingly asked where the shuttle bus was, and the guy said that they were working on it. He wasn’t joking.
* There were cars on the track and racing at 6:30. I’ve heard of punctual, but this was to the minute.
* Check out www.fltqmidgets.com . I did, you should too. These guys are working hard to make their club survive. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
* Ray Smith found out the hard way just how safe a TQ Midget is. He tumbled his #17 side over side at least 6 times in turns 3 and 4. Easily the worst flip I’ve ever personally seen in a TQ. I hope he’s still ok. He got some serious air between bounces.
* Punta Gorda Speedway employees were ALL wearing Team Punta Gorda Speedway shirts. That was sharp. Red, white, and blue button ups. Nice touch to a professional appearance.
* The invocation and National Anthem were done after the heat races during the first intermission. That’s right, first. They had two. ALL of the heat races were done by 7:20.
* PGS uses a Shelby GT 500 for their pace car. For those of you not familiar with the new Shelby Mustang, when I was selling cars at Brandon Ford, they stickered at around $65k.
* All of the sprint car races went caution free. Three 8 lap heat races and a 30 lap feature without a yellow flag. The Wild Child had a very easy night in the stand. But then again, he makes every night look easy.
* I heard some talk of the PGS officials possibly having the TBARA in town to put on a show. I can’t wait to see that one.
* The points battle in the CFSS is heating up faster than fried bologna in the Florida sun. Mark Gimmler came away with the lead at 251 points. He leads his brother, Gary Gimmler, who has 233, and sneaking his way into a championship run is Jimmy Alvis Jr. with 231.
Race Reporter: Josh “Roller Derby Queens are my Business and Business is Good” Wichers
Mar
15
CFSS Race Report – 03.13.10
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Date: March 13, 2010
Track: Charlotte County Motorsports Park
Series: Checkered Flag Sprint Series
Admission: Pit Pass – $30
# of Sprint Cars: 16
Who Won: Feature – Jimmy Alvis Sr
Heat 1 – Keith Butler
Heat 2 – Scotty Adema
FSCF.com Driver of the Race: David Slawiak. David started the feature in the 11th spot and finished 4th. The feat herein was that David finished the feature with his rear brake caliper hanging off the back of the car – essentially giving him no rear brake. Not exactly an easy thing to deal with on a non wing pavement sprint car. And better yet, he didn’t have to use other cars to slow him down as was often the case with others. So our kudos and our Yuengling go out to you David Slawiak on a job well done. We must add that a big atta boy, or in this case an atta girl, goes out to Amanda Ferguson as our choice for runner up. Amanda was spun on lap 14, put to the end of the longest line on the restart, and charged her way back to a respectable 5th place finish. Sorry Amanda, no Yuengling for the runner up!
Series Grade: B+. The car count was a little low by our standards, but healthy by measure of the other classes at CCMP. The competition level with the CFSS has really stepped it up a notch since the last time we took in one of their races. There were probably 10 cars that could have won given their starting spot. We also noticed a lot of new sneakers mounted up, which also makes for good, competitive racing. And you can’t forget that when you go see the CFSS, part of the admission price is their own claim to fame, Florida’s favorite flaming flagman. The “Wild Child” was in the house! We sure miss seeing you furl your flags like only you can do!
Track Grade: C. CCMP has done a fairly decent job with what they have to work with. The pit area was fairly clean. Although they could use a few more strategically placed porta potties, or maybe even a restroom facility for the pit side patrons. The track itself seems very greasy. But that hasn’t changed any over the last eight years. It really makes the driver think about how to not only race their competitors, but the track too. Overall, the track crew did a good job preparing the facility.
Crowd Grade: C-. There were more warm bodies in the stands than I have seen at Desoto in a long time. I know that with a little more promotion, they could have the place packed. While sitting in the grandstands for the feature, I took time to talk to some people around me. They said they love going to CCMP on a regular basis. The racing is always good and exciting and the ticket price is reasonable. I really enjoyed talking to my new friend, Ralph, from Long Island. I didn’t know that LI was so big. We reminisced about the old days and the tracks up in his neck of the woods. Then he almost knocked me off the seat I was sitting on when he looks at me and says, “whatever happened to Doug Heveron?” I could have sat and talked to Ralph for hours. And I may just do that some day. I look forward to seeing you again Ralph, and I enjoy meeting people like him that share that passion for the sport we love.
Food Ordered: Rib Sandwich.
Food Grade: A+++. OMG!!! These were some of the best ribs that I think I’ve EVER had. Apparently this was their first night at the track. I hope it was a success, because I look forward to going back to CCMP just to try some more BBQ. But if you’re not going to be making the trip to Punta Gorda anytime soon, you can catch Smoking D’s BBQ at the corner of US HWY 301 and MLK in Tampa. The best BBQ this side of Dallas is only open Wed – Sat, and until they run out of meat. I highly suggest you check them out. I know I will! When I asked Smoking D about taking his smoker on the road to compete, his answer was classic; “I know it’s good, I don’t need no trophy!” Which was then followed with, “the electric company doesn’t take trophies, only Benjamins and Franklins!”
Drinks Ordered: Coca Cola (can)
Drinks Grade: A+. New Smyrna, you better get on your game! I wandered over to the grandstands, and what did I find ? Beer. And lots of it. They had Miller Lite and Coors Light on draft. And they had Coors, Coors Light, MGD, and Miller Lite in cans. They even had a special on their draft beer – you could buy a genuine CCMP collector cup and come back for refills. What a deal!
Other Notes:
- Jimmy Alvis Jr took the lead on lap 3 and was looking at picking up his first sprint car win of his career. Alvis and Keith Butler got together coming out of turn four on lap 21, taking both out along with one of our favorites, Double G, Gary Gimmler.
- Amanda Ferguson mowed some grass on lap 14, picked up the tail of the field, and somehow managed to charge her way back to 5th.
- Thanks to Dean for showing us at FSCF.com some love and actually putting a Double G on Gary Gimmler’s beautiful new ride.
-The TQ Midgets were in the house with 9 cars. Unfortunately Geoff Styner broke a driveline in practice and only 8 cars made the show. Ted Durfee was the class of the field and picked up the win. The immortal Jack Duffy finished 2nd, and Jay Stutz came home 3rd.
Race Reporter: Josh
NOTE: We have a few pictures from the pits that will be posted shortly.
Sep
08
CFSS Race Report – New Smyrna, 09.05.09
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The moment you’ve all been waiting for, the official CFSS Race Report courtesy of our Editor at Speed, “The Hot Foot” Brian Penrose. And because I got called home while in transit to the race, very special commentary from our very own driver, Flyin’ Ryan Partin.
To the report!
DATE: September 5th, 2009
SERIES: Checkered Flag Sprint Series
TRACK: New Smyrna Speedway
ADMISSION PRICE: $15
FOOD ORDERED: Hamburger & nachos
FOOD GRADE: C. The hamburger wasn’t as cooked as it needed to be.
DRINKS ORDERED: Yuengling, in honor of our webmaster, who was tending to his sick child.
DRINKS GRADE: A.
CROWD GRADE: C. It was about an average New Smyrna crowd. Maybe slightly more because of the sprint cars ( I only say that because most people left after the sprint car feature.)
NUMBER OF SPRINT CARS: 19
WHO WON: Mark Gimmler
FSCF.COM DRIVER OF THE RACE: Mickey Kempgens as he survived the carnage for a second place finish. Well done!
SERIES GRADE: C-. Plenty of cars – but only 5 finished the feature...
TRACK GRADE: B Considering the early rain in the day and the threat of rain thereafter, conditions were good. Infield was a little wet but no biggie.
REST OF THE RACING GRADE: D. Four and six car features make for a pitiful show.
OTHER NOTES: “Full Moon Fever” was in effect Saturday night as plenty of race cars got torn up. I hope “Double G” Gary Gimmler isn’t too sore after a hard impact with the turn four wall and Dustin Henderson as he took a bit of a ride between one and two.
Good to see New and Proud Papa “The Quiet Assassin” Blaze Martin make the tow over even though he had a rough night.
Joey “The Ace” Aguilar and David Slawiak were super fast in the feature, but incidents took both of them out.
I like the wingless shows because you get to see a variety of pavement chassis like J&J, Shaw, Beast, etc. Martin was in a J&J, Keith Butler in an old Kenny Adams pavement Shaw and Scotty Adema in a Beast.
Jason Boyd won the open wheel modified race. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see him wheel an asphalt sprint car?
It was good to see current Top Gun Series points leader and FSCF.com driver Flyin’ Ryan Partin in attendance.
FROM FLYIN’ RYAN PARTIN: I was really impressed with how Amanda Ferguson drove her own race and stayed out of trouble. That’s what got her and the 20 car’s team its fourth place. I just wished some of the other drivers did the same and we would have had a great race. There was so much top equipment and talent there I was ready for one hell of a show, but I guess the full moon got the field. All in all, I love watching these guys and can’t wait until they get back to New Smyrna and maybe my fantastic and generous sponsor (floridasprintcarfans.com) will stop being such a bunch of tight asses and pay me the money they owe me and we can have a car ready by then.
There you have it – Flyin’ Ryan Partin, the Master of Subtlety.