Archive for Amanda Ferguson
Jun
11
This weekend’s sprint car races – 06.11.10
Posted by: | Comments
Unless you’ve got something like this picture over yonder lined up this weekend, you’ve got to decide which part of the left coast you want to hang out at on Saturday night.
Both East Bay and Punta Gorda Speedway (formerly CCMP, formerly the home of Bobby Bucks) are running shows, and if you are a dirt fan you’re obviously going to East Bay and if you are a pavement fan you’re obviously going to Punta Gorda.
On the fence?
Go to Punta Gorda Speedway and here’s why. Right out of the gate, it’s only ten bucks to get in. You can’t beat that with a stick. And as much as myself and our Editor at Speed would like to beat Josh “Where is the closest Roller Derby Rink, nothing else matters,” Wichers with a stick, the saying still applies.
As we all know the Checkered Flag Sprint Series (or EJICFSS! if you like) pretty much calls the loop of pavement out by the airport in Punta Gorda home. Sure they branch out, but the lion’s share of racing is done at Punta Gorda Speedway. When all of the ownership issues were going on between the old guard and the new guard, we heard that the sprinters were on shaky ground because the new guard wanted to focus on the local homegrown classes and not really pay for touring series shows.
And Rick Gabor of Eagle Jet International kicked in some extra funds so now the winner gets $1,120 and to take the green flag bags you $250. Expect the usual cast of characters, including the Brothers Gimmler, the KJ Motorsports trio of Keith Butler, Mickey Kempgens and Amanda Ferguson. Also expected to be in the house are Jimmy Alvis Jr., previous winner Channing Conley, Bryan Riddle, Frankie Hurst, Robby “Don’t Slice It” Hackett, “Slick” Ric Voisey, Skeeter “My First and Last Name End In ‘er’”, “The Flying Fireman” Scotty Adema, David “Nothing Rhymes With” Slawiak, Robert Parrow, Jason Bradford and Michael Tharp.
So you should get out there and support the EJICFSS! and pack the joint PLUS you get to take in the “Fast” Freddie Stutz Memorial with the TQs. All of this on one bill and it’s a measly ten clams. How could you possibly beat that?
At East Bay you can expect the regular cast of rowdies (Gene Lasker, Tim George, Danny Martin Jr., Jeanette Burnett, Billy Boyd, Rocky Sullivan, Kerry Gilbert, etc.), good food and most likely lots of yellows. Or maybe they just have lots of yellows when we show up to watch the races. Either way, if you’re a dirt sprint car fan, where else will you go? It’s East Bay for god’s sake. Go. And order the Devil Crab if it is available.
And up in Indiana some of our Florida boys are looking to knock some skulls. Shane Miller Motorsports packed up Joey “The Ace” Aguilar and one of their cars and left earlier this week. And Travelin’ Troy DeCaire has already set up residence in Indiana. Both are running the races at Toledo Speedway Friday night and Anderson Speedway Saturday night.
Could you end up seeing another upset down in Punta Gorda this weekend? It could happen, young Channing Conley shocked everyone by picking up the checkers earlier this year.
Of course when one speaks of upsets, one must speak of Mulkeymania and the first time Randy and Bill Mulkey ever won a match. And below we’ve posted some Troy DeCaire goodness from the first MSR race of the season so you can get a taste for why our Florida drivers keep driving up to Indiana for some 410 action.
May
07
This weekend’s sprint car race – 05.07.10
Posted by: | Comments
Before we get into the lone sprint car race this weekend, for those of you that took a gander at some of the comments regarding our last post, you can see some money is getting thrown around for next weekend.
As we had correctly reported, the CFWSS was paying $1,200 to win, which was more than the TBARA was paying (though it should be noted that the TBARA has the better payout throughout the field) but that’s all changed now.
GO-15 has increased the TBARA purse to $1,500.00 to win at Lake City to go with the NAPA sponsorship of DJ Hoelzle in the North Florida Area.
In addition, Don Wilshe of Biobased.US has put in a additional $500 for the second thru sixth place finishers.
New TBARA Lake City Payout
1st Place 1500.00
2nd Place 1050.00
3rd Place 850.00
4th Place 775.00
5th Place 725.00
So there you have it…
You will go to East Bay this Saturday to see the Top Gun Sprint Series. Why? Well, it’s the only sprint car race this weekend because of the nonsense down at CCMP, the Freddie Stutz Memorial Race got canceled, which just plain sucks. And the next CFSS race got canceled too, so hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come at Punta Gorda Speedway.
Nonetheless, you’ve got an angry Gene Lasker at his home turf and we’re pretty darn sure he’s going to want to make a point to the Top Gunners on Saturday night. And you also know that point kingpin Tim George won’t go quietly either. And then there’s Danny “The Hammer” Martin Jr. in a car that runs real good at “The Clay by the Bay.”
And you’ve also got our own Flyin’ Ryan Partin, who is barely out of the points lead (and will be sporting new Steele Performance Parts decals) ready to bring his dog to the fight.
And how about Amanda Ferguson? Can she turn the sprint car world on it’s ear once again like she did at Ocala?
Want more names?
Mike Schroeder, Shawn Murray, “The Human Highlight Reel” Shane Kreidler, John Crowder, Tony “Bartender, Hit Me” Agin, Darrin Miller, Harley Zimmerman, the Grubaugh brothers (Tim Jr. and Brandon), Rich Alexander, Coty Smith, Rocky “No Relation To Kevin” Sullivan, Troy Knowles, Christine Auld, Rick Byerly, Dan Jones, Kurt Taylor, Clint Reynolds, Kerry Gilbert, “The Flying Brunette” Jeannette Burnett, Clyde Poole, Kyle Welchance, Jason Webster and D.J. Peeples, Jr.
And general admission is only twelve bucks!
Will it be a squash with Lasker running roughshod over the competition? Like say The Rougeau Brothers vs. Kevin Collins (no, not that Kevin Collins) and Jack Kruger? And really, you’ve got to watch it from the 3:00 mark to see the very definition of “an ill advised move…”
Or will we see lots of high flying action, like say Super Crazy vs. Tajiri in the ECW?
Apr
28
TGSS Race Report – April 24, 2010
Posted by: | CommentsAttempting to make the age old argument of, “better late than never,” ladies and gentlemen, we present the reporting stylings of Josh “I’m Still The Ladies Choice” Wichers…drumroll please…
Date: April 24, 2010
Track: Volusia Speedway Park (Barberville, FL)
Series: Top Gun Sprints Series
Admission: Pit Pass $30
# of Sprint Cars: 23
Who Won?:
Heat 1 – Ryan Partin
Heat 2 – Gene Lasker
Heat 3 – Tommy Denton
Feature – DANNY MARTIN JR.
Crowd Grade: C+. Apparently they didn’t get the word out that Leaping Lanny Poffo AND the Flying Flatfoot (aka : The Two Lap Wonder or The Hot Foot ) were going to be at the same venue on the same night. This was a monumental night in “Rasslin’ and Racing” history. How could you not be there? This was a night to tell the grand kids about! Regardless of the major attractions at VSP on this night, the stands were a bit empty.
Track Grade: A. In my opinion, the track gets a solid “A”! By feature time, there was a good mix of dust and tackiness. I’m not a dirt conissuer, but it looked really good to me. The track seemed to be fairly smooth. At least I didn’t see any mini sprints disappear in any potholes.
Series Grade: B+. The Top Gun Sprint Series continues to bring really good car counts to their shows. 23 strong to start the night is very respectable ! I did however hear ALOT of complaining about the tire rule in place. Seems like that was a subject at most haulers in the infield. I don’t know tires. As I learned at the Panhandle races last year, “His Holiness knows tires!” but not me. But it sounds like this issue might need to be addressed soon to help keep the teams happy. Just a suggestion ….Other than that, it seems to be a well rounded and well organized group with a lot of comradery.
Food Ordered: Chicken Fingers, French Fries, Chili Cheese Dog.
Food Grade: A. After making sure that the Flying Two Lap Wonder Flat Foot was as ready as he could be, the Bushnell Bullet and I made our way to the infield concession stand. I did the traditional chicken and fries, while the Bullet inhaled not one, but two chili cheese dogs. The chicken was pretty darn good. The fries were hot and crispy. I did however make the mistake of putting BBQ sauce on the fries. Quite an interesting cross breed if I do say. Before i had realized what I had done, I looked over at the Bullet and said, ” I thought you got a chili cheese dog?” He said “I did, and it was good ……I might get another.” Of course I suggested that he enjoy this VSP delight for our favorite webmaster at FSCF.com, whose sole purpose in life seems to be to find the ultimate chili cheese dog.
Drinks Ordered: Sweet Tea, of course.
Drinks Grade: A+. I finally got a glass of this sweet tea that I had heard so much about. And I was not disappointed! That was some good sweet tea, even better than that of which I found in Alabama. So much for Alabama Sweet, guess we’re gonna have to look for VSP Sweet.
FSCF.com Driver of the Race: DANNY “the Hammer” MARTIN! It was definitely Hammer time on Saturday night!! Danny lapped up to 2nd place, and was less than a straightaway from completely lapping the field. Had there not been a caution early in the race, the Hammer might have just pulled it off. Team Shaw flexed their muscle big time. And unfortunately for the other Top Gunners, this may only be the beginning of their winning ways.
Other Notes:
- The tech police had their radar guns out and pulled over Tommy Denton for having an illegal rear rotor (Ti). Gene Lasker took the back roads around the road block, but was later cited for not going to the scales at the completion of the feature. Both were DQ’d.
- Ryan Partin had another solid finish, coming home 2nd.
- Amanda Ferguson was sidelined for the night when a broken driveline left her stranded in turn four during her heat race. Ferguson was leading and pulling away when the driveshaft pushed through the yolk on the u-joint assembly. After a mad scramble to find one to replace it, sadly it was game over as nobody was carrying a spare.
- The antique midgets, sprints, and modifieds were in the house as well. It was really cool to see these masterfully restored time machines back on the track. You could almost feel the past as you watched these pieces of American history kick up dirt around VSP.
