Archive for Bo Hartley
Jul
30
This weekend’s sprint car races – 07.30.10
Posted by: | CommentsThis weekend welcomes the return of the TBARA Central Florida Double Header that was always a summer highlight for those of us living in the middle of the state that was sadly missing from last year’s schedule. And those are the only sprint car races this weekend, so that’s where you are going.
First up is the always tricky Orlando Speed World. We highly recommend you make this one because OSW has been a ghost town lately. On one hand, they need the money. And on the other hand, if they don’t answer the bell next year, you’ll be kicking yourself for not going this year.
We also hear you might be able to get one of these at the Ben Fritz Racing hauler:
That’s right! If you were at Desoto Speedway for the last TBARA race, you know what a hot commodity this limited edition flashlight really is. It was such a hot item that the womenfolk got into a fight over it! So if you’ve ever wanted to send signals to your driver, or merely blind your driver’s competitors, look no further than the Ben Fritz Signature Model Flashlight!
We would say car count should be about what the TBARA has been seeing these days, with a few extras possibly showing up. Brian Riddle looks to be making the trip and our Editor at Speed “The Hot Foot” Brian Penrose drove past the establishment that houses Sonny O’Sullivan’s car and Penrose saw a wing sitting out there, so you might see Sonny O at one of (our both) of the races this weekend.
Then it’s over to the high banks of New Smyrna Speedway on Saturday, for the lone track where Yuengling is a viable (and highly recommended) choice of adult beverage. NSS always provides big speed and big fun. You should go.
So who do we like this weekend? The first name that jumps out as being overdue for a win is Larry Brazil Jr. Also, flashlight jokes aside, Ben Fritz has showed serious speed lately. Then there’s “Hollywood” Bo Hartley who ran very well earlier this year at NSS. You could also argue that points leader Shane Butler is overdue for a win. And on top of all of that, Travelin’ Troy DeCaire has flown in from Indiana to race this weekend, and he’s been killing it at NSS lately.
UPDATE – “The Smooth Operator” Mickey Kempgens is confirmed to run both the races in the DeCaire Motorsports #41 this weekend as well. Don’t count him out at OSW either.
So when I place my wagers tonight with Mr. Penrose in the bleachers at OSW, I’m going with Ben Fritz at OSW and Troy DeCaire at NSS.
Speaking of Travelin’ Troy, check out this excellent short documentary of Shane Hmiel and Troy at the last USAC Silver Crown race.
But when you are driving down Highway 50 to get to OSW, you should take in the historical significance of that road and how you could make your way over to the Econlockhatchee Trail to the Eddie Graham Sports Complex, the long time home of Florida Championship Wrestling.
Mar
17
Miscellaneous Ramblings – FloriBama TBARA Edition.
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As the crews pack up their rigs today to get ready for the long drive up to the nether regions of our state, it comes time to reflect upon a) the changes the fans will see and b) who are the drivers to keep an eye on.
Changes? There are many, relative to last year’s spectacle in the Panhandle:
* Qualifying. The tracks asked for and were granted qualifying. GO15 has even posted quick time and track record money.
* The man who ripped the Panhandle tarmac from the earth last year, His Holiness Dave Steele, won’t be competing, so you will see new winners.
* The DeCaire Motorsports #41 driven during SpeedWeeks by Canadian Ryan Litt, who performed very well, will have Mickey Kempgens behind the wheel this weekend.
* The Butler Motorsports #81 will be driven by Hustlin’ Steve Heisler as the team welcomes him back with open arms.
* The Wilshe #07 will find Dude Teate behind the wheel of their Ford-powered ride this weekend.
* Last year’s crowd favorite Wendy Mathis will not be making the trip as the #80 is currently sidelined. Wendy has also accepted an offer to return to Australia to do some more dirt racing.
So who should you keep an eye on if you’re lucky enough to be in the Pensacola/Mobile area this weekend?
* Travelin’ Troy DeCaire is certainly a given, particularly over at Mobile, where he picked up an award from us for his rim-riding adventures.
* Shane Butler shouldn’t be ruled out either given his blazing start to 2010. Shane also has new sponsor Red Fox Plantation on the car starting this weekend.
* How about Dude Teate? The #07 had one of their best runs of 2009 at Mobile. This could be a winning combination.
* Larry Brazil Jr.? Larry drove off into the sunset at Five Flags last year and promptly had his tires go away from him given the cheese grater surface.
* Joey “The Ace” Aguilar? He was the show at Five Flags last year until a late stop for mechanical issues did him in. Now he’s in the Shane Miller ride.
* How’s this one for a long shot? Brian Gingras. The Panhandle was one of the few times we saw “The Commando” last year, but now he’s got the engine His Holiness ran last year and a brand new car that was a rocket during SpeedWeeks.
* Bo Hartley? He’s got off to a big start this year and Five Flags might suit him pretty well.
Last year’s FloriBama tour was some of the best winged sprint car racing we’ve ever seen, and the crowds were simply amazing, so we expect nothing less this year. Staff member “The Ladies Choice” Josh Wichers will be on the scene covering the action for us.
Feb
07
TBARA Race Report – 02.07.10
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DISCLAIMER: Me and our Editor at Speed (and even our Factory Driver Flyin’ Ryan Partin at one point) spent all day working on the #90 for our friend Craig Skene, desperately trying to get it ready (we didn’t – found a terminal problem late in the day) for the feature. So I didn’t see much but the feature.
DATE: February 7, 2010
SERIES: TBARA
TRACK: New Smyrna Speedway
ADMISSION: Nothing for me. The TBARA were parked over in Turns 1 and 2, so I didn’t have to pay to work in the parking lot all day…but I did pay the price with a stupid looking sunburn.
FOOD ORDERED: Sadly, I was at New Smyrna, yet I never had time to eat, which was a tragedy because I very much enjoy the food at New Smyrna.
DRINKS ORDERED: Again, I never had time to go order a Yuengling, but my man Joey “The Ace” Aguilar had some Orange Crush over in the cooler at the Shane Miller Motorsports rig.
DRINK GRADE: A+ Now it goes without saying if I can’t have Yuengling, I love a nice Orange Crush to quench my thirst. And these were Orange Crush in the glass bottles – double score! God bless you Shane Miller Motorsports, those hit the spot when we finally called it a day on the #90.
CROWD GRADE: C-. Looked a little thin to me when I made my way over to watch the feature, but it was quite cold and that football game was tonight too.
NUMBER OF CARS: 20? 21? Not sure. But I know 19 took the green for the feature.
RACE WINNER: Bo Hartley. Don’t want to take the glory away, but he did start on the pole and that’s a nice place to be at New Smyrna.
RACE GRADE: C. This was an average race for the TBARA. On the first start, Travelin’ Troy DeCaire went so far to the top he looked like “High Groove” Harry Gant. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone go that far up the track at New Smyrna, at least on purpose. But there was a yellow and that one got called back and Troy got bunched up on the second start, which hurt his chance for victory. Lots of cars pulled off early, including the #66, #80 and #20B. Shame there wasn’t a caution to bunch things up and liven up the show.
FSCF.com DRIVER OF THE RACE: This one isn’t even close – “The Bushnell Bullet” Shane Butler. Shane made some nice aggressive passes going into turn three and came all the way up to second and ran out of time or I believe he would have ended up in victory lane. Shane has really stepped up his game in the past 12 months and he was charging out there tonight.
OTHER NOTES: In no particular order….
- Ryan Litt continues to make the best of his SpeedWeeks in the DeCaire Motorsports #41. He was running in the top five all night until the motor started sounding rather sour. Very impressive.
- In the other DeCaire car (the #01) our favorite homeboy “Hustlin’” Steve Heisler decided to see what it would be like to drive an over-powered tricycle and three wheel it out there. Thankfully Steve was okay and I must say, his crew shirts are pimp as hell. I was stopped by three prostitutes just outside of the track that asked me if I would be their pimp, saying, “only a pimp would wear a shirt that hot.” I politely declined.
- “The Commando” Brian Gingras was very strong in the feature, looking to be the fastest car in the early part of the race. His third place was well deserved. And Gingras won his heat too. Could Gingras be a dark horse this season…
- Frankie Hurst clobbered the wall early on but appeared to be okay back in the pits.
- Nice to see Johnny Gilbertson out there mixing it up with the TBARA.
- Also nice to see out-of-state drivers like Jeff Banyas out there.
- Joey “The Ace” Aguilar was very strong early on, using his head to stay out of trouble, but looked like he burned up his left rear late in the race. Good run – and you must stop by his hauler and check out his new t-shirts.
- I’ll say it again – watching Troy DeCaire on restarts at New Smyrna really is mind boggling.
- Look for Australian Craig Skene to jump in the #80 car tomorrow.
- There is something very wrong about seeing His Holiness Dave Steele at the track and not be racing.
RACE REPORTER: Todd