Joe Kump
(Photo from Joe Kump Facebook)
(8-27-16) This past Saturday night saw relatively lower car counts for the first time all season due to some other races across the state of Florida, but the racing action on the track was just as hot as ever. Five classes were slated to take the green flag with the headline race of the night going to the Advanced Medical Labs Late Model division.
First up on the night however would be the Daytona Sportswear Modifieds. Starting on the front row saw Larry Mott and Hunter Gustafson lead the field to the green flag. When the green fell it was Gustafson moving into the lead with Mott falling all the way back to third as defending track champion and points leader Garret Stewart moved into the runner up spot. After pacing behind Gustafson for only a handful of laps, Stewart would blow by the #15 machine on the high line and begin to set sail in the 15 lap feature event. The man on the move was Larry Burkins as he would get into the second spot with just over five laps to go, but would have nothing for Stewart's Elite Chassis, Salt Death fishing #67 as he went on to collect yet another win on the 2016 season and extended his points lead ever so slightly over Gustafson. Burkins would settle for second, Gustafson third, followed by Patrick Varieka, and Jamie Carter rounded out the top five.
Next up found the Allen Plumbing Hobby Stocks taking center stage as James McCague and Joe Kump would start on the front row. On the races initial start Kump would get the early lead, but Robert Sirmons would try and make a three wide pass into second and collect McCague who would the get into Jeff Miller who had no where to go. Sirmons would come to pit road to assess the damage, but would return as would McCague. Miller, however, would have major damage to his new Datyona Sportswear #28 and would not be able to continue. The race would restart this time with Trevor Gamble moving into the pole position and he would take the early race lead from Kump. Kump would not be denied in his J&C Gradall #3 as he would work his way up to Gamble and get around the #64 just before the races half way point. From then on it was all the Kump show as he would dominate the 15 lap feature event and win his first race of 2016. Kump also took home an extra $100 from John Allen as he added a bonus to win the feature event. Gamble would come home second and also gain valuable championship points on the absent Donnie Ashford. Sirmons, tho badly damaged, would limp home third followed by Martin Johnson and McCague.
The headline event of the evening, the Advanced Medical Labs Late Model Division. A pair of Kyle's would start on the front row in Kyle Van Sickle and Kyle Chappell. When the green dropped Chappell would get the early lead in his Snow Brothers #66, but the man on the move was Donnie Chappell and also Kyle's older brother. Donnie Chappell would move into the runner up spot after only a handful of laps then slip by his younger brother and go on to dominate the 20 lap main event in his Bloomquist Race Cars #44. Kyle Chappell would come home in second, who just got a new engine earlier in the week to run Saturday night, followed by Kyle Van Sickle, Joe Kump, and Travis Staats. Staats, who is also the defending track champion, moved into the points lead after Jason Fitzgerald missed his first feature event of 2016.
Next up saw the ever popular Revolution Racing presented by Bozard Ford V8 Thunderstocks with Dalton Strehle and Ben Hutto leading the field to the green flag. Strehle would get the early jump on Hutto and on to pace the first half of the race. Hutto would ride around in second with Tim Hughes and Roger Wren doing battle inside the top five. Alan Peacock was the man of the hour tho as he made bold pass after bold pass on the high line on his way to the front moving into second just after the half way marker. Peacock would then use yet another strong move on the outside into turn one and get around the Bobby McCormick owned #104D off turn two. From that point on it was all Peacock as he would go on and win his first event of the 2016 racing season. "The Stick" has had a year to forget after winning it all last season, but has been strong as of late and the hard work paid off on Saturday. Strehle would hold on for the runner up spot continuing his late season streak of top fives. Tim Hughes would hold on for third for his best outing of the year followed by Ben Hutto and Roger Wren who recorded his best finish of the season as well.
Wrapping up the evening went to the Gary Yeomans Performance Parts Gladiator division with Josh Walker starting on the pole along side 2016 points leader Dustin Carter. When the green flag dropped Carter and Walker would go at it side by side with Walker leading the first lap until the two went into turn one for the second time. Carter would use the outside line and momentum to get around Walker and his Fast Tech Racing Engines #33. From then on Carter would drop to the bottom of the track and dominate on the slick racing surface winning his fifth feature of the year. Walker, who replaced and engine earlier in the week, came home in second with his best performance of 2016 to date. Ashely Eng, coming off a big win at another venue the week before, was third, Kyle Eng (Ashley's older brother) was fourth and Dustin Higdon debuting a new Christensen Racing Performance machine rounded out the top five.
Next weeks racing action will once again feature five divisions as this week will be the Gary Yeoman's Performance Parts Mini Stocks headlining the event with a $500 to win payday. Also in action will be the Mercedes Benz of Daytona Beach Limited Late Models, Daytona Sportswear Modifieds, Revolution Racing V8 Thunderstocks, and Gary Yeomans Performance Parts Gladiators.
Don't forget the Pit and Main Gate will open at 4:30pm, Main-Gate at 5:30pm and racing action starts at 8:00pm sharp! We hope to see you all next week as we come down to the home stretch in 2016!
Advanced Medical Labs Late Models - (8 Cars)
(Heat #1) Kyle Chappell, Kyle Van Sickle, Donnie Chappell, Travis Staats, Joe Kump, Stanton Mills, Ray Price, Hamp Conley
(Feature/20 Laps) D. Chappell, K. Chappell, Van Sickle, Kump, Staats, Mills, Price, Conley
Daytona Sportswear Modifieds - (8 Cars)
(Heat #1) Garret Stewart, Larry Mott, Jamie Carter, Hunter Gustafson, Patrick Vareika, Larry Burkins, Matt Johnson, Carlie Phillips
(Feature/15 Laps) Stewart, Burkins, Gustafson, Vareika, Carter, Mott, Johnson, Phillps
Allen Plumbing Hobby Stocks- (7 Cars)
(Heat #1) Jeff Miller, Robert Sirmons, Joe Kump, James McCague, Trevor Gamble, Martin Johnson, Rusty Young
(Feature/15 Laps) Kump, Gamble, Sirmons, Johnson, McCague, Young (DNF), Miller (DNF)
Revolution Racing Presented by Bozard Ford V8 Thunderstocks- (12 Cars)
(Heat #1) Ben Hutto, Tim hughes, Charlie Staats, Matt Schloss, Gerard Haley, James Parrish
(Heat #2) Dalton Strehle, Roger Wren, Alan Peacock, Donnie Birdwwell, Randy Bennett, David Cloer
(Feature/20 Laps) Peacock, Strehle, Hughes, Hutto, Wren, Bennett, Cloer, Haley, Schloss, Staats (DNF), Birdwell (DNF), Parrish (DNF)
Gary Yeomans Performance Parts Gladiators- (11 Cars)
(Heat #1) Dustin Carter
(Heat #2) Josh Walker
(Feature/15 Laps) Carter, Walker, Ashley Eng, Kyle Eng, Dustin Higdon, Jimmy Dean, John Baxter, Dustin Childers, Casey Feaster (DNF), Jamie Sullivan (DNF), Jakob Anthony (DNF
