8.21.21 East Bay Raceway Results
A return to racing came on a Saturday night where temperatures approached seasonal records, but diehard race fans turned out to watch the seven divisions in action Saturday night.
The Mod Lites opened the program with the strongest field of cars offered for the 2021 season as 21 cars filled the pit area. Defending track champion Austin Martin joined with Brian Teeters and Mitch Gilbert to start the evening with heat race wins. A field of 20 cars came through the gate to line up for the 15-lap main. After a lap one incident forced a complete restart, Kevin McKenzie assumed command of the field. Martin snatched the top spot away on the second lap, but that only motivated McKenzie to regain the lead. McKenzie would stay out front until lap six. As a caution came out for a car stopped at the edge of the track, McKenzie made contact and rolled in turn three. The incident handed the lead to Teeters for the restart, making him the third driver to hold the top spot in six laps. His time at the front was short-lived as Martin swept back in front at the halfway mar. The job of catching Martin fell to the rest of the field, but no one was able to deny the two-time track champion his fifth feature win of the year.
The Q Auto & Injury Medical Malpractice Mini Sprints would welcome a new member to the club of feature winners and her name is Bailee Spitulski. After winning her heat race, Spitulski lined up inside the second row to start the 15-lap feature. Polesitter Kenny Brewer grabbed the early lead as Bruce Comer settled second. On Lap five, Spitulski went around Comer and began to hunt down Brewer. With two laps to go, Spitulski made what proved to be the winning pass, running a steady race that resulted in victory. To get her first East Bay win, Spitulski had to pass a four-time feature winner (Comer) and a driver who won in his other previous start (Brewer). Comer claimed a heat race win on a late restart, brought on by a Charles Landis flip in the preliminary.
Eric Knight took the lead on the second lap of the 15-lap Outlaw 4 main and moved on to his second victory of the season. Knight faced plenty of challenges in the race from Brian Barse, who retired just past the halfway point. Mark Moniz gave chase and closed but could not make a winning move. Defending class champion Stephen Hohlbaugh took the heat race win.
It was a departure from normal in the Gagel’s Modified main as Austin Sanders found himself running at the bottom of the race track, taking the low line to victory. Sanders too the lead from the start, often building up a big advantage that was erased by caution flags. Despite the stoppages, Sanders was able to get the job done to claim his second feature of 2021. L.J. Grimm and Travis Varnadore were in the spotlight for heat race wins.
A repeat win for Jason Burnside gave him enough to take over the point lead in the V-8 Warrior class. The win, combined with misfortune for Nick Brown, allowed the move to to the top with plenty of racing remaining in the 2021 season. Mike Wilson and Juston Meeks were winners in the six-lap heats.
The 604 Late Models saw another wire-to-wire winner who had to endure countless cautions. In this case, Shan Smith also faced the peril of lapped traffic, but masterfully bypassed the backmarkers en route to his second win this season. Smith commented in Victory Lane that this car seems to like East Bay, but not other places. Doug Horton, who charged to second in the late stages in the main, and Josh Peacock topped the heat races.
Dan Darnell pulled the clean sweep in the Florida Old Time Modifieds, winning the heat and feature. The division saw one of the high car counts of the year with spirited action throughout the events.
Racing returns on Saturday, August 28 with the make-up date of the Top Gun Sprints non-wing event, joined by the Florida Late Model Series making its second and final appearance of the year. Street Stocks, Q Micro Sprints and Gladiators round out the card. Special event pricing is in effect.
MOD LITES
Feature: Austin Martin (97), Brian Teeters (44), Cody Benoit (5x), Andrew Smith (71), Jeff Bonnema (5B), Dylan Dunn (22), Terry Joiner (6), Jeff Wolfe (83), Anthony Stewart (33), Kyle Nornberg (14), Brent Lavy (x8), Eric Purcell (7X), Rocky Scott (4), Brodrick Kennedy (24), Mitch Gilbert (31G), Kevin McKenzie (41B), Tyler Gilbert (16G), Frank Winewski (16), Denise Gilbert (192), J.T. Joiner (6J). DNS – Chase Nornberg (78)
Q MINI SPRINTS
Feature: Bailee Spitulski (29P), Kenny Brewer (45), Austin Lewis (9L), David Hall (67), Josh Davis (7s), Charles Landis (12), Bryce Comer (9), Brian Baxter (98), Bruce Comer (21), Jesse Hall (8), Doug Dyal (97D), Jo Jo Davis (21W)
OUTLAW 4s
Feature: Eric Knight (7), Mark Moniz(41E), Brad Button (25), Rachelle Rudolph (77), Terry Burke (73), Stephen Hohlbaugh (23s), Brian Barse (82), Vernon Hart Jr. (D4R), Dalton Ellis (63). DNS – Bobby Peterson (112)
GAGEL’S OPEN WHEEL MODIFIEDS
Feature: Austin Sanders (64), L.J. Grimm (25), Bryan Bernhardt (B69), Buzzie Reutimann (00), Garret Stewart (67), Travis Varnadore (205), Paul Rivall (15R), Patrick Passanise (333), Tim McLeod (192), Scott Bane (23B), Devin McCloud (21)
V-8 WARRIORS
Feature: Jason Burnside (12J), Michael Hart (99), Gary Lucas (106), George Handy (105), Juston Meeks (10), Cody Mezyk (40), Randy Shields (49), Daniel Bowman (46), Shane Koperda (124), Mike Wilson (189), Nick Brown (12), Wayne Kissam (107)
604 LATE MODELS
Feature: Shan Smith (32), Doug Horton (46), Josh Peacock (2), Brenden Smith (17ss), Travis Varnadore (95), Matt Herlong (131), John Norris (87), Cole Crawford (4), Daniel Woody (29), Scotty Williams (7JR), Jimmy Waldrop (9), Jason Pope (102), Philip Cobb (03), Thomas Burnside (13)