Young
Matt Bowers tops Sunbelt 125 at Orlando SpeedWorld
Orlando, FL (May 9, 2008) On a hot May afternoon with a slight cooling
breeze at times, nineteen Super Late Models made their way to Orlando
SpeedWorld for the Sunoco Sunbelt 125. It was Brian Finney of Merritt
Island who topped the speed charts with a blistering 13.628 for
fast time Following Finney were Justin Drawdy 13.631, Matt Bowers
13.665, Patrick Conrad 13.668, and Jeremy Colangelo 13.748.
Finney pulled the 3 pill putting Matt Bowers on the pole for the
125 lap event.
After driver introductions were made, it was finally time to go
racing. When the green flag waved, it was Matt Bowers taking the
point over Justin Drawdy, Brian Finney, Patrick Conrad and Tim Russell.
Finney puts the heat on Drawdy taking over second but something
must have happened to the car as Finney is on the Bandolero track.
The caution comes out and Finney takes his fast time car to the
pits for crew attention.
On the restart it is Bowers, Drawdy, Conrad, Russell, and Colangelo
leading the way over the field. Bowers gets stuck behind a lap car
as Drawdy takes the advantage and passes both cars for the lead.
Russell puts the heat on Conrad for third and takes it as Conrad
slides back to sixth.
The caution comes out for Russ Shaw who has spun on the frontstretch.
The race goes back green as Drawdy leads the way over Bowers, Russell,
Colangelo and Sam Watts. Bowers begins to look to take back the
lead but Drawdy holds strong not giving it up. Top ten are Drawdy,
Bowers, Russell, Colangelo, Watts, Conrad, David Rogers, Fain Skinner,
Mike Franklin, Jr., and Daniel Webster.
Brad Bischoff brings out the caution as he spins on the backstretch
and goes into the pits for crew attention. On the restart, Bowers
gets under Drawdy for the lead but Drawdy is not shaken and maintains
the point. But it is a short green as Vince Keeler brings out the
caution for a spin in turns 1 and 2. Forty five laps are down, only
eighty laps are left.
Drawdy once again holds the point on the restart followed by Bowers,
Russell, Colangelo, and Watts. Fain Skinner now finds his mirror
full of Mike Franklin, Jr. who wants that spot but Skinner holds
his line and maintains. Just as things are getting hot and heavy,
Koot Sapp brings out the caution when he spins in turn 4.
The race goes back green but only for a second as the caution comes
out once again for Russ Shaw who has hit the wall hard. Shaw is
fine but that cannnot be said of the car as it is towed into the
pits on a rollback.
Lap 63 sees 17 cars left as Drawdy leads the way over Bowers, Russell,
Colangelo, and Watts.
Daniel Webster goes high as Travis Towell takes advantage and takes
his spot while once again Skinner is holding off a hard charging
Franklin. The caution comes out again for Vince Keeler who goes
back into the pits.
On the restart it is Drawdy, Bowers, Russell, Colangelo, Watts,
Conrad, Rogers, Skinner, Franklin and Towell leading the pack. Franklin
once agains tries Skinner and this time it works as Frankling takes
over eighth and Skinner slides to ninth. The caution comes out again
for Corey Freed and Dusty Cornelius as they get together on the
backstretch. Cornelius goes into the pits, Freed is able to continue.
Drawdy leads the way on the restart as Brad Bischoff pulls off the
track and after many laps down, Brian Finney returns. The caution
comes out for Fain Skinner, Travis Towell and Corey Freed who have
spun and hit the wall on the backstretch. Freed goes for a wild
ride down the backstretch and ends up on the Bandolero track but
is fine. Skinner is able to drive his car into the pits with some
damage. Towell is in the wall and not happy. Also retiring to the
pits is Daniel Webster.
Needless to say, what happened in the pits after the caution was
not pretty and very unnecessary but tempers get hot and so does
racing at times.
On the restart, Drawdy leads the way over Bowers, Russell, Colangelo
and Watts. Drawdy and Bowers are now side by side as Bowers takes
back the point putting Drawdy second. The top three cars, Bowers,
Drawdy and Russell, seem to have a race of their own as Colangelo
is all alone in forth with Watts and Rogers together in fifth and
sixth. Rogers puts the heat on Watts and takes over fifth as Watts
goes to sixth. It is now Bowers, Drawdy, Russell, Colangelo, Rogers,
Watts, Franklin and Conrad.
With only two laps to go, Bowers and Drawdy get together coming
down the backstretch with both spinning. Somehow Jeremy Colangelo
gets the worse damage of the three but is able to continue on even
with his hood bent high in the air. Bowers is put back to the point
as Drawdy is sent to the rear but on the green, Drawdy pulls his
No. 12 into the pits with only one lap to go.
Young Matt Bowers takes the checkered for his first Sunbelt win
over Tim Russell, Jeremy Colangeo, David Rogers, and Sam Watts.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD - MAY 9, 2008
SUNOCO SUNBELT SUPER LATE MODEL 125
1. #84 Matt Bowers
2. #36 Tim Russell
3. #05 Jeremy Colangelo
4. #11 David Rogers
5. #73 Sam Watts
6. #77 Mike Franklin, Jr.
7. #2 Patrick Conrad
8. #12 Corey Freed
9. #07 Dustin Henderson
10. #44 Koot Sapp
11. #12X Justin Drawdy
12. #3 Daniel Webster
13. #1 Fain Skinner
14. #22 Dusty Cornelius
15. #53 Brad Bischoff
16. #68 Russ Shaw
17. #7 Vince Keeler
18. #80 Brian Finney |
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