East Bay Raceway Park: Tampa, FL - Mar 15, 2008

Cobb, Powers claim wins at East Bay

By SCOTT LOCKWOOD
Florida Short Track Report.com

GIBSONTON - After a night of heavy rains in the Tampa area Friday night, a muddy track greeted drivers for the second weekend of racing at East Bay.

Late models, limited late models, open wheel modifieds, street stocks and 4-cylinder bombers were on the card for the evening. After heat races for the street stocks and open wheel modifieds worked in the track, the limited late models came out for the first of their two heat races. Tim Powers grabbed the lead from the green flag and never looked back, driving his way to an easy win. Roger Crouse held off a hard charging Forrest Gough in the second race.

In the limited late model feature, Powers started on the pole and looked as if it was going to be a repeat of his heat race. After a caution near the halfway mark, Powers had Gough to contend with. The two cars ran side by side for nearly two laps, with Gough even leading a lap at one time. Using the high lne, Powers got the extra grip he needed to pull away and win his first feature of the season. Gough finished second, with Crouse, Tim Gay, and J.R. Prather Jr. rounding out the top five.

In the 25 lap late model feature, 2007 track champion David Schmauss was looking to pick up where he left off last season. His win in the first heat race gave him the first starting spot, which he used to build an early lead over the Mathis racing team cars of Phillip Cobb and Steven Mathis. Schmauss was lapping the back of the field when his car pushed high coming out of turn two on lap 11, handing Cobb the lead.

Yellow flags kept bunching the field up, but the two 95 cars would keep pulling away from Schmauss on the restarts. In the closing laps, Mathis would get within inches of getting past Cobb, but the cars raced around the corners without once making contact. Mathis made one last ditch effort to try for the win coming out of turn four on the last lap, but Cobb was able to hold off his boss for the win.

"He was a little bit better than I was, and if he had ever gotten ahead of us there was no way I could have caught him," Cobb said. "These bigger motors were helpful coming off the corners and in traffic. We don't get to race very often, but we have fun when we do and here we are with a win."

Schmauss came home third, with Jackie Nosbisch and K.D. Kelley completing in the top five. John Norris and Keith Nosbisch won the other two heat races.

Perhaps the most competitive race of the night was the open wheel modified feature. There were four different leaders in the first four laps, with heat race winner Scotty Williams taking the point on lap 4. Austin Sanders and John Bradley kept taking their shots at Williams, but it was always Williams who was able to hang on to the lead. After a caution for an accident brought out the yellow with five laps left, Williams looked up in his mirror and saw the car of Florida racing legend Buzzie Reutimann right on his tail. The pair fought hard over the last few laps of the race, and came off of turn four for the checkered flag nearly side-by-side. Like he had been able to for most of the race, Williams held on to the top spot when it mattered most for the win. Bradley, who was also in contention for the win until he made contact with the back stretch wall with two laps left, held on for third, with Sanders and Bobby Dixon also in the top five. Bruce Harvey won the other heat race.

In other action on the "Clay by the Bay," Buck Skinner led from green to checkers in winning the street stock feature, followed by Danny Hill, Danny Paris Jr, Buck Woodhouse and Steve O'Lone. Skinner and Donnie Reed were the winners of the heat races.

In what looked like a replay of several of last year's races in the 4-cylinder bombers, Frank Miller came from deep in the field to beat his teammate, Collin Kruse, in a near side by side finish. Heat race winner George Christensen came in third, with early race leader Kyle Eash and Roberton Morfin rounding out the top five.