By Dave Dykes                                                                                   (Click on any Photo for Full Size version)

Saturday night was a wild one at the Speedbowl, with the Legends cars chewing up fiberglass fenders like they were going out of style, and the Mini Stocks putting on their own version of a wholesale demolition derby. Carnage was the name of the game in the 4-cylinder wars, and it was wisely decided to put the beast to rest after having waved eight cautions in only eleven laps. With the infield resembling a Mustang graveyard, it was none other than Chris Williams scoring a well-deserved first feature win after six seasons of trying, trying , trying….

Seemingly one of the only drivers not to fall out of his tree, Williams won the event over a fast-approaching Bill Leonard, the two coming across the line in tight formation. A popular win, 2nd place Leonard seemed almost as happy as the winner as he congratulated him in victory circle.

While still down on car-count, the Late Model main made up for it in excitement as Tim Jordan won another one. Glenn Colvin didn’t make it easy for the current Late Model sensation, as this was a victory that was hard-earned. Colvin managed to hold on to the top spot for most of the race before being eventually passed, ending up in the third slot. Veteran Mark St. Hilaire was able to slip into second as the laps wound down.

In the first of twin features for the SK’s, it was none other than “Mr. Hollywood” himself, Rob Janovic taking down the win. Rob had earlier spent the day volunteering his time at the Waterford Library as the host of the “Racing to Read” program, a deal that the town puts on to encourage the younger set to explore the world of books. It’s a pretty neat thing, as not only do the small-fry get to meet a real racer up close n’ personal, they also get to see the car & snag a couple of autographs. Kudos to Mr. Janovic for taking the time to remember the younger set. Rounding out the top-three were Dennis Gada and Diego Monahan.

In the second SK main, the cream once again rose to the top, as it was the same three guys occupying the front at the finish. Obviously not content to rest on his laurels of earlier in the evening, this time it was Diego Monahan taking the win. In one of the most thrilling SK finishes in recent memory, he was able to hold off the advances of both earlier winner Janovic, and current top-point man Dennis Gada. At times three-wide, the trio ran the last part of the event glued to each other. In the end it was a real barn-burner with Monahan narrowly edging out Janovic & Gada in that order. With the win, Monahan becomes eligible to compete in the “North-South Shootout” in North Carolina, and from his comments in victory circle, it looks as if he’ll be heading south for the event.

Dwayne Dorr took yet ANOTHER Sportsman win. It’s been many a moon since a driver has dominated his division the way Dorr has in 2006. Historically speaking, it’s a great deal like the late 70’s when veteran Rick Donnelly debuted the first Troyer Modified at the shoreline oval and made a complete shambles of the competition. When you’re hooked-up, you’re hooked-up, period.

In the Legends race, Mark Bakaj managed to avoid the many wrecks in his main event long enough to add to his substantial win record. Usually, the Legends features are one of the cleaner races on the evening’s agenda - not so Saturday night.

Veteran Sportsman campaigner Jim Procaccini, who a few weeks ago took a vicious hit that all but demolished his ride, reports that he’ll probably be back in competition before the end of the season. He’s in the process of moving, and that coupled with other commitments has been taking up a lot of his time. Jim’s long-time racing buddy, John Puglisi continues to soldier-on without him, recording a fine top-10 finish Saturday night…..

Another welcome site at the shoreline oval is the # 21 of veteran SK driver Mike Gada. A charter member of the Speedbowl’s Gada Racing Dynasty, Mike’s been an on & off competitor for the last few seasons. Unfortunately, Saturday night was not kind to Mike, his ride ending up in the boards after having suffered what looked to be a flat tire or some sort of suspension failure.

This week it’s the NASCAR Bush East on tap, as the “Big Y World Class Market 150” takes center stage on Saturday night. Grandstands will be opening a bit earlier than usual at 1:30 – be sure to check the Speedbowl website for further details. For those of you that like fenders, this’ll be an event not to be missed.

Condolences go out to the family of Rich Eaton who passed away last week. A fixture in the local racing community for decades, Rich was the brother of former Daredevil Division standout Ted Eaton.

And with that, it’s a wrap. Contact me at ddykes@originnet.net