Gainey Prevails in Florida Pro Late Model Main

 

There are certain tracks on the worldwide racing circuits that offer last lap drama, such as Talladega where NASCAR is visiting this weekend. You can add East Bay Raceway Park to the list as two features were decided in the last turn during a five-division program.

One of those nailbiters was the Florida Pro Late Model main event, a 25-lap contest that endured a rocky start. Several complete restarts were required until the 22-car field was able to complete a lap. Another spate of cautions returned on lap 2, During one of the yellows, early race leader and current point leader Shan Smith retired to the pits, handing the lead to Phillip Cobb. Smith was able to get back in the race without losing a lap, only to be collected in a five-car pileup in turn four on the next restart, ending his night for good. When the green flag returned, Cobb lost the lead to Nevin Gainey, but the two made hard contact when Cobb attempted to regain the spot. Gainey was awarded the lead and Cobb was sent to the tail, moving Andrew Hopkins into second. That lasted one lap as Trever Taylor scooted by for the position with all of this happening with only three laps completed. After several more restarts, drivers settled in for periods of green flag racing that saw Clay Harris and David Whitener bring their cars to the top of the track. Harris got the best situation, moving to second on lap 10 and taking the lead two laps later. While Harris motored away, Taylor and Whitener were locked in a side by side battle for third. The front runners negotiated lapped traffic into the final stages. Harris took the white flag with a substantial lead and appeared heading to victory until he spun in turn four with the checkered in sight. Gainey seized the opportunity and powered home to victory with the crowd cheering. Megan Meyer, Jimmy Waldrop and Cobb had earned heat wins earlier in the night.

Another exciting finish occurred with the opening feature as Street Stock racers charged to the end. Dennis Williams jumped to the lead from the second row at the start of the main. Point leader John Bradley moved to the top of the track, challenging defending track champion Jim Baker for position. Tanner Cobb asserted himself into the mix moving to third, then taking second on lap 6 of the 15-lapper. Cobb swooped to the high side of Williams to gain the lead at the halfway mark. This race proved to have plenty of drama left as a late race restart set up challengers to Cobb’s effort to gain his first feature win. Williams, who had raced on the bottom throughout the event, saw an opportunity off turn three and moved to the top of the rack. Baker went to the low side and a three-car drag race to the finish saw Williams score a narrow win. Bradley had opened the night with a heat victory.

The Florida Mini Sprint Association brought a field of 11 to the green. Heat race winners David Hall and Robby Hoffman were seeking the double for the night, but they were denied by a determined Austin Craddock. The youngster put his car on the bottom of the race track and was never headed in a wire-to-wire run.

Gagel’s Open Wheel Modifieds point leader Bryan Bernhardt logged his fourth feature victory of a year in a race that required an exhausting physical effort. Bernhardt saw his early race lead vanish, only to regain it for good a lap later. A good challenge for second was witnessed between Mavrick Varnadore and Dale Kelley with Varnadore prevailing. Kelley and Kenny Monahan topped the field in the heats.

The final feature of the night brought a new winner to the East Bay Raceway Park record books. In his first-ever appearance at the track, Dewayne Yeomans added the Clay by the Bay to his extensive record of Florida tracks where he has claimed main events. Yeomans joined fellow heat winner Daniel Casey in the third row at the start of the main and methodically moved through the field. The feature winner said he had visited East Bay as a spectator when his home track was not racing the class and decided to make the nearly two-hour tow on this Saturday. There is a good chance that East Bay has not seen the last of the Yeomans Racing team.

Saturday, October 20 will be Law Enforcement Night at East Bay Raceway Park. Law Enforcement personnel will be admitted free to the grandstand with ID. The racing action includes Top Gun Sprints, Late Model Sportsman, Micro Sprints, V8 Warriors, Outlaw 4s and Florida Old Time Modifieds.

FLORIDA PRO LATE MODELS

Feature: Nevin Gainey (41), Trever Taylor (7T), David Whitener (5), Josh Peacock (21P), Dennis Williams (17jr), Scotty Williams (27w), Andrew Hopkins (13H), Phillip Cobb (11), Clay Harris (6), Wallace Peacock (21W), Chuck Jackson (45), Candice Kuhn (42k), Jason Russell (75R), Buck Woodhouse (55), Megan Rae Meyer (11M), Jimmy Waldrop (9), Jonathan Thomas (823), Taylor Gant (33), Louis Ledlow (00), Shan Smith (17ss), John Norris (87), John Mang (X)

STREET STOCKS

Feature: Dennis Williams (24), Jim Baker (69X), Tanner Cobb (90), John Bradley (57), Matt Bozeman (58), Henry Burnside (31), Billy Barstow (56), James McPeak (7), Robert Tyler (99), Josh Jones (B75)

FLORIDA MINI SPRINT ASSOCIATION

Feature: Austin Craddock (17), Robby Hoffman (66), Dusty Cates (6), Russ Heider (86), David Hall (67), Dirk Miller (68), Brad Sutton (9), Ronnie Whitley (84), Zach Amundsen (12), Don Quinn (33), Dallas Casey (87)

GAGEL’S OPEN WHEEL MODIFIEDS

Feature: Bryan Bernhardt (B69), Mavrick Varnadore (4), Dale Kelley (22), Roger Crouse (15), Bill Howard Jr. (47), Rick Hall (53), Michael Cherry (17c), Jeff Mathews (33), Jerry Bruce (35), Phillip Cobb (03), Pat Passanise (24), Kenny Monahan (311)

GLADIATORS

Feature: Dewayne Yeomans (55), Daniel Bowman (46), Robert Kissam (911), Jeff Smith (15), Daniel Casey (3D), Bailey Purcell (14), Brittany Hart (81H), Kayla Handy (8), Logan Casteel (7), Rick Rutledge Sr. (4), Kever Raulerson (99r), Ricky Rutledge Jr. (124), Jonathan Wood (56B), Mark Roadarmel Jr. (81)