”We started on the pole, and we fell back a bit so I was fifth on lap 10, but I kept telling myself, it’s all about Saturday night,” said an excited Brady Short in his on track interview in victory lane with announcer Chris Stepan, after winning a $1,000 in the 25-lap feature on night two of the 11th Annual Open Wheel Modified Winternationals at East Bay Raceway Park, Wednesday night.
Normally behind the wheel of a sprint car, the Bedford, Indiana driver went on to explain, “My Dad had this Pierce car built for last year and this is the only time we run Modifieds. My only other Modified win was a preliminary night here in 2006.” The car carried sponsorship from Indiana Stone Works and Short Trucking with a SPEC (Scott’s Performance Engine Center) engine under the hood.
Short’s Father Don confessed they made changes all night long, mainly with weight distribution. He had high praise for East Bay saying, “The track was in good shape tonight. It was a little wet at the beginning, but that’s what it takes to have a good track at the end of the night.”
After a spin before a lap was officially recorded, the 24-car field led by Short and Kevin Weaver settled into a fast rhythm and clocked off 18 green-flag laps with Weaver showing the way for the first five laps. But, sixth place starter Kyle Bronson (a local from Brandon FL) had other ideas and seriously challenged Weaver for five laps before grabbing the inside groove in turn three and his Loose Gruff chassis pulled ahead to lead lap six.
By lap 10 Bronson’s All Florida Real Estate No. 40 car powered by a Jimmy Cope engine, had a six-car length advantage over Weaver, Shorty Kincaid, Buzzie Reutimann and Short who nearly spun in between turns one and two.
Short corrected himself and turned smooth, consistant laps that got him up to third by lap 15, which was big benefit when on lap 19, the leader Bronson spun in turn one as he was trying to maneuver through lapped traffic. Ironically, second place Weaver got caught up in the incident and had to pit to change a right front tire.
Short inherited the lead and just one lap later, second running Reutimann and Jeff Mathews rubbed side panels going down the front stretch bringing out the second yellow, sending Mathews to the pits to change tires. Next, a six-car pile up on the restart in turn one occurred when third place runner Perry Brown spun bringing out the only red flag of the Open Wheel Modified series so far. One more yellow for Alan Farley occurred on lap 22 setting the stage for a three lap shoot-out.
Short made it to the finish line first, but last year’s big winner in the finale, Rodney Wing was coming fast. Wing had started 19th and the Meridan MS driver brought his ride in the back-up Mathews car up to a second place finish. This car is a Larry Shaw chassis, whereas he was in a GRT car when he won here last year. “This deal came together about two months
ago, with sponsors Jamie Slaton, Buddy’s Home Furnishings, Night Hawk Towing & Recovery and Superior Plumbing. After falling out of last night’s feature because of a broken shock, we were glad to get this finish.”
Third place finisher Reutimann’s body had damage to all panels and the crew took it off and went back to the shop to straighten it and bring it back tomorrow. The crew guys, Terry Peters and Donnie Reed made changes on the shock and tires all night to make the car better. Reutimann had set fast time last night, but dropped from the feature with mechanical problems.
Roger Crouse and Dale Mathison cracked the top five while Rick Aukland, Stanley Donahoo, Devin Dixon, Jason Schill and Mike Potosky ranked in the top ten. The first B-Main sent Dixon, Wing, Potosky and Rob Fuqua to the A-Main while Aukland, J.R. Hotovy, Scotty Kincaid and Denny Schwartz made it through the second B-Main. Wayne Hammond set fast time of the 55 cars and won the Strawberry Dash.
Heat #1 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Shane Sabraski 7A
2 – Roger Crouse 9
3 – Mike Potosky M20
4 – Brian Hayden 2H
5 – Allen Weisser 25W
6 – Steven Pfeifer 11
7 – Dave Baldwin 6B
Heat #2 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Kyle Bronson 40
2 – Perry Brown 83B
3 – Devin Dixon 2
4 – John Bradley 27
5 – Rodney Wing 33X
6 – Terry McClintock 6M
7 – Bruce Bregenzer 77
Heat #3 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Buzzie Reutimann 00
2 – Dale Kelley 22
3 – Rob Fuqua 3F
4 – Vic Vena 01
5 – Tommie Seets Jr. 1
6 – Terry Haven 23
7 – Rick Cannata 38 –
Heat #4 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Kevin Weaver B12
2 – Thomas Sigler 19
3 – Jeremy Newberry 62
4 – Les Duellman 0
5 – Zac Oedewaldt Z1
6 – Dennis Haven 96X
7 – John McCaul 27M
Heat #5 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Brady Short 36
2 – Stanley Donahoo 00D
3 – Rick Aukland 2A
4 – Steve Lance Jr. 112
5 – Mike Spatola 89
6 – Greg Reutimann 00G
7 – Tyson Turnbull 10
Heat #6 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Alan Farley 29
2 – Glen Underwood 02
3 – JR Hotovy 13
4 – Nate Bregenzer 27N
5 – Wesley Summers 8
6 – Wayne Hammond 48
7 – Denny Schwartz 21S
Heat #7 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Stormy Scott 4
2 – Dale Mathison 9M
3 – Duane Dale 999
4 – Matthew Fetterhoff 58
5 – Chris Littrell C00L
6 – Dave Hess Jr. 44
7 – Curt Gelling 96
Heat #8 | 8 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Jeff Mathews 33
2 – Jason Schill 11X
3 – Don O’Neal 71
4 – Scotty Kincaid K12
5 – Tim Peterson 07P
6 – Jason Combs 03 DNS
B-Main #1 | 15 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Devin Dixon 2 – TRANSFER
2 – Rodney Wing 33X – TRANSFER
3 – Mike Potosky M20 – TRANSFER
4 – Rob Fuqua 3F – TRANSFER
5 – John Bradley 27
6 – Tommie Seets Jr. 1
7 – Brian Hayden 2H
8 – Steven Pfeifer 11
9 – John McCaul 27M
10 – Les Duellman 0
11 – Jeremy Newberry 62
12 – Terry Haven 23
13 – Terry McClintock 6M
14 – Bruce Bregenzer 77
15 – Dave Baldwin 6B
16 – Rick Cannata 38
17 – Zac Oedewaldt Z1
18 – Allen Weisser 25W
19 – Dennis Haven 96X
20 – Vic Vena 01
B-Main #2 | 15 laps
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Rick Aukland 2A – TRANSFER
2 – JR Hotovy 13 – TRANSFER
3 – Scotty Kincaid K12 – TRANSFER
4 – Denny Schwartz 21S – TRANSFER
5 – Don O’Neal 71
6 – Mike Spatola 89
7 – Greg Reutimann 00G
8 – Nate Bregenzer 27N
9 – Chris Littrell C00L
10 – Tim Peterson 07P
11 – Curt Gelling 96
12 – Wayne Hammond 48
13 – Tyson Turnbull 10
14 – Wesley Summers 8
15 – Matthew Fetterhoff 58
16 – Dave Hess Jr. 44
17 – Duane Dale 999
18 – Steve Lance Jr. 112
19 – Jason Combs 03 – – DNS
Strawberry Dash
FIN DRIVER NUM
1 – Wayne Hammond 48
2 – Les Duellman 0
3 – Greg Reutimann 00G
4 – Tyson Turnbull 10
5 – Curt Gelling 96
6 – Zac Oedewaldt Z1
7 – Bruce Bregenzer 77
A – Main (25 Laps)
Finish – Driver, Car # (Start)
1. Brady Short, 36 (1)
2. Rodney Wing, 33x (19)
3. Buzzie Reutimann, 00 (8)
4. Roger Crouse, 9 (9)
5. Dale Mathison, 9m (15)
6. Rick Aukland, 2a (18)
7. Stanley Donahoo, 00d (13)
8. Devin Dixon, 2 (17)
9. Jason Schill, 11x (16)
10. Mike Potosky, m20 (21)
11. Kyle Bronson, 40 (6)
12. Thomas Sigler, 19 (12)
13. Rob Fuqua, 3f (23)
14. Kevin Weaver, B12 (2)
15. Jeff Mathews, 33 (7)
16. Denny Schwartz, 21s (24)
17. Shane Sabraski, 7a (3)
18. Glen Underwood, 02 (14)
19. Alan Farley, 29 (4)
20. Perry Brown, 83b (10)
21. Dale Kelley, 22 (11)
22. Scotty Kincaid, k12 (22)
23. J.R. Hotovy, 13 (20)
24. Stormy Scott, 4 (5)
