Barberville, FL – After back to back rainouts, mother nature finally decided it was time to get back to racing at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” this past Saturday night as the engines roared once again on a beautiful night in Florida. The racing action was jammed packed as nearly 130 race teams checked into the pit area over six classes of racing headlined by the Daytona Sportswear Modifieds and the 5th annual Dennis North Memorial for the Billy Ballew Motorsports Thunderstocks.
The first feature of the night went to the Thunderstocks as it was a night of celebration with VSP honoring Dennis North, a former track champion, who passed away and has been honored for the past 5 years with a race in his honor at the track he loved dearly. The event paid $1,888 to the winner honoring North’s former number, 88, as well. When the green flag dropped it was Ocala’s Kevin Durden who took the early race lead over the father son duo of Dustin Turnage Jr. and Sr. Durden would open up a sizable lead thru the first half of the race, but it was Charles “Bubba” Christian who had the crowd on the edge of their seats as he marched his way to the front of the field. Christian would get behind Durden on several occasions, even getting within a bumper of trying to make a pass for the lead, but it was to no avail as Durden would go on and win the main event. Christian would come home in second followed by Mike Tovet, Hayden McCormick, and Shane Taylor.
Unofficial Rundown from 7-14-18
Daytona Sportswear Modifieds (26 Cars)
Heat 1: Devin Dixon, Sean Monaghan, Buzzie Reutimann, Shane Burrows, Dylan Browning, Paul Shead, Jamie Carter, Chad Disman, Brandon Wells
Heat 2: Larry Burkins, Dustin Thayer, Jason Garver, Steve Shead, Mark Whitener Jr., Ken Mihalik, Larry Mott, Charlie Phillips, Doug Horton
Heat 3: Tyler Clem, Mark Whitener Sr., Garrett Stewart, Patrick Vareika, Chase Collins, Seth Geary, Nathan Huffingham, Mike Phillips, Todd Neiheiser
Feature:
Mercedes Benz Vans Born to Run Street Stocks (29 Cars)
Heat 1: Alan Peacock, Kyle Livingood, Rich Pratt, Sammy Hatcher, Landon Lungren, Zach Yakaboski, Brian Morgan, Joe Belkey, Shaun Creech
Heat 2: David Showers Sr., Michael Stalnaker, Jonathan Croson, Rodney Wright, Rick Elwood, Chris Doane, Grand Dillon
Heat 3: Tuck Trentham, Jeff Miller, Dalton Rathel, Grady Christian, David MCormack, Joshua Kunstbeck, Dale Mimbs, Marco Reyes
Heat 4: Bubba Christian, Tim Powrs, Billy Furr, Craig Montesi Jr., Shaun Taylor, Clayton Ruth, Kameron McGauley, Brandon Elwood
B-Main: Belkey, Morgan, R. Elwood, Kunstbeck, Reyes, Mimbs, McGauley, Ruth, Dillon, Yakaboski, Doane, B. Elwood
Feature: Trentham, B. Christian, Showers Sr., Lungren, Stalnaker, Garver, Pratt, Livingood, Powers, Montesi Jr., McCormack, Peacock, Furr, Wrigt, Belkey, R. Elwood, Rathel, Kunstbeck, Costello, Croson, G. Christian, Taylor, Morgan, Hatcher, Ruth
Dennis North Memorial Presented by Billy Ballew Motorsports | Thunderstocks $1,88 to Win (36 Cars)
Heat 1: Dustin Turnage Sr., George Lane, David Kinsey, Bud Chancey, Grady Christian, Robert Hicks, Marlon Durbin, James Strehle, Ron McCreary
Heat 2: Kevin Durden, Bubba Christian, Mike Tovet, John Thorpe, Bubba Dubin, Hank Baker, Wayne Risher, Arthur Conquest, Dale Kump
Heat 3: Donnie Birdwell, Curt Spencer, Joey Durbin, Gerard Haley Sr., John Canary, Will Taylor, Tony Campbell, Freddy Hughes
Heat 4: Dustin Turnage Jr., Hayden McCormick, Ron Adams, Shane Taylor, James Parish, Justin Elwood, Mikey Kopka, Houston Heatter, Jason Gamble, Dale Durbin
Feature: K. Durden, B. Christian, Tovet, McCormick, Taylor, Chancey, Kopka, Baker, Turnage Sr., Durbin, Canary, Haley Sr., G. Christian, Birdwell, Adams, Parrish, Kinsey, Hicks, Gamble, J. Durbin, Thorpe, Spencer
Going Butts BBQ Outlaw 4’s (8 Cars)
Heat 1: Billy Dukes, Nick Kerr, Jim Nichols, Cecil Martin, Brad Fender, Michael Ridgeway Jr., Chris Thomas, Jon Baxter
Feature: Kerr, Dukes, Ridgeway Jr., Fender, Thomas, Nichols, Martin, Baxter
Crystal Tractor & Equipment Gladiators (14 Cars)
Heat 1: Ty McDonald, Nathan Rhoades, Stephen Kramer, Michael Trotter, Billy Barrington, Todd Latour, Travis McDonald, Corey Phillips
Heat 2: Johnnie Yeomans, Jeremy Lanier, Henry Lanier, Dewayne Yeomans, Dustin Childers, Erik Mantz, Steven Quick
Feature: Trotter, Barrington, McDonald, J. Lanier, H. Lanier, Latour, Yeomans, McDonald, Kramer, Quick, Phillips, Mantz, Rhoades, Childers
