With the 2010 Winternationals in the record books, the attention is turning to championship battles at East Bay Raceway Park. The first night of a jam-packed 2010 schedule kicks it off Saturday night, March 13 with six divisions ASA sanctioned classes hitting the track. Race time is 6:30 p.m.
For many divisions, you can expect to see the 2009 champion back to defend his title. Late Model champ Jeff Mathews and 4 Cylinder Bomber king Jim Baker will be honored on this night. Mathews, a two-division champ, can be expected to be as strong as ever in 2010. Baker won his crown last year on the strength of steady finishes and a couple of features in an ultra-competitive class.
The Late Models and 4 Cylinder Bombers will be joined by the East Bay Sprints, Open Wheel Modifieds, Street Stocks and Outlaw 4s. In addition, the popular Fan Participation races will return to kick of the 2010 season.
East Bay Raceway Park has become the Saturday place to be for the Tampa area. For more information about the 2010 season, call (813) 677-7223 or visit www.eastbayracewaypark.com

The NASRA Late model Series has had two action packed nights, with great racing all over the speedway. Travis Varnadore of Dover, FL drove wire to wire on night one of the NASRA Late Model Series taking the win. Skylar Marlar, from Winfield, TN, drove past Aaron Ridley on lap 20 of the 25 lap A Main to win night two.

The final night of the 2010 winternationals will be a special admission night. Prices will be $15.00 for Adults, $5.00 for Kids 3- 12 years of age, and under 3 FREE. Be sure to come out to East Bay Raceway Park to see the National All Star Racing Association in their only visit to Florida in 2010.

Thursday March 4th and Friday March 6th will pay $3,000 to the event winner (30 Laps Feature). The final event of the weekend will be capped off by a $5,000 to win event (50 Laps Feature) during the final week of the 34th Annual Winernationals.

Each night will feature a complete show of practice, Time Trials, Wayne Bowen Racing Supply and Budda Bert Transmissions Sales & Service Heat Races, Double H Race Fabrications B-Mains and the Main event. The stands will open at 4:30 p.m. each day, and the Speedway Restaurant will be open all day during each event.

Grandstand Admission will be $25 for Thursday, $25 for Friday and $30 for Saturday. Pit Passes will be $25 for Wednesday, $30 for Thursday, $30 for Friday and $35 for Saturday.

Further information on the East Bay Raceway Park can be obtained by calling the Track Phone at 1-877-457-5611 or logging on to www.eastbayracewaypark.com .

Further information on the National All-Star Racing Association can be directed to Frank Revel at (859) 582-8005 or log on to the official website located at www.nasra.com .

But, when Shaffer’s engine soured less than two laps shy of Saturday night’s checkered flag, it was Oklahoma City native Wayne Johnson taking quick advantage to snare the $14,500 winner’s share in the 40-lap Ninth Annual Ronald Laney Memorial atop the semi-banked, 1/3-mile clay oval.

Johnson paced the final two circuits to take the coveted checkered flag aboard Glenn Styres’ Ohsweken Speedway/Rochester Americans No. 0x entry, collecting his 32nd career overall ASCS win in the process.

While Johnson enjoyed victory lane, Shaffer wasn’t the only leader to fall victim to ill fortune during the night, as two-time “Kings” winner Gary Wright cut a left rear tire after pacing the opening 20 rounds.

The four-time Lucas Oil National Sprint Car champion had led from the outset after starting from the pole position. Wright’s undoing came after a caution that sent Mark Smith pitside with engine woes.

After winning both the Thursday and Friday night features, fifth-starter Shaffer assumed the point and had a hefty payday within sight when his powerplant let go less than a mile from the checkered flag.

Johnson added the “Kings” crown to past Short Track Nationals and ASCS Knoxville Nationals glory, beating 2009 event winner Jesse Hockett to the stripe.

While Hockett settled for runner-up honors in the Don Ott-powered VKCC Motorsports No. 75 A.R.T., Canadian Lou Kennedy, Jr., finished off a strong weekend by taking the show position.

Travis Rilat crossed the stripe fourth, with Darren Long rounding out the top five. Tony Bruce, Jr., was sixth in front of Tommy Worley, Jr., and Idaho’s Joe Ramaker. Eastern Modified ace Stewart Friesen finished out his first full weekend of Sprint Car competition since a lone 2003 outing in ninth, with Sport Allen completing the top ten.

Friesen, Michael Miller, Bruce, Jr., and Glenn Styres topped Saturday night’s heat races, with J.D. Johnson, Michael Dupuy and David Brown winning the “B” Mains.

Wayne Johnson’s $14,500 winner’s take included the $10,000 originally posted by East Bay Speedway, $4,000 of the $7,000 kicked into the purse by the Laney family and another $500 from CnB Mushroom Farms.

American Sprint Car Series Rebel Region Ninth Annual Ronald Laney Memorial Saturday Night Results from East Bay Raceway Park’s 34th Annual Winter Nationals:

Top Six in Combined Points From Thursday and Friday Preliminary Action Locked Into Feature: 83-Tim Shaffer, 21k-Lou Kennedy, Jr., 7m-Mark Smith, 0x-Wayne Johnson, d12-Danny Smith, 9x-Gary Wright.

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 33-Stewart Friesen, 2. A12-Tommy Worley, Jr., 3. 98x-J.D. Johnson, 4. 2b-Frank Beck III, 5. 11T-T.J. Winegardner, 6. 48-David Brown, 7. 88-Shane Kreidler, 8. 82-A.J. Maddox.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 4m-Michael Miller, 2. 75-Jesse Hockett, 3. W20-Greg Wilson, 4. 21T-T.J. Luedke, 5. 6s-Jessica Zemken, 6. 35-Jared Zimbardi, 7. 11-Carl Zaniboni. DNS: 3b-Brad Greer.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 2. 09-Timmy Thrash, 3. 29-Travis Rilat, 4. 98-Joe Ramaker, 5. 6-Mike Schroeder, 6. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 7. 20k-Thomas Kennedy. DNS: 47-Caleb Helms.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 0-Glenn Styres, 2. 00-Michael Dupuy, 3. 12-Tim Kelly, 4. 3g-Darren Long, 5. 8x-Chris Williams, 6. 81-Sport Allen, 7. 02-Gene Lasker, 8. 92-Matt Kurtz, 9. 22d-Bruce DeWick.

First “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 98x-J.D. Johnson, 2. 98-Joe Ramaker, 3. 09-Timmy Thrash, 4. 8x-Chris Williams, 5. 92-Matt Kurtz, 6. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 7. 88-Shane Kreidler, 8. 2b-Frank Beck III. DNS: 3b-Brad Greer.

Second “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 00-Michael Dupuy, 2. W20-Greg Wilson, 3. 21T-T.J. Luedke, 4. 11T-T.J. Winegardner, 5. 47-Caleb Helms, 6. 6-Mike Schroeder, 7. 20k-Thomas Kennedy, 8. 22d-Bruce DeWick, 9. 02-Gene Lasker.

Third “B” Feature (12 Laps): 1. 48-David Brown, 2. 81-Sport Allen, 3. 12-Tim Kelly, 4. 35-Jared Zimbardi, 5. 6s-Jessica Zemken, 6. 82-A.J. Maddox, 7. 11-Carl Zaniboni.

“A” Feature (40 Laps): 1. 0x-Wayne Johnson, 2. 75-Jesse Hockett, 3. 21k-Lou Kennedy, Jr., 4. 29-Travis Rilat, 5. 3g-Darren Long, 6. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 7. A12-Tommy Worley, Jr., 8. 98-Joe Ramaker, 9. 33-Stewart Friesen, 10. 81-Sport Allen, 11. W20-Greg Wilson, 12. 83-Tim Shaffer, 13. 0-Glenn Styres, 14. 48-David Brown, 15. 4m-Michael Miller, 16. D12-Danny Smith, 17. 9x-Gary Wright, 18. 7m-Mark Smith, 19. 98x-J.D. Johnson, 20. 00-Michael Dupuy.

ASCS Rebel Region Points (Top Ten): 1. (tie) Tim Shaffer and Lou Kennedy, Jr. 138, 3. Jesse Hockett 135, 4. Travis Rilat 134, 5. Tony Bruce, Jr. 132, 6. (tie) Wayne Johnson and Danny Smith 124, 8. Mark Smith 123, 9. Gary Wright 120, 10. Darren Long 119.