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Checkered Flag Sprint Car Series
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Checkered Flag Sprint Series Open For Business in South Florida
By Dave Sully
(Punta Gorda, Florida) The debut of the Tampa, Florida based Checkered Flag
Sprint Series on February 2nd, 2008 at Charlotte County Motorsports Park was'nt
even on the radar as late as November of 2007, but several developments led to
the remarkable birth of the Series in a scant twenty-five days. Two
significant events led to the formation of the fledgling group by former Tampa
Bay Sprint Car Club president Don Rehm. The first occurred in November of 2007
when Rehm was voted out of office after twelve years at the helm of the highly
successful racing organization. Though Rehm was disappointed at the decision,
he was prepared to move on, as he was promised the job of tire, fuel, and parts
supplier for the club. Then, in January, he was informed that his services were
longer required. "That's when I got mad," relates Rehm. Now they were messing
with my livelihood. On January 8th, with the help of Bob Diehl owner of Charlotte County Motorsports Park, the 3/8 mile paved oval
in Punta Gorda, Florida, he essentially launched the new venture,
culminating in the opening race on February 2nd. Anyone who is familiar with
racing will attest to the almost miraculous nature of putting together a racing
series in the space of twenty-five days, but Rehm pulled it off. Though there
were only eleven cars on hand, with ten taking the green, Rehm was satisfied
with the initial effort, which attracted some of the top drivers from the Tampa
Bay club, including Mark Gimmler, Stan Butler, David Slawiak, Keith Butler, and
Tim Buchannon, noting that there were at least five more cars that would have
been on hand but were missing for various reasons beyond his control. He is
confident that the car count will increase as time goes on. He observed, Drivers
have decisions to make as to who they will race with. I understand that some
will want to wait on the sidelines to see if we could make it work. I respect
that.
Now that he has a race under his belt, Rehm will be working to fill out his
schedule. Diehl has been a big help, as he has booked the Checkered Flag
Sprint Series for eleven shows, while Rehm is actively pursuing dates at New
Smyrna, Citrus, and Orlando. He has no intention of trying to put the Tampa Bay
Sprint Club out of business. I don't want to be in the position of telling
guys where to race. There is no reason why the two organizations can't
co-exist, as long as we don't have conflicting dates, Rehm asserted, suggesting
there would be no reason why drivers can't compete in both series, if they
wished.
In the Northeast, the ASCS Patriot Sprint Series and the ESS Sprint Series have
co-existed for several years, but with the number of cars becoming finite, it
will be interesting to see if the two Florida Groups will be able to attract
enough cars for both groups to remain viable. Judging from my conversation with
Don Rehm, a highly respected racing personage and track owner Bob Diehl, who
offers his unwavering support for the new group, it would appear that he has the foundation to hold up his end.
As
always, time will tell.
Slawiak Captures Inaugural Checkered Flag Sprint Series Event
By Dave Sully
(Punta Gorda, Florida) The first race ever for the Checkered Flag Sprint
Series, founded by former Tampa Bay Sprint Club president Don Rehm, saw David
Slawiak from Brandon take the win. The race, at the Charlotte County
Motorsports Park in Punta Gorda, wasn't exactly an artistic success, as eleven
cars were on hand, with ten taking the initial green. First race jitters were
in evidence as four cautions and a red flag punctuated the early portion of the
thirty-lap event, the most serious of which saw four cars get together on lap
six as they battled for the lead. Jeff Van Dusen, who started on the pole, was
the biggest loser as he was relegated to the hook after the scrum, which saw a
couple of the cars get airborne as they vied for the lead in turn two, including
longtime Tampa Bay regular Keith Butler.
Slawiak took the lead following the lap six restart, driving past leader Stan
Butler in turn four and led the rest of the way in what became a two car battle
between him and Mike Gimmler. Gimmler ran down Slawiak, who had established a
sizable lead, but then lost his momentum on lap twenty-four when he went high in
turn one, allowing Slawiak to cruise home with the win. Gimmler finished second,
with Stan Butler third. Slawiak noted, "I knew if I kept it on the bottom, I was
good to go, and that's what I was able to do."
Rehm, who was ousted as Tampa Bay Sprint Club president after twelve years at
the helm, pronounced the opener a success, especially in light of the rapidity
in which he was able to organize the new series."The car count will
grow as the racers find out we are for real," Rehm asserted, and now they
can see that we are. The inaugural race was one of eleven Checkered Flag
Series events scheduled for the 3/8 mile Charlotte County facility this season.
In other action, Donnie Ollie Jr. won the 50 lap Outlaw Street Stock event, Paul Graham took the 25 lap Fab 4 Feature, and
twelve year old Stephen Nasse captured a rousing 30 lap Fastruck Feature in
impressive fashion. Also on the card, Wally Smith prevailed in the Pro 4s,
Randy Kile was victorious in the Thunder Trucks, and Dean Butram was the king of
the Road Warriors.
Sprints
1) 79- David Slawiak
2) 51- mark Gimmler
3) 18- Stan Butler
4) 99x- Tim Buchannon
5) 8- Shane Butler
6) 19- Keith Butler
7) 10- Rob Campbell
8) 21- Darrin Miller
9) 56- Jeff VanDusen
10) 2- Scott Adema
Dates that they will be running next at CCMP
March 1st
April 19th
May 17th
July 5th
Aug 23rd
Sept 20th
Oct 11th
Nov 1st
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