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Memorable night for Van Dusen from Checkered Flag Sprint Car race
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Memorable night for Van Dusen
By CLAUDE LEWIS
Special to the Sun
Jeff Van Dusen has the best of both worlds when it comes to sprint car racing.
Much like a snow bird, the Lemon Bay High grad spends fall and winter in
Florida, and then heads north in the spring and summer.
Van Dusen has done well racing on dirt in New York, New England and Canada,
but one thing that had eluded the 24-year-old has been a victory on asphalt in
Florida.
He took care of both of the latter in one fast feature Saturday night, as he
captured the inaugural Checkered Flag Sprints points race at Charlotte County
Motorsports Park.
A beaming Van Dusen collected $1,000 for his night’s work in the family’s 56
car.
Van Dusen won his heat race early in the evening and then zoomed from the
third starting position to the front on the first lap of the 30-lap feature. He
held off charges by Mark Gimmler in the 51 car and Wayne Reutimann Jr. in the 00
car.
“My dad bought this car before he came down in the fall,” said Van Dusen of the Kinser car. “The car was better when the tires were cool. The
cautions helped me.”
Every time there was a caution, Van Dusen would pull away from the pack.
Gimmler spun out on lap 27 and finished back in the pack. Reutimann placed
second in the 15-car field while was third in the 1 car.
Van Dusen won’t have a chance to accumulate many Checkered Flag points,
however. He said he could be upstate New York as early as this week looking for
a summer ride.
Open Wheel Modifieds also highlighted the racing card at the Punta Gorda
3/8-mile paved oval.
Action was intense with Port Charlotte’s Sean McLaughlin challenging one of
the top dogs in the state - Wayne Jefferson. On lap 30 of the 50 lapper,
McLaughlin pulled up alongside Jefferson to take the lead. In took a few laps,
but the 99 got around the 1 car cleanly - a feat not too many drivers can say
they accomplished.
McLaughlin and Jefferson finished 1-2. The 03 of Kyle Brockmiller was third.
The cars of Eric Rudd and Scot McDaniel were wiped out in an early altercation with Jefferson.
Outlaw Modified - the four-cylinder cousin of Open Wheel Modified - made its
first appearance of 2008 at CCMP.
Doug Hopper captured the caution free 30-lapper. Rob Bean took second and
Cliff Steinmann edged out John Parrish for third.
Modified Minis also had caution-free feature. Chris Zimmerman was first in the
29 car. Brian Dorer was second in the 97. Joe Gagen took third.
It was all Ross Chastain in the Fastruck feature. He out dueled Stepeh Nasse
and Barry Bartlett.
In Road Warriors, an orange car won, but it wasn’t the 93 of Jeff Firestine.
His car hit the front stretch wall hard. The 32 car of Dean Butram took checkers
ahead of hard-chugging Greg Anderson, who worked hard just to make the race.
Jesse Gargus was third.
To no one’s surprise, Randy Kile won in Thunder Trucks.
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