"July 4th...With the Sounds of Racing"

 Hello Fellow Race Fans:

     Independence Day this year enjoyed quite an upgrade when Robert and Danielle Yoho treated race fans with a full afternoon and evening of racing, Showtime Speedway style.  Fifteen hundred Grandstand seats had just shown up a few days prior and there was plenty of room still for lawn chairs so fans could sit back and enjoy a great program. 

 We got there a bit early to be sure of getting seats in the grandstands and by "showtime" the speedway was packed with people.  To this fan it was very obvious that bringing the track back was a good idea by the State of Florida.  Pinellas race fans as well as those of nearby counties Hillsborough and Pasco had been looking forward to this day for over seven years.   Seeing the track so crowded with people and the pits full of race cars of various classes was a sight to behold.  Even the back stretch had been sold out for fans wanting to experience their own tailgate parties. Racing had certainly come home to Pinellas County.  Showtime Speedway would pick up from where Sunshine Speedway left off and garner in a whole new page of Pinellas County racing history.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

     On tap for the holidays was a great lineup; Twin 30 lap Modified Features; one with slick tires, the other with tread tires.  Then there  was the Street Stocks with their corresponding Figure-8's, Pro 8's, and Pro Trucks which was a class I was looking forward to seeing after having watched them once down at DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton.  A full afternoon of racing that was guaranteed to end long after the sun disappeared into the western skies.

   The day started out with Robert bringing a NASCAR Cup Car onto the track for everyone to see.  It was   Dale Jarrett's 1996 Cup car.  The owner donated it to Showtime Speedway to be auctioned off, the money to be put into the track.  The car was beautiful and purred like a kitten.  We were lucky to be able to go look at the car in the pits after the races.

     I'd have to say one of the biggest thrills for me was seeing Laverne Patrick, the many year veteran flagman from the old Sunshine Speedway take the walk from the pits to the flagstand.  I wondered who was going to be the starter and I was really happy to see Laverne as he climbed the ladder to the crows nest (starter's stand).  The new track was in good hands with Laverne at the helm.

     The evening ran smoothly and the competition was great which made for a wonderful racing experience, especially for those of us who thought we'd never hear the roar of Stock Car engines again in Pinellas County.  The Modifieds, always a favorite of mine, produced two different winners in the Dual 30 lap Modified features.  I didn't keep track of which race was which but one of them was won by Joshua Todd in the #289.

    The other Modified feature was won by the "Rocketman," Wayne Jefferson, a veteran of many races at the old Sunshine Speedway.  It seems like he still knows how to win a race.  A Great job to both winners of the Modifieds.
   A class that really stuck out for me was the Pro Trucks because I haven't seen many races with them.  I really liked them and thought they were quite exciting.  I'm looking forward to seeing more from that class as the season progresses.

    The evenings races were not over though.  There was lots of Street Stock action though I'm kinda surprised there wasn't more cars.  I'm sure there will be as they season matures.  These cars run both the oval and the Figure-8 track making for some exciting racing.
   Finally, what would a night be at Sunshine/Showtime speedway without the wild and Wooly (former track announcer Larry McMillan's words, not mine) Pro Figure-8's.  These cars have a legacy at this track that goes back a long way and has produced many legendary drivers in the past like; Dan Daughtry, Art and Wayne Calkins, Denny, Charlie, and the rest of the Meyer racing dynasty, Bill Miller, Bill Ringheisen, and Mike and Sonny Van Ochtan (?).  I can't wait to see what new figure-8 legends Showtime Speedway will produce.  Oh, by the way, I was amazed to see Legendary fiure-8er Charlie Meyer out on the track for the Pro-8's  I've watched him race for many years and look forward to see him race again in the #94!

   All-in-all the 4th of July races were a hit with me and I'm sure many others as well.  It was an exciting afternoon and evening spent with fellow race lovers at the new Showtime Speedway.  It was the first official race my grandson, Gavyn got to see (4th generation track fan).  He even got to sit in one of the youth dragsters that was on display promoting Showtime Dragstrip.  He loved it.

     What else is there to say?  It was a great day of fast cars with the promise of an exciting season of Stock Car Racing...Pinellas style, to follow.  Have a Wonderful Day as I leave you with a few laps of Pro Truck action on the 4th of July!
   C-Ya!!!

 

"Pre-Opening Warm-Up Laps"

      Hello Race Fans:
   They had been announcing it all week and I was all fired up by the time June 16th rolled around.  The track was about to see the first multi-class tire testing in more than 7 1/2 years.  There was no way I was going to miss that.  The new track was being worked on at a fever pitch but there were still a few kinks to be worked out before the old Sunshine Speedway would be re-opened as Showtime Speedway.  Though this was only practice, wild bears couldn't keep me away.  Heck, the whole family was rarin' to go watch some stock cars lay some new rubber on the former Sunshine Speedway.

 We got there around 5:30 and parked the car in the lot across from the track where we'd parked on many occasions over the years.  We could hear the roar of cars in the distance.  What a welcome sound it was for a track that has been silent for far too long.

  On this trip we were granted an extra bonus as there were cars (and dragsters) practicing on the dragstrip as well.  We watched a few of them as they roared down the 1/8th mile strip on our

way around to the stock car track.  Off in the distance the Speedway beckoned us.  We hurried around the back side of the dragstrip and made our way to towards the crowd of people watching the round-y-rounds.  Climbing up the stairs to the viewing area (what used to be the grandstands back in late 2004 we couldn't help how barren the track still looked.  Here we were putting up lawn chairs where once stood bleachers that covered the entire front straightaway.  It mattered not because there were pro Figure-8 cars on the track practicing.  None of us (My sister Susan, daughter Ashley, and niece Amanda), myself included had seen any Figure-8 cars since opening day 2008 at Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, Florida.  That night they ran Pro-8's and School Bus Figure-8's.  Talk about some wild racing.  Well now, four years later, the excitement would now be right here in good ole' Pineapple County as former track announcer in the sixties to mid seventies, Larry McMillan, used to say.  It sure was fun to sit there and watch the cars run, even if they were not actually racing.
   Next up on the track were the Pro-Trucks, a class that was in its infancy when the old track closed.  There were occasional trucks in the Mini-Stock class but it was more the exception than the rule.  I was really looking forward to watching them run at the new track.  We saw them once at DeSoto Speedway in 2008 and they were real exciting.


     There were 3-4 trucks out there practicing and they were a real joy to watch.  Their speed was pretty good and I could just tell from watching their practice sessions that these guys were going to be fun to watch during the season which lay just around the corner.I have a feeling the Pro-Trucks would be a great addition to any line-up that Showtime Speedway put together.

     After a few practice sessions there was a short break in the action.  I decided to go down into the pits to get a burger and soda.  My niece went with me and we picked up stuff for everyone.  After taking just one bite of the burger I was hooked.  It was great and I do believe it was the owner, Robert Yoho's Mom, that was cooking and serving the crowd with her small staff.  There surely were lots of people buying snacks.  After eating the burger I spent a little time chasing my grandson, Gavyn, around and taking pictures of the barren plateau that was destined to be filled with grandstands in the near future.  This was his first time ever seeing race cars in person.  Yep, the next generation to be raised around the wonderful family sport; Stock Car Racing.  Here are a couple pics I took.

     This is looking south back towards the pits.  As you can see there was quite a bit of activity going on there.  There were both Stock Cars and Dragstrip cars sharing the pit area.










     This is looking north toward Ulmerton Road.  This picture shows that there is still quite a bit of work to be done before the track opens in July.








    Break time over it was time to bring out the cars again.  This time we got to view a couple Modifieds run, their engines screaming as they quickly made their way around the 1/4 mile oval.  These cars are the work horses of the faster cars, usually sporting large fields and tight, fast, exciting races.  Here my sister watches the #74 Modified during tire testing.

     By the end of the evening Late Models and Sprint Cars had practiced also making for a full night of practice with several classes of cars showing up.  Several hundred people showed up to watch making for what looked like both a successful practice for the track and fun for all of us watching.  The track is most definitely back.  I leave you with a little bit of Figure-8 practice laps being seen for the first time by my grandson, Gavyn.  Enjoy and...Have a Great Day!!!

"They're back!!!"

     Hello Fellow Stock Car Fans:
   Wow!!! This certainly is exciting.  I'm not sure where to start but I guess at the beginning would be a good point.  In November of 2004 I got one of the best and worst birthday presents of all time.  It was a Saturday night and I got to go to the races at Sunshine Speedway, the fastest 1/4 mile in the Southeast.  It was the eve before my birthday and the races were pretty good as usual.  At the end of the night, however, my heart sank a little as this was to be the last night of racing for the 44 year old racing facility.  Stock Car racing in Pinellas County was to fade into the annals of history.  The reason I said it was a good and bad birthday present is because watching the races was fun but leaving the track after midnight (then my actual birthday) was bittersweet, knowing that was it.  I took some video of the track and of the last car on the track, the #11 Figure-8 car of Art Calkins.  Then, with a heavy heart, I left the track.
   I didn't stay away from racing for too long.  I still watched Sprint cup racing during the season as well as try out other local tracks a number of times.  I saw two races at Lakeland International Speedway, the 3/4 mile track that never really saw its full potential.  I also visited Citrus County Speedway, Auburndale Speedway, DeSoto Speedway, and finally...East Bay Raceway Park.  I found a second home at East Bay, attending races regularly there for about three seasons.  Dirt racing was a different experience for me, one which I found very exciting.
   While at work one day in December, the lady that works with the greeting cards in our store, informed me that negotiations were underway to revive Sunshine Speedway as a racing facility again.  Luckily the actual track was still there, having been used by D.O.T. for testing new Sun Pass toll booth equipment for the past several years.  I could hardly contain my excitement  but tread with caution as a little over a year before there was a big campaign to "Bring back the track" that failed (or never even got started, I don't know which), so, I kept my cool until I could get home and watch the news.  Well, it turned out to be true and by Early this year it was announced that Robert and Danielle Yoho had won the bid with a five year lease.  They were to take possession of the track on May 1st!!!!!!  I was ecstatic to say the least.
   So here is my blog on racing at the newly named "SHOWTIME SPEEDWAY!!!!!"  I hope you enjoy it as much as I'll enjoy writing it.
   Have a Wonderful Day Everybody!!!
   John (aka, The "Creature")

   P.S.   Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the sun will now Shine on..."SHOWTIME SPEEDWAY!!!"
    C-Ya!!!