"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!!!