Travis Varnadore Scores Donnie Tanner Memorial Win

Travis Varnadore made his Christmas a little brighter by scoring a $3,000 win in the final Donnie Tanner Memorial Late Model race at East Bay Raceway Park on Dec. 17. Photo courtesy East Bay Raceway Park

It was the final night of the 2011 season at East Bay Raceway Park in at Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 17, as two Championships were left to decide and the final Late Model event of the year going to the Donnie Tanner Memorial Series race #4 paying $3,000 to win.

Travis Varnadore would score the Late Model feature victory, pocketing the $3,000 pay day and earning a trip to East Bay’s victory lane.

The Donnie Tanner Memorial for the Late Models took center stage as the third feature of the night. Dennis Williams, Phillip Cobb and Doug Horton won their heat races. Starting on the front row was Shane Hitt and Doug Horton. When the green flag dropped, it was Horton with the lead. Several laps went by and Phillip Cobb took over the top spot with Travis Varnadore right behind him. Varnadore and Cobb were battling into turns three and four and lapped traffic was trying to get out of the way of the leaders. Cobb went low as Varnadore went high and took over the top spot and never looked back.

Cobb appeared to have mechanical issues and fell out of the race with Mavrick Varnadore making his was up to second after starting in the twelfth spot. Wallace Peacock picked up third while Doug Horton went on to take fourth. Dennis Williams rounded out the top five. Devin Dixon went on to win the points picking up a check for $1,000 for the four race series with Mavrick Varnadore second, Travis third and Josh Peacock and Cobb rounding out the top five.

In other action, the first feature of the night went to the Outlaw 4’s. Jesse Brown held an eighteen point lead over second place Nick Hebrank. Hebrank started on the pole with Brown starting in the ninth spot. When the green flag dropped, Billy Howard shot to the front after starting in the fourth spot. Howard was leading when the second caution came out on lap four for debris. But it was also bad news for Brown as he took his car to the pits and never returned, but still held the points lead.

The green flag resumed with Howard showing the way, with Chris Zimmerman making his way up to the second spot after lap six. On lap eight, it was Howard who had slowed on the front stretch ending his night as he went to the pits handing the lead over to Zimmerman. Zimmerman never looked back as he went on to win the feature event. Hebrank had to finish in the top two spots to win the Championship. With Zimmerman picking up the win, Stephen Hohlbaugh finished second with John Yates, Kyle Kruse and Hebrank finishing fifth. Jesse Brown won the Championship by just a mere five points. Howard and Yates won the heat races.

Next up was the Street Stocks. The Championship had already been decided with Jeff Rodgers becoming the Champion after just his second year of racing dirt. Bob Fleming and Garry Sheffield made up the front row. Sheffield took the early lead with Bryan Morgan right behind him. Morgan took over the lead on lap two, but a caution came out handing the lead back over to Sheffield. Morgan was second with defending Champion, Donnie Reed in third. On the restart Sheffield led the next two laps, but Reed took over the top spot on lap four. Reed went on to win his sixth feature of the season with Morgan second, Jim Baker third, Sheffield fourth and David Barwick, II rounding out the top five. Barwick, II and Reed won their heat races.

Following the Late Models, the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers took to the track next. Joshua Comeau, Brett Calonge, and Andre Sheneman won their heats. For the feature event, it was Robert Kissam and Bubba Puyear on the front row. Kissam and Puyear battled for the lead, but it was Puyear taking over the top spot and didn’t look back as he went on to win the feature event. Comeau, Calonge, Richard Humfield and Sheneman rounded out the top five.

The final event of the night and the final Championship to be decided was the Dirt Daubers. The defending Champion Brett Phillips had just a narrow margin over Bill Dixon. Bill Dixon picked up the feature win, but Phillips finished second making him the third Champion to win back to back Championships for the 2011 Season. Late Models was won by Bryan Bernhardt and the Gagel’s Open Wheel Modifieds went to Austin Sanders. Troy Dittebrand picked up the Motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bomber Division as Tim George picked up the East Bay Sprints Championship. Scotty Williams picked up the Q Auto & Injury Attorneys Limited Late Model Division and for the first time in East Bay’s history, Father and son won Championships in the same year.

ASA sanctioned racing returns to East Bay Raceway Park next year beginning with the 36^th Annual Winternationals beginning on February 2-4 with the NeSmith Late Models and the second Annual World Street Stock Championship. Feb. 9-11 will be the EBRP/UMP Open Wheel Modifeds and the Team USA Mod Lites. Feb. 13-18, the Lucas Oil Late Models make their return. Last year we saw six different winners. Feb. 23-25, the King of the 360’s Sprints return with the Ronald Laney Memorial.

For more information you can visit the web at www.eastbayracewaypark.com.

East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Race Results – Dec. 17, 2011

Donnie Tanner Memorial Series Late Models
1. Travis Varnadore
2. Mavrick Varnadore
3. Wallace Peacock
4. Doug Horton
5. Dennis Williams
6. Roger Crouse
7. Cecil Martin
8. Devin Dixon
9. Steven Mathis Jr.
10. Bill Gould
11. Al Larson
12. Phillip Cobb
13. John Norris
14. Jim Cryer
15. Shane Hitt
16. Kyle Musselman
17. John Koller
18. Todd Alexander

Outlaw 4’s
1. Chris Zimmerman
2. Stephen Hohlbaugh
3. John Yates
4. Kyle Kruse
5. Nick Hebrank
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7. Megan Meyer
8. Billy Howard
9. Roberto Morfin Jr.
10. Jesse Brown

Street Stocks
1. Donnie Reed
2. Brian Morgan
3. Jim Baker
4. Garry Sheffield
5. David Barwick II
6. Thomas Burnside
7. John Kinsey
8. Bob Fleming
9. Andy Lee
10. Pat Dent
11. Collin Kruse
12. A.J. Moyer
13. Shana Chevillot – DNS
14. Michael Eaton – DQ

4-Cylinder Bombers
1. Bubba Puyear
2. Josh Comeau
3. Brett Calonge
4. Richard Humfeld
5. Andre Sheneman
6. Jason Burnside
7. Kayla Jones
8. Wayne Kissam
9. Mike Meadows
10. Steve Hadding
11. Bill Bill Smith
12. Don R. Quinn
13. Troy Dittebrand
14. Michelle Valdes
15. Robert Kissam
16. Roberto Morfin Sr.
17. Dalton Goldhammer
18. Cody Riley
19. Johnnie Alexander
20. Darrell Taylor
21. Michael Hart