Max Blair wrapped up the Crate Late Model portion of Winternationals 2015 with a victory Saturday at East Bay Raceway Park. Photo by Mike Horne
Max Blair, out of Centerville, PA, has been coming to the races at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL since he was a little kid tagging along with his father. But this year it was different. The 25-year-old driver brought his Crate Late Model with him and won two of the three CLM features during Winternationals 2015, including Saturday’s $3,000 to win 50 lap event.
Meanwhile, Joe Isabell scored the TUSA Mod Lite championship and Tim Gay bagged the World Street Stock championship.
The fans were treated to a very competitive race in the Crate Late Model feature, as there were five lead changes before Blair moved to the lead on lap 34, and went on to score the win by a three second advantage.
“I probably went with a harder tire than the rest of the field,” said Blair. “But when we got those hot laps for the top six in points, I tried a softer compound and decided to go with the harder ones for the feature.”
“My Dad has sacrificed a lot to get me started in racing from the time I started in E-Mods at the age of 15, to my Crate racing and my Super Late Model racing,” he added. “Last year we won nine races in Supers and 16 in Crates.”
Arthur Walker, Shan Smith, Jack Nosbisch, Jr. and Matt Henderson rounded out the top five.
Joe Isabell won the TUSA Mod Lites Winternationals championship. Photo courtesy EBRP Media
In other action, the TUSA Mod Lite Winternationals championship provided the third different winner in as many nights on Saturday as Pennellville, NY’s Joe Isabell captured the 25-lap series championship race.
A three car tangle in the first turn forced a second try at getting the race underway. Laurel, DE’s James Hill took the lead from Harrington, DE’s Mike Stratton to lead lap one with Joe Isabell following into second. The yellow was out again for another three car tangle and on the restart Isabell moved on top.
Isabell remained in control while a heated battle between Hill, defending Winternationals champ Jimmy Wills and John Mollick of Toronto, Ohio was waged in the top five. Thursday night’s winner, Josh May of DeSoto, IA, joined the battle by lap five. Two more cautions would keep the field tightly bunched with Isabell climbing into the top five.
Lap 12 produced three more cautions, the first of which was for Josh May and Greg Russell, as the two made hard contact in the first turn. The second flew for a spin by Nick Nash on the restart. The third was for Mark Marcucci who tagged the front stretch wall.
Joe Isabell remained flawless as he drove to the championship win. Wills finished second while Ty Short came on strong in the closing laps to take third at the flag. Fourth went to Jeff Isabell with Jimmy May rounding out the top five.
“With 10 to go I got into the water at the bottom of the fourth turn and dragged it out on the turn,” said Isabell. “When I would run through it my car would push and I kept saying to myself ‘please dry up, please dry up’”.
Blake Wilson led wire to wire to win the “Florida State Championship” for non-qualifiers worth $300. Ryan Baker, Kacy Campbell, Jeromy Wilson and Brandon Shaw rounded out the top five.
Tim Gay celebrates in East Bay Raceway Park’s victory lane after winning Saturday’s Street Stocks championship feature. Photo courtesy EBRP Media
Tim Gay started on the front row for the Street Stock Championship race, and would go on to score the victory in the 50-lap, $1,500 to win event.
Richie Stephens jumped out to the early lead, with Gay giving chase. Gay would take over the lead on lap four and would continue to lead as he and Stephens worked lap traffic.
Gay would go on to score the victory, with Stephens in second. Grady Christian, Tim Powers and Tommy Hill would round out the top five.
Winternationals 2015 at East Bay Raceway Park continues Monday night as the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series returns. For more information, visit EastBayRacewayPark.com.
(Charlie Brown contributed to the TUSA Mod Lites portion of this story.)
Winternationals 2015
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Race Results – Feb. 7, 2015
Crate Late Models
1. Max Blair
2. Walker Aurther
3. Shan Smith
4. Jack Nosbisch, Jr.
5. Matt Henderson
6. Tim Dohn
7. Keith Nosbisch
8. Doug Horton
9. Phillip Cobb
10. Devin Dixon
11. Jamie Slatton
12. David Schmauss
13. Bryan Bernhardt
14. Cale Conley
15. Dalton Myers
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17. Mavrick Varnadore
18. Brad Cummings
19. Ralph Morgan, Jr.
20. Kolby Vanderbergh
21. Steven Mathis, Jr.
22. Josh Peacock
23. Adam Bowman
24. Joe Janowski
TUSA Mod Lites
1. Joe Isabell
2. Jimmy Wills
3. Ty Short
4. Jeff Isabell
5. Matt Hay
6. James Hill
7. John Mollick
8. Nick Nash
9. Charlie Brown
10. Ryan Harrison
11. Mike Stratton
12. Josh Sliter
13. Mitch Ward
14. Jimmy May
15. Zakary Kimbrew
16. Jeff Teeter
17. Travis Stensland
18. Jason Darocha
19. Rob Misener
20. Shane Pfeuffer
21. Josh May
22. Greg Russell
23. Mark Marcucci
24. Chase Flatt
25. Jim Bogett
Street Stocks
1. Tim Gay
2. Richie Stephens
3. Grady Christian
4. Tim Powers
5. Tommy Hill
6. Ronnie Heard
7. Buck Woodhouse
8. David McCormick
9. David Barwick II
10. Justin Rodgers
11. Thomas Burnside
12. William Burnside
13. Jason Burnside
14. Jeff Rodgers
15. Mike Wilson
16. Dennis Wilson
17. Terry Jones
18. Scotty Kay, Jr.
19. Del Powell
20. Dennis Williams
21. Jason Harrison
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