Keith Butler celebrates his win in the TBARA Sprint Car feature with his daughter at Mobile International Speedway. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
Fireworks from 95 KSJ. Blue Bell Ice Cream. And night-full of beating and banging.
Not a bad way to remember a birthday. Mobile International Speedway turned a spry 48 years old Saturday, celebrating with a packed house of their closest friends.
The evening’s entertainment rocked, as the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association Winged Sprints headlined the show, making their much-anticipated return to MIS after their last show in October was rained out.
Keith Butler opened the best present of the night, shooting around Johnny Gilbertson midway through the 30-lap feature and cruising to Victory Lane. Gilbertson held on for second and Troy DeCaire finished third.
“The fans don’t get to see sprints often, and they only see us twice a year,” Butler said. “And they act like it, showing tremendous support. It makes you feel good. That’s what it’s all about.”
It was all about Butler, who sprinted past Gilbertson between turn Nos. 1 and 2 on lap 14. He never sweated the rest of the way.
Butler’s most anxious moment of the night came just before practice began. While Todd Fayard set the fast time in qualifying at 14.636 seconds, Butler was forced to make some last-minute adjustments when he noticed his shocks at lost some air.
“I had never had a problem with them leaking, so I had never had a reason to check on them,” said Butler, whose brother Shane and father Stan also competed Saturday. “When it was time for us to line up, I realized I still hadn’t done it.
“The left rear (shock) had no air; the right front was half what it needed to be and the other two were 25 or 30 pounds lighter than they needed to be. Once I got them all changed out and I knew I had something for them.”
Indeed.
Gilbertson had something for the field and looked to be in pretty good position to back up his Friday night win at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.
But on the fateful restart where he surrendered the lead to Butler, Gilbertson had motor issues and simply was proud to make it home as a runner-up.
“I was just holding on by a thread,” he said. “This is the first year for this team to be together. Two seconds and a first, that’s fantastic. It’s all about being consistent. Hopefully we can grow and build on it.”
The Tampa native, who currently resides in Indianapolis and races regularly in several Winged Sprints series in the Midwest, tried to make a move on Gilbertson for second late in the race thanks to lapped traffic.
DeCaire, though, never could closer than several car lengths away.
“We really appreciate these fans and coming back here,” DeCaire said.
A gift that keeps on giving.
Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsmen
Steve Buttrick picked up the win in Mobile's Sportsmen feature. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
These Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsmen keep you licking your chops.
Steve Buttrick won for the fourth straight time in an edge-of-your-seat 20-lap thriller that featured the good version of trading paint. While there was plenty of hard racing, the only things that were running hot were the cars themselves.
The fans rewarded the 21-car field this Saturday with a standing ovation after the checkered flag waved.
“Man, wow, what a race!” said an excited Brannon Fowler, who finished third. “To come from the back of the pack, but we made up for it.”
If this is how they race on a normal Saturday night, think how next week’s AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL SPORTSMAN CHALLENGE will look when the Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsmen will race for 50 laps and battle for the richest Sportman pay day of all time.
“We’ll have four new ones for that,” Buttrick said of fresh tires.
He’ll have to replace the motor, too, as it was claimed by fellow Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsmen driver Chopper Stagner after the race for $3,300.
Shawn Randall (1) looks to the inside of Brannon Fowler(00) during the Sportsmen event. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
After dominating the class the last two months, it’s no wonder Buttrick had a high price on the engine of his blue No. 33. It was revved up from the very beginning Saturday, as he moved past pole sitter Bryce Dulabhan early in the race.
“There wasn’t really an opening. It was the best opportunity to do it,” Buttrick said of the pass. “(Dulabhan) lifted early going into the corner, and I didn’t. That was huge to be able to get the inside on all the restarts.”
Especially when all the action was taking place behind him. Everybody was a victim and everybody was an instigator it seemed.
It was the personification of the sport’s famous phrases, such as “rubbin’ is racin’ ” and “trading paint.”
“That was a hard race. A lotta fun though,” runner-up Jeff Smith said.
Island Motors II Bombers
Jayme Corry (38) and Jonathan Day (11) slug it out in the Bomber feature. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
This almost seemed unfair.
Jay Jay Day on fresh tires? Forget about it.
Day ditched the rubber that he had been running on since the Snowball Derby last December at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., and continued his winning ways Saturday at MIS. He captured his fourth consecutive and six overall Island Motors II Bombers 15-Lap feature.
Day’s win means the bounty for he and cousin Johnathan Day, who finished second Saturday, will reach four digits for next Saturday’s feature.
Oh, and there was the not-so-minor thing of a track record, too. That new set of four helped Jay Jay Day turn a scorching 22.806-second lap in qualifying to help him claim his sixth pole of the year.
“It was perfect,” Day said. “We couldn’t get much help from our sponsors, so my dad helped me get these new tires.”
Day buried those left side wheels to the edge of apron in and out of the turns. Like clockwork, they stuck each time. It was a thing of beauty, a clinic on the precise lines at MIS.
This smooth muscle relaxation allows increased blood flow generic levitra pill into certain areas of penis that leads to an erection. Let’s move into the positive part – the levitra vardenafil generic benefits of this medication. Remember, “Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through cialis 20mg tadalafil http://www.tonysplate.com/review_biggest_loser_11-pound_nutritional_scale.php the mind. Being over-conscious about the sexual performance can most of the times men ignore about erectile dysfunction and try to treat them on their own either through levitra professional online medicines or some natural herbs.
He barely broke a sweat until lapped traffic provided some anxious moments late in the race. Troy Barlett blew a motor going into Turn 1 as the leaders approached.
Both Days and Jayme Corry, who finished third, managed to deftly steer around the mess with no damage.
Jay Jay Day Won Saturday night's Bomber feature. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
“I just slid through there,” Jay Jay Day said. “I turned the wheel left. It was a close call, probably two inches.”
Nothing flustered him. Each time Johnathan Day would make a run, his cousin would pull away on the straightaways.
“On those long runs, the car went away from us,” Johnathan Day said.
It stayed good enough for Johnathan Day to get by Corry for second, though.
“Jay Jay and Johnathan put up a good fight,” the Theodore youngster said. “I tried my hardest to keep up with them.”
He and the rest of the Island Motors II Bombers will have to lay it all out on the line next Saturday when the winner could walk away with $1,500, the richest bomber payday of all time.
“We’ll be ready for sure,” Jay Jay Day said. “I’m sure a lot more will be coming.”
They’ll all have to fight their ways around the yellow No. 98 and those new tires.
“We’ve broken ’em in now,” Jay Jay Day said.
Next Up
Action returns to Mobile Saturday night July 16 as the Motorcycles invade Mobile International Speedway for the first time this season and the Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsman and Island Motors II Bombers will put it all on the line for the richest payday for a “Stock” car in the history of the 48 year history of the Speedway. The sportsman will race for $2,000 to win in the American Environmental 50 Lap Sportsman Spectacular and a possible $1,500 for the winner of the Bomber race.
Mobile International Speedway
Results – July 9, 2011
Winged Sprints (Top 5)
1. Keith Butler
2. Johnny Gilbertson
3. Troy DeCaire
4. Todd Fayard
5. Ed Lee
Bob’s Speed Shop Sportsmen
1. Steve Buttrick
2. Jeff Smith
3. Brannon Fowler
4. Steve Stagner
5. Bryce Dulabhan
6. Randy Thompson
7. Mark Barnhill
8. Jared Courtney
9. Mark Doherty
10. James Myres Jr.
11. Philip Goudreaulet
12. Jerome Lavinswky
13. Sean Randall
14. Bob Bryant
15. Lee Reynolds
16. Chad Robinson
17. Raymond Adams
18. Jonathan Langham
19. Jerry Goff Jr.
20. Kris Kahalley
21. Nick Brownlee
Island Motors II Bombers
1. Jay Jay Day
2. Johnathan Day
3. Jayme Corry,
4. David Johnson
5. Rusty Powell Sr.
6. Dale Hammac
7. Tracy Soles
8. Wesley Barnhill
9. Derek Long
10. Daniel Hill
11. John Seeber
12. Leonard Craig Jr.
13. Benny Bender Jr.
14. T.J. Thompson
15. Michael Beasley
16. Troy Bartlett
17. Robert Smith Jr.
18. Mark Emerson Jr.
