2008 Winternationals Stories
Rounds One and Two of Five
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
Orlando Speedworld (Orlando, Florida)
LEGENDS PRO: Pistone and Beattie Take Wins; Goess and Anderson Feud ~ by Jason Buckley
In a battle of who doesn't normally race full time in the Legends cars, Nick Pistone beat out Jesse Bunnell to take the first Pro division victory.
Nick Pistone usually spends his time working on his customer’s cars at Nick Pistone Racing, but the Winternationals is a time he uses to strap on the helmet and shake down some cars for the new year. It paid off with the win.
Nick Pistone took the first Pro division win . (LN Photo)
“The car was real tight,” said Pistone. “I was getting pushed around a lot. The car was tight. He almost snuck up on me at the end. We will have to do some adjustments with the motor and the gear and see if we can get another win tonight.”
Behind Pistone, Bunnell crossed the line second in a Legends Car, something he hasn’t been driving in a while.
“I have been racing the Roadster, but I decided to come back out and run some Legends races,” said Bunnell. “This car was just a frame Tuesday morning.
“I had a pretty good car. They shuffled me up to the high side and I lost a few spots. I knew I had a pretty good piece and my turn would come around when I had the bottom, and that is what happened. I had an awesome car.”
In the second Pro division feature, Pistone was once again a factor, but one of his drivers was the focal point of some frustration. Jordan Anderson followed Pistone for multiple laps with Craig Goess behind trying to get around. Goess got under Anderson multiple times, but the final time sent Goess spinning, officials putting Anderson to the rear for blocking and an incident of helmet throwing by Goess at Anderson’s car during the yellow.
“The corner before in turn one he (Goess) picked me up and I about lost it,” said Anderson. “When you get sideways in the corner like that is going to mess up your whole straightaway because you are trying to save it. I was busy doing that and the next thing I know we are going into three and he is going on the apron. You don’t do a move like that going into a corner.
Kyle Beattie won the second Pro division race. (LN Photo)
“I did not mean to block him. To tell you the truth I didn’t even see him. I didn’t expect to see him down there going into the corner. Maybe he should have been more patient and waited another lap. It was only halfway. I respect Craig. He has been doing this a long time. I didn’t expect to see him throw his helmet, but it was pretty funny when he missed.”
Goess explained his side of the situation and what happened with the Nick Pistone Racing team drivers.
“My perspective is that you have a whole team of cars over there that can’t handle someone being faster than them,” said Goess. “They are going to drive as dirty as they can to do what they have to do. They can’t handle someone beating them, so they will wreck them before letting you get by. I tried to drive the way I normally drive people and I am not going to wreck them. I kept getting blocked. I got under him and he just turned left on me, just like his teammate. He is probably a little aggravated because we have been three tenths faster than them all week.”
Meanwhile, up in front of the race, Kyle Beattie took the checkered flag.
“It was pretty spectacular,” said Beattie. “These ABS guys put me out here and let me drive it and I appreciate it.”
The talk of the second race though was the helmet throw by Goess.
“That (throwing the helmet) is about all I can do,” said Goess. “The kid weighs about 90 pounds. I don’t even know if he has hit puberty. I wanted to snatch him out of the car, but I couldn’t do that.”
LEGENDS CHARGERS: Flyin' Ryan Doubles Up ~ by Matt Kentfield
Schleuser must have ate his Cheerios before getting in and winning both Chargers races. (LN Photo)
Central Florida in the middle of February is just where Ryan Schleuser wants to be. After all, winters in his native Minnesota don’t exactly offer the mid-70’s temperatures that Orlando does. Sure the weather is a plus, but basking in the warmth of victory lane, the long trip from Minnesota is more than worth it.
Schleuser doubled up on victories in the Legends Car Chargers division, facing stiff challenges from Johnny Love in both races. In the first, Schleuser blasted by Love at the start, but Love continued to fill up his rear view mirror mid-race. Eventually, however, Schleuser pulled away and got through the gears on several late restarts the best, earning his first victory of Winternationals.
“I knew that I had a pretty good car. He (Love) was in my mirror, but I knew the car was good enough to keep him behind me even when he was right up on my bumper like that.
“Restarts are really important because you don’t want to get caught and end up falling back. I was able to get some good restarts and that helped me out a lot. It feels pretty darn good to start off Winternationals like this.”
LEGENDS YOUNG LIONS: Dylan Presnell Doubles Up While Stroupe Reels Him In ~ by Jason Buckley
Dylan Presnell dominated the first Young Lions division race, winning the feature. While many tried to catch him, he was just too fast to be beat.
“Before the first caution there I pulled away from them and had a pretty good lead,” said Presnell. “There was a spinout right there and #680 got around me. I drove harder than him going into the corner and got around him on the outside. I pulled away from him a little bit so I could get the checkered flag.”
At the end of the first race, contact between Devin Jones and Nick Stroupe sent Stroupe into the spin cycle. Officials credited Jones with last place for the contact
Dylan Presnell swept both Young Lions division races on Wednesday. (LN Photo)
In the second feature, it was once again Presnell dominating out front, but this time he had a challenge for the lead from Stroupe. The two raced hard for the top spot with Stroupe getting to the lead, but Presnell was able to get back around Stroupe for the win.
“It was a good race until the end,” said Stroupe. “I didn’t really do anything to the #83. I got a good run and got inside of him, but he had to nail me back. I had that win locked up. We are both fast. I thought I had the win, but he had to give me a nudge. Oh well, I will get him next time.”
“I didn’t even see Nick coming,” said Presnell. “There towards the end Nick drove up on me and got around me. I got back around him with three laps to go and got the win.
“If you look at my back bumper it is all bent in. It could have been from the ‘Rock’ (Ronnie Bassett) or him because they both like to bump. You have to drive others how they drive you.”
Presnell dedicated his victories to his mother.
“I would like to wish my mom a happy birthday,” said Presnell. “It is her birthday. I am dedicating both of my wins to my mom.”
BANDOLERO BANDITS: Two For Two For Kyle Benjamin ~ by Jason Buckley
Kyle Benjamin has been victorious a lot lately in the Bandolero Bandits division. (LN Photo)
In the Winter Heat Series, Kyle Benjamin doubled up on the same day for both Bandolero Bandits wins. In the first two features for the Winternationals, he did the same, taking victories in the first two of five events.
“It wasn’t easy,” said Benjamin of the first race. “Dillon Bassett put up a tough battle. The only reason I got around Mason was because Dillon got around him and I followed him by. Then Bassett got loose and I got by him. It means a lot to get the first win because it means you have a good car.”
Mason Massey took advantage of two drivers getting together ahead of him to get credited with the second place position in the first feature.
“It was pretty hard,” said Massey. At the end there was a little wreck and I got around it. I am pretty happy.”
In the second feature, it was once again Benjamin walking away with the race during the second half, but he had a challenge earlier from both Blake Jones and Dillon Bassett.
“I lead part of the race,” said Bassett. “He (Benjamin) got under me and started driving away from me. With three laps to go the caution came out and I thought ‘oh boy here, we go’ and try to get him on the restart, but it didn’t happen.
“I like racing with him (Benjamin). He is a good clean driver. I wish we would have won though. We have a lot of work to do to try to beat him.”
LEGENDS SEMI-PRO: Brown Takes Wreck-Filled Semi-Pro Kickoff ~ by Matt Kentfield
Michael Brown being interviewed by Legends Nation writer Matt Kentfield. (LN Photo)
If the theme of the first-and-second days of Winternationals combo show on Wednesday was crashed racecars, the Semi-Pro did their part in keeping up the trend. A time-shortened event that ended on a green-checkered restart found only one person pleased with the outcome – Michael Brown.
Brown took the lead from Alex Kempf on lap six and took Zach Zimmerly along with him to the front, setting up the first torrid battle for the lead. Zimmerly peppered the rear bumper of Brown’s #99 machine, eventually going for a spin himself while pressuring Brown. From there, a series of crashes on restarts caused when Cody Blackburn’s car failed to come up to speed on two occasions helped aid in the rapid sales of Legends Car parts in the pit area, but all Brown could do was watch the carnage in his rear view mirror as he held off Chad Hackenbracht and Tyler Kivett to the checkers.
“It was a great race,” said Brown. “I got hit a couple times, but that’s fine. We won, so that’s all that matters to me.”
The first feature of Winternationals nearly took a disastrous turn for Brown when he and Zimmerly made contact early in the race while they battled for the lead, but Brown was not going to be denied.
“I wasn’t trying to drive him (Zimmerly) dirty or anything. I was just racing. I think he was trying to wreck me, but he ended up wrecking himself in the meantime. After that, I was just focusing on getting great restarts. That was a great way to start this Winternationals off.”
In the second feature, Kara Clarke lead early, but felt the bump from behind, sending her spinning out of contention.
"It is just a bunch of bad luck, but it is a long week," said Clarke with a smile. "That is all I have to say."
With Clarke out of the picture, it was Jimmy Norman taking the checkered flag in another caution-filled race.
"We had a good race," said Norman. "I just want to thank Russ Thomson for helping with the car setup.
"The first run I caught myself going just a little too hard. After the second caution I told myself to slow down. After that I was cruising for the rest of the race."
BANDOLERO YOUNG GUNS: Chad Finchum Cruises To Easy Young Guns Wins ~ by Jason Buckley
Chad Finchum started off the Winternationals with two victories. (LN Photo)
Chad Finchum, with very little competition in the Young Guns division races, took both checkered flags on Wednesday on his attempt to win the Winternationals championship.
“My race was fun,” said Finchum. “I stayed out front and kept it clean all day. The weather was a little cool, but the A1 Finchum car was heating it up on the track.”
In the second race, Finchum used patience to work his way to the lead and the victory.
“We started towards the back and stayed patient to work our way to the front. Once we got out front I was waiting for the checkers to come.”
Matt Linker had to play second fiddle to Finchum, and is looking to speed up his Bandolero.
“It is going to take a lot to beat him (Finchum),” said Linker. “I need to find some more speed. Right now I have nothing for him. I need to find a different groove or something.”
BANDOLERO OUTLAWS: Sellers Sweeps Two-Car Field Races ~ by Jason Buckley
Kendall Sellers cruises around Orlando Speedworld as one of only two Outlaws here. (LN Photo)
Kendall Sellers and Jarod Hicks were the only two Outlaw drivers to show up in Florida for the Winternationals. Due to the small field, the Outlaw division was combined with the Young Guns races. Kendall Sellers was the best Outlaw driver in both races, but wasn’t the fastest car on the track as Young Gun racer Finchum beat him back to the checkered flag in both events.
“I am going to try to figure out how to beat Finchum, I know that,” said Sellers, who also works on Young Gun racer Matt Linker’s car. “I have five days to figure it out before the week is over. The only thing I am here to do is to prove to everybody that Chad Finchum can get beat on any given day.”
While both divisions are scored separately, Finchum was thrilled he was better than Sellers, at least for the moment.
“He (Sellers) is an Outlaw and is supposed to be a step ahead of us, but right now we are a step ahead of him,” said Finchum. “Hopefully we can hold onto our game plan and win more races this week.”
LEGENDS MASTERS: The "Big One" Takes Out Competion Early For The Masters ~ by Meghan Dillner
“Another One Bites The Dust” playing over the loudspeakers at Orlando Speedworld pretty much told the story of the Legends Masters feature event Wednesday afternoon. After only one lap, the crowd that came out to watch Winternationals action stared at exactly half of the starting field in the Masters division after a multi-car pileup got in a major wreck on the backstretch on the first lap of their feature event.
The wreck started with the #4 of Mark Esposito spinning off of turn two and collecting many of his fellow drivers as he went along.
The "Big One" detroyed race cars. (LN Photo)
“I am really not sure if I was tapped in the back or not,” said Esposito. “The next thing I knew my rear end of my car was sliding out. I was holding on trying to save it, but everyone piled in. I am sorry if it was my fault.”
Whatever the cause, the effect was a twenty-minute clean-up which was the max time allowed for the race. Fortunately for the drivers, because a lap had not yet passed, they ran almost a full race.
Through all the chaos, one lucky driver was able to maintain his lead. After battling with Clay Hair for much of the race, Larry Friddle drove under the checkered flag nearly 40 minutes after the Masters first hit the track for his first-ever Winternationals win.
“On the get go, I slowed up in the middle and Clay passed me,” said Friddle. “Then we had that big pile-up over there that I never saw on the first lap so we got to start over again. Now I knew what he did the first time.
“The second time, I came out beside of him raced him side by side for about two or three laps and he had to pull back in. I don’t know what happened to him after that.”
Beating Clay Hair was not the only exciting thing that came out of this race for Friddle. This happens to be his first win at the Winter Nationals.
“This is my seventh Winter National and my first one to win. I’ve been in the top five a couple times, but I haven’t had this kind of luck. And quite frankly, I have had a lot of good cars and I have had a lot of good people helping me, but Chris Rogers is the best,” added Friddle.
Friddle was hoping to pull off another win in the second feature of the day, but didn’t have it as easy when the field doubled because of the many cars that had been fixed after the chaotic wreck in the first race.
Cotton Spry's Legends car was junk after flipping on his lid and sliding down the backstretch upside down before slamming the turn three wall. (LN Photo)
The second Masters race wasn’t turmoil free either. After taking the early lead, the #16 of Cotton Spry was sent on a wild ride on his roof starting halfway down the back straightaway and ending with a smack on the wall in between turns three and four.
“I had led everything, but three or four laps and the car real good,” said Spry. “I know (Tim) Brockhouse had got underneath of me a few times. I think he just got underneath of me and slid up into me coming out of the corner and I wheel hopped him whenever he did that, but that’s a racing deal. I didn’t think it was going to ever stop, but it did stop and it was a hard stop.”
Brockhouse went on to the victory, but the battle with his buddy Spry was still fresh on his mind even in victory lane.
“Cotton and I have a long history, but we are really good friends and it was just kind of one of those deals,” said Brockhouse. “It was a racing deal obviously since they put me back into the lead. Now Cotton, he
likes to squeeze a guy, and well he squeezed a little too hard. I’ll tell you what, it was scary because I saw him go up over the top of my car and land on the roof. Then as he’s sliding across the track, I realized that he was probably going to come up and hit me, so I punched it and got around him. Fortunately he is okay and he is not mad at me. Actually he came out onto the race track when the race was getting ready to restart and gave me a thumbs up so that was awesome. It gave me a lot of confidence.”
