Tim Simmons collects 2nd career SECKS win at Citrus County Speedway!

Tim Simmons celebrates with Series Director Phil Harp and crew

Twenty Senior Champ karters came to the historic 3/8 mile paved oval of Citrus County Speedway in Inverness on Saturday night, April 24, to take their shot at winning the race sponsored by:

 2010 SECKS Series Sponsors:
VEGA Tires from http://www.TSRacing.com, and
IMPACT Racing Apparel and Products, at http://www.impactraceproducts.com/
J. Hite Exterminating at http://www.hiteexterminating.com,
PBS Sales and Service of Tampa at http://www.pbssalesandservice.com,
TOP DECK Concrete, Inc. of Riverview
National Semi-Trailer at http://www.nationalsemi.com/
MCKINNEY Powder Coating, at http://www.mckinneyracingproducts.com/powder.htm
BS POWERHOUSE Racing Engines at WEBSITE
 

Two eight-lap heat races were held, with the odd pill draws running in the first heat, and the even pills in the second.

J.Hite Exterminating (Tampa)  at http://www.hiteexterminating.com  sponsored the heat races, paying $25 CASH for each heat race winner, $15 CASH for second, and $10 CASH for third! 

Tim Simmons grabbed the lead in the first heat from his pole position, leading the first seven laps.  However, heading into turn one on the final lap, Kenner Brown III passed Tim on the low side, bringing Rusty Chancey with him.  They would remain in this order to the line, with Kenner, Rusty and Tim collecting the top 3 spots respectively.  

Six-time SECKS feature winner Dustin Chisholm moved to the point in the second heat, pushed from behind by ten-time WKA National Shifter Kart Champion and former Hooters Pro Cup driver Chad Dokken.   With two laps to go, Chad dipped under Dustin to take the lead.  However on the final lap, Dustin regained the lead and grabbed the win.  Chad Dokken finished in 2nd, followed by Paul Letourneau in the third position. 

 

Vega Tires – Series Sponsor

  

Hite Exterminating – Race Sponsor

The feature rolled out onto the track at approximately 8:00pm. The SECKS Series racing family could be seen standing along the backstretch grandstand as the field circled the track for it’s pace laps!

IMPACT Racing - Series Sponsor

 

When the green flag flew, Billy “The Kid” Smith surprised many in attendance, as he quickly moved from his 9th place starting position to the lead, followed closely by veteran Dustin Chisholm.

However, one driver wasn’t so fortunate, as Doug Schmidt, winner of the Triple Crown race at Citrus County Speedway earlier this season, suffered a mechanical failure, and dropped out of the race in the opening laps. 

Billy Smith celebrates 2nd place finish, gives Moonshine to his Dad

As Smith and Chisholm set the early pace, a battle was being waged from the third position on back, with numerous drivers trading positions on every lap. 

As the race developed,  Dennis Mace started to march forward from his last row starting spot,  reaching as high as fourth position during the event!

On lap 9, a caution flew, as Phil Harp, Paul Letourneau and Ed Brilhante got tangled together going into turn 3.  All three karts were able to continue racing. 

When the green flag flew for the restart, the complexion of the race began to change.  Although Billy Smith continued to lead, the pack was forming two-wide behind him. 

Kenner Brown III celebrates 3rd place finish

On lap 17, Tim Simmons surged to the lead with a pass underneath Billy, with his new best friend Joey Coaxum bump-drafting hard from behind.

As the pack continued to race two-wide behind them, Joey Coaxum suddenly slowed… his engine had died! 

Coming off of turn 4 on the final lap, Billy made one last attempt to pass Tim, but fell just short at the line.  Kenner Brown III finished 3rd, while Rusty Chancey and Andy Whah rounded out the top five.

Congratulations to Tim Simmons for scoring his 2nd-career SECKS Victory!!!

 IN ADDITION to the winners trophy and cash payout, Tim won a FREE VEGA Tire from TS Racing for scoring the win with Vega tires on his kart!

And amazingly, 18 of the 20 karts finished on the lead lap, in what may have been the most competitive field, from the first place finisher to the last, in series history.

And congratulations also to Billy Smith for scoring his first SECKS podium (top 3 finish)!   In addition, a bottle of Junior Johnsons Lighting Lemonade Moonshine had been posted to any first-time podium finisher!  Since Billy is a minor, he gifted the bottle of Moonshine to his father Bill, to thank him for his support. 

   
Finishing Order:

1) Tim Simmons
2) Billy Smith
3) Kenner Brown III
4) Rusty Chancey
5) Andy Whah
6) Ryan Walters
7) Alan McKinney
8 ) Wesley Gonzales
9) Paul Letourneau
10) Phil Harp
11) Romay Venta
12) Caylyn Brown
13) PJ Letourneau
14) Ed Brilhante
15) Dennis Mace
16) Mitch Stevens
17) Dustin Chisholm
18) Chad Dokken
19) Joey Coaxum
20) Doug Schmidt
 

If anyone has any questions about the series, please contact series director Phil Harp at 727-510-5401. Contingency and race sponsorships are always welcomed by Phil for each race. This group is very appreciative of all the race sponsors and supporters for the 2010 season!

Series Website: http://www.SecksRacing.com or
http://www.SouthEastChampKartSeries.com

SECKS FaceBook ‘Become A Fan’ – CLICK HERE

SECKS Online Racing Store (Shirts, Hats, Gifts) – CLICK HERE

Darin Coker scores 1st SECKS win in Punta Gorda!

Twenty-six Senior Champ karters came to the 3/8 mile paved oval of Charlotte County Motorsports in Punta Gorda on Saturday night, April 3.
 
The race was sponsored by:

2010 SECKS Series Sponsors:
VEGA Tires from http://www.TSRacing.com, and
IMPACT Racing Apparel and Products, at http://www.impactraceproducts.com/
J. Hite Exterminating at http://www.hiteexterminating.com,
PBS Sales and Service of Tampa at http://www.pbssalesandservice.com,
TOP DECK Concrete, Inc. of Riverview
National Semi-Trailer at http://www.nationalsemi.com/
MCKINNEY Powder Coating, at http://www.mckinneyracingproducts.com/powder.htm
BS POWERHOUSE Racing Engines at WEBSITE
 
One driver made his debut with the series! It was James Crawford of Clearwater.

James Crawford made his debut with the series

Two ten-lap heat races were held, with the odd pill draws running in the first heat, and the even pills in the second.

BS POWERHOUSE Racing Engines at WEBSITE posted $25 CASH for each heat race winner!

J. Hite Exterminating at http://www.hiteexterminating.com also sponsored the heat races paying $15 CASH for 2nd place, and $10 CASH in each heat!

BS Powerhouse Engines - Heat Race Sponsor

Ten-time WKA National Shifter Kart Champion and former Hooters Pro Cup driver Chad Dokken moved to the early lead in the first heat race, and held off all challenges, as he collected the checkered flag. Scotty Stevens finished 2nd, followed by Kenner Brown III in third.

Vega Tires - Series Sponsor

In the second heat race, Wesley Gonazles moved to the point and led for most of the race. As the white flag flew, Ron Letourneau of Stuart made a strong move to the high groove, and took the lead away from Wesley, claiming the win. Wesley held on for second, while Tracy Wilson finished third.  

Hite Exterminating - Race Sponsor

After the heat races were over, series director Phil Harp met with the two heat race winners in front of his trailer. A dice was thrown to determine the number of rows that would be inverted in the feature. A ’1′ came up. There would be NO INVERSION for the feature!

The feature rolled out onto the track at approximately 8:00pm. The SECKS Series brought the largest contingent of racing family and crew into the pits last night of any class, and all of them could be seen standing along the backstretch fence, cheering as the field circled the track for it’s pace laps!

Impact Racing - Series Sponsor

When the green flag flew, Chad Dokken quickly grabbed the lead from his pole position, with Ron Letourneau pushing from behind in second.

From third on back, a war was being waged, with many drivers fighting for the bottom groove on every corner. 
 

Ron Letourneau celebrates career-best 2nd place finish

As the race developed, leader Chad Dokken suddenly started to motion to the drivers behind him… he was pointing at his motor! Chad’s motor had developed an issue, and it was cutting in and out!

As he slowed, the line behind him momentarily got bottled up, causing the karts to go four-wide! When they did, Darin Coker jumped to the high side from his fourth place spot, and took the lead! Ron Letourneau held his second place position, while Tim Simmons moved into third.

When the two-to-go signal was given, a few drivers attempted to go to the high side, but were quickly shuffled back in the running order as the battle for positions heated up.

Coming off the final turn, Darin Coker was able to maintain his lead, beating Ron Letourneau to the line by a half-kart length! Scotty Stevens finished 3rd, with Romay Venta in fourth and Ryan Walters in 5th.

Congratulations to Darin Coker for scoring his 1st-career SECKS Victory!!!

IN ADDITION to the winners trophy and cash payout, Darin won a FREE Racers Bible from the CCMP Track Chaplain!

And congratulations also to Ron Letourneau for scoring his first SECKS podium (finish)! This was especially sweet for Ron, who was running his first race since gaining sponsorship from GREAT FLORIDA INSURANCE! Ron had just signed a 5-race deal with GREAT FLORIDA INSURANCE to sponsor his kart in the SECKS series, and his first podium (and heat win!) couldn’t have come at a better time. After the race, Ron thanked the sponsorship from GREAT FLORIDA INSURANCE, PBS Sales and Service, and Keller Williams Realty for his success. 

In addition, a bottle of Junior Johnsons Lighting Lemonade Moonshine had been posted to any first-time podium finisher last night! With both Darin Coker and Ron Letourneau scoring their first podiums, a coin was flipped, with Ron correctly calling HEADS!  As a result, Ron won the bottle of Moonshine, to help celebrate his best career finish in the series!

When the top five karts reported to scales, 3rd place finisher Scotty Stevens was found to be 2 pounds light. As a result, he was disqualified, negating a great run for the Stevens father-son team, who had driven 5 hours from Jacksonville to run this race.
  
Finishing Order:

1) Darin Coker
2) Ron Letourneau
3) Romay Venta
4) Ryan Walters
5) Kenner Brown III
6) Wesley Gonzales
7) PJ Letourneau
8 ) Tim Simmons
9) Tracy Wilson
10) Mitchell Stevens
11) Ed Brilhante
12) James Crawford
13) Ron Sanford
14) Andy Whah
15) Paul Letourneau
16) Joey Coaxum
17) JD Cordon
18) Chad Dokken
19) Billy Smith
20) Caylyn Brown
21) Vincent Crawford
22) Phil Harp
23) Brian Scherrer
24) Scotty Stevens 
25) Jesse James Foster 
26) Danny Scopano 
 

If you have any questions about the series, please contact series director Phil Harp at 727-510-5401. Contingency and race sponsorships are always welcomed by Phil for each race. This group is very appreciative of all the race sponsors and supporters for the 2010 season!

Series Website: http://www.SecksRacing.com or
http://www.SouthEastChampKartSeries.com

SECKS FaceBook ‘Become A Fan’ – CLICK HERE

SECKS Online Racing Store (Shirts, Hats, Gifts) – CLICK HERE