Daytona Hot Shoe Sample Chapter

Chapter Four

The Eighties 1980 Kidd Takes Controversial Victory Motorcycle fans can get very emotional about their sport. Their emotions nearly got the better of them during the Friday night feature, when a riot nearly broke out after competitors felt that two of the riders took unfair advantage of a situation – leaving the large crowd confused and very unhappy.

It all started back at the Houston Astrodome, following the first event of the Grand National Championship season.

“Goodyear had some soft compound tires and only had 12 of them left,” Mike Kidd explained. “I went over and bought all 12 because I knew they would work at Daytona.”

Terry Poovey also managed to get a set of the super-soft Goodyear compound tires from a Texas dealer.

Kidd, running for the U.S. Army, got off to a poor start in his heat but came back to finish second behind Billy Labrie.

“I remember nobody would have even known about it, but Terry was like, ‘Look at these tires I got,’” Labrie recalled in a 2011 interview. “I didn’t think much about it until we got to Memorial Stadium, and what an advantage! That was such a slick racetrack and it was a super-soft compound that worked real well there.”

Poovey won his heat, with Scott Pearson, Veets Veeder, Billy Schaeffer, Phil Culver, Rusty Pattillo and Gary Scott also winning their qualifiers.

Kidd got off third in his semifinal, but managed to outbrake Labrie and Schaeffer to take the victory. Poovey took an easy victory in his semi, with Scott and Pearson also winning their semis.

When the Experts were called to the starting line for the feature, Kidd and Poovey found themselves all alone. Gary Scott led a group of riders and mechanics, who went to referee Freddie Ephrem and told him that since Kidd and Poovey had an unfair advantage, they would not race.

“They’re playing games,” Scott told Henny Ray Abrams of Cycle News. “I don’t want to get any fines or into any hassles, but the way I feel is I don’t mind not racing tonight. The AMA won’t listen to us. They can’t race with two guys.”

Ephrem countered that they would go with the three alternates to fill the field, and threatened the riders with suspension.

Since the tires were legal, Kidd and Poovey were allowed to keep them. Poovey reluctantly said he would switch if he could get a few laps to work the conventional tires in. Kidd, however, would not budge.

It was only close at the start of the Friday night feature, with Mike Kidd (No. 72) and Terry Poovey (No. 18) quickly pulling away from the field.

Henny Ran Abrams/Cycle News

Tempers flared briefly before the scheduled start of the Friday night feature. Gary Scott is escorted from Memorial Stadium by law enforcement officers. He returned to the stadium a few minutes later to the delight of the crowd, and the race went on after a 30-minute delay.

Henny Ray Abrams/Cycle News

Chapter Four

45

Mike Kidd – helped with a special compound tire left over from the Astrodome – scored a dominating and controversial victory in 1980’s Friday night feature.

ISC Images & Archives

“I’ve got it the way I want it and I’m not changing it,” Kidd told Abrams. “I’ve got the advantage now and I’m going to keep it.”

While the crowd had no idea what the problem was, it began to show its displeasure with the delay, and several riders urged them on – back then, the pits were in the stadium infield.

“What really saved us was that Edgar Otto held a midget race at the stadium, and put up a wheel fence,” Jim France recalled.

“That way, the fans couldn’t get into the infield.”

A Volusia County Sheriff ’s deputy collared Gary Scott and forcibly escorted him from the facility. Meanwhile, police dogs were brought in to clear the track.

“Scott was told he would be charged with inciting a riot – and if anyone got hurt, there would be additional charges,” France said. “They said your friends will be going home after the races, but you’ll be staying here in jail.”

That was not a pleasant option, and to the delight of the crowd, Scott returned to the stadium after only being briefly detained.

“It’s going to hurt us a little now, but let’s give the people a show.”

Thirty minutes after originally being called to the line, the riders assembled. Kidd and Poovey then quickly pulled away from the field, with the other riders fighting it out for third.

Kidd led flag to flag for the victory, but was pressured all the way by Poovey.

Steve Hall finished third – more than a quarter of a lap behind – followed by Keith Day and Scott Pearson.

Labrie, who was battling for the Short Track Championship, thought briefly about protesting.

“If they were running the tires we were there’s no way they could have done it,” Labrie said. “Mike and Terry might have won the race anyway, but not by a straightaway.”

But, it wasn’t over yet.

“I was called into Jim’s office the next morning,” Kidd recalled.

Accompanied by his lawyer, he expected to get lectured by promoter Jim France.

46

The Eighties

“That’s true – it was about 1 a.m.,” France recalled. “I had the money in a cigar box, and told Mike if he didn’t change his tires, we were going to cancel Saturday’s show and refund all the fans’ money.”

Kidd agreed to change the tires. In the meantime, the AMA issued a rule change the next day stating that since Goodyear no longer recommended that tire compound, they would no longer be allowed in any AMA dirt track race, beginning that day.

Hank Scott – With Help From Kidd – Wins Saturday Finale One night after Gary Scott led a protest against Mike Kidd’s tire choice, Kidd lent his brother a helping hand that might have cost him a second consecutive Daytona victory.

“I don’t remember anything about that Friday night race,” Hank Scott said in a 2011 interview. “My brother was involved in so many controversial ones I can’t remember them all. I didn’t make the main event that Friday night – I was having some problems. That year, I started running a different style carburetor, called Lectron, and they sponsored Mike Kidd. He came over and helped get me dialed in before the race.”

Hank Scott won that Saturday feature on a Yamaha, followed

by Kidd and Charlie Roberts, both on Harleys. Roberts, running his first main event at Daytona, charged to the lead at the green light, with Scott going by on lap two. Kidd then took second and nearly pulled alongside Scott on several occasions, but fell short by a few feet.

“I knew you were there,” Scott said to Kidd after the race. “I want to thank Mike Kidd for helping me beat him.”

“I had the same tires as everybody else and I still did it,” Kidd said.

Terry Poovey finished fourth on a Harley, followed by rookie of the year candidate Bubba Shobert, Scott Drake, Ricky Graham, Ronnie Jones, Garth Brow and Steve Freeman.

Scott, Doug Ahn, Steve Hall, Scott Pearson, Keith Hawley, Mark Cox and Shobert won the heats. Scott, Kidd, Graham and Drake won the semis.

Hall, Cole Win Junior, Novice Features Steve Hall, of Millville, N.J., won Thursday’s Junior/Novice feature. Jim Filice and Todd Smith crashed early in the main event. Smith was transported to Halifax Hospital for observation. Filice was back aboard his Yamaha for the restart, but soon pulled over and was finished for the evening.

James Pyle finished second, followed by Novice rider Leslie Davis, Phil Culver and Buick Brandon.

Filice, Smith, Hall and Ervin Smith won the semis.

Mike Cole, of Columbus Heights, Va., avoided a second-lap pileup to win Wednesday’s Novice feature. It was a one-two finish for Yamaha, with Cole scoring a narrow victory over James Thomas.

John Spencer, Bill Herndon, James Thomas and Jeff Wickersham won the semis. Wickersham was involved in the accident in the feature and was transported to Halifax Hospital for treatment.

Goss Repeats in Daytona Half Mile, New Short Track Title to Kidd Randy Goss won the Daytona Busch Half Mile for the second consecutive year, on a chilly day that began with rain – and

a few snowflakes thrown in. Billy Labrie began a run of three consecutive runner-up finishes, with Terry Poovey taking third.

“Back then, Volusia was an oiled track, before the EPA came in and wouldn’t let them dump the oil,” Goss said. “It was oiled back when I ran it, and it was real nice. The clay came later.”

This was the first year of the $10,000 to win eight race HarleyDavidson Daytona Dirt Track Series. The Daytona Short Track races were part of an eight-race series sponsored by HarleyDavidson, hosting rounds six and seven.

The opening race was held Feb. 28 at Ocala Speedway, with Mike Kidd winning over Jim Filice and David Jones. Goss then won the Pepsi Challenge Half Mile at the renovated New Jacksonville Speedway, followed by Bill Labrie, Scott Pearson and Scott Parker.

Action then shifted to Barberville for the Daytona Half Mile, kicking off three days of racing with the Daytona Busch Half Mile. Terry Poovey won Tuesday’s AMA Eastern Regional Championship over Billy Labrie, Ricky Graham and Kidd, with Hank Scott taking Wednesday’s feature over Labrie, Poovey and Bubba Shobert.

Labrie, of St. Petersburg, Fla., took a seemingly comfortable 36-point lead into the Memorial Stadium competition.

However, he managed to finish sixth on Friday and failed to make the Saturday program. As a result, he took a six point lead over Kidd into the final round at Tampa’s East Bay Raceway on Tuesday, March 11, where he had a mechanical problem that cost him the title.

Scott Pearson won the rescheduled finale, with Kidd winning the championship and $10,000 with a second-place finish.

Mickey Fay (No. 59) fights for control in 1981 Tourist Trophy action.

ISC Images & Archives

Chapter Four

47

1981 Poovey Beats the Odds; Fay Dominates Only Daytona TT Terry Poovey faced long odds entering Saturday’s program, the final event of the nine-race $72,000 Harley-Davidson Daytona Dirt Track Series. Trailing Gary Scott by 18 points, the only way Poovey could claim the $10,000 first place check was to win the feature and have Scott fail to qualify.

In storybook fashion, that’s exactly what happened. Poovey won his scratch heat, qualifying heat and semi, took the holeshot in the feature and held off steady pressure from Billy Labrie to win the main event and the championship.

“I just had everything going for me tonight,” said Poovey, riding a Honda CR-250 owned by Al Lamb and tuned by Babe DeMay. It was Poovey’s second Saturday feature victory at Daytona, this time leading a Honda sweep of the podium.

Poovey set the tone of the day by winning the first of 20 scratch heats – in the fastest time – and then won in the opener of the eight elimination heats. Scott also won his scratch heat,

After seeing Mickey Fay win Wednesday’s TT feature, Ted Boody called the second night a ‘Mickey Fay Benefit Race’ – and Fay proved him right.

ISC Images & Archives

Peter Hook (No. 77) is chased by Ronnie Jones (No. 16) and Garth Brow in TT action. Hook finished 10th in the Wednesday feature. Jones’ best finish on the new course was third on Thursday, while Brow placed sixth on Wednesday and seventh on Thursday.

ISC Images & Archives

48

The Eighties

Mickey Fay won the feature race on the only two programs of steeplechase-style TT racing ever held at Daytona Memorial Stadium ISC Images & Archives

but finished fourth in his elimination heat – putting him in row two for his semi. Uncharacteristically, he got off to a poor start, and finished sixth after running last in the early going, failing to qualify for the feature for the second consecutive night. Wayne Rainey went on to win, joining Billy Labrie, Mickey Fay and Poovey in capturing the semis.

Poovey took the holeshot in the feature, but was pressured all the way by Billy Labrie. Junior rider Billy Herndon – sponsored

by Mike Kidd/America Honda – placed third after taking the position from Steve Morehead, who held on for fourth.

“My brakes went out on the first lap, and I didn’t think I was going to make it,” Herndon said.

Fay ended a sensational week by finishing fifth on a Honda, followed by Tim Mertens, Bubba Shobert, Steve Hall, Scott Drake and Rainey.

Friday night winner Hank Scott was running in position to advance to the feature in his semifinal. Trying to get a better

Gary Scott (No. 5) starts on the pole for Wednesday’s opening TT feature, while eventual winner Mickey Fay (No. 59) is on the outside. Other riders include Billy Labrie (No. 10), Steve Morehead (No. 42), Wayne Rainey (No. 60), second-place finisher Butch Brown (No. 2W) and Danny Cartwright.

ISC Images & Archives

starting position, he tangled with Tammy Jo Kirk and was finished for the night.

“Tammy was holding me up so bad I ran off in the corner and tried to stuff her,” Scott explained. “I stood on the brake too much and I killed the engine.”

Hank Scott Wins Friday While Brother Gary Struggles Gary Scott only needed a decent finish in Friday’s feature to wrap up the Harley-Davidson Daytona Dirt Track Series title.

While “Scott” made the headlines, it was Hank Scott who rode to victory – his brother watched from the sidelines after missing the feature.

Hank Scott, riding the same Yamaha with a similar setup to the one he used in his previous year’s victory, got the holeshot and then went on to do what no one was able to accomplish during the two nights of TT competition – beat Mickey Fay, who came up short on a last-lap charge.

Gary Scott didn’t make the evening program – finishing third in his scratch heat. Billy Labrie – another contender for the Dirt Track Series title – came up one position short of transferring from his semi after he struggled in the heats.

Hank Scott went down in the first turn of the first semifinal, and his rear wheel was run over by Scott Parker. Scott got back

up and finished second behind Billy Herndon – but ahead of Ronnie Jones.

“Someone clipped my handlebar and it dinged me for a while,” Scott recalled. “It had broken the silencer off. They ran my bike over to Ken Maely, and he welded the stinger and silencer back on real quick. Then I got back out there and finished second to Billy Herndon. I was all over him in that semi, but I just couldn’t get by him.”

Terry Poovey and Bubba Shobert got together and brought out a red flag in the second semi. Billy Schaeffer went on to win over Fay and Poovey. Steve Hall and Greg Tysor won the remaining semis.

There was little drama in the feature until the closing laps.

Scott got the holeshot and never looked back despite Fay’s late charge. Hall, riding a Yamaha, passed Tysor and Billy Herndon to take third.

Herndon finished fourth, followed by Tysor, Schaeffer, Poovey, Dave Bradley, Jones and Todd Giesick.

Tourist Trophy Debut a Mickey Fay Benefit Mickey Fay had a hard time figuring out what the name “Tourist Trophy” meant.

He had no problem understanding the concept of steeplechasestyle competition, winning the only two nights of TT action at Memorial Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Chapter Four

49

If the course appeared similar to the TT layout used in Houston, it was because it was also set up by Astrodome designer Harold Murrell, using a 15-inch limestone base. Fay won the 1979 TT at the Astrodome, as well.

“It was small,” Fay recalled of the Daytona layout. “You went all the way through turns one and two, and then, maybe three quarters of the way down the back straightaway. Then, it had a 90-degree turn that came back the other direction, a really tight corner, and then over a pretty good sized jump. Then we had a hard right-hand turn heading in the direction of what would be turn four, and then went back out onto the front straightaway. It was pretty much shaped like the Houston Astrodome TT track.”

Fay had posted notice to the competition after winning the second feature of Sunday’s Busch Half Mile at Volusia County Speedway.

“I want to let Terry Poovey and all those guys know that I’m going to win the TTs and short tracks,” Fay said. “I’m really confident and I know I’m going to do it.”

Fay then backed up his boast on the TTs – and nearly did so on the short track.

He won his heat and semi early on Wednesday evening’s program, and then passed Gary Scott on lap four and went on to win the feature.

Scott got the holeshot, with Fay getting off second, followed by Billy Labrie and Butch Brown. Fay made his move at the entrance to the infield section, and then soared into the lead over the seven-foot jump. Brown then got by Scott on the smaller 18-inch jump before the turn back onto the front straight.

Scott finished third, followed by Labrie, Steve Morehead, Garth Brow, Terry Poovey, Wayne Rainey, Danny Cartwright and Peter Hook.

Labrie struggled to make the feature. He stalled on his scratch heat in the first turn, and came back from a bump start to finish third and transfer. He crashed hard in the first turn of his qualifying heat. He came back for the restart to take fifth, the last transfer position to the semis. He started his semi in fifth, but three riders fell in front of him and he went on to win.

The TT event attracted 119 riders, who competed in 20 scratch features to make the evening program.

“On the second night, Ted Boody came up to me before the start of the feature and said, ‘Thanks for coming to the Mickey Fay Benefit Race,’” Fay recalled in a 2010 interview. “Ted added, ‘Buddy, there’s nobody here that can beat you here – you’re too fast on the 500s.’ I just kind of chuckled. I never forgot that – Ted was a good guy.”

Fay came back on Thursday and picked up where he left off, making good on Boody’s prediction of a “Mickey Fay Benefit Race.” In a slight change of format, 12 riders advanced to the feature, although only the top 10 received Dirt Track Series points. That number did not include Labrie, who entered the event second in the standings, but failed to make the feature. Also, Poovey had problems on the starting line and finished 12th.

Tim Mertens finished second behind Fay in the semi, but managed to take the holeshot in the feature. It was only a matter of time before Fay went by and cruised to the victory.

Unlike the flat quarter-mile short track, the Tourist Trophy configuration at Memorial Stadium had its share of ups and down, demonstrated by Gary Scott (No. 5). Scott finished second and third in the two nights to build up a big lead in the Harley-Davidson Daytona Dirt Track Series, only to miss both short track programs and lose the title to Terry Poovey.

ISC Images & Archives

50

The Eighties

With a rider down in the background, Billy Labrie (No. 10) and Hank Scott (No. 14) keep racing. Scott came back to win the Friday evening feature.

ISC Images & Archives

The best racing was behind him. Brown, second a night ago, fell in the second turn and finished 11th. Then, Mertens fell in the infield entrance, allowing Gary Scott and the rest of the field to get by.

Scott went on to finish second, followed by Ronnie Jones on a Sparky Anderson-prepared Suzuki and Wayne Rainey on a factory Kawasaki. Bubba Shobert finished fifth, followed by Steve Mendenhall, Garth Brow, Steve Morehead, Tim Palone and Mertens.

Fay, Butch Brown, Gary Scott and Wayne Rainey won the semis.

“I loved it,” Jones recalled in a 2010 interview. “I wished they did it more. We ran it across a football field and probably caused too much damage to what was underneath the racetrack. We also used to unload our transporters on top of the football field, and, by having the TT there and using up the infield, that created other issues, like having to pit outside. Also, there were not a lot of lights there. I guess they gave it a shot one time, but it was probably too much work.”

Meanwhile, Fay put on a show for the fans with a display of his riding ability.

“The wheelieing is part of the show,” Fay said after the race. “If I didn’t have a comfortable lead I wouldn’t do it. I looked back once every four laps.”

Herndon, Hames Ride to Victories Memorial Stadium featured a solid six nights of racing, opening with a Novice night on Monday and the Novices and Juniors on Tuesday.

Billy Herndon, who went on to place third on Saturday and fourth on Friday, won Tuesday’s Novice/Junior feature. He defeated Greg Tysor – a Novice winner two years ago, who was on a Can-Am – and future star Will Davis, aboard a Kawasaki.

“I looked back a couple of times coming out of turn four, but as long as I got out in front I knew I’d win,” Herndon said.

Mickey Cole finished fourth, followed by Rodney Sullivan, both on Yamahas.

Kawasaki rider Pete Hames beat fellow Californian David Rosa in Monday’s Novice feature. Kurt Hanford of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was third.

Labrie Wins Volusia Half Mile, Title to Poovey Billy Labrie opened up Bike Week by capturing the Daytona Busch Half Mile the previous Sunday at Volusia County Speedway.

Labrie started fourth, but worked his way up and passed Gary Scott for the lead on the fourth lap. Steve Morehead caught Scott exiting the final turn to take second, Scott Drake finished fourth, followed by Ted Boody, Terry Poovey, Garth Brow and defending GNC National Champion Randy Goss.

The program had three feature races, so that all 36 Experts would race. However, only the main event paid Harley-Davidson Dirt Track Series points. Ricky Campbell won the second feature over Jon Cornwell and Charlie Roberts, with Scott Parker finishing seventh. Mickey Fay won the third event, followed by Dave Bradley and Rick Knoop.

Mickey Cole won the Junior feature over Randy Texter and Erwin Smith. Future star “Wild Will” Davis won the Novice event over Jeff Joiner and Andy Richardson.

Chapter Four

51

High flying Mickey Fay had no problem solving the Daytona TT course – once he learned what ‘Tourist Trophy’ meant – winning Daytona’s only TT features.

ISC Images & Archives

Poovey captured the $10,000 first prize in the HarleyDavidson Dirt Track Series, followed by Gary Scott and Labrie, who missed the finals of the opening two nights at Jacksonville.

Gary Scott went on to finish second in the GNC championship – five points behind Mike Kidd.

When did Poovey think he had the championship in the bag?

“I never did,” Poovey told Henny Ray Abrams of Cycle News.

1982 Goss Wins Three-Way Saturday Battle; Jones Captures Pair Randy Goss prevailed in a popular three-way duel to win Saturday’s 12-lap feature aboard a Harley-Davidson, while Terry Poovey wrapped up the Harley-Davidson Dirt Track Series with a third-place finish.

Poovey won the $5,000 first prize in the series with one race remaining.

“I didn’t win the main, but I won the series,” said the Honda rider. “It was a little easier winning it with one race to go.”

Bubba Shobert, seeking a $1,000 bonus for a victory offered by the Kawasaki factory, finished second, followed by Poovey.

Poovey got the holeshot, followed by Shobert, with Goss reeling them in and passing both of them on the outside on lap 10.

52

The Eighties

“It wasn’t that good earlier, but as the night wore on, the riders threw some of the loose stuff up off the groove and it made it a little wider,” Goss said. “I waited until Shobert and Poovey took each other out to make my move.”

Ronnie Jones, who won the Thursday and Friday features, had a slow start and guessed wrong on his tire choice, finishing sixth on a Yamaha.

Morning rain appeared to make the dirt faster and the racing more spectacular for the sellout crowd.

Garth Brow took fourth on a Yamaha, followed by Dave Bradley, Jones, Scott Drake, Tim Mertens, Steve Morehead, Ted Boody, Fran Brown and Jeff Joiner.

Shobert, Jones, Poovey, Goss, Bradley, Brown, Drake and Joiner won the heats, while Shobert, Drake, Poovey and Bradley were the semifinal winners.

Jones Scores Back-to-Back Victories Ronnie Jones of Oklahoma City showed signs of things to come when he won both the Thursday and Friday features on his Kawasaki.

Jones beat both the field and a torrential downpour on Friday, earning a $1,000 contingency bonus to go with the $500 check he received from the factory the night before.

Jones led all the way after the race started in a light drizzle under ominous skies.

“I had too much luck tonight,” Jones said after winning on his Bob Dennis-tuned machine. “I had a bad start last night and had to move up. It was real slick tonight, but it was working on the inside.”

Billy Labrie took second on a Honda, followed by Poovey, Willie Crabbe, Garth Brow, Randy Goss, Scott Parker, Brown, Bradley, Ervin Smith and Will Davis.

“I was glad just to make the main event,” Parker recalled in a 2011 interview. “I struggled a bit at Daytona every year, and then I finally had a good result. I think a few people slid down, a couple people broke and the next thing I knew I was running seventh. I was a very happy camper.”

Shobert, Tim Mertens, Poovey, Matt Rozowicz, Tim Houghton, Labrie, Davis and Bradley won the heats, with Ted Boodie, Labrie, Poovey and Jones taking the semis.

On Thursday, Jones fought back repeated challenges from Poovey to claim the victory, with Labrie taking third. Poovey took the early lead, with Jones using a move to the inside to get by.

Labrie missed Wednesday’s feature, and started Thursday’s main at the back of the pack. He was able to make his Honda work in the high groove, powering his way to a popular podium finish.

Goss challenged for the lead in the early going, but his Harley-Davidson faltered and he wound up finishing last in the 12-rider main. Shobert took fourth, followed by Scott Parker, Mickey Fay, Tim Mertens, Steve Morehead, Billy Herndon and Dave Bradley. Will Davis took 11th on a Kawasaki.

“I remember that I wrecked between turns three and four,” Goss recalled. “When I got up, I saw a finger from my glove was gone. Fortunately my finger was OK, but it ripped the finger right off the glove.”

Poovey, Jones, Goss, Bradley, Greg Tysor, Tim Mertens, Mark Mannschreck and Herndon won the heats, while Parker, Goss, Jones and Fay won the semis.

Poovey Dominates Wednesday Program Terry Poovey rose to the top of a 165-rider field to win Wednesday’s Expert final. It was the Texan’s night, as he won his semi easily and built up such a big lead in the main that he did a wheelie on his Honda past the grandstand on his whiteflag lap.

Randy Goss finished second on a Harley, while Bubba Shobert and Ronnie Jones – both aboard Kawasakis – had the crowd on its feet with an exciting wheel-banging battle for third. Shobert took the position.

Mickey Fay finished fifth, followed by William Mueller, Fran Brown, Rich King, Steve Hall and Ervin Scott.

Tim Houghton, Mertens, Poovey, Shobert, Morehead, Fay, Boody and Fran Brown won the heats, while Goss, Shobert and Mueller joined Poovey in winning the semis.

Davis, Hartley Lead Juniors, Novices Will Davis won Tuesday’s Novice/Junior feature on a HarleyDavidson. Pete Hames took second, followed by William Mueller, Mark Hartley and Matthew Rozowicz.

“We’ll get a lot of Krystal Burgers tonight,” the Goldsboro, N.C., rider told Henny Ray Abrams of Cycle News following his victory.

Tim Houghton finished sixth, followed by Eric Rausch, Tim Palone, Danny Angel, Jeff Joiner, Don Krusniki and Tony Grady.

Mark Hartley, of Newport News, Va., won Monday’s Novice feature on a Honda, followed by Grady, Tony Pitcock, David Caballero, David Bettencourt, Dan Bennett, Charlie Bowles, Jeff Middlebrooks, Phil Vigneri, Barry Hill, Eric Johncox and Curt Rehmert.

Poovey Wins Daytona Half Mile, Short Track Championship Terry Poovey took the lead just after the midway point and went on to win the eighth annual Daytona Busch Half Mile the previous Sunday before a crowd of 5,000 at Volusia County Speedway. Poovey averaged 81.340 mph in the 12-lap main, finishing more than five bike lengths ahead of Tim Mertins.

Billy Labrie fell short of an attempted pass for second at the finish line. Steve Morehead finished fourth, followed by Bubba Shobert, Willie Crabbe, Scott Drake, Rod Farris, Mike Cole and Stephen Hall. All 10 were aboard Harleys.

Mertins was the early leader, followed closely by Poovey and Labrie. Poovey made his move on the back straight just after the crossed flags, and pulled ahead exiting turn three.

“This is my kind of racetrack,” Poovey said. “It’s a real good track for me. My bike worked real good, too. It’s a good combination.”

Lance Jones fell early in the feature, injuring his shoulder. He won Round 2 at East Bay Speedway, with Poovey second.

Todd Giesick and Charles Roberts won the semis. Pete Hames, a high school junior, won the Junior feature, while Charles Bowles – a 16-year-old high school sophomore – captured the Novice feature on a Honda.

The scheduled opening round of the Daytona Dirt Track Series at Ogelthorpe Speedway Park in Savannah was postponed due to rain, making it the series finale on Monday, March 8.

Labrie won the Expert feature, followed by Boody and Poovey.

The latter won the championship with 111 points, followed by Ronnie Jones with 69 and Labrie with 66. Ricky Graham won the GNC title by two points over Jay Springsteen.

Chapter Four

53

D A V E D E S PA I N : D ay t o n a S h o r t T r a c k a W h o ’ s W h o Dave Despain, popular host of SPEED’s Wind Tunnel, spent plenty of time covering and doing public address announcing at both Memorial Stadium and Municipal Stadium dating back to 1971. Here are a few of his memories of short track racing at Daytona: Looking at the big picture, it was a Who’s Who. Back in those days, everybody went to Daytona. And for the dirt track crowd, it was all about the short track. The Daytona short track races were like miniature AMA Grand National races for four or five nights in a row. All the important guys were there, and it was intensively competitive. The famous trademark at the old stadium was guys going down the backstretch with the right handle bar up against the concrete showering sparks. I remember seeing that – and that is not an exaggeration. It actually happened.

The track was often terrible, because the dirt down there isn’t any good for dirt track racing. That’s my opinion, but you can’t make a decent racetrack out of that marl. It was always a narrow groove affair, and that turned it into a real shoving match. It got real physical, lots of tempers, lots of fights, lots of old school racing, before the AMA gradually reined it in. Like all forms of racing used to be a bit rougher around the edges than it is today. That was at the back end of the time where if somebody did you wrong on the racetrack you didn’t hesitate to settle it in the parking lot that night.

For individual races, it all runs together. Gary Nixon was big down there, then Terry Poovey kind of owned the old Memorial Stadium for a period of time.

I got involved at the tail end of the era when the Grand National guys did everything. Then, a few years later, at R.J. Reynolds behest, the two series split and there was a separate road racing championship. It was the first time since 1954 that the Grand National series didn’t include all of the disciplines.

Then, very few guys crossed over – they tended to focus on one or the other. I think the primary reason was money more than anything else. Those factories were not inclined to have their guy break an arm or a collarbone running for $500 at the short track the night before the Daytona 200. But, left to their own devices – those guys would have done it in a minute.

They’d run all week, no problem.

After that, it became the guys who were not road racers, who were campaigning the Grand National tour. But, it really didn’t change – it just became a different assortment of stars.

It was still all the top guys. All the Grand National guys were there – they were in Daytona anyway, and it was the place to go race.

What I remember about the program was the extent that it was driven by the huge number of riders that were there – and there were a lot of them. Back then, a lot of non-Grand National short track racers would run all three classes together. So, as a result, you would have Novices, Juniors and Experts lumped all together in one big rider pool.

Everybody had to time trial, run the heats and go through the advancement procedure to get to the main event. There were bunches and bunches of heat races.

A lot of great races – a lot of great memories.

1983 Shobert Wins Finale, Title; Poovey Claims Three Victories Bubba Shobert was the Saturday night winner aboard a Kawasaki after Terry Poovey swept the three prior nights of racing for Honda. Shobert’s wire-to-wire victory – coupled with Ted Boody’s fourth-place finish – gave him the championship in the Daytona Dirt Track Series, as he moved from second to first following the finale.

Shobert collected $5,000 for winning the $42,000 series plus a $1,000 bonus from Kawasaki after he edged Boody by three points (87-84). Poovey was third with 73 points.

“One heckuva payday,” was how Shobert described it. “I knew I had a good chance to win the title going into the final round.

Everything worked just right for us.”

Dan Ingram was second in the Saturday main, holding off repeated attempts by fellow Honda rider Poovey.

54

The Eighties

Dave Despain works the pits at Municipal Stadium, interviewing Scott Parker.

Bert Shepard photo

Bubba Shobert does a victory lap following his victory in the 1983 Friday night feature.

Bert Shepard photo

Terry Poovey did three victory laps in 1983, winning the features on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Bert Shepard photo

Taking fifth behind Boody was Sammy Sweet, followed by Mark Hartley, Steve Hall, Steve Morehead, Scott Adams, Lance Jones, Kris Armentrout and Fran Brown.

Shobert, Ingram, Sweet and Steve Hall won the semis. Boody ran second for much of the first semi before yielding the position to Poovey. That put Boody on the second row for the feature – further hurting his chances in the championship.

The program also included the final of the 500cc All American Shoot-Out. Pre-race favorite Steve Morehead, who won two of the three earlier rounds, crashed on the third lap. That opened the door for Tim Mertens, who went on to defeat Billy Herndon in the 15-lap event.

Poovey Wins Three Features Terry Poovey made it three in a row by winning Friday’s feature, running flag-to-flag on his Honda.

Bubba Shobert was second, followed by the Suzuki of Keith Day, who held off repeated challenges by Ted Boody. Tim Mertens took fifth, followed by Doug Chandler, Dan Ingram, Eric Rausch, Charlie Roberts, Jim Filice and Matt Rozowicz.

Poovey, Filice, rookie Expert Rozowicz and Shobert won the semis.

On Thursday, Poovey took the lead on lap four of 14, winning by a wide margin over Boody.

Shobert finished third, followed by Filice, Mertins, Keith Day, Billy Herndon, Morehead, Scott Drake, Ingram, Rausch and Lance Jones.

Drake, Poovey, Filice, Shobert, Boody, Lance Jones, Fran Brown and Rausch won the heats, while Poovey, Drake, Filice and Shobert won the semis.

Rodney Farris, who had been running second in the short track series, failed to make the main and fell to third in the standings behind Boody and Shobert. Poovey, who sat out the opening three rounds, moved up to fourth with two races remaining.

Ronnie Jones fell in the third semi and suffered a compound fracture of his lower right leg.

“I remember that my bike seized up and the guy behind me ran over me,” Jones recalled in a 2011 interview. “I broke my shin bone and the two bones below the knee on my right leg. It wasn’t the track’s fault – my bike locked up.”

On Wednesday, Poovey rode a bike owned by Dallas Honda’s Al Lamb, tuned by Woody Kyle, instead of his Team Honda equipment.

“Honda really didn’t want me to ride, but team manager Gene Romero squared things for me,” Poovey explained. “I feel the more riding you do, the sharper you are. I came to race – I love to race.”

Shobert placed second, followed by Filice, as the top three ran nose to tail throughout the 14-lap feature.

“I didn’t really get dialed in until the final,” Shobert said. “Terry didn’t make any mistakes, and that’s what it takes to win here.”

Herndon finished fourth on a Honda, followed by rookie Expert Rozowicz. Rodney Farris finished sixth, followed by Ronnie Jones, Boody, Steve Hall, Morehead, Dave Hebb and Roger Crump.

Chapter Four

55

Filice, Poovey, Herndon and Crump won the semis, while contenders Hank Scott and Randy Goss failed to transfer from their scratch heats.

With Monday’s Novice program rained out, Tuesday featured both Junior and Novice riders. Dan Bennett, who towed 3,500 miles to Daytona from Hillsboro, Oregon, won the feature on a Honda he borrowed from Randy Green after he broke a water pump.

“It handles better than mine,” Bennett said of the Panther Framed Honda. “I hate to give it back.”

Doug Chandler finished second on a Kawasaki, followed by Rusty Miskovsky on a Honda. David Miller, a Novice from St. Petersburg, Fla., came back from a lap-one mistake to finish fourth. Doug Davis finished fifth on a Kawasaki, followed by Charlie Orr, Ron Andrews, Kris Armentrout, John Parker and Tony Harwell.

Graham Holds Off Boody, Wins Daytona Half Mile Defending Camel Pro Series Grand National Champion Ricky Graham held off Ted Boody to win the Daytona Half Mile feature at Volusia County Speedway the previous Sunday.

Graham fell in the opening round of the Daytona Dirt Track Series at Jacksonville and had engine problems in Round 2 at East Bay, but had no problems at the Barberville oval, winning $750 and the 12-lap feature before a crowd estimated by the Daytona Morning Journal at 10,000. He averaged a record 81.730 mph.

“It feels real good,” said the 24-year-old Graham, of Seaside, Calif. “I felt good about winning this one.”

Graham and Ted Boody ran side by side on the opening lap, with Boody taking the lead on lap two. Graham ducked inside the two-time Daytona Half Mile winner on lap eight, and pulled ahead exiting turn four. Boody managed to pull even on the backstraight on the final lap, but Graham got a better line entering turn three and gave it full throttle to the finish line, winning by less than a bike length.

“I figured I could beat him,” Graham said. “I felt confident in the corners. It was just a matter of finding the right time to pass him.”

Martin Lavoie captured the 400cc feature over Tim Mertens, both riding Hondas. Dan Bennett won the Junior feature. Other winners were Rodney Farris in the B Expert feature, Mike Inderbitzin taking honors in C Expert, and Duane Duvall in the Novice final.

The Daytona Dirt Track Series opened at the Jacksonville Speedway half mile, with Rodney Farris winning over Steve Morehead. The series then moved to Tampa’s East Bay Raceway, where Boody won over Farris and Bubba Shobert.

56

The Eighties

(ISC Images & Archives)

G o ss W ins S e c o nd N a t i o n a l Ti t l e While Randy Goss failed to make the features at Daytona, he went on to capture his second Camel Pro GNC title. Goss won at the Hagerstown, Md., half-mile and Indianapolis mile, beating out Ricky Graham by eight points.

“It was always fun coming to Memorial Stadium,” Goss recalled in a 2011 interview. “It was a big deal coming down from Michigan, running at Jacksonville, Volusia and Castlebury. I remember that the Memorial Stadium surface was like crushed sea shell. The guys from Michigan always wanted to put ice studs in their tires, but thay wouldn’t let us do that. Just coming to Daytona was a big deal for us – it’s something we just had to do every March.”

While Goss stopped riding in 1985, his motorsports career was just beginning, as he became a crew chief in sports car racing and later at NASCAR’s top levels – winning a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona with Greg Biffle in 2003. He was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 1998.

1984 Boody Wins Half Mile, Finale to Capture Daytona Dirt Title After battling a dry track throughout the week, Ted Boody found the surface watered to his liking for the Saturday evening program. He went on to win the feature and capture the Wiseco/Daytona Dirt Track Series championship.

“We’ve been telling them to do it all week,” Boody said of the track surface.

Randy Goss and Terry Poovey also entered the finale with a shot at the title of the seven-race series, and the three broke away from the pack into the first turn at the start. Boody and Goss worked the cushion, with Poovey working the low groove.

“We were both up there in the cushion, but when the other guy figures out where you’re going it’s tough,” Boody said. “After they watered the track it was a lot better show for the fans.

Before, if you got out front, you won, but tonight the start position didn’t mean so much since you could pass.”

Boody bobbled once, allowing Goss to close in, but recovered and rode to the victory, followed by Goss and Poovey on an allHarley podium.

Billy Herndon took fourth on a Honda, followed by Scott Pearson, Fran Brown, Ronnie Jones, Dan Ingram, Junior rider Chris Carr, Chris Evans, Bryan Hardin and Garth Brow.

Boody, Goss, Jones, Herndon, Pearson, Ingram, Poovey and Brow won the heats. Goss, Jones, Boody and Herndon won the semis. Tim Mertens was leading the points entering the final night, but was passed by Carr on the white flag lap to miss out on the final transfer position from his semi.

Mertens Wins Friday Feature Tim Mertens got help from a referee in Friday’s Expert/ Junior feature, when Terry Poovey was sent to the penalty line at the start. Mertens, riding for Belleville Honda, went on to win although pressured by the Harley of Steve Morehead and Honda rider Scott Adams.

Poovey and Chris Carr jumped the gun at the start, leaving a four-man front row. Jones got the holeshot and led the first lap before going out with a flat tire. That gave the lead to Mertens, followed by Morehead, Adams, Jimmy Filice and Fran Brown.

“I remember that I sat on the pole for that race,” recalled Carr in a 2011 interview. “We actually got a green light, but they red-flagged it and put Poovey and I to the back. I was pretty disappointed because I felt like I nailed the start. I thought it was a bad judgment call, but that’s how things go.”

Ted Boody celebrates a victory lap after winning the Saturday night feature in 1984 – giving him the Wiseco Daytona Dirt Track Series championship.

Bert Shepard photo

Carr, who went on to win that year’s Junior national championship, said that with the coming of the “cheater beam” six or seven years later, calls like that were eliminated.

Poovey worked his way up to fifth with four laps remaining, but couldn’t get any closer.

“I’ve been racing here for four years and have never come close,” Mertens said after the race. “Last night, I crashed and hurt my shoulder and had to race taped up tonight. There are a couple of big holes coming out of turn four and they gave that shoulder a workout tonight.”

Filice finished fourth on a Harley, followed by Poovey, Brown, Carr, Randy Waldrop, Scott Pearson, Curtis Rehmert, Sammy Sweet and Ronnie Jones.

A total of 116 riders competed in 24 scratch heats during the afternoon, reducing the evening program to 48 riders. Filice, Morehead, Mertens, Poovey, Rodney Farris, Scott Adams, Carr and Jones won the heats. Morehead held off Poovey to win the first semi, Jones edged Filice in the second, with Mertens and Farris winning the remaining semis.

Poovey Doubles, But Nearly Disqualified Terry Poovey won on Wednesday and Thursday, although he was nearly disqualified from the latter event.

The Thursday victory was controversial. Poovey was allowed to race after initially being disqualified by referee Freddie Ephrem for changing a sprocket on his Harley on the starting line after the third red flag at the start.

Chapter Four

57

Seeing that Poovey had the low groove covered, Goss tried going high in turns one and two during the final two laps, but couldn’t gain ground.

Tim Mertens was fourth, followed by Steve Morehead, Dan Ingram, Fran Brown, Garth Brow, Sammy Sweet, Matt Rozowicz, Will Davis and Roger Durkee.

A total of 136 riders from 28 states and Canada signed in.

Poovey, Goss, Steve Morehead, Tim Mertens, Jim Filice, Garth Brow, Ronnie Jones and Charlie Orr won the heats. Mertens, Poovey, Goss and Brow took the semis.

Estep, Rogers Win Junior, Novice Mains

Ted Boody found the damp surface to his liking for 1984’s Saturday night feature.

Bert Shepard photo

Once he was allowed to race, Poovey never looked back, cruising to victory over the Honda of Billy Herndon, followed

by Gary Scott on a Harley.

Rounding out the top 10 were Jimmy Filice, Sammy Sweet, Fran Brown, Dan Ingram, Garth Brow, Mark Hartley, Scott Drake, Tom Maitland and Tim Mertens.

Mertens, Scott Pearson, Poovey, Fran Brown, Herndon, Filice, Gary Scott and and Mark Hartley won the heats, while Filice, Herndon, Poovey and Drake captured the semis.

The initial start to the feature was red-flagged when Mertens went down in turn one and was run over by Brow. Both got back up for the second start, but this time Sweet went down in the same place. On the next attempt, Drake and Brown left early, and were sent back to the penalty line.

Poovey’s mechanics then came to the line, but were waved off. A check of the rulebook revealed that Poovey could get eight minutes if needed without asking an official. Just in case, four motorcycle policemen came into the stadium, anticipating trouble from the near-capacity crowd. Herndon got the holeshot on the final restart, with Poovey putting on a show in his attempts to get by. He finally made a move that stuck entering turn three late in the race.

“I’d drift up and he’d come under me,” Herndon said. “I tried to lean down on him, but he had me.”

After the race, Poovey explained, “I worked too hard on the motorcycle and tried too hard to get screwed.”

Compared to Thursday, Wednesday was much easier, with Poovey leading all the way. Randy Goss put on a late charge and took second, followed by Ronnie Jones, making his return to the track where he suffered a badly broken leg a year ago.

58

The Eighties

Wood-Rotax rider Donald Estep won an accident-marred Novice/Junior feature on Thursday. Frank Sanchez and David Miller tangled at the start/finish on the ninth lap while battling for third, with Randy Hunt crashing into the wall entering the front straight a lap later while running fourth. Brad Furlong finished second, followed by Philip Vignerio. Chris Carr ran second in the early going, but fell in turn two. He remounted and finished seventh.

Chad Felicio took fourth on a Wood-Rotax, followed by Mark Dukes, Jeff Jenkins, Carr, Stephen Flach, Duane Duvall, Hunt, Sanchez and Miller.

On Monday, Rusty Rogers, of Richmond, Va., went flag to flag on his water-cooled Suzuki 250 single, following up Novice victories at Barberville and Tampa. Mike Stauffer finished second on a Honda, followed by Jeff Jenkins on a Yamaha, Les Washbon, Donald Myers, John Carter, Recil Hart, Keith Gregoire, Furlong, Paul Fortunato, John Gladwill and Dukes.

Boody Wins Daytona Busch Half Mile Ted Boody opened up the previous Sunday by winning the Daytona Busch Half Mile before 5,200 fans at Volusia County Speedway. Boody averaged a record 81.773 mph, riding the Tex Peel-prepared Harley-Davidson that Ricky Graham rode to victory in last year’s event.

The Barberville facility had a new surface, with red clay replacing the oiled dirt. Darrel Dovel – now an AMA official – supervised the use of a water truck to control the dust.

Boody and defending Camel Pro GNC champion Randy Goss pulled away from the field by the fourth of 12 laps, when the pair motored by early leader Ronnie Jones. Goss slipped high in turn one on lap six and fell back, but managed to work his way back into contention. He attempted an inside pass on the final lap, but could not get by.

“You can’t ever race against Randy without working for it,” Boody told Godwin Kelly of the Daytona Morning Journal

after the race. “I did everything I could to keep my cool. I knew he was there and I was riding my hardest and trying not to make mistakes. But, where I was riding was the fastest, and he was riding somewhere else to pass me and having trouble with it.”

Jones finished third, followed by Garth Brow and Jon Cornwell.

Boody, Goss, Cornwell and Jones won the heats. Chris Carr won the Junior feature, leading all the way despite pressure from Don Estep, while Rusty Rogers won the Novice final on a Harley-Davidson.

“I was late into turn one on the start and I had to pass four guys on the outside,” Carr said. “I watched Randy Goss do it in his heat and I just did the same thing.”

Tim Mertens entered the event with the point lead in the Daytona Dirt Track Championship, but was knocked out of the program when he collided with Gary Scott in a heat race.

Rodney Farris opened the week by winning at the Jacksonville Speedway half mile over Mertens and Gary Scott. Boody won the second round at Tampa’s East Bay Speedway, followed by Randy Goss and Mertens.

Boody finished the week by winning the Wiseco/Daytona Dirt Track Series championship, scoring 71 points to 64 for Goss and 63 each for Mertens and Poovey. Graham won the GNC title, edging Bubba Shobert by one point.

1985 Jones Lands Ride on Honda, Scores Three-Night Sweep

C h r is C a r r o n t h e W o o d - R o t a x Chris Carr came on the Daytona scene in 1984 as a Junior rider. He was riding a new Wood-Rotax motorcycle, that was the right bike at the right time for the Stockton, Calif., rider.

“I had tested the bike a little bit in 1983 at the end of my Novice year and I struck up a deal with Ron Wood,” Carr recalled in a 2011 interview. “I was a kid that was moving into the pro ranks at the time. The bikes were really good, and I couldn’t build one better than it. I rode that bike for the most part that entire year, my Junior year, into my Expert rookie year on the singles stuff. In fact, I rode his stuff for most of my career.

“Ron Wood built a quality product. It was competitive and all the ‘goodies’ were available. It was a privateer’s dream.

It was a great all-around motorcycle. You could short track, TT, half-mile and mile on the same bike and be competitive everywhere.

“At that time, there was a factory Honda and a factory Harley. Harley didn’t have a great singles program at the time, and Honda was pretty much just available to Honda – there wasn’t anyone trying to build and sell Hondas that were like the factory. So, if you weren’t on a factorysupported bike, the Wood-Rotax was the way to go.”

Ronnie Jones rode a red Knight-framed Honda to victory on all three nights in 1985.

Bert Shepard photo

Running out of money, Ronnie Jones nearly quit racing at the end of the 1984 season. Then, a new ride came along, and the Oklahoma City rider went out and swept all three nights of racing on a Honda.

“Skip and Elaine Marett, who owned the Gill Track and Field Company, of Urbana, Ill., were race fans who had the money to sponsor a team, and they approached me at the end of 1984,” Jones explained in a 2010 interview. “At the time, I was seriously considering retirement. When they came along, I hired mechanics and got a brand new Honda 750 for the miles and half-miles. We barely got it together to take it to Daytona. I didn’t know anything about it and we struggled.

They had the championship that included races on half-miles, and I didn’t fare well on them.”

In fact, Jones failed to qualify for the races at Volusia County Speedway and Jax Raceways. For Memorial Stadium, Jones raced a 500cc Honda in a Knight frame – a bike that would carry him to plenty of success in the upcoming years.

“Then, we came to the quarter-mile at Daytona and I won all three races,” Jones continued. “That was a good way to start the

Chapter Four

59

year. We figured we’d do well here at the stadium. But, we didn’t figure to do this well.”

Jones led all 12 laps in the Saturday feature, coming back from a red flag after a minor spill on lap seven.

Tim Mertens was second on a Honda while Poovey scored his third podium finish of the weekend, also ending a four-year winning streak at Memorial Stadium.

“I knew as long as I kept Boody behind me I was in good shape,” Poovey said. “I also got something I didn’t expect – Hames not making the feature. I could have run harder and maybe won the race, but I didn’t want to take a chance and fall down.”

Jones started on the outside of the front row, but still got the holeshot, followed by Mertens.

Chris Carr, of Stockton, Calif., the 1984 Junior national champion, finished fourth aboard a Wood-Rotax. He was followed

by Eric Rausch, Scott Adams, Doug Chandler, Ted Boody, Will Davis, Rodney Farris, Kris Armentrout and Brad Tyler.

Jones, Poovey, Boody, Pete Hames, Mertens, Rausch, Carr and Sweet won their heats, with Jones, Poovey, Mertens and Carr taking the semis. Hames led the series points entering the evening, but finished fifth in the opening semi after blowing the start and failed to transfer to the main.

Jones Falls, Remounts, Wins Jones went down in the first turn at the beginning of Friday’s main event, bringing out a red flag. He came back following the complete restart and led all 12 laps, winning in three minutes, 56.944 seconds.

Terry Poovey actually got the holeshot out of the second starting position, with Peter Hames getting off second. But both riders ran high coming off turn four, with Jones going to the inside to take the lead.

Hames tried a move to the inside of Jones exiting the final corner in the dash to the checkered flag, but came up short, one bike length behind.

“I was going to get him on the last lap, but he nailed it,” Hames said.

Poovey finished third, followed by Chris Carr, Fran Brown, Rodney Farris, Sammy Sweet, Will Davis, Steve Morehead and Eric Rausch. Tim Mertens was fifth at the halfway point, but fell on lap 10 and finished 11th. Billy Herndon was 12th.

Hames, Jones, Ingram, Carr, Tom Maitland, Poovey, Farris and Randy Hunt won the heats, with Jones, Poovey, Hames and Carr taking the semis.

Goss led during the early going of Thursday’s feature before Jones went by on lap three. Jones went on to win the 12-lap event in 3:58.656.

60

The Eighties

Steve Morehead was always a rider to watch at Volusia County Speedway.

ISC Images & Archives

Hames got the holeshot, but Goss and Jones both managed to get by on the first lap. Jones took the lead on lap three, but Goss fell and lost a lap coming out of the final turn five laps later after contact with Poovey.

“I remember that was my last race at Daytona,” recalled Goss in a 2011 interview. “I was running real good before I wrecked.”

Poovey finished second, 10 lengths behind, followed by Hames and Mertens.

Ted Boody took fifth, followed by Chris Carr, Scott Adams, Rich King, Brown, Maitland, Goss and Farris.

Poovey, Jones, Boody, Goss, Hames, Carr, Chris Evans and Maitland won the heats. Poovey, Goss, Hames and Brown captured the semis.

Johnson Wins, Juniors and Novices See Red With Tuesday used as a rain date for the Wiseco/Daytona Dirt Track Series race at Jax Raceways, action at Memorial Stadium opened up on Wednesday with a Novice/Junior program.

Novice rider Bruce Johnson, of Salinas, Calif., dominated the eight-lap feature on a Harley in a race that was red-flagged four times.

“I never thought I’d have to get so many holeshots to win a race,” Johnson said. “I was getting kind of mad at all of the restarts, but it was fun and I like this kind of track.”

Mark Mannschreck got the initial holeshot on a Honda, but Randy Turbett fell, leading to a red flag and a complete restart.

Johnson jumped the next restart – bringing out another red flag – and retook the lead and was out front for three laps before Eric Sassaman fell, just at the 11 p.m. curfew. The race was allowed to be restarted, with Lewis Woods III hitting the hay bales in turn one, bringing out the final red flag and causing the race to end two laps early.

Mannschreck finished second, followed by Rob Lewis, Mickey Fontana, Turbett, Keith Gregoire, Sassaman, Randy Hunt, Tyler Ball, Mathew Yoho, Dave Lamb and Woods.

Morehead Finishes Strong, Wins Busch Half Mile Steve Morehead opened the Wiseco/Daytona Dirt Track Series by winning the 11th annual Daytona Busch Half Mile at Volusia County Speedway. Morehead had to work for his payday of more than $900, passing Pete Hames for the lead on lap eight, and then holding off a late charge by Ted Boody before a crowd of more than 5,000.

Morehead, riding a 750cc Harley-Davidson, averaged a record 84.328 mph in the 12-lap feature that lasted 4:16.

“This was my first race of the year and there’s nothing like winning your first race,” said Morehead. “I had a feeling this would be a good day for me. I woke up with a good feeling.”

Boody was slowed by tire problems that hurt his late bid.

Morehead got loose in turn two on the final lap as Boody was at his rear wheel. Boody had to slow to avoid hitting the leader, ruining his momentum.

“I did everything I could to win,” Boody said. “I was getting up to speed to pass him, but he got sideways and I had to slow down.”

Hames, who led the opening seven laps, finished third. Rodney Farris finished fourth, followed by Tom Maitland, Chris Carr, Randy Goss, Tim Mertens, Scott Drake and Terry Poovey.

Mertens was fast qualifier. Fran Brown won the Expert B Main while Don Estep won the Expert C Main. Brad Furlong won the Junior feature, with Brice Johnson winning the Novice main.

1986 Jones Wins Finale, Title; Carr Captures First Daytona Feature Ronnie Jones captured the Wiseco/Daytona Dirt Track Series championship with a victory in Saturday’s finale, while Chris Carr won his first Daytona feature on Friday night.

Jones, a three-time victor here a year ago, made his third consecutive visit to the box, taking the top step for the first time of the week.

“Did I win the series?” he asked after an impressive flag-toflag victory.

Ted Boody entered the finale with the point lead, but finished seventh, giving Jones the $3,000 top prize in the $36,000 series.

“I can’t believe it,” Jones said after stepping off the Honda built by GF Racing’s Dennis Harris and tuned by Skip Marett. “I just rode the same way all night. Some guys were riding up high, working the cushion. I stayed low and kept the bike set up for that line.”

Will Davis, riding a Harley 500R, followed Jones off the line and rode second for the entire event. Billy Herndon took third on a Honda XR500.

The track was watered heavily, delaying the program for an hour, in a bid to break up the follow-the-leader racing. That made the surface extremely wet and slick.

“We almost got rained out by the water truck,” Herndon told Henny Ray Abrams of Cycle News.

Dan Ingram took fourth on a Harley, followed by Terry Poovey, Pete Hames, Ted Boody, Chris Carr, Scott Pearson, Mickey Fay, Bryan Villella and Charlie Orr.

P o o v e y W ins T h i r d S h o r t T r a c k Ti t l e Despite his sweep at Memorial Stadium, Ronnie Jones finished second in the Wiseco-Daytona Dirt Track Series, three points behind Terry Poovey, 63-60. It was the third championship for Poovey, who failed to win a feature, but scored a pair of seconds and thirds to take the $5,000 payout. Jones failed to qualify for the opening two rounds of the series that opened on the half-mile at Volusia County Speedway. Ted Boody, who finished second at Barberville, won the second night’s feature aboard a Honda on the halfmile in the rain-delayed race at Jacksonville. Another round, at Tampa, was cancelled due to poor track conditions.

Boody was awarded third place in the Daytona Dirt Track championship due to his feature victory after tying Hames with 53 points each.

Boody went on to finish second in the GNC championship, trailing Bubba Shobert by 56 points.

Chris Carr does a wheelie for the crowd as he takes the checkered flag in 1986, winning his first feature race at Memorial Stadium.

ISC Images & Archives

Chapter Four

61

Carr pressured Ingram in the early going, with Carr riding the cushion.

“I was using the high line, which gave me greater drive out of the corners and more straightaway speed,” Carr said. “I was going into the corners about four miles per hour faster than the others, but I got shoved into the wall by a couple of guys.”

Jones said he only looked back once after the start, “I just wanted to concentrate.”

He built up a straightaway lead by five laps.

Boody could have won the title with a third-place finish, but felt he got all he could out of his Honda.

“The bike is basically a TT bike. It’s not set up for this track,” Boody said after the race. “I just put a 500cc cylinder and piston on it and used it for this and the Houston short track. It went as fast as it could. This is the first time in that I’ve come down here in five years that I made the main all three nights.”

Poovey, Charlie Orr, Dan Ingram, Bryan Villella, Carr, Boody, Davis, Fay and Jones won the heats. Poovey, Jones, Herndon and Davis captured the semis.

Carr Wins First in Friday Feature Unhappy with his tire choice from the night before, Chris Carr switched to a harder compound for his 500cc Ron Wood/ Wood-Rotax and won every race he entered on Friday – including his first Daytona feature victory.

He led all 14 laps, leading the Honda of Ted Boody by 18 bike lengths at the checkered flag. Carr was timed at 4:12.432.

“I was trying to keep up with Chris, but I was making too many mistakes,” Boody said. “If I caught him, I couldn’t have passed him anyhow – he was staying on the fast part of the track.”

Ronnie Jones took third on a Honda, followed by Randy Green, Scott Pearson, Mickey Fay, Pete Hames, Mark Hartley, Sammy Sweet, Billy Herndon, Dan Ingram and Bryan McDowell.

Racing proved to be predictable throughout the evening, with every early leader going on to win the 15 races. Dan Ingram, Terry Poovey, Jones, Aaron Hill, Boody, Carr, Herndon, Hames, Tim Mertens and Bruce Johnson won the heats, with Carr, Jones, Hames and Ingram taking the semis.

Ingram, McCoy Take Victories Dan Ingram got the jump from the No. 2 starting position and led all 12 laps in winning Thursday’s Junior/Expert final on the Griswold Racing Harley. He was timed at 4:22.125. He was followed by Ronnie Jones and Chris Carr.

Terry Poovey finished fourth, followed by Will Davis, Pete Hames, Steve Morehead, Scott Adams, Sammy Sweet, Ted Boody, Scott Pearson and Craig Estelle.

Jones, Carr, Sweet, Ingram, David Hebb, Hames, Don Howard, Eric Rausch, Mickey Fay and Jon Cornwell won the heats, with Jones, Carr, Sweet and Ingram winning the semis.

Ingram got the holeshot for the feature, and was never headed.

“I was sleeping on the line,” Carr said. “Danny blocked me and Ronnie got a good line. I made a poor tire choice. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure I have fresher rubber for the main.”

In a change of nomenclature, the “Novice” tag was gone, replaced by “Pro-Am.” Willie McCoy found the new label to his liking, winning Wednesday’s Pro-Am/Junior feature on a Honda. The Garland, Texas, rider was the lone Pro-Am contestant in the 10-man feature, and he led flag to flag.

“I love it,” McCoy said after the race, saying he was “a lot surprised” to have won over the field of Junior riders.

Second in the 12-lap race was Mark Mannschreck on a Honda, followed by Robert Lewis Jr., P.J. Sanchez, Craig Estelle, Bruce

T a m m y J o Ki r k W ins V o l u si a F e a t u r e Tammy Jo Kirk – the country’s only female Expert and a future competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – never won at either of the Daytona short tracks, but she did take a victory in the 1986 Expert B Main at Volusia County Speedway.

“I ran both of the short tracks in Daytona,” Kirk said in a 2011 interview. “I liked racing there, but I think I liked the old one better. Municipal Stadium had nice turns, but the straightaways were too narrow – they really narrowed in on you and it got pretty tight. I remember the first time we ran there – there were a lot of crashes until the guys realized they didn’t have that much room. Normally, when you’re coming

62

The Eighties

off a corner you’re going to the right and it was a little narrow. But, it was a lot of fun.”

Kirk was a regular coming to Memorial Stadium throughout the 1980s.

“The green walls at the old stadium didn’t bother me,” she said. “I grew up running indoors. I liked the cushion there, especially when you could run two wide.”

Kirk now owns and operates a motorcycle shop in Georgia.

After an absence of several years, she returned for Bike Week in 2011, where she enjoyed seeing old friends, but admitted watching the racing was tough “because I want to do it.”

Chris Carr gets off strong from the outside at the start of a1986 race, followed by Billy Herndon (No. 19), Terry Poovey (No. 18), Randy Green (No. 24) and Rodney Farris (No. 92).

ISC Images & Archives

Johnson, Eric Sassman, Bryan Villella, David Bettencourt and Dave Lamb.

Villella, Sassman, McCoy and Estelle won the semis.

Boody Wins Daytona Busch Half Mile Ted Boody was the winner of the 12th Annual Daytona Busch Half Mile the previous Sunday at Barberville. Boody passed Steve Morehead four laps from the finish – nearly taking down both bikes. He averaged 83.449 mph in the race, extended from 12 to 14 laps. His winning time was 5:1.982.

Boody set fast time in qualifying, 21.839 seconds, followed by Steve Morehead, 21.861. Morehead got the holeshot, and by lap two it was a two-rider breakaway. Morehead paced the opening nine laps despite steady pressure from Boody.

“On every lap, I could see his shadow,” Morehead said.

Boody made his move with a handlebar-touching inside pass in turn four on lap 10.

“I kept trying to get around him, but I couldn’t do it on the outside because we were running so high,” Boody said. “I tested him inside, then got into the turn and he raced me to the corner. It got pretty tight in there. He’s not the kind of guy to let ’em go by.”

“I’m sure he didn’t do it deliberately,” Morehead said of the contact. “But, I’m the one on the wrong end of the stick. I hate to lose one like that. That probably cost me $800, but the fans got their money’s worth today.”

Pete Hames was third, followed by Dan Ingram and Sammy Sweet – all on Harleys.

A unique format allowed all 36 of the Experts the opportunity to race a feature, with riders who failed to qualify for the A-Main running in B and C features. Tammy Jo Kirk won the Expert B feature, with Donnie Howard winning the Expert C main, both on Harleys. Bryan Villella won the Junior final, with Willie McCoy taking Pro-Am honors.

Jones’ victory in the Memorial Stadium finale helped him capture the Wiseco/Daytona Dirt Track Series championship.

He scored 55 points, followed by Ted Boody, 49; Dan Ingram, 46; Chris Carr, 40; and Pete Hames, 39.

R o a d R a c e r s G e t S e pa r at e C h a m p i o ns h i p The Camel Pro Grand National Championship had a new look in 1986. After including road races – including the Daytona 200 – in the battle for the title since 1954, the series sponsor formed a new Camel Pro Road Racing championship, while the GNC would comprise mile, half mile, tourist trophy and short track races. It would be several years – and a new venue – before Daytona would return to the GNC schedule.

Bubba Shobert was a runaway winner in the new format, beating out Scott Parker by 96 points, followed by Doug Chandler and Chris Carr.

Chapter Four

63

1987 Davis Wins Friday Night Feature “Wild Will” Davis won the Friday final, while Steve Morehead won the war with a fifth-place finish.

Davis led Terry Poovey and Ted Boody in a Harley sweep of the podium, with Morehead winning the $10,000 Wiseco/Spectro Daytona Dirt Track Series championship. With Saturday’s race rained out, the Friday finish determined the championship.

Short track legends Neil Keen and Gary Nixon were honored at the stadium, taking a few laps on their racing bikes prior to the feature.

Kirk Strong jumped the initial green light and was moved to the penalty line. Davis jumped past polesitter Boody on the restart and led the rest of the way. Boody kept the pressure on through lap six, when he bobbled and fell back. Poovey, who ran fifth in the early going, caught Boody exiting turn four with four laps remaining.

Wednesday night winner Darrel Davis – the only Junior in the feature – lost third to Poovey midway through the race. He recovered from nearly hitting the hay bales to challenge Boody at the finish, but came up short on his Wood-Rotax.

Morehead finished fifth on a Harley, followed by Dan Ingram, Sammy Sweet, Rusty Rogers, Dave Hebb, Steve Eklund, George Ichtmeyer and Strong.

Ronnie Jones, who won Thursday’s feature, installed a 500cc motor after having a connecting rod failure on his 600cc engine in practice. He was leading the first heat when that engine blew, putting him out for the night.

Dave Durelle, Poovey, Strong, Will Davis, Darell Davis, Rogers, Ingram and Boody won the heats, with Poovey, Will Davis, Boody and Strong taking the semis.

Jones Captures Ninth Daytona Victory Defending Daytona Dirt Track Series champ Ronnie Jones won Thursday’s feature. It was his sixth Daytona Short Track victory over the last three years, and ninth over a six-year span. Jones took the lead at the green light and led all the way in the 12-lap main.

However, it was not as easy as he thought, with Wednesday night winner Darrel Davis closing in over the final laps on a Wood-Rotax.

“It’s always the same,” Jones said. “I thought I had a big lead and then somebody was out there waving me on. I looked back on about the 10th lap and I saw him there.”

Racing on a chilly night before a near sell-out crowd, Jones held on to win by about 10 yards over Davis. Scott Adams worked the outside line to finish third on a Harley.

64

The Eighties

Neil Keen and Gary Nixon get ready for one final trip around Memorial Stadium prior to the 1987 feature.

ISC Images & Archives

Sammy Sweet finished fourth, followed by Pete Hames, Rodney Farris, Tim Mertens, Chris Carr, Brian Bonesteel, Ted Boody, Steve Aseltine and Kirk Strong.

Jones, Strong, Carr, Farris, Sweet, Hames, Boody and Darrel Davis won their heats, with Jones, Strong, Davis and Carr taking the semis. Among the riders missing the feature were Terry Poovey, Will Davis and Steve Morehead.

Jones led all 14 laps, timed at 4:40.888.

Darrel Davis Wins Wednesday Junior Feature Wednesday had separate features for the Juniors (who were allowed to race 600cc bikes) and Pro-Ams (limited to 500cc).

Darell Davis won the Junior main on a Rotax, followed by Canadian Steve Aseltine, James Harrah, William Newkirk, Craig Estelle, Craig Howard, Scott Stump, Jack Mayer, Corey Brink, Dave Lamb, Kelly Bowlby and Willie McCoy. Mike McDonnell, of Tracy, Calif., won the 10-lap Pro-Am event on a Harley. Kevin Atherton finished second on a WoodRotax, followed by Mark Vanhousen, Jay Skidmore, Mike Rusden, Jason Fletcher, Richard Mitchell, Tom Daniele, David Wass, Dan Powell, Joe Bromley and Eric Prior.

Strong Start Leads Morehead to Title Steve Morehead got off to a strong start and went on to win the Daytona Budweiser/Wiseco Dirt Track Series championship, spread out over seven nights of action at four venues. Morehead opened up the weekend of Feb. 14-15 by sweeping both races at

Kirk Strong made both features at Memorial Stadium in 1987, finishing 12th on Thursday and Friday.

ISC Images & Archives

Gary Nixon (No. 9) and Neil Keen take the checkered flag following their exhibition at Memorial Stadium. While Nixon came close many times, he never won a feature race at the stadium.

ISC Images & Archives

Tampa on his Harley. The following weekend, he won Friday’s race at the Volusia County Speedway. After missing the feature for the following day’s Daytona Budweiser Half Mile at Volusia, Morehead won the rain-delayed Jax Raceways half mile, leading every lap to beat Rodney Farris and Sammy Sweet.

Terry Poovey finished second in the Saturday night Expert feature at Barberville on a Harley, followed by the Honda of Ted Boody. Harleys swept the remainder of the top 10, with Brian Atherton followed by Don Estep, Tim Mertens, Chris Carr, Steve Elklund, Ronnie Jones and Rob Crabbe.

Morehead ended up with 90 points to 69 for Farris and 59 for Sweet. On the national scene, Bubba Shobert won his third straight GNC title, with Scott Parker only seven points behind.

Farris Wins 13th Daytona Budweiser Half Mile On Sunday, Rodney Farris won the 13th annual Daytona Budweiser Half Mile before an estimated 5,000 fans at Volusia County Speedway.

Poovey started outside of Farris on the front row, but jumped to an early lead, followed by Brian Atherton as Farris slipped to third. Farris got around Atherton for second on lap three. Farris pulled up behind Poovey on lap 10, and got low and pulled even with Poovey exiting turn four on the following lap. The pair crossed the finish line at lap 11 side by side, with Farris claiming the lead in turn one on the following lap.

Farris needed 4:19.480.

Ted Boody finished third, followed by Don Estep, Tim Mertens, Chris Carr, Steve Eklund, Ronnie Jones, Robert

Crabbe, Dan Ingram and David Durelle. Morehead failed to make the feature.

D a r r e l D a vis S h o w e d P r o m is e in L o n e D ay t o n a V isi t Darrel Davis showed plenty of promise as a Junior in 1987, winning a Junior feature while nearly making it two in a row the following night. But, he never had a chance to make a return visit.

The 16-year-old rider from Bremerton, Wash., tragically lost his life in a four-bike crash on August 20 in a qualifying heat at the Erie (Pa.) County Fair. Davis, who raced since he was eight, went down and was run over by two other bikes.

Future Daytona winner Steve Aseltine, 17, was also involved in the crash and was hospitalized in fair condition, suffering injuries that bothered him for the remainder of his career.

Dave Hoenig/flattrakfotos.com

Chapter Four

65

1988 Davis Wins 600cc National in Memorial Stadium Finale Welch Memorial Stadium celebrated a first – and last – when Will Davis won the Budweiser 600cc National, the first AMA National race to be held at the stadium – on its final night of two-wheeled competition. Davis won on a Harley over the Harley of Dan Ingram and the Honda of Ronnie Jones in the 25-lap event, held on a Sunday evening.

This was the first year for the 600cc series – later renamed the “Hot Shoe,” and was the third race of the season.

“That’s it,” Davis told Henny Ray Abrams of Cycle News after he scored his first National victory. “It couldn’t have come at any better place or at any better time.”

Carr finished fifth aboard a Harley to capture the ninth annual Daytona Budweiser/Wiseco Dirt Track Series championship and $4,000 by only two points over Ronnie Jones of Oklahoma City. Carr, of Manteca, Calif., won the previous Sunday’s 14th annual Busch Half-Mile at Volusia County Speedway, after finishing third and fifth the opening two nights.

Friday night’s program was rained out, setting the stage for Carr (56 points) and Thursday winner Jones (51) to settle the title. It rained again on Saturday, setting up Sunday evening’s finale. Only 2,000 showed for the event, according to the Daytona Beach Morning Journal.

Garth Brow set fast time at 19.64 seconds on his Honda, and joined Dan Ingram, Davis, Mike Stauffer, Terry Poovey and Carr in winning the heats. Rodney Farris and Dave Durrelle won the semis, with Robert Lewis winning the last chance qualifier.

With Davis taking command of the race from the start, the drama was the fight for the short track championship. Jones was in position to win at the midway point, when he was running second while Carr had faded from third to fifth. Ingram proved to be the spoiler, as he caught and passed Jones in the closing laps to take second and then pulled even with Davis on the final lap. He finished second, one and a half lengths behind the winner.

“I was praying on that final lap,” Davis said after the race. “I knew he was going faster than me. My faceshield fogged up because I was breathing hard. I slowed down because I knew if I slid high he’d be gone.”

Jones managed to hold up Ingram long enough to help Davis win.

“I had trouble getting by Ronnie,” Ingram said. “If I’d have gotten by him sooner I could have had it. I was smelling my first National.”

Jones finished third, followed by Brow and Carr. The winning time was 8:28.680.

66

The Eighties

Will Davis was the last rider to celebrate a feature victory at Memorial Stadium.

ISC Images & Archives

Ronnie Jones holds the trophy and a crisp $100 bill after winning the Thursday night feature in 1988 – his ninth and final victory at Memorial Stadium.

Bert Shepard photo

Garth Brow (No. 15) leads Ted Boody (No. 12) in 1988 action.

Brow finished fourth in the 600cc National, with Boody eighth.

ISC Images & Archives

Will Davis (No. 21) leads Chris Carr in the 1988 Budweiser 600cc National.

Davis went on to win, with Carr fifth.

ISC Images & Archives

“I’ve had some good nights here and some bad ones,” Carr said after Sunday’s feature. “I’m just glad I could go out by winning this championship.”

Carr passed up an opportunity to road race at the speedway in order to concentrate on winning the Dirt Series title, worth $4,000 from the $10,000 point fund. Carr went on to claim the inaugural 600cc national title, and finished third in the Camel Pro GNC championship behind Scott Parker and Bubba Shobert.

Durelle finished sixth on a Harley, followed by Lewis, Ted Boody, Farris, Poovey, Charlie Orr and Stauffer, the only Junior in the field. It was Boody’s final race at Daytona. He lost his life on a last-lap crash on May 7 at Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif.

An eight-time GNC winner, Boody was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2000.

Jones Wins Thursday Feature Ronnie Jones won the Thursday feature to extend his streak of winning at least one Series feature at Memorial Stadium to four straight years. He was followed by Will Davis, who held off repeated challenges by Chris Carr.

“It’s hard to not make mistakes here,” Jones said after the race.

“I made a few in the final, but fortunately no one got by.”

Terry Poovey finished fourth on a Honda, followed by Dan Ingram, Tim Mertens, David Hebb, David Durelle, Mickey Fay, Garth Brow, Rob Damron and Ted Boody.

Poovey set fast time and joined Ingram, Carr, Jones, Kris Kiser and Charlie Orr in winning the heats. Ingram surprised Carr on a restart of the first semi, with Poovey, Mertens and Jones winning the remaining semis.

Jones, Davis and second-row starter Carr jumped to the lead at the green light of the feature, surprising Poovey, who felt they jumped the start. Finding himself in seventh, Poovey managed to work his way up to fourth.

“I passed them anywhere I could, any way I could,” Poovey said.

“This is my track. If it was 25 laps, I could have won the race.”

Atherton, Vahsholtz Wins Opening Night Features Kevin Atherton opened Memorial Stadium’s final stand by winning the Junior feature, with Clint Vahsholtz capturing the Pro-Am main.

Atherton, celebrating his 17th birthday, built up an early lead and then held on to win over Harley rider Craig Estelle.

“After the first half of the race, my arms got tired and I saw Craig back there,” said Atherton, riding a Wood-Rotax.

Andy Tresser took third on a Wood-Rotax, followed by Dave Cook, Kris Kiser, Speedy Kell, Don Martin, David Rayburn, Gerry Bennett, Jim Hauptman, Mike Stauffer and Joel Phelps.

Vahsholtz got off second on his Rotax, took the lead on the second circuit and beat Harley rider Robert Majeski by a half

Chapter Four

67

Will Davis takes the checkered flag to win the first – and last – AMA National race at Memorial Stadium, the 1988 Budweiser 600cc National.

ISC Images & Archives

lap. Frank Kaiser took third on a Rotax, followed by Audie Huff Jr., A.J. Snoop, Kenny Dahlin, Chuck Seitsinger, David Lloyd, Steve Martin, Brad Christensen and Brian Tillson.

Carr Wins Busch Half Mile, Wins Dirt Track Series The Wiseco/Daytona Dirt Track Series was scheduled for six races – three each at two venues; the half-mile at Barberville and the quarter-mile Memorial Stadium – although one of the Memorial Stadium rounds was rained out.

Ronnie Jones led all the way when the series kicked off, leading every lap despite steady pressure. Dan Ingram finished second – at Jones’ rear wheel, with Chris Carr close behind in third.

Defending series champion Steve Morehead won round two, with Carr stealing the show with the ride of the night. Carr went down early in the race, bringing out the red flag. On the restart, Carr quickly began working his way through traffic from the back of the pack and went on to finish fifth.

Jones held the series lead entering the finale at Barberville, but blew his engine early in the program. He was sent to the sidelines where he joined Morehead, who also failed to make the feature. Rodney Farris and Carr went back and forth at the front of the pack, with Carr going on to win by two lengths on his Harley 600R to take the point lead into the action at Memorial Stadium.

68

The Eighties

End o f a n E r a The 1988 event marked the end of an era of short track racing at Welch Memorial Stadium.

The Friday and Saturday rainouts gave an indication that a change in venue was needed. Flooding was always a problem at the stadium, where the runoff water poured directly onto the flat racing surface. In addition, the facility was showing its age.

“It was very old, and nothing seemed to be working right,” said David Reep, who began working at the facility in 1976.

Memorial Stadium was torn down in the upcoming months, with its location eventually becoming part of the campus of Daytona Beach Community College, making way for a student parking lot.

While football was a regular feature at the stadium, the motorcycle races consistently drew large crowds.

“The only thing that outdraws the racing is homecoming for Bethune-Cookman College,” said Glen Smith, Daytona Beach director of recreation, prior to the finale. “I’ll tell you, every night they run at Memorial, it’s wall-to-wall folks.

That’s real exciting racing.”

In 1989, short track racing would be moved to Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium, a 10,000-seat stadium west of Daytona Beach. The central football/soccer field was ringed by a limestone/marl-based track designed specifically for racing.

“This is the last year of running at Memorial and it’s sort of nostalgic for some of us,” Daytona International Speedway spokesman Jim Foster said.