The ninth annual Emil & Dale Reutimann Memorial was one for the record books. From track records to first-time winners, the World’s Fastest Half Mile produced a special weekend.
Jason Garver earned his first win in a 604 Late Model at Volusia Speedway Park, Chris Olmstead won his first race in the 3/4 Modified division, and Ethan Dotson won his first Tractor Trophy after the DIRTcar UMP Modified main event.
604 Late Models – Jason Garver
After an exciting 50 lap DIRTcar UMP Modified Feature, the 604 Late Models took to the track for their own thrilling 20 lap venture.
The Action Graphix #5 of Dustin Carter grabbed the lead early, but was challenged by the #17 of Richard Ferry and #74 of Jason Garver in the opening laps. However, he was able to hold off all challenges to the end.
Garver, from Starke, FL, came close to winning multiple Feature races throughout this 2022 season and the pieces finally fit for him to earn his first win at Volusia in the 2020 decade.
“In the beginning, I didn’t know how it was going to shake out,” Garver said. “We kinda fell back at first and really fought back for this one. I figured out the line as the race progressed and snuck up there to get the win.”
Garret Stewart, who was involved in a wreck with 2022 track champion Joe Kump on Lap 3, was the hard charger of the race. Stewart battled his way through the 21-car field to finish a close second to Garver.
“The last couple of times we’ve been here, it’s either wet or rookie mistakes with the car,” Stewart said. “I loved that we went after the Modifieds because the track was blackened up so we had lots of grip on the car. I wish we had gotten the win, but you gotta sniff the front before you get there.”
Keep an eye on the #67 of the Fruitland Park, FL native, who is best known for his five straight DIRTcar UMP Modifieds Championships at the World’s Fastest Half Mile.
Ferry, Carter and Kump completed the top five.
604 Late Models Feature 20 Laps | 00:17:40.439
- 74-Jason Garver[3]; 2. 67-Garret Stewart[8]; 3. 17-Richard Ferry[2]; 4. 5-Dustin Carter[1]; 5. 721-Joe Kump[7]; 6. 14JR-Trey Mills[11]; 7. 33-Jeff Mathews[6]; 8. 75-Sonny Thompson[14]; 9. 388-Jackson Hise[10]; 10. 54T-Tuck Trentham[9]; 11. 1A-David Showers Jr[12]; 12. 17W-Jimmy Wagner[17]; 13. 31S-Tim Swartz[13]; 14. 11-Quentin Steedley[20]; 15. 83-Shawn Taylor[15]; 16. 10S-Steve Shead[16]; 17. 9W-Thomas Warnick[22]; 18. (DNF) 71-Bo Allen[4]; 19. (DNF) 25C-Donnie Chappell[5]; 20. (DNF) 26-Bill Adkins[19]; 21. (DNF) 25-Sean Reagan[18]
3/4 Modifieds – Chris Olmstead
Chris Olmstead is finally a victor at Volusia Speedway Park, scoring his first 3/4 Modifed win in dominating fashion.
Starting from the pole position, the #7 car commanded the field throughout the 15-lap feature, leading every single lap.
Olmstead, a DeLand, FL native, had a “dream come true” on Saturday night.
“I was out there all 15 laps just thinking that my arms would hold up since these cars have no power steering,” Olmstead said with a chuckle. “I mean, the track was great, I’m speechless, I can’t believe it. I wanted to get this my whole life, and I finally did it.”
Trailing behind Olmstead were the Minchew brothers of Lawton and 2022 track champion Korbin Minchew respectively. Timmy Hogan and Dustin Peterson rounded out the top five.
3/4 Modifieds Feature 15 Laps | 00:16:45.798
- 7-Chris Olmstead[1]; 2. 23L-Lawton Minchew[6]; 3. 23K-Korbin Minchew[18]; 4. 26-Timmy Hogan[2]; 5. 51-Dustin Peterson[5]; 6. 99-Wade Olmsted[4]; 7. 67-Tad Olmsted[12]; 8. 32P-Jesse Powers[3]; 9. 0-Rusty Young[10]; 10. 27-Steven Powers[7]; 11. 21J-Jeff Newton[15]; 12. 23-Wray Shaffer[13]; 13. 32-Wryan Shaffer[14]; 14. 26L-Colton Lane[8]; 15. 57-Ethyn Hwan[9]; 16. 59-Nathyn Hwan[16]; 17. 3X-Scott Durlin[11]; 18. (DNF) 117-Brian Schrunk[19]; 19. (DNF) 88F-Aidan Foley[17]
UP NEXT
The next race at the World’s Fastest Half Mile will be the Battle in Barberville, Dec. 1 to the 3. It will feature 360 Sprint Cars, 604 Late Models, DIRTcar UMP Modifieds and 602 Late Models. For more information on the next race and other events held at the track, visit VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com
Can’t make it to the track? You can also watch all the action live on DIRTVision. Coverage starts with Hot Laps at 6:00 PM. Head to their site at DIRTVision.com, or click here for more.
About Volusia Speedway Park
Volusia Speedway Park, The World’s Fastest Half Mile, is a 0.5 mile dirt track located in DeLeon Springs, Florida. Home of prestigious events like the DIRTcar Nationals, Sunshine Nationals, and the Dale & Emil Reutimann Memorial, the track hosts weekly races year-round with divisions of Dirt Late Models, UMP Modifieds, 3/4 Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Thunder Stocks. The track also hosts dirt-karting races at the facility. For more information, visit VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com