Cool temperatures and hot racing were on tap for the final night of the 2020 season at Volusia Speedway Park. As always, the side-by-side racing was at its best and fans got everything they could ever want from a Saturday night show at the World’s Fastest Half Mile!
The Florida Late Models kicked off the feature events with David Clegg putting on an exhibition in his #07 Snow Brothers Chassis. Clegg pulled out to a big lead early and never looked back. Kunstbeck in the #11 contended for second early before falling back, leaving the #84 of Gray and the #721 of Kump to battle it out for the runner up position. Kump eventually secured the position with five to g,o but the night belonged to Clegg, who went on to win and bank a cool $1500 in winnings!
The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds were running for $1200, and 20 cars lined up to take their shot at the cash prize. Pole-sitter Eric Moon took the early lead, but after a caution on lap three David Reutimann made a quick pass in turn one to grab the lead. Seth Geary worked his way to second challenging Reutimann right to the end, but Reutimann held on to take the win and a nice pay day. Geary came home in second, and Garver brought the #27 home in third.
The Thunder Stocks were up next. Ron Adams led the early laps of this race, holding off early challenges from the #17 of Alan Peacock. As the laps ticked off Jason Garver worked his way up to challenge Adams, but the big mover of the night was Joe Belkey. The fifteenth place starting position isn’t normally where you look to find the eventual winner of a race, but by lap 7 Belkey was challenging Adams, and after a three-wide battle that included Garver, Belkey once and for all put his #112 Monte Carlo out front and cruised to a win and a $750 pay day. Garver held on for second ,and pole-sitter Joey Haslauer came back to finish third.
The ¾ mods were the fourth feature on the night. Pole-sitter Paul Shead has been hard to beat all year and after he jumped out front it looked as if the result would once again be the same, but Pat Vareika stormed up beside Shead on lap two to take the lead and pulled away to take the win. Shead held on for second, and young Mason Olmsted made a last-lap pass on the outside to take third from Tim Hogan.
Jimmy Wagner led the Street Stocks to the green flag, but Tuck Trentham led the first lap. A veteran of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, Trentham looked untouchable in the early laps, but a familiar name from earlier in the evening found his way to the front after a three-wide pass on the outside of turn four. Thunder Stock winner Joe Belkey put his #119 car out front and held off multiple challenges for the lead from Trentham to take the Street Stock win and bank another $750 on the night. Chris Lawrence used a late-race restart to move up to the second position, while Trentham brought his car home in third.
The Compact 4s were the final race of the night and the final race of the 2020 season. In an almost Cat in the Hat-like rhyme Todd Latour in his Compact 4 shut the door on the 2020 season. Leading every lap and gapping the field, Latour was never challenged, taking the win and $150.
With that the 2020 season has come to an end. We return to action in January for the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals, followed by the legendary DIRTcar Nationals. Get your tickets now!
