{"id":5391,"date":"2023-07-30T20:19:19","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T00:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/volusiaspeedwaypark.com\/?p=5391"},"modified":"2023-07-31T16:14:53","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T20:14:53","slug":"sizzling-competition-burton-showers-jr-gast-and-reynolds-win-at-summer-sizzler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/volusiaspeedwaypark.com\/recaps\/sizzling-competition-burton-showers-jr-gast-and-reynolds-win-at-summer-sizzler\/","title":{"rendered":"SIZZLING COMPETITION: Burton, Showers\u00a0 Jr., Gast, and Reynolds Grab Wins at Summer Sizzler"},"content":{"rendered":"
After 70 days since the last race at Volusia Speedway Park, the racing returned on Saturday night after a pause in the program for scattered showers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once cars were able to return to the track, smooth sailing soared, with Dustin Burtron, David Showers Jr, Robert Gast, and Justin Reynolds winning their first Feature races in the 2023 Volusia Speedway Park regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n Top Gun Sprint Cars<\/b><\/p>\n What started as a COVID dream became a racing reality as Dustin Burtron wins his second Top Gun Sprint Car Series race in 2023, and his first win at Volusia Speedway Park in his young career.<\/span><\/p>\n The 19-year-old Burton, from Seminole, FL, grew up watching races at Volusia Speedway Park. Now, he gets to go home with a Feature Winner trophy in hand.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt really means the world,\u201d Burton said. \u201cI\u2019ve grew up watching the World of Outlaws with my dad here as a kid. After that, COVID started, we invested in an iRacing rig, Volusia is on the game so I logged a lot of laps. To come here and win means a lot to me and my family for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For the duration of the 25-lap Feature, Burton commanded the field, leading every lap en route to his first win at the \u201cWorld\u2019s Fastest Half Mile\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMan, I had a great car,\u201d Burton said. \u201cThe car handled excellently, I barely had to move the wheel, and when you have that you know you have a car that is set to win. The track was really gripped up, and I knew it was going to be hard to pass once we got going. Restarts were gonna be a challenge to hit those right, but luckily I did and I came out on top. I wanna thank my mom and dad, I\u2019m actually wearing my dad\u2019s suit tonight for the first time, so it means a lot to win in it. The whole Johnny Law Motorsports team, Jason Law, John Hess, Harry McDonald, Mark Bridges, Danny Jones, and everyone that\u2019s had a hand in this win tonight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Finishing second behind Burtron was Sarasota, FL\u2019s Danny Martin Jr., a man that was in hot pursuit of Burtron throughout the evening. Saturday night is one where Martin was oh-so-close, but not enough to catch the #97.<\/span><\/p>\n Completing the Top Gun Sprint Car Series podium was Sarasota, FL\u2019s Austin Martin, who ran consistently in the top five throughout the evening, making up two spots from his fifth place starting spot.<\/span><\/p>\n The rest of the top five includes Dade City, FL\u2019s Trey Meredith and Springhill, FL\u2019s Danny Jones. Both drivers sit inside the top five of the Top Gun Sprint Car Series points, looking to close the gap on the points leader, Apollo Beach, FL native Steve Diamond Jr.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 604 Late Models<\/b><\/p>\n After winning his first race of 2023 at Volusia in January\u2019s Sunshine Nationals, David Showers Jr put on a clinic for the 604 Late Model field to watch, winning the Feature after leading all 20 laps.<\/span><\/p>\n Showers, from St. Augustine, FL, won his Heat race, started from the pole of the Feature, and commanded the field with the expertise and knowledge he has gathered as a seasoned Volusia veteran.<\/span><\/p>\n Coming home second, was the Decatur, GA native of Dustin Carter. The Month of Money winner needed a rebound after a flurry of problems at the start of the Summer. The Feature result now puts him second in points.<\/span><\/p>\n Rounding out the top three was points leader Joe Kump, who had a hard-charging night from a 12th-place starting spot. By lap eight of the 20-lap Feature, he had made it into the top five. The result puts him seven points ahead of Carter in the standings.<\/span><\/p>\n The rest of the top five includes familiar faces, with Deland, FL\u2019s Tuck Trentham finishing fourth. And former 3\/4 Modified star Lawton Minchew earned his first 604 Late Model on Saturday night.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n DIRTcar UMP Modifieds<\/b><\/p>\n For Deland, FL\u2019s Robert Gast, he has had to wait a long time to earn his first win at Volusia Speedway Park in a DIRTcar UMP Modified. The time had finally come for the driver of the #12 Morgan Speed Solutions machine, earning it at the Summer Sizzler.<\/span><\/p>\n After a costly mistake by polesitter Buzzie Reutimann at the at the initial start of the Feature, Gast inherited the lead and took off with it, running consistently fast laps in order to win at Saturday\u2019s Summer Sizzler. With the win, Gast now leads the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds points as the season heads into the Fall season.<\/span><\/p>\n Jacksonville, FL\u2019s Dillon Buhr came home in second place, who rode behind Gast\u2019s coattails each lap. The driver of the #24 had few chances to get around Gast, but never materialized. The result, however, gives Buhr the #2 position in the championship, 20 points behind Gast.<\/span><\/p>\n Earning her first podium at Volusia on Saturday night was the Jacksonville, FL\u2019s Makayla Tyrrell. She won her Heat race at the start of the night but was never able to challenge Gast or Buhr for the win. \u201cMiss Smooth\u201d now sits fourth in the points standings with the top three results.<\/span><\/p>\n Completing the Feature\u2019s top five includes Interlachen, FL\u2019s Josh Sanford, and the Keystone Heights, FL native of Nate Huffingham.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thunder Stocks<\/b><\/p>\n Keeping the trend of domination throughout the night, the stats will show Orlando, FL\u2019s Justin Reynolds leading every lap en route to the Summer Sizzler Feature win.<\/span><\/p>\n What it won\u2019t show you was the close battle between him and Daytona Beach, FL\u2019s Ron Adams throughout the 20-lap Feature.<\/span><\/p>\n A clean Feature for the Thunder Stocks, Reynolds and Adams raced each other with respect, with the Feature ending in a photo finish to cap off the Feature. Reynolds won by just 0.021 over the hard-charging Adams.<\/span><\/p>\n Adding to his consistently high finishes in 2023 is Oviedo, FL\u2019s Tanner Thomas. The division\u2019s current points leader ran close behind Reynolds and Adams tightly, but was never able to make a move to win the Feature.<\/span><\/p>\n His father, Patrick Thomas, finished behind him in fourth. After being shuffled out by a poor start, Thomas methodically worked his way back into a comfortable spot. On the last lap, he passed Clewiston, FL\u2019s Tommy Hill to finish fourth. Hill, the man who started on the pole immediately dropped to fourth after a rough start, and was beat to the line by Thomas, still earning a top five result.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Up Next<\/b><\/p>\n The next Volusia Speedway Park will be the Back To School Night on Saturday, August 12. The night will include a $1,000 to win 602 Late Model Feature, and a $500 to win 3\/4 Modifieds. Joining the fun will be the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, Thunder Stocks and the Gladiators. Pit Gates and Grandstand Gates will open at 4:00 p.m. EST, with Hot Laps beginning at 6:00 p.m. EST.<\/span><\/p>\n If you can\u2019t make it to the track, watch the action live on <\/span>DIRTVision \u2013 available either online or through the DIRTVision app<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n For the latest on Volusia Speedway Park, follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and at<\/span> VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n About Volusia Speedway Park<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Volusia Speedway Park, The World\u2019s Fastest Half Mile, is a 0.5-mile dirt track located in DeLeon Springs, Florida. VSP is home to the most prestigious dirt racing events, such as the Federated Auto Parts<\/span> DIRTcar Nationals<\/span><\/a>, Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout, Sunshine Nationals, and the Emil & Dale Reutimann Memorial. The track hosts weekly races year-round with divisions of Dirt Late Models, Modifieds & Stock Cars. The track also hosts dirt-karting races at the facility. For more information, visit<\/span> VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After 70 days since the last race at Volusia Speedway Park, the racing returned on Saturday night after a pause in the program for scattered showers.\u00a0 Once cars were able to return to the track, smooth sailing soared, with Dustin Burtron, David Showers Jr, Robert Gast, and Justin Reynolds winning their first Feature races in … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":5392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,40],"tags":[169,428,26,427,232,426,425,315,172],"class_list":["post-5391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recap","category-recaps","tag-604-late-models","tag-david-showers-jr","tag-dirtcar-ump-modifieds","tag-dustin-burtron","tag-justin-reynolds","tag-robert-gast","tag-summer-sizzler","tag-thunder-stocks","tag-top-gun-sprints"],"yoast_head":"\n