Sprint Cars set to deliver their powerful punch

The Tampa Bay Area Racing Association makes its annual stop at the speedway Saturday night, and fans can expect the usual noise and speed.

By LOGAN NEILL

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 23, 2000

Fans at Citrus County Speedway have come to expect a thrilling show every time the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association's Sprint Car series comes to town. With high-revving engines that pump out nearly 800 horsepower, the aerodynamic, winged racing machines deliver a powerful punch to the eyes and ears.

Which is why Saturday night's annual visit by the TBARA, the only full-time sprint car series in the state, is such an anticipated treat.

"It's a unique show," said TBARA public relations director Dick Friedley. "I don't think you'll find faster race speeds on a quarter-mile track."

Indeed, lap times average just about 121/2 seconds, nearly a full second quicker than Late Models. Add to that the fact that competition within the division is at a consistently high level and you have what many consider some of the most exciting and unpredictable racing in motorsports.

Currently, the top spot belongs to Riverview driver Jim Childers, who has earned two series wins on the season and goes into the 12th race leading two-time series champion Wayne Reutimann by just 20 points.

Childers has an impressive resume in his 21/2 decades in sprint cars. He recently notched his third victory in eight years at the prestigious Little Indy 500, the annual Sprint Car invitational held at Anderson Speedway in Indiana. However, the 57-year-old has yet to claim the TBARA crown. Friedley feels this could be his year.

"Jim has been real impressive this season, with very few mistakes" offered Friedley. "I think we're going to see a helluva show between them."

While Sprint Car racing is quite prevalent on the short-track circuits of the North and Midwest, it has struggled to gain much of a foothold in the South. Friedley believes there are plenty of reasons why they haven't, but money seems to be the biggest.

"(The cars) are awfully expensive to run week to week," he said. "And with purses paying only about $1,000 for a win, you won't find many local guys willing to put out that kind of money when they can spend a lot less on a stock car."

Nonetheless, Friedley said TBARA's 32-race schedule is the healthiest in the organization's 28-year history. Each event has averaged about 24 entrants, and some have drawn nearly three-dozen competitors.

Saturday's 25-lap Jim Haynes Memorial Race at the speedway pays homage to the late Sprint Car great who died in a race crash in Phoenix, Ariz., in 1985. The Tarpon Springs driver, known as one of the most competitive in the division, scored numerous victories in series throughout the state as well as in other areas of the country.

Along with the Sprint Cars, Saturday night's action will include makeup events for several classes rained out last weekend.

Late Models, which were not scheduled to run, were added to the card in an effort to give drivers an opportunity to prepare for next week's McNatt Plumbing 75-lap feature. Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks and Street-Legal Junkers will run double-feature events. In addition, the Sportsman division will race 40 laps in the Dominique Mobile Home Renovation feature.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.