Sharrone is living life in fast lane

Tim Sharrone always is on the go, driving in the Late Model class and working with the other cars operated by his team.

By LOGAN NEILL

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 17, 2001

The moment he arrives at Citrus County Speedway on Saturday afternoon, Tim Sharrone becomes a man of perpetual motion.

When he's not busy helping with the prep work on his No. 32 Late Model, he's most likely fiddling around with one of the other five cars operated by his team -- TLS Motorsports.

Even when things are running smoothly, you won't find Sharrone easing back in a lawn chair while he waits his turn on the track.

Instead, look for him in the stands during the other races in which his cars are competing. Sharrone easily is recognizable. He's the one cheering the loudest.

"It's a lot of work, but for me, the real satisfaction comes from knowing it's also a team effort" said Sharrone, 35. "Having the kind of people around who can work well together is what helps you to improve every week."

Along with his car, Sharrone's stable includes the No. 35 and No. 36 Hobby Stock entries driven by Art Brueningsen and Sharrone's nephew, Eric, the No. 33 Street Stock of Scott Guthman, a Figure 8 driven by Scott Knight, plus Tim Whitehead's Thunder Stock machine.

While the team has had its share of missteps this season, TLS cars have had an impressive presence in competition. All five drivers are in the top 10 of points standings in their respective division.

With good preparation being vital to the success of any racing operation, it's no surprise to find Sharrone burning the midnight oil six nights a week with his crew chief, Whitehead, and their other drivers. With the exception of Sharrone's Late Model power plant, which is farmed out to a local engine builder, all work is done at the team's garage in Floral City.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you that racing doesn't take a tremendous effort," Sharrone said. "You have to commit yourself 100 per cent if you want to win."

Sharrone's first steps into the sport date back to the early 1970s when he would accompany his family to watch his father race at Bronson Speedway. Sharrone helped his brother, T.J., launch a racing career before building his own Mini Stock car, which Sharrone drove at Sunshine Speedway for much of the late 1980s.

After moving to Citrus County six years ago, Sharrone again took up racing and moved to the Late Model division in 1998. Other than some chassis and engine modifications, the car he drives is the same one he debuted in as a rookie. Although Sharrone has averaged three wins a season, he has yet to make it to victory circle this year -- a fact that frustrates him.

Early in the season, he -- like many other Late Model drivers -- struggled to find the perfect chassis setup to the track's new surface. That, coupled with some unexpected mechanical failures, have made the lack of consistency a problem.

"For a while, we were getting some really good finishes," Sharrone said. "We were turning good laps, as good as anybody out there."

Sharrone moved up to third in points and was optimistic about making a run at the division crown. But three recent DNFs, all of which were the result of crashes, have pushed him back to eighth in the standings.

"I'm still hopeful we can pull out a top-five before the year is up," Sharrone said. "Mechanically, the car is real sound, and if we can ever get our luck to change, we could even win some races."

CITRUS COUNTY SPEEDWAY

WHAT: Short-track stock car racing in the Late Model, Sportsman, Street Stock, Mini Stock, Hobby Stock and Street-Legal Junker classes, as well as the Mike Scott Plumbing 30-lap feature in the Figure 8 division.

WHEN: Saturday. Gates open at 4 p.m., and the first heat race is at 6:30.

WHERE: 2 miles south of Inverness on U.S. 41.

ADMISSION: Adult general, $10; seniors and students to age 17, $8; children under 10, $2; under-12 child with paid adult, free; pits, $20.

INFORMATION: (352) 726-9339.

POINTS STANDINGS

LATE MODEL: 1. Herb Neumann, Jr. (531), 2. Dale Sanders (508), 3. Billy Bechtelheimer (488), 4. Danny Johnson (472), 5. John Chance (426).

SPORTSMAN: 1. Mike Veltman (686), 2. Rex Struble (586), 3. Chris Hooker (554), 4. Mark Dominique (510), 5. Johnny Sanders (508).

STREET STOCK: 1. Travis Nichols (625), 2. Ernie Reed Jr. (583), 3. Mike Bell (580), 4. Dean Lawyer (577), 5. Victor Stanley (543).

MINI STOCK: 1. Mark Sowell (547), 2. Frank Coleman (538), 3. John Coleman (532), 4. Don Faunce (502), 5. Mike Moore (486).

HOBBY STOCK: 1. Richie Smith (701), 2. Roy Perkins (610), 3. J.D. Goff (599) 4. Brandon Johnson (564), 5. Art Brueningsen (540).

FIGURE 8: 1. Bob Hage (264), 2. Robbie Hage (248), 3. Peanut Higgenbotham (234) 4. Robert Aaron (230), 5. Charlie Meyer (228).

THUNDER STOCK: 1. Stuart Madison (606), 2. Rick Badessa (490), 3. (tie) John Donahue, Allen Turner (484), 5. Gary Johnson (466).

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