Changes may be around corner at Sunshine

By BOB BOYLE

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 5, 2000

Most of Sunshine Speedway's drivers have only 10 nights of competition remaining to collect points for class championships or respectability.

For the race track's Late Models, there are just eight more nights left to collect points for this season and, quite possibly, forever.

Sunshine has been one of the last tracks to run real, unlimited Late Models as a regular class.Other tracks run different versions, such as Limited Late Models or Late Model Sportsman, which look much the same but aren't.

The reason for the Late Model's demise at the local levels is the same as the reason for their success -- competition.

People love to watch them because they are fast and competitive.

However, the only way to get faster and more competitive is to spend more money. Winning, not profit, is the motive.

Sunshine Speedway promoter Frank Hill said that several years ago rules were changed to reduce the cost of engines for Late Models, and the price dropped to about $10,000 for a competitive motor.

"Now, it's back up to about $20,000," Hill said.

While the cost of running Late Models has continued to skyrocket, the purse has not. As a matter of fact, it hasn't gone up at all for years.

Winning the regular Saturday night Late Model feature at Sunshine pays $800, which is about the same as 15 seasons ago.

As a result of the cost versus the payback, the number of Late Models, especially the competitive ones, has been dwindling steadily.

Last Saturday at Sunshine, only 10 were in the feature.

The "pay them more money and more will run" idea runs smack into a brick wall of reality, Hill said. Attendance at local short tracks across the country has been on the decline.

In the early Nineties, Sunshine drew an average crowd of about 3,000. That's down to around 2,000, Hill said.

"All of this is still in the talking stage, right now," he said, "but we are considering making some changes."

Or not.

Sunshine Speedway's Late Models would make an appearance once or twice a month in 50-lap specials, and the track's big 100-lap Late Model races, which amount to three a year, likely will continue in some form.

Open Wheel Modifieds probably would move up to become the speedway's top class. The other changes are much more interesting and probably more controversial.

Drivers in the current Street Stock class would be given the option of moving into a new division -- Outlaw Late Models.

The same basic engines would be used, but a number of modifications would be allowed to beef up their horsepower at a more reasonable cost.

The Streets would shed their old skin and take on the form of the wedge-type Late Models of the Eighties.

"I would think that a driver could convert to the new Late Models for about $1,000," Hill said. "The biggest expense would be the body."

Lighter and with more horsepower, the Outlaw Late Models would be faster than Street Stocks, and prettier.

They would make more money, and it's likely there would be more of them than in the current Late Model class.

If they don't want to make the change, that's okay. Some of the current Late Model drivers probably will switch to the new class.

Unless there are big bucks behind you, repairing the damage to existing Late Models is so expensive that many drivers sit out for weeks to save the money to make the repairs.

That won't be so in the new class.

Street Stock drivers deserve to move up.

Like the current Enduro class, Streets were amateurs not that many years ago. They got better, became professionals, improved even more, and are nearly as fast as Modifieds.

Arguably the most competitive, some of the best drivers at Sunshine are in the ranks of Street Stocks.

Enduro drivers have been maturing.

When they started a few years ago, most of them went around the corners sideways and couldn't find a racing groove with a map.

That's changed.

The cars look more like Street Stocks, and drive more like Street Stocks. They've grown up, and would move up if the new system is adopted.

With some modifications to the rules, Enduros would become the Street Stocks, and a new Enduro class would begin.

Change may be painful, but not changing could ultimately mean the death of local short track racing.

Either way, the jury is out.

NOTES: The chase for the Figure 8 season crown went from tight to squeaky and crowded Saturday night.

Wayne Calkins of St. Petersburg captured the victory. Bobby Moctezuma of Largo was second, and Art "The Master" Calkins of St. Petersburg took third.

Before the race, Ron "Hollywood" Davis held a 14-point lead over Shane Grigsby. Art Calkins was third, 22 points back, and Joey Catarelli was fourth at 30 down.

Saturday night, Davis finished ninth and Grigsby 13th.

Davis is on top, but by only two points, which is equal to one position in a race. Art Calkins is second. Catarelli leaped over Grigsby by two points and trails Davis by 20.

In Late Models, Wayne Bowman of Largo set the fast time and won the feature. He was trailed by Andy Werden of St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park's Robert Yoho.

Seminole's Mike Hinegardner snatched his first feature victory in Open Wheel Modifieds. Darren Jackson of Lakeland was second, and Jimmy Thompson of Pinellas Park was third.

Rick Haugh of St. Petersburg won the Street Stock feature. He was followed by Jason Graham of Pinellas Park and Joe "Cool" Smith of Largo.

Largo's Tom Zimmerman was first in Mini Stocks.Catarelli second, and Troy Meredith of Pinellas Park took third.

In other action, Jason Webster picked up the victory in the first Enduro feature. Jay Sekora was tops in the second Enduro. Mark Nelson won the Hornets feature.

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