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8-5-07
The pain of an extra 10 laps was worth it for Billy Hoover, who won the 30-lap West
Florida Coatings Sportsman Showdown race Friday night at Five Flags Speedway.
The feature was extended from 20 to 30 laps and the winner's purse was boosted
to $750.
That was plenty for the dehydration Hoover endured.
"My legs are cramping so bad I feel like 100 years old," Hoover said in Victory Lane.
Hoover started second behind polesitter Randy Thompson through the first 20
laps. Then he moved to the outside of Thompson going into Turn 3. As he came
out of Turn 4, Hoover turned low and used the momentum to pull alongside
Thompson in Turn 1. Coming out of Turn 2, Hoover pulled away for the lead on
Lap 22.
Following a caution when Jim Pokrant blew a motor while running sixth, Hoover held
off Thompson over the final eight laps for his fifth victory of the season.
"My car was so good my grandmother could drive it," Hoover said. "I didn't want to
run in the back of him. My car kept getting better."
Logan Boyett took the lead on Lap 9 and went on to capture the 40-lap Pro Late
Model feature.
It was the second feature win of the season for the 17-year-old rookie.
He started fifth and slipped low under polesitter Mike Alexander Jr. going into Turn
1 on Lap 9. From there he pulled away and was never challenged over the final 31
laps.
Brandon Carlson started sixth and worked his way to second, while Alexander
finished third.
Alexander, 16, of Franklin, Tenn., is the son of Mike Alexander, a former Snowball
Derby polesitter in the 1980s, and was making his first trip to Five Flags in
preparation for the Snowflake 100 in December.
Mike Williamson was the fastest qualifier, but he had to start 12th by virtue of
winning the previous feature. He worked his way to fourth, while Brandon Odom
was fifth.
The race had only one caution and that came after the first lap when David Poole
hit the Turn 1 wall hard.
Chris Cotto won his sixth Super Stock feature of the season. He quickly pulled
behind polesitter Jessie Reid at the start of the race. He stayed on Reid's bumper
until taking the lead with a low pass in Turn 1.
But the caution came out during that lap so the order put Reid back in the lead.
Following the restart, it took 11/2 laps for Cotto to pass Reid for the lead. Thomas
Praytor finished second while Scott Barbaric was third.
Wesley King won the 15-lap Bomber feature for his first win of the season.
Tony Mandel led early in the race, but hit the wall on a restart when he was tapped
from behind. As cars slowed, King took the lead and he held off points leader
Brannon Fowler the rest of the way. Pete Kitchen was third, followed by Danny
Burns and Michael Kitchen.
Fowler opened the night's activities by winning the two-week delayed Bomber
feature, leading all 15 laps for his fifth win of the season. The race was stopped
after five laps two weeks ago because of rain. Fowler held off Michael Kitchen and
Burns.
Pro Late Model feature -- 1. Logan Boyett; 2. Brandon Carlson; 3. Mike Alexander
Jr.; 4. Mike Williamson; 5. Brandon Odom; 6. Sammy McMullen; 7. Hal Martin; 8.
Ronnie Smith; 9. Johanna Long; 10. Vance Noland; 11. Ron Joyner; 12. Shannon
Jackson; 13. Ron McDonald; 14. David Poole
Sportsman feature -- 1. Billy Hoover; 2. Randy Thompson; 3. James Ziniewicz; 4.
William Kitchen; 5. Gary Robinson; 6. Kenneth Hatcher; 7. Bubba Winslow; 8.
Michael Ledlow; 9. Tina Davidson; 10. Sean Slye; 11. David Holland; 12. Chris
Pike; 13. Justin Huggins; 14. Chris Bryant; 15. Jim Pokrant; 16. Wayne Burkett; 17.
Thomas Faddis; 18. Chris Palmer
Super Stock
Feature -- 1. Chris Cotto; 2. Thomas Praytor; 3. Scott Barbaric; 4. James
Kimbrough; 5. Steve Campbell 6. Jessie Reid; 7. Earl Polk; 8. Mike Moore
Heat #1 -- 1. Thomas Praytor; 2. James Kimbrough; 3. Steve Campbell
Heat #2 -- 1. Chris Cotto; 2. Jessie Reid; 3. Earl Polk
Bomber
Feature -- 1. Wesley King; 2. Brannon Fowler; 3. Pete Kitchen; 4. Danny Burns; 5.
Michael Kitchen; 6. Rick Grimes; 7. Tom Colleli; 8. Daryl Lynchard; 9. Watler
Amacker; 10. Robert Kanning; 11. Barry Litner; 12. Brandon Burks; 13. Travis
Silcox; 14. Brandin Sidner; 15. Tim Holland; 16. Jacob Boughton; 17. Sam Mellema;
18. Andy Duke; 19. Shannon Warren; 20. Tony Mandel; 21. Brandon Lee; 22.
Bobby Williams
Feature (completion of race) -- 1. Brannon Fowler; 2. Michael Kitchen; 3. Danny
Burns; 4. Pete Kitchen; 5. Robert Kanning; 6. Shannon Warren; 7. Sam Mellema;
8. Daryl Lynchard; 9. Andy Duke; 10. Brandn Lee; 11. Brandon Burks; 12. Jacob
Boughton; 13. Chip Bonds; 14. Steve Sidner
Heat #1 -- 1. Michael Kitchen; 2. Pete Kitchen; 3. Barry Litner
Heat #2 -- 1. Tony Mandel; 2. Brannon Fowler; 3. Wesley King
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