Largest car count ever at Immokalee nets first big winners of the year
Over 20 different states represented at the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour season opener
NORWALK, Ohio (February 4, 2013) –
In the largest car count ever at Immokalee Regional Raceway’s annual
season opener, the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by
AMSOIL attracted over 220 cars from an impressive 20 different states
and from as far away as Minnesota and Nova Scotia to compete in the
Division 2 Heat Wave season opener and Wild Card competition in
Immokalee, Florida.
Five
different states were represented among the winners with Florida making
up the bulk of the trophy holders. Drivers from Indiana, Texas,
Tennessee and Virginia also took Ironman trophies home with them from
the Pro-Am season opener.
In
the two-day competition 14 different drivers took victories in the big
classes. Saturday’s winners were Norm Williams (Top Sportsman), Claude
DeBonis (Top Dragster), Allen Wade (Super Stock), Jim Wahl (Stock), Jim
Morrison (Quick Rod), Steve Garmon (Super Rod) and Mark Mullen (Hot
Rod). Sunday’s winners were Chris Gulitti (Top Sportsman), Mark Smullen
(Top Dragster), Anthony Bertozzi (Super Stock), Jeff Lewis (Stock), John
Labbous Jr. (Quick Rod), Joseph Deluco (Super Rod) and Ralph Hester
(Hot Rod).
Junior
Dragster winners from the weekend included Amanda Foley and Taylor
Bouldry in Masters, Gage Burch and Autumn Greene in Advanced and Katie
Craft in Beginner.
To
add to the excitement, the entire Pro-Am opener was broadcast live on
IHRA.com by Motor Mania TV and the results were once again fantastic as
thousands of people from around the globe tuned in to watch the best
sportsman racers in the country do battle at Immokalee.
“It
was a great weekend and an incredible race. We couldn’t have been
happier with the turnout and we hope this is a sign of things to come
for the Pro-Am Tour in 2013,” said Frank Kohutek, IHRA Division 2
Director. “Ralph Hester always puts on a fantastic event and this was no
exception. The track was exceptional, the racers had a great time and
the live feed was an incredible bonus. It gave fans and racers an
opportunity to see how the IHRA puts on an event.”
Perhaps
the weekend’s biggest winner was track operator Ralph Hester who not
only put on a great event, but put his 1986 Chevrolet Camaro in the
winner’s circle in Hot Rod on Sunday. In the second biggest field of the
weekend behind Top Dragster, Hester went four rounds on Saturday and
added a few more on Sunday before breaking through with a big win over
Saturday’s winner Mark Mullen who broke out.
Eight-time
IHRA champion Anthony Bertozzi also continued his impressive streak at
the IHRA season opener with his fifth win in the past five seasons at
Immokalee Regional Raceway. After falling out in round one on Saturday,
Bertozzi stormed back on Sunday and drove his familiar 1998 Grand-Am to a
big win over Richard Preiser. Bertozzi was also runner-up in Stock on
Saturday giving him two finals over the weekend.
One
of the biggest non-winners from the weekend was defending Top Sportsman
World Champion Mike Thompson from nearby Naples, Florida. The 2012
champ drove his 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier to two runner-up finishes to
Norm Williams on Saturday and Chris Gulitti on Sunday, but from a points
perspective is off to another great start.
Another
Floridian to produce a strong start to the season was Meraitt Island’s
Jim Morrison who visited two finals in Quick Rod and Super Rod on
Saturday, winning in Quick Rod over Deborah Bogle.
It
was an incredible start to the year for the drivers of the Summit
Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL as a strong contingent
and superb Florida weather made for a memorable two days of racing.
Racers
in the Heat Wave Division will wait nearly two months before their next
race as the IHRA Nitro Jam series makes its return to Bradenton
Motorsports Park for a Pro-Am double-header April 19-21. The next event
on the Pro-Am schedule is at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge the
weekend of March 8-10.
The following are Saturday's final results from the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL, Heat Wave Division 2 day one at Immokalee Regional Raceway:
TOP DRAGSTER
Claude DeBonis, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., dragster, 4.645, 146.10 def. C.J. Keen, Ellenton, Fla., dragster, 4.511, 154.16.
TOP SPORTSMAN
Norm Williams, Yulee, Fla., '09 Cobalt, 6.314, 74.45 def. Mike Thompson, Naples, Fla., '03 Cavalier, foul.
QUICK ROD
Jim Morrison, Meraitt Island, Fla., dragster, 5.727, 124.72 def. Deborah Bogle, Cocoa, Fla., dragster, 5.688, 128.87.
SUPER ROD
Steve Garmon, Jacksonville, Fla., '63 Chevelle, 6.400, 125.45 def. Jim Morrison, Elmsdale, N.S., '70 Opel GT, 6.437, 125.63.
HOT ROD
Mark Mullen, Bradento, Fla., '66 Chevelle, 6.981, 97.85 def. Bill Stepp, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., '81 Cutlass, foul.
SUPER STOCK
Allen Wade, Rochester, Ind., '69 Camaro, SS/DA, 5.823, 111.91 def. Mark Nowicki, Gaylord, Mich., '98 Avenger, GT/EA, 5.917, 114.53.
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Jim Wahl, Deltonia, Fla., '78 Roadrunner, I/SA, 6.972, 95.85 def. Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., '69 Camaro, C/SA, 6.738, 93.38.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER MASTERS
Amanda Foley, Pompano Beach, Fla., dragster, 7.938, 83.86 def. Alexa Addeo, Delray Beach, Fla., dragster, foul.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER ADVANCED
Gage Burch, Palmetto, Fla., dragster, 9.064, 65.57 def. Troy Carpenter, Ft. Myers, Fla., dragster, 9.130, 69.21.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER BEGINNER
Katie Craft, Melbourne, Fla., dragster, 11.938, 53.61 def. Cody Krohn, Rotonda, Fla., dragster, 12.558, 50.47.
The following are Sunday's final results from the Summit Racing Equipment Pro-Am Tour presented by AMSOIL, Heat Wave Division 2 day two at Immokalee Regional Raceway:
TOP DRAGSTER
Mark Smullen, N Port, Fla., dragster, 4.608, 147.25 def. Samantha Richard, Naples, Fla., dragster, 4.728, 144.83.
TOP SPORTSMAN
Chris Gulitti, Spring, Texas, '98 Firebird, 4.413, 161.46 def. Mike Thompson, Naples, Fla., '03 Cavalier, foul.
QUICK ROD
John Labbous Jr., White House, Tenn., dragster, 5.717, 126.37 def. James Hinkle, Danville, Ky., dragster, 5.691, 121.92.
SUPER ROD
Joseph Deluco, Seffner, Fla., dragster, 6.412, 118.45 def. Dave Marcus Jr., Sarasota, Fla., '92 Camaro, 6.400, 128.17.
HOT ROD
Ralph Hester, Immokalee, Fla., '86 Camaro, 7.018, 105.96 def. Mark Mullen, Bradento, Fla., '66 Chevelle, 6.981, 97.23.
SUPER STOCK
Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland, Va., '98 Grand Am, SS/AS, 5.890, 118.39 def. Richard Preiser, Jackson, N.J., '67 Mustang, SS/DM, 6.110, 110.57.
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Jeff Lewis, Davie, Fla., '80 Corvette, C/CM, 6.533, 104.36 def. BJ Bianchi, Palmetto, Fla., '89 Mustang, L/CM, foul.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER MASTERS
Taylor Bouldry, dragster, 7.953, 80.70 def. Daniel Young, Palm Harbor, Fla., dragster, 8.131, 73.61.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER ADVANCED
Autumn Greene, Bradenton, Fla., dragster, 8.895, 69.50 def. Hailey West, North Port, Fla., dragster, 9.083, 70.14.
JUNIOR DRAGSTER BEGINNER
Katie Craft, Melbourne, Fla., dragster, 12.073, 53.00 def. Cody Krohn, Rotonda West, Fla., dragster, foul.
