5-30-09

"MOO over I want my cow"

Thats what Branden Clauss was thinking as he led the 13 car field through lap traffic for his 3rd win of the season.
This little gold cow that sits on top of the Souix City Steakhouse trophy is causing quite a stir. It's got the drivers going crazy to win at Dirt Devils Speedway. Saturday night was no exception. The strong ...13..car field with drivers from Miami to North Georgia made quite a showing.

Thanks to Debra Meade...wife of Leroy Meade we were able to get a story for everyone to read as i was driving myself again this weekend.

There were 2 heats ...in the first heat #72 Earl Roberts led from the pole with another strong showing. Earl has become a strong force in Florida Slingshot racing and is earning some respect from his fellow racers. Branden Clauss #1c came from 6th to 2nd but didn't have enough for Earl as the laps wound down. Matt Wyatt ended up 3rd. The #41 of Tracy Decaire finished 5th as it was her frist time in a Slingshot car.

Heat #1 finishing order
1.  #72 Earl Roberts
2.  #1c Branden Clauss
3.  #19 Matt Wyatt
4.  #5s Roy Bryan
5.  #41 Tracy DeCaire
6.  #22 Paul Britton

Heat #2 seven cars started with the #99 Seth Wilson leading the way..and taking a cone along for a couple of laps causing a little jam...That helped #428 Jason Ford move to the front taking over 1st with Sweeten 2nd and #77x Leroy Meade in 3rd. Lap 6 #17 Rob Sweeten took the lead and the win with jason 2nd.

Heat #2 finishing order
1.  #17 Rob Sweeten
2.  #428 Jason Ford
3.  #77x Leroy Meade
4.  #99 Seth Wilson
5.  #24 Harold Bedell
6.  #72x Mark Clauss
7.  #99x Swen

The feature invert draw was ..3...That put Branden Clauss on the pole. Thanks fellow racers Branden found a good setup to take him all the way to the finish leading all 20 laps for the win. The 2nd place runner Earl Roberts spun on lap three that handed 2nd over to #17 Rob Sweeten. Lap ..9..the 77x passed the #19 of Matt Wyatt for 4th spot. On lap...18.. The #428 Jason Ford passed  #77xLeroy Meade for 4th. A late pass for 2nd as Seth Wilson #99 passed the #17 of Rob Sweeten for 2nd .The ...13 ...car field provided plenty of action with another good night of racing in the bag. In the End #1c Branden Clauss took home the COW and in 2 weeks somebody else will be trying to get theirs. Thank you all for your help and support...The Florida Slingshots continue to grow.

Feature finish
1.  #1c Branden Clauss
2.  #99 Seth Wilson
3.  #17 Rob Sweeten
4.  #428 Jason Ford
5.  #77x Leroy Meade
6.  #72x Mark Clauss
7.  #72 Earl Roberts
8.  #19 Matt Wyatt
9.  #24 Harold Bedell
10.#22 Paul Britton
11.#99x Swen
12.#5s Ralph
13.#41 Tracy DeCaire

5-23-09

Bad Fast Earl Roberts Wins his 2nd race this season

5-23-09

Orlando Speedworld ,What appeared to be a sure rain out ended up some good racing. The Heat saw some familiar faces up front , with Rob Sweeten winning the heat. Jason Ford was second and Branden Clauss rounded out the top three.

The Feature was set. The invert draw was number 6 which meant almost the whole field had to invert. That setup a battle. The 19 of Matt Wyatt from Georgia had dropped out early with electrical problems. An early caution flew as Jason Ford tagged Tara Henderson sending her spinning around and getting sent to the rear. That left Earl Roberts out front for the rest of the race. Jason Ford charged hard up and down the bank trying to pass Roberts. While Jason was making some wide passes that let the gap for Rob Sweeten to slip into 2nd. Rob who came from the back made a heck of a charge toward the front. But time would run out and Bad Fast Earl held a smooth groove winning the feature. 2nd was Sweeten and 3rd was Jason Ford. Tara Henderson would challenge Branden Clauss for 4th but ended up 5th.

Feature finish
1. Earl Roberts
2. Rob Sweeten
3. Jason Ford
4. Branden Clauss
5. Tara Henderson
6. Roy Bryan
7. Matt Wyatt

5-9-09

Sweeten Wins Gulf Coast Region race #2 at Dirt Devils Speedway

Feature finish order
  1.  #17 Rob Sweeten
  2.  #41 Chris Achenbach
  3.  #428 Jason Ford
  4.  #19 Matthew Wyatt
  5.  #1c Branden Clauss
  6.  #72 Earl Roberts
  7.  #77x Leroy Meade
  8.  #72x Paul Britton
  9.  #5s Roy Bryan
10.  #24 Harold Bedell

5-2-09

Earl Roberts BAD FAST at Fruitland Park

A well prepared track always gives good racing and this weekend was no different. The heat race started with Jason Ford on the pole and he looked untouchable, winning the heat with a commanding lead. Earl Roberts finished second and Harold Bedell finished 3rd after a late race pass to get by Roy Bryan. The 428 looked like it was his day to win all day We all heard the saying about counting chickens, well in Slingshot racing anything can happen. The draw for the invert was 2. that put Earl on the pole and Jason second for the feature. When the green flag flew Earl kept the top spot and just poured it on taking a comfortable lead and never looking back. Jason would try several grooves but never could reel in Earl. Harold ran a great race finishing 3rd. Roy bryan got a few bugs worked out to finish 4th and Paul Britton ended up 5th getting some seat time and getting better each week.

Feature finish:

1.  Earl Roberts
2.  Jason Ford
3.  Harold Bedell
4.  Roy Bryan
5.  Paul Britton

4-18-09

Clauss returns to victory lane

After somewhat of a dry spell , Branden Clauss returns to victory lane at Sumter County Speedway. Thanks to the track crew for another smooth fast surface and support for the Slingshots.

The heats were filled with typical Sumter racing..Close ,tight racing..make a mistake and its all over. The 1st heat race was won by Branden Clauss and the 2nd heat race was won by Jason Ford.

Harold Bedell had a incident and bent a steering axle and the whole Slingshot group jumped in to help fix it. That team work showed how great this class really is.

The feature showed no team work and it was back to business, with Harold making it in the feature it was time to race. Branden led the feature to the green and leading almost all the laps. Jason Ford took the lead at one time on the restart after a caution but another quick caution would line him back behind Branden. The race was tight with Branden leading, Jason Ford 2nd and Mark Clauss 3rd. With 3 laps to go Mark spun out giving 3rd to Leroy Meade who was having a good showing for the first time at Sumter. I was in the race myself so further details i don't have. This should have been your finishing order....See ya at Orlando Speedworld

feature finish
1. Branden Clauss
2. Jason Ford
3. Leroy Meade
4. Harold Bedell
5. Roy Bryan
6. Earl Roberts
7. Mark Clauss

4-11-09

FORD.......First On Race Day

Jason (Big Block Ford) leads all the way to the checkered at Dirt Devils Speedway and picks up his first WIN!! Just think, 1 year ago today the 1c  Florida Slingshot car was driving around the track by itself doing demos. It's all coming together!!!

When you go to the best Go kart dirt track in Florida, You expect the best and the best is what we got. Some 2 wide racing was present with plenty of different groves giving the fans at a Packed Dirt Devils Speedway something to talk about.

The heat provided lots of action as newcomer Earl Roberts lead most of the heat until a late outside pass by Mark Clauss took the lead and the win. Mark was driving the recently purchased Houseworth car #72x and Earl was driving the other recently bought Houseworth car #72. Both cars are owned by Earl Roberts and were strong competitors all night. The race for 2nd and 3rd was a heated battle too with Branden Clauss and Rob Sweeten fighting for position. The (Boca Bullet ) Rob Sweeten would get taken out late in the heat. Harold Bedell Qualified 4th giving him the poll for the feature but Harold gave up the pole position to start at the rear of the field for the feature. That would move Jason Ford on the pole for the feature. Newcomer Roy Bryan finished 7th after running up front most of the heat race. After dodging some wrecks Leroy Meade rounded out the 8th spot.

The Feature was action packed as well. If there is one guy who should get a hard luck award it would have to be Jason Ford, ever since his Slingshot career start its been a bumpy road , but not Saturday night. After a rough start at the winternationals and almost done racing , Jason got the car fixed up and determination pulled through. Jason (BIG BLOCK) Ford started poll in the feature and never looked back. A well deserved win for a dedicated Slingshot racer. Earl Roberts held a very tough grove with little mistakes making it hard for the hard chargers behind him. Branden Clauss and Mark Clauss (Father and Son) had quite the battle for 3rd with Branden winning the battle getting 3rd and Mark 4th. Rob Sweeten had an early spin taking him out of competition while fighting for the 2nd spot. Another battle was going on a few cars back with Roy Bryan, Harold Bedell and Leroy Meade. Roys car would finish 7th with a flat front tire and Harold would end up 5th with Leroy 6th.

Results

The next NON point race will be April 18th at Sumter Speedway
The next point race will be at Orlando Speedworld April 25th

3-28-09

SWEETEN TAKES ORLANDO SPEEDWORLD
The Slingshot cars raced at Orlando Speedworld for the first time ever and produced yet another win for the dominating (Boca Bullet) Rob Sweeten. " He just has everything right" remarked some of the other racers. Rob Won his heat race which set him up to start on the pole for the feature. Branden Clauss qualified 2nd but soon after the start found himself chasing the fast #17 of Sweeten. Branden would close the gap in the final laps of the feature but never really close enough to challenge Rob's #17. The battle for 3rd heated up early on as Earl Roberts passed Leroy Mead for position. Leroy moved from PA. several years ago with his Slingshot car to live in Florida and becoming the first Slingshot in Florida. Leroy a veteran driver plans on being a regular in the Slingshot class.

Orlando feature results 
1. Rob Sweeten
2. Branden Clauss
3. Earl Roberts
4. Leroy Mead
5. Harold Bedell

12-13-08

RICH TOBIAS WINS ON SUMTERS FAST TRACK

Let me first Thank the people at Sumter Motorsports Park. Bill and Sheldon did a great job with the track and running a successful event. Florida Slingshots looks forward to coming back.

This race weekend was pretty good. PRI show was in Orlando, Rich Tobias came down for the PRI show and later came out to Sumter Speedway to race in his Slingshot division. Rich drove Rob Sweetens #17. If you have been following the stories Rob's car just came off the 3rd win in a row for the Florida Slingshots. Another great thing happened the 6th Slingshot car got delivered to our newest racer HAROLD BEDELL.  Harold did a great job keeping the body panels straight on a very fast and challenging Sumter Speedway. ...

The heat race went as expected, action packed. Branden Clauss started on the pole, with Jason Ford 2nd, Rob Sweeten 3rd, Rich Tobias 4th and Harold Bedell 5th. Jason (Big Block) Ford had an early spin giving up second to a fast Rob (Boca Bullet) Sweeten. Early caution would wave after Branden and Rob put some distance on the field.  After the restart Rich Tobias put the 17 closer to the leaders, Rob ended up getting into the side of Branden, bringing out the final caution. With Rob black flagged and Branden sent to the rear of the field it led the door wide open for race leader Rich Tobias. Harold Bedell was 2nd and Jason Ford 3rd. with the laps winding down Jason passed Harold for 2nd and Rich Tobias went on for the win in the heat....heat finish:   1.Rich Tobias  2.Jason Ford  3.Harold Bedell  4.Branden Clauss  5. (DQ) Rob Sweeten

The feature was set with Jason Ford on the pole Rich Tobias 2nd, Branden Clauss 3rd, Rob Sweeten 4th and Harold Bedell elected to start last since this was his first race. with the wave of the green flag on the first lap Branden got into Rob causing a flat tire on Robs car with him not able to return. Green would wave again as Branden moved into 2nd chasing Jason's good handling #428. Branden would leave the bottom open as Rich got underneath him for a smooth pass. It looked like Jason was gonna pick up his first win until a late race slip up left the door open once again for the Master Rich Tobias. Rich went on to win the feature with Jason Ford 2nd......Feature finish: 1.#17 Rich Tobias  2. #428 Jason Ford  3. #1c Branden Clauss 4. #24 Harold Bedell 5 #99 Rob Sweeten

12-06-08

SWEETEN WINS 3 IN A ROW AND CROWNED 2008 CHAMPION

The last race of the year for Hendry County Speedway and for the DUNN RITE CONSTRUCTION SLINGSHOT SHOOTOUT SERIES saw some sweet racing or should i say sweeten. Rob ( The Boca Bullet) Sweeten started off the night winning the heat and proving he was going to be the man to beat. Jason (big block) Ford finished second in the heat and in the feature and becoming a stronger competitor each week. Adam Schradin had a good run finishing 3rd. Branden Clauss would have a developing problem and continued to worsen through out the night. A big thank you goes out to the Slingshot teams for being patient and helping the 1c race team. In the feature Jason kept the gap with in striking distatance but just couldn't close in on Rob. Rob would lead green to checkered for an easy win and a well fought point win.  Feature finish : 1. Rob Sweeten 2. Jason Ford 3. Adam Schradin 4. Branden Clauss

11-1-08
SWEETEN WINS AT A PACKED HOUSE HENDRY COUNTY SPEEDWAY

The night started with a twist. No Heats only features which threw a curve for the slingshot racers. After drawing for positions, Troy (the rocket) Coulter found himself on the pole for his first race at the Hendry County Speedway. Rob Sweeten started 2nd, Adam Schradin started 3rd, Branden Clauss 4th and starting 5th was Jason (big block) Ford. Troy jumped out in front living up to his new nick name..the rocket...  leading the first three laps. A very rough track had the guys concentrating on finding any smooth part on the track ...and there was none. After three laps ,Troy pushed up the track giving Rob the lead. Troy would follow close behind . Jason would quickly move into 3rd until things caused him to fall off the pace. Branden would move around Adam for 3rd. Caution was thrown when Troy backed into a tire in turn 4 about halfway through the event. The restart had Rob in the lead with Branden 2nd and Adam 3rd. The rough track would keep the Slingshots spread out  throughout the race. Some hard racing went on at the the back for a few laps but in the end Robs many years racing experience showed  picking the right lines and avoiding some of the severe ruts that were all over would earn him a well deserved win  and a check for $100.00 Thanks to DUNN RITE CONSTRUCTION

Feature finish: 1. Rob Sweeten  2. Branden Clauss 3. Adam Schradin 4. Troy Coulter 5. Jason Ford

Thumbs up to the Slingshot teams for a great night. Thumbs down to Hendry County Speedway for cutting out the heats without notice.

Racing action on 6/14/08