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Pitts Goes Green to Checkers for Auburndale Victory
SCOTT LOCKWOOD
Florida Short Track Report
AUBURNDALE - After enduring a hot August day and a long rain delay right after
the start of the night’s racing program, the fans at Auburndale Speedway finally got
to see what they wanted - a 100 lap Late Model race that was the main event for
the evening.
The crowd went crazy as the huge field of 25 Late Models came out for their
feature race. The field was as deep as you could get, with some ASA drivers,
including Cody Pitts and Kevin Macy along with some of the best drivers in the
state paying a visit. It was clear that it was going to be an exciting event, as cars
stretched all the way around the track during the warmups!
Pitts and Daniel Webster led the field to the green flag, and Pitts took the lead
going out of turn two. On the second lap, six cars crashed in the first turn. Levi
Hobbs was able to continue with right side damage, but Russ Shaw was done for
the night with heavy front end damage. Dave Dunkin was also in the accident, and
continued briefly before pulling into the infield.
Pitts and Webster stayed nose to tail, with Wayne Morris and Macy working their
way up through traffic. Macy got as high as fourth before spinning in the third turn
on lap 29. For the next 40 laps after the restart, the top five cars of Pitts, Webster,
Kurt Jett, Rusty Ebersole and Morris stayed in a tight line around the oval. That
would all change on the 73rd lap, when Pitts got into some fluid dropped on the
track by the smoking car of Perry Brown and spun. However, officials threw the
caution for Brown at the same time that Pitts spun, so Pitts was allowed to keep the
lead.
“I noticed for about three laps that the car was getting real loose,” Pitts said. “At
that time, I actually thought that Daniel Webster was getting into the back of me at
that time. I’d hit the oil, then it’d get real loose but when I got out of the oil, it’d
straighten right back out…that’s why I thought he was hitting me. Then my dad told
me that he was nowhere near me, so I knew there was oil or something on the
track.”
On the restart, Pitts and Webster drove away from Jett and Morris. The duo was
looking to settle the race amongst themselves, until Morris brought out the final
caution on lap 96 with a spin in turn 2. On the restart, Webster looked like he had
the faster car, but never touched Pitts while trying in vain to get by. However, it
wasn’t meant to be as Pitts won the race by a little over a car length.
“Starting up front was the key, because it’s so hard to pass here,” Pitts said. “I
knew that starting up there, it’d be real hard to get around us. The car was just a
little bit tight, so I had to slow down a little bit more in the center of the corner more
than I wanted to.”
Perhaps the best part of the race was the fact that Pitts and Webster put on a clinic
on how to race clean on such a tight track. The handle started going away on
Pitts’ car over the last several laps, but Webster gave him all the room he needed.
“He would always catch me a little bit going in and in the center, but I got a good
run coming off the corner, which is what you need with a crate motor,” Pitts said.
They had a lot more motor than us, and it’s really hard to keep them behind you
down the straightaway. Towards the end of the race, the tires were getting real
greasy and real slick, and he was able to be faster than me at the end.”
Everything may have come down to a time before the race when Pitts, Webster and
Jett were all sitting in the stands together talking about what would happen in the
race. Webster vowed he wouldn’t get into Pitts, and held true to his word. The trio
finished the exact way they started.
“I’ve raced with him for all these years, and he’s never even tried to touch me,”
Pitts said about Webster. “They’re all great drivers, and there’s never any
problems there.”
Ebersole, Jr. Garcia, Perry Lovelady, Steve Dorer, Hobbs, Morris and Macy
rounded out the top ten
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