Steele crushes field in Larry Brazil Memorial

8/7/2016

Freedom Factory

Steele crushes field in Larry Brazil Memorial

Steele crushes field in Larry Brazil Memorial
By SCOTT LOCKWOOD
Desoto Speedway

On a night that the Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series presented by BG
Products and TrueFuel honored one of Florida's late sprint car racing
legends, it seemed fitting that another legend would finish the night on
top of the podium.

Dave Steele, a two-time Little 500 champion who has several championships
on his resume, rocketed from the back of the field and crushed the
competition on his way to a victory in Saturday night's Larry Brazil
Memorial at Desoto Speedway,

After winning the first heat race of the evening, Steele took the BG
Challenge and started at the rear of the 17-car field. He passed 11 cars in
the first three laps, passed Johnny Gilbertson for third on the sixth lap
and just passed Troy DeCaire for the second spot when the red flag flew for
a hard crash by Jeff Firestine just prior to the halfway point.

Steele blasted by Jason Kimball on the restart and immediately set sail
from the rest of the field. Not even the lapped traffic would slow down
Steele, who was clocking laps in the 108 MPH range in the final half of the
race. He would beat DeCaire by nearly half a lap at the checkered flag.

"This is a great honor," Steele said in victory lane. "Larry Brazil was
definitely a hero of mine on the local scene growing up here. It's tough
outrunning these guys."

Kimball, Gilbertson and Sport Allen rounded out the top five. DeCaire won
the night's other heat race.

Cody Stickler has made Desoto Speedway his personal playground in the JD
Byrider Open Wheel Modified division. In Saturday's 35-lap feature,
Stickler passed Chad Rutherford for lead lap on 7 and checked out from the
rest of the field. L.B. Skaggs got by Rutherford for second on lap 18 but
found himself with a distant gap to the leader.

Stickler was ahead of Skaggs by nearly half a lap when the caution flew for
Rutherford's spin with 11 laps to go. Skaggs didn't have anything for
Stickler on the restart, and the Pinellas Park driver drove on to another
victory. Skaggs and Troy Robinson finished second and third, respectively.

The Take Aim Gun Range Street Stocks took to the track for a 25-lap
feature. Kenny Gibson took the lead early and held the top spot for most of
the race with Donnie Powers and James Nanney directly in tow.

Gibson was fighting a loose condition for most of the race and nearly spun
a couple of times coming out of turn four. With four laps to go, Powers got
a run on Gibson and took the lead going down the backstretch. He would go
on to his second straight feature win, with Gibson and Nanney rounding out
the podium.

In other action Saturday night, Darrin Ellis completed a double on the
evening by winning both the 25-lap LKQ Pick Your Part Pure Stock feature
and the 25-lap Pep Boys Speed Shop Modified Mini Sock feature; Carl
Thompson won the 25-lap Bomber feature; and Devin McLeod won the 20-lap
Legends feature.

Desoto Speedway will host the 200-lap Fall Bawl Invitational Sportsman
feature, which figures to draw at least 40 of the state's top drivers on
August 20. Desoto Pro Trucks, Pure Street Stocks, Mini Stocks and Bombers
will also be in action that night.
08-06-2016
DESOTO SPEEDWAY RACE RESULTS
Sprint Cars