May 30, 2015
Our best turn out yet at New Smyrna Speedway, 16 Corvettes and 22 members and guests made the journey out S.R.44 to the track on another great evening of fun and excitement.
The weatherman cooperated and kept the temperature down and the Bud Lites were only $1.00 before the races started. We didn’t need the beer to keep ourselves cool, but we drank some anyway (’cause you never know!).
Christine Cartwright had a young guest riding along in her Vette, Greg Wolfe brought along his next door neighbor and Buzz Gunn had his daughter, Nora, up from Tampa as his co-pilot. Everyone else was either with or without their significant others.
The parade laps were a little different tonight. It included some race cars in the formation in memory of the gentleman who built them. He passed away earlier this week. It was also “Harley-Davidson Night”, so a bike from Bruce Rossmeyer in New Smyrna was also in the line-up.
We started around the track but the National Anthem didn’t play, so we made another circuit around the oval…then they gave us the GREEN LIGHT and we were off once again to set our marks as some of the greatest racers of this, or any other, century (well, in our minds anyway!).
As is customary, the slower and under-powered Vettes as well as some first-timers, took to the inside line. I had a few cars in front of me, but I was laser-focused on one thing, Mike Bruck’s ’64 roadster.
He kept pulling away on the straights, as he should, but couldn’t hold it down through the corners, that’s where I caught him. For some reason he didn’t have the traction he had on previous days. I barely kept ahead of him, but was constantly looking for Bob Yelle in his C7 to make a charge (he started in the back of the pack). So now you know why I was looking for the flag & trophy. lol (that’s “laugh-out-loud” for you non-texters).
The feature was 100 laps, but the best race (aside from ours) was a prelim in which one of the favorites started in the back, but caught up and had a side-by-side finish with the leader. We had to wait for official results, but almost everyone thought he had won. He came in second by probably an inch or two, but what a great finish that was.
Another great turn-out and another great time for V.C.C.A. and we all need to thank New Smyrna Speedway owner Mr. Bob Hart and his General Manager Ms. Kimberly Brown.
Let’s try for 20 Vettes next time out. Where were you anyway?? Until then let’s…
Keep the Vettes Rollin’
Chuck Powers
