Travis Cope is getting comfortable in victory lane at New Smyrna Speedway going back to back winning the 2014 Red Eye 100 and now the 2014 Pete Orr Memorial (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
New Smyrna Beach, Fla.– The second round of The Florida Triple Crown took place at New Smyrna Speedway this Saturday, January 18, with the 12th Annual Pete Orr Memorial. When Pete Orr passed away of cancer 12 years ago, and the racing community lost a true champion. Pete won over 300 races in a career spanning over 3 decades. His career took off when he joined forces with David Russell. As a crew chief and teammate, Pete helped take Russell Racing to the next level, including track championships at Orlando Speedworld 1987-1990 and New Smyrna Speedway 1988-1990. Pete won The Florida Triple Crown in 1991 and New Smyrna’s World Series in 1992. He won this race, then named the Orange Blossom a record 4 times.
Tonight The Orr family was present, with son Bobby awarding longtime Florida driver Lee Roy Porter the Pete Orr sportsman award. After Daniel Keene Jr was DQ’d for soft tires, the fast time award went to number 27 Bobby Good. The top ten qualifiers would draw for starting positions and Good would start sixth. He would make his way to second, only to be taken out on the last lap by 1st time late model starter Tyler Dippel. Thirty cars would attempt a qualifying run, with Harrison Burton crashing hard on his attempt, destroying the right front of his car and he would be unable to start the race. Stephen Nasse would have made it 31, but his engine let go in practice the night before.
That would make it a 29 car field with Red Eye winner Travis Cope starting on the pole. We know the outside is the fast way around this brightly lit half mile and outside starters Anthony Campi and Matt Tift would get by Cope on the start. Cope would make quick work of Tift, and by lap eight he would take the lead. Twentieth starter David Rogers is making his way through traffic, he would end up finishing the night in 9th place. Up front, Cope leads, Fast time Good is second, Campi to third, followed by young Spencer Davis. They run like this until the nights first caution on lap 38. In front of leader Cope, Clayton Castetter spins, collecting Cope. Cope would roll away and be given his top spot back. The second half of the top 10 are Alex Labbe, Garvey, Dippel, Clouser and Brad May. Garvey cracks the top five when the caution comes out.
Mike Garvey (1) takes it low to pass Alex Labbe. Garvey ran well earning a third place finish. (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
Cope restarts on the outside and pulls away from from Good and Davis, Garvey gets loose, holding up the rest of the pack. Just after halfway and Campi is dropping as Tyler Dippel moves to fourth and pressures Davis for third. Lap 80 sees Cope pulling away and Dippel taking third and challenging Good for second. 10 to go and Cope has lapped up to 10th and Dippel wants second, white flag and Dippel gets into Good on the backstretch with Good getting on his side. Cope wins, Davis and Garvey make up the top 3. Dippel limps to fourth.
Tyler Dippel finishes fourth (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
Three weeks from tonight, we will be back with the PASS racing series holding their Winter-Meltdown here at New Smyrna Speedway then the following week, we will start the World Series, running 8 nights from Friday till the Saturday before the Daytona 500. Twenty-five year old Travis Cope plans to be back to attempt a clean sweep of the Triple Crown with a win in the World Series finale, a 100 lap Super Late Model event the night before the big race up in Daytona.
Cope starts on the pole and finishes in victory lane (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
Spencer Davis on his way to second place (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
Travis Cope takes the checker flag to win the 2014 Pete Orr Memorial (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
Brad May (10) and Matt Tift side by side (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
David Rogers and the TM Ranch #11 (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
Jerry Simmons (66) wins the modified portion (photo Rodney Meyering / RSEN)
ALL RESULTS 1-18-14
Super Late Models – 100 Laps
1. 26 Travis Cope
2. 129 Spencer Davis
3. 1 Mike Garvey
4. 1 Tyler Dippel
5. 81 Anthony Campi
6. 5K Daniel Keene Jr
7. 36 Alex Labbe
8. 10 Brad May
9. 11 David Rogers
10. 9 Rich Clouser
11. 00 Denver Foran
12. 10 George Gorham Jr
13. 89 Matt Tifft
14. 33 Daniel Webster
15. 88 Justin Larson
16. 07 Jeff Scofield
17. 46 Spencer Taylor
18. 22 Dusty Cornelius
19. 27 Bobby Good
20. 127 Kyle Maynard
21. 2 Brad Bowman
22. 20 Anthony Sergi
23. 4 Chad Pierce
24. 4 Randy Anderson
25. 97 Patrick Staropoli
26. 6 CJ Castetter
27. 57 Chris Brannon
28. 5 Rusty Ebersole
29. 33 Derrick Wood
DNS 12 Harrison Burton
Pro Late Models – 25 Laps
1. 129 Spencer Davis
2. 36 Sheldon Creed
3. 88 Garrett Jones
4. 4B Alan Bruns
5. 4 Jarrett Snowden
6. 21 Larry Blount
7. 77 Gavin Landers
8. 57 Michael Lira
9. 67 Doc McKinney
10. 10 Ricardo Flores
11. 77 Hudson Oneal
12. 01 Donny Funk
DNS 50 Ricky Anderson
DNS 59 Chris Brannon
‘Open’ Modifieds – 25 Laps
1. 66 Jerry Symons
2. 44 Sean Bass
3. 96 Matthew Wheeler
4. 4B Alan Bruns
5. 127 Kyle Maynard
6. 111 Earl Beckner
7. 76 Jim Higginbotham
8. 33 Derrick Wood
9. 21 Michael Dahm
10. 90 George Dahm
Mini-Stocks – 25 Laps
1. 71 Ted Vulpius
2. 31 David Russell
3. 30 Reid Christensen
4. 69 William Hindman
5. 14 Brad Blanton
6. 37 Shane Sutorus
7. 69 Shaun Cater
8. 32 Dean Butrum
9. 8 Jamie Dixson
10. 34 Jeff White
Strictly Stocks – 20 Laps
1. 89 William Hindman
2. 3 Dustin Higdon
3. 03 Aaron Overman
4. 21 Ken Josephson
5. 16 Warren Howie
DQ 81 Jimmy Barron
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