Byline: Ken De La Bastide
Dec. 13--Put Florida driver Dave Steele in an open wheel race car and the result is almost always an impressive finish. Steele has tasted success in Silver Crown, sprint and midget race cars over the past decade. He has not fared as well when climbing behind the wheel of a stock car, making limited starts in the Busch Grand National series.
Last Saturday, Steele captured the inaugural running of the Florida 400 at the Desoto Super Speedway, leading 292 of the 400 laps around the3/8 mile banked oval. Unfortunately it has been difficult to obtain information about the running of the Florida 400. But through several Internet searches I learned there were 19 cars in the starting field and attendance was estimated at 1,500. That's a far cry from the more than 33 teams that appear annually for the Pay Less Little 500 at Anderson Speedway, where approximately 10,000 fans watch the greatest pavement sprint car race in the world. Steele captured the Little 500 in 1996 and could easily have recorded another two or three victories in the event. The most disappointing finish for the Tampa native had to be in 2000 when his mount ran out of fuel with two laps remaining, handing the victory to Florida driver Jim Childers. Steele finished fourth. In 12 Little 500 starts, Steele has captured the pole position five times and has posted seven top-five finishes.
At the Florida 400, Steele started from the pole position. Along with the Little 500 victory, Steele's resume includes a victory in the 1994 Florida 500 at Charlotte County Speedway, where he placed third in 1993. Two other veterans of the Little 500 finished on the podium in Florida this past weekend. Michigan driver Jason Blonde came home second and Warsaw's Tony Elliott garnered third-place honors.
Elliott has been a regular at Anderson Speedway for many years, making a total of 13 Little 500 starts. His best finish at the Indiana oval has been third place in 2006, 1995 and 1998. Elliott has finished in the top 10 seven times. Blonde has never finished better than 15th in four Little 500 starts since 2000. It was good to see that the Florida 400 came off without a hitch and there is talk of making it an annual event. Hopefully in future years the Florida race promoters will take advantage of the expertise that Anderson Speedway officials can offer along with Jason McCord and Jason Smith of the Premier Racing Association. How exciting would it be for sprint car racing teams, drivers and fans to have two long-distance events a year? Car counts have to increase in Florida, but that should improve in future years.
I'm sure a lot of Midwest sprint car fans wouldn't mind a trip to the Sunshine State during the winter months to soak up some rays and enjoy a top-notch racing event. A race just weeks before the Christmas holiday could be problematic, maybe the Florida 400 should be moved to late January or early February. In other racing news The Premier Racing Association Big Car Series for Silver Crown cars made obsolete when the United States Auto Club went to a new chassis and body style this year, will complete the 2006 season tonight at USA International Speedway. Chet Fillip, the only driver to win the Little 500 and Anderson 400, is the points leader. He has a 100-point lead over Eric Gordon and a 225 margin over A.J. Fike. Expect to see a number of Nextel Cup drivers at the event. Ken de la Bastide may be reached at (765) 454 -8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com
Copyright (c) 2006, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
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