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Winternationals Revving Up

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By BILL GREEN, Tribune correspondent

Published: January 29, 2008

GIBSONTON - Daytona is the focal point of major-league racing this time of year, but for dirt short-track racing in the South, it's East Bay Raceway Park.

The one-third-mile dirt track is set to host its 32nd Annual Winternationals, a 17-day series of sprint car, super late model, and open-wheel races that draws drivers and fans from several states and Canada.

Racing begins Wednesday night with a practice session for the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models and runs through Feb. 23.

"The Hillsborough County economy gets a huge boost from the influx of fans and drivers," track vice president Todd Hutto said. "They all have to eat, sleep, camp or stay with friends or relatives, which adds a great deal to local businesses and hotels."

The Winternationals started in 1975 as the "410 Nationals" - so named because it featured the 410 winged sprint cars. Over the years, the event has been expanded to also include the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models, Florida mini-sprints, 360 winged sprints, open-wheel modifieds, mod-lites, and Crate Late Models.

The program draws not only the area's best drivers, but also top drivers from colder areas where tracks are not currently operating. NASCAR drivers sometimes drop in, including Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart and Kenny Wallace.

Just as many racing fans plan winter vacations around Daytona's Speedweeks races, quite a few short-track fans from up north plan winter pilgrimages to the Winternationals.

"We're the only place in the country where you can set up camp and see 17 nights of racing," said Al Varnadore, president of 2VHL Promotions Inc., the operator of East Bay Raceway Park. "While most other facilities can only handle three to five nights in a row, we have the facilities and employees willing to handle all those extra nights of racing."

The Winternationals start Thursday night with three nights of 360 sprint cars, capped by the Ronald Laney Memorial, named for a popular former champion who was killed in a crash while leading a qualifying race at the track in 2002.

Next up are six nights of the Lucas Oil Dirt Super Late Models, offering more than $45,000 in first-place prize money over the six days.

Feb. 10 is Vintage Day, which will feature scores of classic sprint cars, stock cars, souped-up coupes, modifieds and some surprises. Exhibition laps with the classic cars often turn into impromptu "bragging rights" races.

The open-wheel modified portion of the program, Feb. 14-16, typically draws a high number of entries. Last year's champion, Ray Guss Jr. of Milan, Ill., will try to defend his title.

Last in the Winternationals are the Crate Late Models, Feb. 21-23. A number of East Bay's regular drivers, including Keith Nosbisch, as well as controversial radio personality Bubba "the Love Sponge" Clem, will take on the stars of the traveling series.

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