Suffolk’s Florian sweeps Top Dog, All-Star Shootout
Published 8:30 pm Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Team Hampton Roads successfully defended its home turf Saturday night as Adam Florian led a sweep of the top four positions in the 50-lap All-Star Shootout, the featured event of Make-A-Wish Night at the Hampton Coliseum. Overall, the victory was Florian’s eighth of the season.
Scott Prillaman, the defending Hampton Roads series champ, started on the pole, sharing the front row with Pete Hunt from the Charlotte, N.C., series. Dave Sensiba of the Grand Rapids, Mich., series started third, to the inside of Florian.
By lap 5, Prillaman and Florian had pulled away by nearly a full straightaway over Hunt, who was busy with a challenge from Sensiba.
The first caution flag appeared on lap 16 when David Price from the Grand Rapids series went over in Turn 4. Prillaman, who was trying to clear the way past slower machines at the back of the pack, was judged to be the culprit in Price’s accident and ordered to the rear of the field. Disagreeing with the call, Prillaman, instead, chose to park his car, handing the lead over to Florian.
Five more caution flags were needed through the next 23 laps.
Under green for an 11-lap sprint to the finish, Florian quickly gained a one-length edge over Jordan Wood. By the end, he had extended his winning margin to two lengths. Derek Miller was third to the line, followed by Patrick Morgan and Hunt.
Earlier in the evening, Adam Florian gained the lead on the opening lap and stormed to his fourth Top Dog victory.
Curtis Hughes was due to start on the pole, but pulled aside as the field rolled off the grid, falling to the back of the 14-car field. Hughes’ retreat left Greg Pass on the pole alongside A Main winner Robbie Davis.
As the pack reached the first and second turns, though, Florian muscled his way to the inside of Pass and took the lead on the backstretch.
The fourth, and final, yellow flag flew on lap 34. As the race resumed, Florian eked out a narrow edge over Jordan Wood.
On lap 46, Florian and Wood waded into a thicket of lapped traffic. Spotting a possible opening on lap 48, Wood drove low in Turn 4. Florian fought off the advance, while Scott Prillaman pulled to the outside of Wood in a bid for second.
At the finish, Florian eased to the win, while Prillaman edged Wood for second, completing a 1-2 Suffolk sweep.
Robbie Davis snagged the lead from Scott Prillaman on lap 6 and rolled to his second straight win in the 50-lap A Main.
Josh Turner, last season’s Charlotte series champ, took the lead on lap 36 and sped on to the victory in the 50-lap B Main.
Curtis Hughes held off Cody Carlton in a fender-grinding finish to score his third feature victory of the season in the 50-lap C Main.
Michigan visitor David Price adapted quickly to the Hampton Coliseum track, taking the lead on lap 2 and showing the way to the finish of the 50-lap D Main.