“David (Steele) was a big influence and supporter right from the beginning,” Day said. “He helped guide us in the direction he thought sprint car racing in the state of Florida needed to go at the time.”
The inaugural season in 2016 was a resounding success. Seventeen events were contested and Steele was the first champion after winning 13 features. All but four of the 17 races were run with wings.
Over the past six years, most of the events have been winged. Promoters are given the option of hosting a winged or non-winged event, and a majority have swayed toward winged racing.
“We would still do some non-winged events and we like doing them, so our guys can get ready for the Little 500. They could use the non-wing seat time,” Day said. “But the promoters and fans in the state of Florida want wings. They want that speed. They want to see the wickedest, baddest, fastest cars on the planet. The current promoters are more geared toward the winged format.”
When Steele perished during an SSSS event at Bradenton, Fla., on March 25, 2017, it left a void. He was the winningest sprint car driver in the state of Florida. In addition, he was highly respected and provided parts, chassis, advice and direction to the Florida sprint car community and its competitors.
“David’s death definitely had an effect on us. Like I said earlier, he was a go-to guy who was knowledgeable about the sport and someone everyone respected,” Day said. “When he passed away, it left a major void in Florida sprint car racing. It has survived, but it would be a whole lot stronger if we still had David.”
The series annually features approximately a dozen events, starting in late January and ending in early December. Day tries to give competitors a summer break due to extreme heat and the rainy season.
To help provide an entertaining event, the series utilizes double-file restarts. In addition, time trails are not held. Instead, the feature lineups are determined by a four-race point average. The system works as John Inman has been the only repeat series champion in the past seven seasons.
One of the major challenges facing the series is the lack of asphalt tracks remaining in the state.
During the past two decades, no fewer than nine Florida asphalt tracks have disappeared. They have either been torn down or converted to dirt.
It appeared late last year that 417 Southern Speedway in Punta Gorda, which annually holds numerous SSSS events, would be lost as well. The leaseholders, Joe and Janet Gentry, lost a bid to retain the speedway. They were outbid by a group that planned to level the speedway and develop a concert and entertainment facility on the grounds.
That group backed out and plans are being formulated to continue racing for the foreseeable future at the three-eighths-mile track.
There are headaches that come with running a racing series. Among them are the current tire shortage, securing enough cars because of high fuel costs and keeping the gates open at a number of Florida tracks.
But Day insists it’s business as usual and pavement sprint car racing in Florida is in good hands.
“We’ve run 90 races so far and we should hit 100 races sometime next season,” Day said. “I think things are going to be stable for a while down here. We’ve got the support of the race tracks. We’ve got the support of the racers and we’re seeing new cars being built. Those are all positives. As long as we can get everybody to work together race track wise, we’ll be just fine.”
