The 2008 drag racing season opened in Southern Florida as a pair of former Stock world champions opened their seasons in style with victories at the Division 2 Summit Pro-Am lid-lifter at Immokalee Regional Raceway. A heavy car count and the promise of a busy weekend of racing did not dampen the spirits of the competitors who had to sit through a two-hour rain delay to get Friday’s racing completed.

Drivers will have two more shots at Ironmen this weekend. Saturday Immokalee will host the second of its two Division 2 Summit Pro-Am events. Then Sunday it will host the first of three IHRA Sportsman Nationals on the 2008 schedule.

“I think for the first race of the year it went real good,” Immokalee Regional Raceway owner Ralph Hester said. “We had a two-hour rain delay but we still finished in good time tonight. We fed everybody and it looks like everybody’s having a good time. We had 220 cars today and I think we should have more tomorrow. A lot of people have to work on Friday, so they’ll come in tomorrow for the two-day deal. Everybody’s having fun, and that’s the name of it.”

Michael Beard, the Seagrove, N.C. resident and 2003 Stock World Champion, defeated the legendary Peter Biondo in the Stock final. Biondo is widely recognized as one of the top sportsman drivers in drag racing history, could not make it down the track in the final round…breaking shortly after the launch allowing Beard to cruise to the victory. Beard, behind the wheel of his trusty ’80 Volare, dialed in at 6.98. When Biondo broke Beard was able to ease it down the lane to a 7.012 at 87.29 mph.

The staging lanes were packed for the season opener in Immokalee

Craig Marshall, the Columbus, Ohio resident who claimed the 2004 Stock world championship, won the Super Stock Ironman with a final-round win over defending world champion Anthony Bertozzi. Marshall, driving his Dodge Materials ’98 Grand Am, dialed in at 5.733. He posted a stout .006 reaction time and ran a 5.733 at 118.95. Bertozzi, also in a ’98 Grand Am, dialed a 5.97. His .014 reaction time was solid, but he broke out, running a 5.967 to hand the victory to Marshall.

“Anthony is a tremendous racer and he makes you earn every round,” Marshall said. “He doesn’t make many mistakes and you can’t give him any room or leave the door open for him a tiny crack because he’ll take advantage of any mistake you make. I was able to put together a nice package in the final…that’s the only way you are going to beat Anthony Bertozzi.”

The new Ironman, which was debuted at the December Champions Banquet, made its debut at the track in Immokalee

Bradenton, Fla. resident Jim Carlton, who finished seventh in the Top Sportsman world championship points standings last season, drove his ’04 Corvette past Waycroft, Ga. driver Bruce Thrift and his ’96 Beretta in the Top Sportsman final. Thrift went red by -.018 to hand the victory to Carlton, who posted what can only be described as a leisurely 51.84 elapsed time.

Two local drivers, both from nearby Naples, Fla., squared off in the Super Rod final. Todd Thompson won bragging rights by driving his ’27 Ford Model T past John Taylor’s ’99 Dakota to claim the Ironman. On the 6.40 Super Rod index Thompson posted a .034 induced 6.411 at 116.25 to top Taylor’s .025 induced 6.425 at 119.90.

Drag racing legend Edmond Richardson, one of the top sportsman drivers in history who also runs a drag racing school, added yet another trophy to his extensive collection with a Top Dragster final round victory over Steve Dweck. If any of Richardson’s students were in attendance they saw their instructor put on a clinic. In the final round he dialed in at 4.61 and ran a dead-on 4.610 with a .006 reaction time. Dweck put together a strong 4.743 on a 4.74 dial with a .008 reaction time, but he could not get by Richardson’s near-perfect pass.

Steve Corker, from Clayton, N.C., started his season off with a bang by defeating Matt Levatino to win the Quick Rod Ironman. Corker ran a tight .022 package on the 5.70 Quick Rod index to close the door on a breaking-out Levatino.

Sarasota, Fla. driver Tim Butler took home the Hot Rod Ironman, driving his ’79 Camaro past Luke Bogacki’s ’74 Vega in the final round.

The second Division 2 Summit Pro-Am event of the weekend will he held Saturday morning at Immokalee Regional Raceway before Ralph Hester's Stock Suspension combo race Saturday night. Sunday the weekend will close with the first IHRA Sportsman National event.

Ralph Hester makes sure no one goes hungry at Immokalee Regional Raceway