Dale Murray Florida

Florida has the best fishing in the world

This here debate on which sport can rightfully lay claim to the honors of being Florida's state sport is a bit like that chicken hawk who's always pestering Foghorn Leghorn in the cartoons.

It's simply a chicken hawk's nature to have a bone to pick with other feathers, and likewise, a den of sportswriters loves nothing more than henpecking the sports world.

But fishing is the 10-foot-tall rooster in this scrap. And what's more, this state sport topic is one debate that's already flown the coop.

Florida, in case you didn't know, promotes itself as the "Fishing Capital of the World."

Naming golf the state sport when Florida is already running around calling itself the "Fishing Capital of the World ," feels more than just a tad adulterous.

The Sunshine State can't make fog the state weather. For the "Fishing Capital of the World" to give any other sport state status would be a denial of reality.

It would be like Las Vegas making moderation its municipal motto or Dale Earnhardt saying he really always just wanted to be a traffic cop.

Forgive me, but the presence of country clubs hardly carries the kind of weight that Florida can rest its laurels on. In Florida, water hazards are just day jobs for bass ponds.

From the St. Johns River to the Gulf Stream waters, fishing and Florida are a long-legged natural beauty of a combination. Just look out the window. I bet there's water out there. And, I bet there are fish in it.

Florida is the headquarters of the International Game Fish Association. Even our grocery stores carry bait and hooks.

The great L.A. Times sportswriter Jim Murray once wrote something along the lines of, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Florida is a body of water surrounded on three sides by sharks and filled with alligators. And to its north is Georgia, if you consider that an improvement."

And the impressions of outsiders and jabs at other states are not besides the point of this state-sport business.

Make football or golf or racing or baseball our state sport, and you'll get nothing but "Says who?"

But fishing? Well, you'll get nothing but begrudging and defeated approval from our 49 friends.

Florida is a 500-mile-long boat ramp between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, with more than 7,800 lakes, 8,426 miles of shoreline and 5,983 square miles of state water.

In total, Florida's 1,711 rivers and streams travel 10,550 miles through some of the most absolutely astonishing natural beauty in the United States of America.

Only The Last One Pays | Florida Dirt Track News

The Hobby Stocks had 20 laps and 20 cars and put on a great show. Howard Osteen took the lead from Brett Barrett from the start and Barrett spun a little while later as Cody Albright did the same on the opposite end of the track. On the first restart, Billy Carlbert, Jr. brought the yellow right back out after his tire went down. The field was able to make another lap before Ron Adams spun his 118 out of turn 4. The restart was not kind to Joe Belkey and when the yellow came out for debris he learned that he was restarting in the back. Donnie Reed brought the yellow out on lap 4 after some contact sent him spinning in turn 1. With 5 to go Billy Carlbert, Jr. brought the yellow out for a turn 4 spin. Osteen continued to lead but Kevin Durden and Tim Powers were on him waiting for a mistake. Howard Osteen took the white flag but as they exited 2 it was Kevin Durden. Durden led less then a lap but took the win as Tim Powers got around for 2nd, the dominant Osteen 3rd, Joe Belkey came from the back to finish 4th, and Joe Boyd kept his nose clean for 5th. Buck Woodhouse was just 1 spot away from  3 consecutive top 5s while James Erickson was Biggest Mover with 13 spots gained from his 20th place starting position. Mark Maresca, William Edwards, and Ron Adams stayed out of trouble and finished inside the top 10. Mini Stock action at Bubba Raceway Park is so close that it has resulted in 8 winners in 10 races. Lap 2 saw Ray Ethridge spinning down the enbankment of the backstretch. After the restart Shirlene Hammond went by Buddy Pope and she handled it after that pass. After a yellow for the 11 car on the frontstretch it gave Pope and 3rd place Folwell a shot at “Hammerdown” Hammond. “Hammerdown” became the 2nd multiple feature winner of the season as Buddy Pope held Ray Folwell, the Biggest Mover, off for 2nd. Brittany Yates took 4th which was enough to earn her some points in the championship battle as Jamie Burrows made it a 3-4-5 for John Yates’ cars. Ray Ethridge beat Ryan Babcock out for 6th. The 11 tok 8th after his wreck while Kody Kinsey and Jeremy James would DNF and take 9th and 10th, respectively. The UMP Open-Wheel Modifieds had Double Points and $1500 on the line and they made it interesting. From the start it was an uphill battle for Buzzie Reutimann and the 00 group as the right rear went down and Paul Sizemore chose the lesser of 2 evils and destroyed the right side of his car as he hit the rear of Buzzie’s 00.

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