(originally appeared in the Naples Daily News 4/3/08)

Who says nothing new ever happens at the Swamp Buggy Races?

Sunday’s Spring Classic swamp stomp at the Florida Sports Park featured a day of “firsts” when Amy Chesser became the first woman driver to win two Pro Modified classes in the same day, the first woman driver to win the Big Feature and the first woman driver ever to lift up and heave the swamp buggy queen into the murky, oily Mile-O-Mud water at the end of the day.

The final race of the 2007-08 Budweiser Cup Series also saw the crowning of a new world champion. Dan Greenling was unable to win his class, yet still captured his first-ever points title by just five markers over defending world champion William Thornton and by six over third-place Roy Ortega.

As she rolled her Pro Modified two-wheel-drive buggy into Victory Lane for the trophy presentations, Chesser shut down the rumbling motor of her Aches-N-Pains machine and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“I’ve been working for this since I was 10 years old,” she said, almost in tears. “It’s a big, big day for me. I don’t even know what to say.”

Amy’s last name, of course, is a familiar one to those who have followed the sport over the past four decades. Her father, Leonard Chesser, seized his first feature-race win in 1970 and is known as “The Godfather of Swamp Buggy Racing” because he owns more feature victories than any other driver in the history of the sport that began in Collier County in 1949.

A few years back, Amy momentarily cast aside her tough tomboy image to enter the Swamp Buggy Queen pageant.

When one of the pageant judges asked Amy why she entered the event that involves dressing up in a long gown and high heels, Amy answered that she simply wanted to show her father that she could be feminine and look pretty. Her gritty determination Sunday was a thing of beauty, too.

“She’s the first woman to ever win 10 modified class championships,” said a proud Leonard Chesser, who predicted a few years ago that his daughter would someday reign supreme. “And she’s the first woman to win the Big Feature. I knew she could do it.”

Amy Chesser also is the cousin of seven-time Bud Cup champion Eddie Chesser. Y

es, female drivers have made headlines before at the Florida Sports Park. Most notable among them is Bonnie Walsh, who was the first woman to win the Bud Cup points chase when she garnered the honors in 2005 with a six-cylinder buggy called Fatal Attraction. With consistent performances, Walsh was able to seize the championship even though she didn’t take a Big Feature checkered flag that year.

The circumstances of Sunday’s final race were unusual in that having won both the two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive classes, Amy had to choose which buggy to drive in the Big Feature. She elected to turn over the wheel of her four-wheel drive machine called Dat’s It to her father.

When the green flag for the Big Feature dropped, Amy’s silver Aches-N-Pains established the early lead and simply outmuscled Ortega’s blazing six-cylinder Terminator, the runner-up.

Ironically, Leonard Chesser experienced mechanical problems and never got off the starting line when he drove Amy’s Dat’s It in the finale.

En route to the Big Feature, Amy prevailed over pre-race favorite Dan Greenling in the Pro Modified two-wheel drive class final. Greenling, who had won his class and the Big Feature in the October and January races, said his Roll On rocket experienced fuel pickup problems and was down on power. After posting two sub-52 second laps in earlier action, he got off to a slow start against Amy and was never able to catch up.

“I’m really happy for Amy,” said Greenling. “I think it’s great that she won it. She deserves it if anybody does.”

Amy said she wasn’t aware that Greenling was not as fast as usual off the starting line.

“When you’re in the buggy, you can never see anyone until they are ahead of you,” she said. “I didn’t know where he was. I never let off. I knew I had to drive it hard and win that race because I wasn’t going to be able to beat him with my four-wheel drive.”

In the class final of the Pro Modified four-wheel driver class, Amy defeated her cousin, Eddie, who had his second wheel failure of the day and was not able to complete the run.

Before taking the Queen’s Mudbath with Swamp Buggy Queen Ashleydawn Wells, the emotional Amy Chesser grabbed the microphone and thanked a variety of crew members, friends and loyal supporters for sticking with her.

Among those she paid tribute to was her uncle, Gene Whiting, who spends countless hours helping the team prepare for the competition. He is the brother of Amy’s mother, Kay. A number of Amy’s family members and friends also jumped into the water to celebrate with their hero following the Queen’s mudbath.

“It felt good,” said a shivering Amy, “because it was hot as hell all day.”

Race recap Class champions and feature-race winners in Sunday’s Spring Classic swamp buggy races at the Florida Sports Park:

* Pro modified two-wheel drive – Amy Chesser, Aches-N-Pains

* Pro modified four-wheel drive – Amy Chesser, Dat’s It

* V8 Super Stock – Lorrie Johns, Lady Liberty

* Six-cylinder – Roy Ortega, Terminator

* Four-cylinder – William Thornton, Cold Duck

* Air-cooled – John Parks, Sidewinder * Jeeps – Rod Kincheloe, 007.

* Little Feature – William Thornton, Cold Duck

* Intermediate Feature – Roy Ortega, Terminator

* Big Feature – Amy Chesser, Aches-N-Pains *

 Jeep Scramble – Jake Spears, All Powered Up

* V8 Super Stock Marathon – Kris Houser, Git Er Dunn

* Final 2007-08 Budweiser Cup Series points leaders: 1. Dan Greenling, Roll On, 31; 2. William Thornton, Cold Duck, 26; 3. Roy Ortega, Terminator, 25.4. John Parks, Sidewinder, 21; 5. Eddie Chesser, The Outlaw II, 18.