| Anticipation Building for 2007 at Ocala Speedway | By BJ Cavin
 Ask Florida race car drivers to use one word to describe Ocala Speedway and more times than not the word is, "tough." This is because Ocala is a very unique track, and that uniqueness is both a blessing and a curse.
What makes Ocala unique is also what makes it a very difficult track to master, and while many drivers love Ocala Speedway because of that degree of difficulty, others despise it just as much for the same reason. It all comes down to whether a racer can find success on Ocala Speedway's flat turns and odd layout or not.
For the racers who call Ocala home the advantage comes in the form of having to adapt to the track's differences on a weekly basis, and they will tell anyone who asks that if you can win at Ocala, then you can win anywhere.
On March 2nd Ocala Speedway will eagerly kick off another year of 7:30PM Friday night racing with all divisions running plus school bus figure 8 racing. Mike Peters and Angie Clifton are in their sophomore season as track owners, but their first season where the schedule of events is not in part dictated by contracts and arrangements that were inherited from the previous owners.
 And now that Peters and Clifton have total control over the show there will additions and absences from the annual schedule. What will not change is their dedication to running the speedway according to the rules as they are written, with no gray areas and no exceptions. Their main focus has been honesty, integrity, and the total elimination of any sort of favoritism.
They also have dedicated themselves to making racing more affordable by introducing options to the drivers that reduce their costs while allowing them to be more competitive in the process. And they have opened the door to many more drivers to test Ocala's toughness by working with Citrus County Speedway in Inverness and making both track's rules identical in each division.
The many changes at Ocala Speedway for 2007 will bring some pleasant surprises for the fans in the grandstands as well. One huge change is that the four cylinder stocks are running mini stock tires, a change which has reportedly shaved over a second off of lap times for some of the cars.
Another addition is a new late model division, which offers a new crate motor option for the racers to help reduce costs and make this usually expense division more affordable for more racers.
Last years winners of the 12 Hours of Ocala, a stock car endurance race.
Along with these changes there will be heated racing from the other Ocala divisions, including the V8 Pure Stocks, Street Stocks, Sportsman, Open Wheel Modifieds, and the Thunder Stocks (formerly known as the V8 Rookie division). The figure 8 division will go into it's second year with more racers and more competition.
Special event nights for 2007 include a Monster Truck Extravaganza in May, plus the TBARA Winged Sprints, the Florida Mini Cups, the Fastruck Pros and Fast Kids, the Gulf Coast Modifieds, and the second annual 12 hours of Ocala endurance race. This season the 12 hour race will be a daylight event instead of an overnight event, thus making it more fan friendly. More special events are in the works and may be added to the schedule later.
Ocala Speedway is also pleased to welcome their 2006 family of sponsors back for 2007, plus some new additions. Opportunities exist for signage, divisional sponsorships, and car sponsorships, and interested businesses are asked to contact Ocala Speedway at 352-622-9400 for additional information.
Legendary track announcer Tom Cooper has joined the Ocala Speedway team to work on promotions in order to attract more fans into the grandstands, thus offering more opportunities for potential sponsors to see bigger returns on their investments.
According to Mike Peters, it is a group effort aimed at getting more fans into the grandstands and re energizing the appeal of local racing in Ocala and the surrounding area, which in turn leads to more exposure for the sponsors.
Fans coming to Ocala Speedway will find the same positive aspects to their racing experience as fans found in 2006, including a top of the line Musco lighting system, clean and modern bathrooms, a better than average sound system, and a dedication to service from all speedway employees.
In addition they will see more competitive racing in all divisions as more drivers take the opportunity to test Ocala Speedway's reputation as the toughest little 3/8ths mile in Florida, and as the speedway owners continue to insure that the racing is fair and that the rules are applied consistently.
In talking with fans and drivers at the track during the recent Blue/Grey 200 Modified race, the general consensus is that 2007 will be a great season for Ocala Speedway.
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