IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

June 9, 2007 Powell Memorial Highlights Ocala Racing By BJ Cavin When fans began arriving for the 12th Annual Powell Memorial things were not looking very promising for racing. Thunderstorms were all around the Ocala area, including bolts of lightning and booming thunder. But Mother Nature apparently likes James Powell because she parted the storm clouds and sent Powell's wife to the hospital to deliver a new baby girl. And just as race crews finished drying the track the fans filling the main grandstand were treated to an extra show as the space shuttle lifted into the heavens behind the backstretch wall, bringing cheers and a round of applause from the crowd. So it was a night of thunder and lightning, exciting arrivals, and the rockets' red glare, followed by thunder of a different kind and plenty of excitement for everyone. Thanks to the earlier storms the schedule for the night was rearranged in order to allow the late model crews to make last minute adjustments to their machines. That meant that qualifying was delayed and the night opened with the V8 Pure Stock feature race. Don Milam was supposed to be on the pole, but he failed to start the race which allowed Larry Welter Sr. to move to the pole position. By the end of the first lap Eric Gellman had taken the lead, and on lap 9 Tommy Roberts made a classic pass to take the top spot. Roberts used to be a weekly fixture at Ocala Speedway, and it seemed like old times as he raced his way to a convincing win. Curtis Clark managed a strong second place finish and James Erickson raced from the last place to third over the course of the race. Ten 4 Cylinder Stocks took the green flag for their feature event with Justyn Elwood on the pole, but 7 laps later it was Brandon Elwood who wrestled the lead away from him and sped to a well deserved victory. Rick Kuhn had yet another impressive night as he raced from the rear to steal second place, and force Justyn Elwood to settle for third. After the 4 Cylinder Stock feature it was time to take a break and qualify the racers for the Powell Memorial. Steve Dorer had problems initially and was forced to leave the track before qualifying could begin, but he returned to take his laps at the end and he made it count. Dorer blistered a fast time of 14.586 to win the fast qualifier award and take home an unexpected $500 bonus. It was Scott Anderson who led the Thunder Stocks to the green flag for their feature race, but his hold on the lead was ruined by a mechanical problem with a ball joint caused his night to be less than stellar. Josh Brown blew past Anderson's wounded car and sped to a convincing victory, followed by Jason Henry in second place and Chris Oliveri in third place. After their big race had been rained out the week before, the Street Stocks were itching to get onto the track. Leonard Arnold had the pole and fought hard to keep the lead, but on lap 2 Don Strosahl passed him and never looked back. However, it was Mike Stalnaker that had the car to beat, and he passed both Arnold and Strosahl to collect a win. Don Strosahl raced to a second place finish while Jeff Stalnaker Jr. finished in third place. While the last two divisions were racing on the track, the late model crews were making last minute adjustments to their machines in preparation for the 12th Annual Powell Memorial 125. 27 cars followed pole sitter Daniel Webster as he took the green, and most of them continued to follow him for 112 laps. Webster was practically invincible despite a very determined Wayne Anderson who constantly harassed him from behind, but in the end it was a broken hub that did Webster in and allowed Anderson to make the final pass for the win. Powell Memorial top three, (L to R) Tim Russell, Wayne Anderson and Patrick Williams As Webster retreated to the pit area Wayne Anderson pulled away followed by Patrick Williams and Tim Russell who finished second and third respectively. Scott Grosenbacher raced to a forth place finish, followed by Kurt Jett in fifth place. Next week Ocala Speedway welcomes the TBARA Winged Sprints for a fast paced race, and the Open Wheel Modifieds will return to the track after a long layoff. Results from Ocala Speedway, 5/8/07 V8 Pure Stock 1) 44 Tommy Roberts 2) 21 Curtis Clark 3) 66 James Erickson 4) 97 Brent Cooper 5) 53 Eric Gellman 6) 85 Larry Welter Sr. 7) 4E Harold Erickson 8) 28 Don Welter 9) 91 Hall Robertson 10) 3D Jessie Corbett 11) 96 Bruce Pernitza 12) 14 James Sullivan DNS- 69 Don Milam 4 Cylinder Stock 1) 28 Brandon Elwood 2) 46 Rick Kuhn 3) 17 Justyn Elwood 4) 31 Tom Ellis 5) 97 Jacob Leeson 6) 02 John Layard 7) 43 Mike Taylor 8) 23 John Hagans 9) 92 Rick Heath 10) 30 Sean Evans Thunder Stock 1) 67 Josh Brown 2) 96 Jason Henry 3) 00 Chris Oliveri 4) 07 Scott Anderson 5) 79 Wade Brown 6) 69 Allen Hall DNS- Curtis Clark Jr. Street Stock 1) 8 Mike Stalnaker 2) 11 Don Stroshal Jr. 3) 9 Jeff Stalnaker Jr. 4) 65 Shane Nichols 5) 17 Shelby Mather 6) 4 David Foster 7) 12 Neal Durbin 8) 09 Carl Carr 9) 14 John Buzinec 10) 81 Don Woosley 11) 67 Norm Brown 12) 00 Terry Dunbar 13) 13 Jonathon Appleby 14) 39 Rick Bass 15) 86 Pete Close Jr. 16) 06 Leonard Arnold 17) 3X Mike Trexler 12th Annual Powell Memorial 125 1) 84 Wayne Anderson 2) 136 Patrick Williams 3) 36 Tim Russell 4) 09 Scott Grosenbacher 5) 9 Kurt Jett 6) 4 Blake Lehr 7) 97 Mike Franklin 8) 80 Brian Finney 9) 28 Scotty Crockett 10) 93 Ryan Sieg 11) 56 Kevin Durdin 12) 01 Robbie Smith 13) 28 Don Hale 14) 54 Kevin Bryant 15) 3 Daniel Webster 16) 0 Troy Robinson 17) 21 Jim Smith 18) 47 Keith Zavrel 19) 23 Edward Allen 20) 77 Mike Fritts 21) 10 Steve Dorer 22) 04 Shane Bastow 23) 21 Fain Skinner 24) 70 Jeremy Gerstner 25) 11 Cody Pitts 26) 0 Rich Pratt DQ (conduct) 20 Scott Millar Have an opinion on this story? 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