(Lake City, FL; 8/26/2000) Wheeling a brand new car that had never been on a track prior to Saturday night, former track champion, J.F. McClellan, grabbed the lead from Eddie Gainey on lap 11 and sped to victory in the 50-lap headliner for the Florida Modifieds at Columbia Motorsports Park.

With the weather gods finally cooperating for the first time this month, the racers were anxious to get some laps under their belts. Kelly Lawrence set the pace for the first seven circuits before Gainey took command on lap eight. Just three rounds later the engine in his open wheeler expired and McClellan was in front.

Invader Jamie Burrows, who had started 10th in the 19 car field, gave chase but came up just a big short to claim runner-up honors in the half-century run. John Crawford, after an engine change in practice, came from dead last to finish third over Mike Johnson and Richard Ferry.

Ferry won the 25 lap make-up Late Model stock run with a good drive over an ill John Crawford and collected the bounty on Crawford in the process. Gainey, Roy Crain and Michael Haigh followed.

In the regular 25-lap event, it was all Ferry until the last lap when he ran off the track and handed the win to Gainey. Jeff Prescott, sitting in for Crawford, and making his first ever start in a Late Model, took second spot ahead of Crain, Richard Tucker and Haigh.

Veteran Tim Conrad won the make up 20-lap Street Stock run over Ray Wheeler and Randall Jackson, then came back to garner the regular feature as well; this time over Clinton Keen and Oral Tanner.

Pure Stock points leader, William Jerkins, padded his margin with a win in the make up main over Danny Coleman and Jerry Fortner with Fortner copping the regular 20 lapper ahead of Coleman and Robert Young.

Action continues every Saturday night on the high banked, half-mile oval just off I-75 south of Lake City.

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