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| "Dark Horse" Kilbury takes Ocala OWM Win | Ocala, FL, February 24, 2001 - At Ocala Speedway, the stands were packed with racing fans of all ages. A candlelight tribute and prayer was observed for the great Dale Earnhardt and his family. Fireworks capped off a great night of racing.
The Junior Cup Cars were first up. The heat laps were exciting as Conner Baxley (24) raced to the win and then had to sit tight with a stuck throttle. He did a fantastic job of staying in control. Conner's dad was able to grab the car as it came through the infield and pull the plug. With Conner's car out of commission, Hunter Overton (24) was given the pole. He raced to the win with Victoria Gentry (60) close on his tail for second. Elizabeth Gentry (39) finished third.
The Coca-Cola Four Cylinder Bombers filled the track. Bobby Valeo (8) took the early lead. After a yellow flag that put the 79 car at the rear, Joel Eckman (27) continued in second position. Kris Richardson (11) moved up quickly from mid-pack to take second position after several more laps. Another couple of caution flags flew, but the top three weren't affected. After struggling to gain the lead, Richardson finally got by Valeo on the outside to take the checkered flag. Bobby Valeo finished second, and Joel Eckman finished third.
The WTRS Pure Stocks roared out of the pits. Marlon Durbin (72) had the pole, and Frank Buchanan (07) sat on the outside. A pileup in turn four on the start caused a complete restart. Buchanan quickly took the lead, but he wasn't able to hold on more than a few laps as Moose Alderman (7) moved up quickly through the pack to take the lead. Buchanan and Paul Fletcher (94) continued to battle for second until they actually tangled in turn three, putting them both in the rear. Richard McGlashen (113) moved up to second with Mark Mitchell (71) moving into third. Alderman had a commanding lead and held on to take the checkered flag. Richard McGlashen finished in second just a nose ahead of Mark Mitchell in third.
The Steven A. Bagen Sportsmen filled the track. The green flag was jumped early on the first start so a full restart was called. Again the flag was jumped, but as the yellow flag was being thrown, a car crashed hard into the turn one wall to bring out the red. The driver was ok, and the car was quickly towed. A single file start was ordered, and Joe Rankin (8) was in the lead. Tim Quick grabbed the lead by the first turn, as Tom Posavec (01) pulled into second. A car lost its motor in turn three and a yellow was thrown to check the track. All was cleaned quickly and racing resumed. Posavec slipped through a hole to take the point, followed closely by Mike Wilson (79). Tom Posavec drove a tight race to take the checkered flag. Mike Wilson finished second and Tim Quick came in third.
The Budweiser Modifieds filled the track tonight. The start looked good until a car spun in turn four, calling for a full double-up restart. And for the second time, cars tangled in turn four, causing a single-file start to be called. John Clair (44) was on the point with Rick Tuggle (72) starting second. Eddie Kilbury (71) slipped by on the inside after several laps to become the new leader. David Baxley (64) and Red Vann (32) were close behind to keep the heat turned up. Cautions were thrown for cars that spun, but the leaders were not affected and Kilbury continued to lead. With five laps to go, the heat intensified as Baxley and Vann tapped and bumped in their battle for second. On the last lap, Vann took second position but in turn two, he spun and Baxley regained. Vann never quit and jumped right back in so no yellow was thrown. Eddie Kilbury pulled off the "dark horse" win to take his first checkered flag in his new modified. David Baxley finished second and Raymond Vann took third.
The Powder Puff feature finished off the racing. Lori Tate (69) took the lead early and held on through some bumping to take the win. Rita Parker finished second, Laura Mena-Murphy came in third and Charlotte Dukes finished fourth.
The Ocala Speedway 2001 season will continue with weekly racing. Next week will feature all the regular divisions plus the famous Joey Chitwood Show. Come out every Saturday night during the regular season for the many exciting features. This is high-action racing fun for the whole family.
By Diana Brake
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