IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

March 22, 2008 Racing Worth Waiting for at Ocala Speedway by B.J. Calvin Sometimes the best things are worth waiting for and such was the case with the latest night of racing at Florida's oldest speedway. Mother Nature had swamped the track with two consecutive rain outs following the grand opening at the end of February, and everyone was ready to hit the track and get down to racing. A large crowd had gathered by the time the green flag dropped on the first heat races at 8PM, and they were treated to a wild night of dirt racing by a strong field of racers. Adding to the excitement was a $1500 to win open wheel modified race that drew the likes of Buzzy Reutimann to Ocala, along with 36 other modified racers. Joining the modifieds were hobby stocks, V8 thunder stocks, and the wacky but exciting gladiator cars. In the case of quite a few hobby stock and modified drivers, they received a surprise in the drivers meeting before racing began. Ocala Speedway owner Michael Peters told the drivers that those who failed to qualify for the main events would get their entry fee back, which left several drivers asking each other if they had heard what they thought they had heard. As heat races got underway it soon became apparent that Ocala Speedway's clay was going to show a different side to the drivers this week. The surface began to rubber up and become quite slick, and more than one driver reported blisters on tires after heats and the B-main races. With quite a lot of slipping and sliding going on the caution flag waved more than usual at times, but most drivers eventually learned that the grip was on the outside, so many raced past the slipping and sliding bottom feeders. Buzzy Reutimann found himself in a tough spot early in the night as contact with the backstretch wall left him limping to the pits on a flat tire. His crew was on the spot and got the tire changed before the three caution lap allowance expired, and he was back at the rear of the field as the green flag fell. From there he made quick but careful work of most of the field to transfer to the feature race, with a 3rd place finish. The big feature for the night was a scheduled 30 lap, $1500 to win, open wheel modified race. Dirt was flying and the scent of alcohol exhaust filled the air as Ronnie Chance in the 7s machine led 23 other mods to the green flag. Chance quickly was overwhelmed by Roger Crouse in the 32 and began falling back, as other racers mixed it up and climbed forward. One of those fighting their way through traffic was Buzzy Reutimann, who started near the middle of the field, but remained focused and patiently inched his way toward the front. Once Roger Crouse got to the front he managed to stay there despite some determined challenges. Early on he met stiff competition from Jeff Matthews in the 33 machine, who went lap after lap side by side with Crouse until a caution broke up the show on lap 12. From that point Crouse maintained the lead and fought off all challengers until the end. Though there were no major accidents, the caution flag would play a major role in the modified race as hard racing throughout the field resulted in contact and multiple spins. The yellow flag was displayed 7 times throughout the race for various minor mishaps and spins, keeping the field from spreading out and making the racing that much more crowded. The only hard contact happened toward the end of the race on lap 22, when the 111 of Rich Gilbert found the spinning 49 of Justin Tilton in turn 4. that contact would send Tilton away on a hook and cause the race to end in a green/white/checker finish. And after the green fell on that restart yet another spin caused the white and green to be displayed together for a one lap dash to the checkers. Roger Crouse had the machine to beat and went home with the trophy and $1500. Devin Dixon raced to a second place finish followed by Jeff Matthews in third place. PJ Wiggins had a fine showing in his very fast number 20 car and held off Buzzy Reutimann to take the fourth spot, while Reutimann settled for fifth in the 00. Four heat races and a B-main left 24 hobby stocks to take the green for their 20 lap feature race. Dave Kinsey sat in the pole position but quickly fell victim to a hard charging Dalton Lanich in the 0 machine. Lanich took off and by lap 7 had caught up with the back of the field and began lapping slower cars. With the competition gaining as he dealt with traffic, Lanich tried to squeeze under the 48 of Joey Durbin in turn 4 but ran out of room as Durbin came down and made contact. The collision sent Durbin into the wall and brought out the race's first caution. Durbin would attempt to continue but went to the pits two laps later. Lanich seems none the worse after the crash and continued to lead the race on the restart, but Russell Post would find the backstretch wall with his race car bringing out another caution on lap 10. Post would be done for the night and ride the wrecker to the pits as Lanich continued to lead the race, but on lap 12 Dave Kinsey would pull up alongside Lanich and mount a furious charge for the lead. Lanich and Kinsey would collide on the following lap bringing out another caution, and on the restart Lanich would be followed closely by David Miller in the 21 car in second place. By lap 16 Miller would have Lanich sized up and was ready to make his move, pulling alongside and attempting to pass for the lead. But a caution for a spin in turn 4 would return Lanich to the front at least temporarily. Miller took control on the restart, passing Lanich on the backstretch and hanging on for the win. Following David Miller to the checkers was Dalton Lanich for second place and Dean Jarvis in the 37 for third. Justin Durbin would run see a patient race pay off with a fourth place finish, and Chris Waldron would come across the line to round out the top five. After two consecutive rainouts and then two exciting heat races, the V8 thunder stocks finally got to debut in a very tough 20 lap feature race. Michael Fish had his 4x machine on the pole, but Larry Welter Sr quickly snatched the lead from him on the first lap and looked to have the dominant car in the field. Welter was followed by James Sealey in the 66 as the 4x slipped to third. Welter held onto his lead until the slick conditions got the better of him on lap 10. Welter's 85 did a quick loop on the front stretch and although he got going again the caution was never displayed, costing him the lead. A hard crash on the front stretch caused a caution on lap 13 as Tim Gigon's number 13 car had contact with another racer and stopped in the middle of the front stretch. His disabled car was then pummeled from behind by the 21 of Justin Morgan, getting the quick attention of both fans and racers alike and ending the night for both cars. After the restart James Sealy looked to have the race under control until lap 18 when he fell victim to the same slick conditions that claimed the previous leader. Sealey was passed by Larry Welter Jr who eventually took the checkered flag for the win, followed by the 12 car and Michael Fish in the 4x. But later in tech the 12 was disqualified for illegal tires, giving Fish the second place spot and moving Larry Welter Sr up to third place. Michael Stalnaker And James Sealey rounded out the top 5. Next week marks the first race in the much anticipated Pepsi Six Pack Hobby Stock Challenge Series, offering $1000 to win in the hobby stock feature race. Joining the hobby stocks will be the late models, mini stocks, and the gladiators. Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! or Email KARNACto send a letter to the editor!