"I'm
noticing a turn of the tide on racing Web sites like Florida's
Karnac.com, the gathering place for the most dedicated race
fans in the state." -Orlando Sentinel
For those who are still not sold on whether the switch to clay was a success or not at Ocala Speedway, this week was the test to see if the newest dirt track in Florida could draw a good crowd and a decent field of cars for a regular night of racing action. And despite possible thunderstorms in the forecast a solid crowd made their way into the grandstands, even weathering a couple of scattered showers before racing began.
A good gathering of race cars were there as well, including Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Gladiators. In addition to the regular racing divisions the Florida Mini Sprints were in the pits and ready to debut on the new Ocala clay. As the National Anthem was played and racing got underway, an ominous rumbling was heard and distant flashes lit up the sky to the south. Ocala owner Michael Peters checked the radar and saw that a line of storms was about to pass through, so he notified the track announcer to tell everyone that if and when the rain hit we would delay the action, then return to racing later. And hit it did, bringing a series of heavy downpours, lightning, thunder, and sending everyone looking for cover. The Florida Mini Sprints managed to get two heat races run just as the first drops of rain arrived, and the Hobby Stocks took the green for their first heat race, only to have an accident on the backstretch delay the action just long enough for the heavy rain and wind to blow in. The rain passed after about a half hour, and work began in preparation for getting the racing underway again. After the rain the track was quite wet, but it was not long before race cars made their way out to attempt to get the surface back into racing shape. As the crowd made their way back into the grandstands they were entertained with quite a show as race cars slipped and slid their way around Ocala's turns on a very muddy and slick track. It took the drivers a few minutes to get the hang of it, but once they did they began to work in the main racing groove and pick up speed. But after an hour of slinging mud, it became apparent that the main groove was slick but could be raced on, but anyone getting out of the groove was going to be in a lot of trouble. Michael Peters called all cars off of the track and held a drivers meeting where the drivers were asked about the track conditions and a vote was taken as to whether to attempt to race or not. Most drivers did not indicate that they did, or did not, want to race. Those that did were split almost 50/50, so Peters decided to call racing for this week and try again next Friday night. As Peters put it, it was not worth racing when anyone who got a little outside of the main groove would probably end up in the wall with trashed equipment. All wristbands from this week will be honored over the next two Fridays at Ocala Speedway. All grandstand ticket stubs will be honored over the next two weeks of racing as well. However, Friday, April 11th, is a special event, so stubs honored on that Friday will require that the difference between regular admission and the special event price be paid for admission. Stubs used on Friday, April 18th, will not require any extra payment for admission. Fans with questions about the raincheck arrangements are asked to please call Ocala Speedway at 352-622-9400 for more information. There was no word on if or when the canceled races from this week would be made up. This Friday, April 11th, is the event everyone has been waiting for, as the O'Reilly American Sprint Car Series invades Florida's oldest speedway for some alcohol burning action on the clay. Joining the ASCS sprints will be the V8 Thunder Stocks, the Mini Stocks, and the wild and wacky Gladiator cars!
