IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

November 14, 2009 Top Gun Sprints Attract Huge Crowd at Ocala Saturday, November 14, 2009 By: Jessica Combast It was a perfect fall night for racing at Ocala Speedway. Fans packed the stands, and bundled up to stay warm, for an exciting night of racing, as the Top Gun Sprints roared through the night with three heat races to set the field for their twenty-five lap feature. The Hobby Stocks, V8 Thunderstocks, Gladiators, and Mini Stocks also took to the track for the green flag. The night was in for several firsts, as a few racers experienced their first wins of the season. The Hobby Stocks were the first to take to the track for their feature. The battle for the top three spots started as soon as the green was thrown. By lap two, the K3 machine of Davey Kinsey was in first, the 12 of Trevor Gamble held down second, and the 04 of Bubba Christian was in third. Meanwhile, the XX of Mike Eubanks was creeping into the fourth spot. Gamble passed Kinsey to take the lead on lap five and broke away from the pack. A caution on lap eight due to the 55 of Heath Walker sparking, and flames coming from underneath his car, brought all of the cars, who were spread out, back together. Eubanks put the petal to the medal on the restart and battled Christian for the third spot for three laps, ultimately taking over. Trouble found the leader, Gamble, on lap fourteen as a lap car loses the right rear tire, and with no where to go they collided. The battle for the top spots wasn’t over just yet. The 83 of Joe Boyd found himself challenged by the 1 of Alan McCafferty, but held down the fifth spot. Trevor Gamble dominated the race and snagged his first win of the season. He was followed by Davey Kinsey in second, Mike Eubanks in third, Bubba Christian in fourth, and Joe Boyd in fifth. Fourteen Gladiators took the green flag for their feature. The 55 of Devin Walker took an early lead while the rest of the field battled for positions. The 21 of Ephrain Southern moved into second, and took the lead on lap three, leaving Walker in second and the 31½ of Troy Sullivan in third. Meanwhile, the 70 of J.R. Miller and the 20 of Casey Feaster battled for fourth. A caution on lap ten brought the cars together again. Sullivan gave Walker a challenge for the second spot, but Walker held on. Trouble found the leader on lap thirteen which pushed him back to the third spot, allowing Walker to re-take the lead and Sullivan to move into second. The battle for first lasted until the checkers waved. Trevor Walker had the crowd on their feet, as they were shocked at the driver’s age and size. He didn’t look old enough to even be in a car, let alone get his first win of the season. He was followed by Troy Sullivan in second, Ephrain Southern in third, J.R. Miller in fourth, and Casey Feaster rounded out the top five. A field of eighteen V8 Thunderstocks made the call for their feature. The battle for the top five was on! The 3D of Jesse Corbitt and the 17 of Jason Gamble challenged each other for first. Gamble overpowered Corbitt and never looked backed. The 47 of Chris Fountaine settled into the second spot by lap three. A caution due to debris on the track brought the cars back together on lap eight. When the green flew, a battle for fourth between the 8 of Mike Stalnaker, the 9 of Jeff Stalnaker, Jr., and the 9D of Justin Durbin began. Ultimately, Stalnaker won the battle. Meanwhile, Gamble and Fountaine found themselves separated from the rest of the field by lap cars. The 118 of Chris Watson, who was holding down the third spot, found himself spinning. The 07 of Ryan Lisak took advantage of the bumping between Stalnaker, Jr. and Durbin and scooted into the fourth spot. The last lap brought excitement as Stalknaker, Jr. tried with all his might to pass Lisak coming out of turn four for the checkers, but Lisak was having none of it. Jason Gamble overpowered the field and brought home another win. He was followed by Chris Fountaine in second, Mike Stalnaker in third, Ryan Lisak in fourth, and Jeff Stalnaker, Jr. in fifth. The Top Gun Sprints took to the track with twenty-one cars for their twenty-five lap feature. The huge crowd of fans were provided with entertainment and excitement from the get-go! The 02 machine of Gene Lasker started dead last, but he wouldn’t be there for long! The 83 of Mark Ruel, Jr. took an early lead but was soon challenged by, what seemed like, everyone behind him. The 16 of Shane Kreidler and the 14 of Ryan Partin battled for second, with Partin taking the position. A spin on lap eight brought out the caution and bunched the very spread out cars together. In eight laps, Lasker was already in the seventh spot and fans had their eye on him. As soon as the green flew, Lasker was on the move. He soon found himself in the fourth spot by lap nine, in the third spot by lap twelve, and in second by lap fifteen. However, the 27 of Troy Knowles brought out a caution on lap fifteen which pushed Lasker back to the third spot. Meanwhile, the 11D of Danny Jones and the 44 of Michael Miller found themselves battling for fifth. Lasker was on the move and passed Partin for the second spot on lap sixteen. A caution on lap seventeen brought the cars together again. This wasn’t good for the leader, Kreidler, because now Lasker was right behind him. Lasker took the lead on lap twenty and never looked back. His powerful machine went from last to first and brought home the win. He was followed by Shane Kreidler in second, Michael Miller in third, Ryan Partin in fourth, and Danny Jones in fifth. The Mini Stocks finished off the night of racing. Positions were settled into quickly. The 81 of Buddy Pope took the lead, but was challenged by the 19C of Paul Combast. Combast won the battle on lap two. The 11Z of Johnny Zackery settled into third. The cars spread out on the track and positions were held. The only close calls were the leaders trying to pass lap cars later in the race. Combast brought home another win. The was followed by Buddy Pope in second, Johnny Zackery in third, the 9B of Sean Babcock in fourth, and the 40M of David Miller, Jr. Come out and join us for the last night of racing next Friday, November 20, 2009 as the Open Wheel Modifieds return to Ocala. Joining them will be the Sportsmans, V8 Thunderstocks, Mini Stocks, Gladiators, and a Powder Puff Race! Ocala Speedway Results for 11/13/09 Top Gun Sprints 1. # 02 Gene Lasker 2. #16 Shane Kreidler 3. #44 Michael Miller 4. #14 Ryan Partin 5. #11D Danny Johnson 6. #21A Amanda Ferguson 7. #15 Rocky Sullivan 8. #9 Tim Grubaugh 9. #27 Troy Knowles 10. #18 Jeanette Burnett 11. #83 Mark Ruel, Jr. 12. #2 Rich Pratt 13. #8 Rich Alexandor 14. #4 Brandon Grubaugh 15. #21M Darrin Miller 16. #X Rick Martin 17. #30 John Crowder 18. #6 Mike Schroeder 19. #21B Mark Beldock Hobby Stocks 1. #12 Trevor Gamble 2. #K3 Davey Kinsey 3. #XX Mike Eubanks 4. #04 Bubba Christian 5. #83 Joe Boyd 6. #1 Adam McCafferty 7. #95 Steve Mooers 8. #15 Jason Murphrey 9. #08 William Edwards 10. #23 Glem Baum 11. #37 Tyler Sistrunk 12. #55 Heath Walker 13. #21 David Miller, Jr. 14. #89 Paul Passamonter 15. #99 Danny Miller, Jr. DNS #59 William Stalnaker V-8 Thunderstock 1. #17 Jason Gamble 2. #47 Chris Fountaine 3. #8 Mike Stalnaker 4. #07 Ryan Lisak 5. #9 Jeff Stalnaker, Jr. 6. #9D Justin Durbin 7. #1 Phillip Rook 8. #3W Vaughn Woodall 9. #19 Brian Shea 10. #5W Sean Babcock 11. #04 Jon Layerd 12. #118 Chris Watson 13. #81 Courtney Eubanks 14. #28 Glen Vincent 15. #65 Dan Geer 16. #3D Jesse Corbitt 17. #72 Terry Dunbar 18. #35 David Walls Mini Stocks 1. #19C Paul Combast 2. #81 Buddy Pope 3. #11Z Johnny Zackery 4. #9B Sean Babcock 5. #40M David Miller, Jr. 6. #9 Ryan Babcock 7. #44 Greg Bonynge Gladiators 1. #55JR Devin Walker 2. #31½ Troy Sullivan 3. #21 Ephrain Southern 4. #70 JR Miller 5. #20 Casey Feaster 6. #82 Kyle Morse 7. #69 Chris Shea 8. #77 Matthew Kramer 9. #20P Wade Parker 10. #83 Kody Fisher 11. #96 Matt Shea 12. #13 David Miller Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! or Email KARNACto send a letter to the editor!