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| Two Speedways, Four Races, and alot of Extra Incentive | by BJ Cavin
The Open Wheel Modified division at Ocala Speedway recently returned to the track after a long layoff. First there was the postponement of a feature race in order to allow the Ocala drivers to participate in another OWM event at another track. Then Mother Nature moved in and decided that the modified racers would get yet another week off thanks to a weekend rainstorm. Somehow two OWM races needed to be made up, and Ocala Speedway owner Mike Peters decided to schedule twin 25 lap features for June 29th.
While it is great that the races will be made up, that fact is not big news. What makes it news is that Mike Peters has thrown an extra $1000 bonus to one driver, but not without a catch. Peters had scheduled the twin modified races for the 29th because it seemed like the best available date for such an event. But after he had posted the date and alerted the fans and drivers to his plan, he noticed that Citrus County Speedway in Inverness also had twin modified features scheduled, and their races were scheduled for the week before the races at Ocala.
Mike Peters is always looking for incentives to motivate the drivers, and he quickly formulated a plan that would involve both the races at Citrus County Speedway, and the races at Ocala Speedway as well.
With $1000 being dangled like the proverbial carrot on a string, Peters has issued a challenge to all of the open wheel modified drivers at Citrus County Speedway, Ocala Speedway, and across the state of Florida. Any driver that runs both of the 35 lap twin features at Citrus County Speedway on June 23rd, and both of the twin 25 lap feature races at Ocala Speedway on June 29th, is eligible to collect a $1000 bonus.
All that driver has to do is accumulate the most points using the point system at each respective speedway, with the points leader for the four races winning the cash.
The incentive created by Mike Peters' challenge should quickly get the attention of modified drivers, but winning the prize will not be an easy task.
Citrus County Speedway and Ocala Speedway are two totally different tracks which require different driving styles and mucho talent. It will not be just some lucky driver that wins, but rather a highly skilled individual that is able to adapt and adjust to the uniqueness of both speedways. and in addition, setting up a race car to handle both of these unique tracks will be a challenge as well. No doubt that someone will get the job done and take home the money, but luck will probably have very little power in determining who that driver will be.
So now the twin feature races at the two speedways have extra meaning for some already motivated modified drivers. According to Mike Peters, the idea is to make the racing more rewarding for the drivers, but also to make it more exciting for the fans as well. And in the process both tracks will benefit from it, as will the fans who fill the grandstands at both speedways. It will make the races more competitive, add excitement and suspense to the action, and make at least one modified driver very happy as well.
When the open wheel modified racers hit the track in Inverness this Saturday night it will be with the knowledge that a good performance will put $1000 well within their reach in addition to their prize money from the races. Then the racers will have a little less than a week to adjust their cars and their driving styles in order to also do well on the tough 3/8ths mile track at Ocala, and possibly take home the cash.
The Tuesday practice session at Ocala should be thick with modified racers attempting to make the proper adjustments, and a large field of mods will be there to take the green flag twice more on Friday night. And one driver will go home a big winner with $1000 in cash, but the real winners will be the fans who witness the races.
And in a way Mike Peters will be a winner too for thinking of such a great plan that adds so many positives to an already great week of racing action, and putting that plan into motion. It creates a winning situation for everyone involved, and that is how it should be.
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