By Dave Westerman
Defending point champion Rodney Eary got back on track Saturday night at Ocala Speedway, while the tough Ocala racetrack continued to produce first-time winners for the Florida Region of the Classic Auto Racing Series. Two features were run during the evening with the first being a make-up event for an August 19th rainout.

The first 20-lapper was the opening event on the race card, and it was David Nunes using his outside pole slot to take a solid lead as a battle began behind him featuring no less than seven cars fighting side by side. You just knew something would give, and it did on lap 7 as Dan Hammerbeck ran up and over Danny Shearer's machine, tipping Hammerbeck's coupe onto its side. Neither car was severely damaged, and Shearer was able to make emergency repairs and continue in the race.

On the restart, Rodney Eary and point leader Ed Yates began to press Nunes with Eary able to put a bumper out front as the leaders completed lap 17; a move that would prove to be a winner for Eary. Nunes repassed Eary for the lead, but before a lap could be completed, E.T. McGee spun his car into the frontstretch wall to bring out the caution.

With the restart line-up reverting back to the last completed lap, Eary found himself in the lead and wasted little time pulling away on the restart. Ed Yates also got around Nunes and closed on Eary but ran out of time and he had to settle for second. It was Eary's seventh win of the season but first since June 3rd. Yates second place allowed him to maintain a slim three point lead over Eary in the standings going into the nightcap. Nunes held on for third followed by Jim Rahman and Eddie Thornton. Simeion Spagnuolo, Frank Conrad, E.B. Carr, Danny Shearer, and Goerge Hall III rounded out the top ten.

Promoter Paul Pitre's decision not to run heats for the Classics proved to be a good one as it gave crews extra time to thrash on the cars before the second feature. Hammerbeck's car wasn't damaged, but he had to replace all the fluids that had drained out while the car was lying on its side. Shearer finished the repairs to his coupe, as did McGee while Bud Spencer replaced a broken wheel and David Marsh fixed a driveline problem.

The top ten in points were inverted for the start of the second feature placing Yates and Eary in row five with soon-to-be Rookie of the Year Simeion Spagnuolo on the pole flanked by Nunes. Spagnuolo surprised everyone on the start as he moved out to a healthy advantage while Nunes had his hands full holding off a host of challengers. On lap two, Eddie Thornton and Bud Spencer got together in turn one sending a good portion of the field scrambling. Thornton continued, but Spencer was again a DNF with damage to the right rear corner of his sedan.

Spagnuolo continued to set the pace on the restart as Danny Shearer made his way past Nunes bringing Eary with him. Going down the backstretch, Shearer's car got loose momentarily and Eary tapped him into a spin. Shearer kept going and the green flag stayed out until John Prekup spun on lap eleven.

Only another lap could be made under green before Eddie Thornton spun on the backstretch just as Frank Conrad was losing a wheel in turn four. With eight laps still to go, everyone was expecting an Eary sweep, but it wasn't to be as Eary slipped high on the restart, allowing Nunes and a resurgent Dan Hammerbeck to drive under him for second and third. Undaunted, Eary began to work the difficult high groove around Ocala Speedway eventually passing Nunes for second on lap 17. But by that time, Spagnuolo was long-gone driving a super-smooth race in his Ricky Wood built '34 Chevy coupe.

Spagnuolo became yet another in a list of drivers to win their first career C.A.R.S. feature at Ocala, a track that produced three first time winners in 1999. Eary was second with Nunes getting his second show finish of the night. Dan Hammerbeck came back from his race one tipover to claim fourth over steady Jim Rahman. Completing the top ten were Eddie Thornton, Ed Yates, David Marsh, Danny Shearer, And George Hall III.

Yates couldn't get it going in the second feature. His seventh place finish was his worst of the year and turned the point lead back over to Eary by a scant seven markers heading into next week's event at Bronson Motor Speedway.

By Dave Westerman

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