by BJ Cavin- Ocala Speedway Media

OCALA, FL-  Things did not go as planned for Ocala Speedway’s September 24th Car Warz show as flooding rains washed out the event after it began, so speedway officials have rescheduled the event for October 8th.  Meanwhile there is racing to be done, as this Friday night, October 1st, will feature action from Ocala’s Late Models, the hard driving Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, the Mini Stocks, and the Gladiators. 

Ocala Speedway’s owners have no control over the weather as was demonstrated last Friday night, but they do control how weather related postponements are handled and have devised a plan to allow anyone who paid admission to the flooded out Car Warz program to return on October 8th free of charge.  Some fans who attempted to wait out the storm received tickets to use as rain checks, but many fans headed home when the rains intensified and never got their raincheck.  Speedway owner Mike Peters invites any fan who purchased tickets at the gate for Car Warz to come by the speedway and personally get a raincheck from him.  Peters is normally at the track Tuesday through Fridays from 9AM until 4PM.  Fans who have questions or need to make other arrangements can call the speedway at 352-622-9400.  It should be noted that no one will be admitted free of charge to the October 8th show unless they hold a speedway issued raincheck or a wristband from the September 24th event.

As the racing season moves into fall and the month of October, the October 1st race night will most likely determine if Mark Whitener can solidify a championship season at Ocala.  Whitener holds a 53 point advantage over defending 2009 Late Model Champion, J.O. Nobles, going into Friday’s race, and is determined to hammer the final nail into Nobles’ repeat championship hopes.  Barring any major catastrophes for Whitener and possible superhuman heroics by Nobles, this thing may look like a done deal, but this is Ocala, and Ocala has a way of undoing what many assume to be done.

For the past two seasons the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks have delivered a tough brand of action that featured everything from heated battles to a lot of pushing, shoving, and consequently a lot of damage as well.  Michael Stalnaker has played the roles of both aggressor and victim along the way, but currently is solidly in place to win the division championship with a 124 point lead over Scott Mooers.  And Mooers cannot afford to get crazy chasing Stalnaker as he has Chris Shea poised to knock him out of the second spot with a mere 4 points being the difference.  But in a division where racers muscle each other as much as they try and outrun the competition, anything can happen and usually does, and that may well be the case on Friday night.

To describe the route that Ocala’s Mini Stocks have taken to get to this point in their racing season would take at least a page of space, so let it suffice to say that it has been a long and eventful journey to say the least.  And going into October the only Mini Stock Division on dirt in Florida is probably going to crown someone with the last name of Kerr as its champion.  Nick Kerr has the top spot going into this week’s event with Dan Kerr 53 points back in second place after a self inflicted setback during their last outing, and with defending champion Paul Combast choosing to let the Kerr’s have at it, the die is cast.  But Keith Briggs has finally re emerged and is spanking the Kerrs, as well as everyone else, as he racks up victory after victory.  the Kerrs may get to take home the hardware for the championship, but Briggs is claiming all of the race night hardware for himself.

Matt Shea is now at the top of the tightest points battle at Ocala Speedway, and the latest racer to take control of Ocala’s Gladiator Division.  But Shea cannot afford to enjoy his time at the top as the three former points leaders through the course of this season are right behind him and not happy about falling out of first place.  Devin Walker is just 7 points shy of Shea going into Friday’s race, and Casey Feaster is clawing his way back toward the top spot and just 48 points out of first place.  Since the halfway point in the 2010 season, those who assumed the lead in the Gladiator Division have all been rooted out of the top spot by someone else, so Shea must make sure that he is not the next one to experience a drop in status. 

Ocala Speedway will open the grandstand gate at 5PM this Friday night with heat races scheduled for 8PM sharp.  Fans who purchased tickets for the rained out Car Warz show are reminded that those passes are NOT good for this week’s races and can only be redeemed on October 8th.  Those who did not receive a raincheck pass for the Car Warz show should contact Ocala Speedway at 352-622-9400, or go by the track in order to get one as soon as possible.  For more information on this week’s racing, or any other event on the 2010 racing schedule, please visit www.OcalaSpeedway.com.

Philip Brown is going to win the 2010 points championship for the Daytona Sportswear Street Stocks and Tim Hughes will definitely be second, as not much is going to change at the top of the points standings this week no matter what happens on the track.  But with the points race basically decided it frees up the racers to simply race, as no one will be trying to protect their points position instead of going for a win.  And in turn, that means that this Saturday’s feature race could be a wide open affair with all or nothing mentalities driving the action, and that means a very exciting race.  Hughes notched himself a win at Ocala Speedway just a couple of weeks ago and would love to do the same at Volusia Speedway Park, and it will be up to Brown to keep that from happening. 

Scott Mooers has all but owned the season points championship with the Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stocks since week one, but he will not be racing at Volusia Speedway Park on Saturday as a suspension has him sidelined for the rest of the season.  So the focus shifts away from Mooers and to Luke Sadler who holds the second spot in the points race and still needs to hold off Chad Scranton who is 29 points back in third place.  Scranton has become a regular in Victory Lane late in the season and still has his sights set on Sadler, while Sadler has had to overcome early season problems that kept him from finishing some races and put him further behind Mooers in the points battle.  Scranton will be hot for yet another victory and Sadler will be trying to reign him in as they hit the clay on Saturday night.

Defending 4 Cylinder Challenger Champion Tony Laporta will not be repeating as champion in 2010 as Casey Feaster has stepped up and earned the title this time around, but Laporta is not finished racing until Saturday’s events are over and he will be looking to dampen Feaster’s championship celebration by stealing the win.  Laporta looks pretty cozy in second place at 77 points behind Feaster, and with 113 points separating him from third place runner R.J. Glaser, so look for Laporta to give Feaster all he has on Saturday night.

Volusia Speedway Park will open the grandstand gates a 5:30PM this Saturday and invites fans to come early and watch as our racers prepare for their final shot at climbing the points ladder in 2010.  Fans are also reminded that the United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series will be back for their annual Fall Nationals on October 16th, as VSP’s Late Models, Sportsman, Thunder Stocks, and 4 Cylinder Challengers, will get another shot at racing in non points events that night as well.  For more information, please visit www.VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com.