by BJ Cavin- Ocala Speedway Media

OCALA, FL-  Thunderstorms to the north and west created a cool breeze at Ocala Speedway as fans and racers gathered for another Friday night of action at Florida’s oldest racetrack, but the weather stayed well clear of the area surrounding the speedway.  The only thunder at Ocala Speedway was on the track, but that storm did plenty of damage as the night progressed.

by BJ Cavin-Ocala Speedway Media

Photos courtesy of rewingphotos.com

OCALA, FL- Many long time Florida racers regard Ocala Speedway as a “driver’s track” because the tricky layout requires skill in order to be competitive.  But Florida’s oldest speedway also has a reputation as “the toughest 3/8ths mile in the southeast” and on Friday night it certainly lived up to both reputations.  Over five inches of rain over two days made the track hard to manage, and created a situation where drivers needed guts, skill, and determination, to hang with the front runners.

The “Night of Thousands” brought three divisions to Ocala Speedway in search of a $1000 payout to the race winners with the Gladiators rounding out the night, and that filled the pits with racers from across Florida and south Georgia.  None of the races counted toward the Ocala Speedway 2010 points races, which meant that all of the racers had nothing to lose and money to gain, and it was full contact and full throttle from start to finish in every division, with the racers battling the unforgiving clay and each other.

Ocala’s Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stocks have been entertaining fans with some hard nosed racing this season, and Friday night was no different.  But with $1000 on the line the race attracted a few extra names that immediately stirred up the mix, and many of the regulars ended up getting swallowed up in the results.  From the start it looked like Kevin Durden was going to going to be the man to beat as he charged to the front and began stretching his legs, but a problem on lap 10 sent Durden to the pits and handed the lead to Bubba Christian.  Christian had already battled forward ten spots from his 11th starting position, and then had to defend himself for the remaining laps from Steve Mooers.

Forty Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks had to fight through five heats and two B mains in order to make the starting grid for the main event, but 25 racers managed to get the job done.  Willard Driggers had the pole and led most of the race, but Jessie Corbitt and Michael Stalnaker had something to say about that before it was over.  Both managed to get past Driggers and battle for the lead late in the race, but Stalnaker and Corbitt were both a little too exhuberent and banged each other hard in turn two.  Not only did that allow Driggers to regain the lead, but it also cut down a tire on both Corbitt’s and Stalnaker’s cars, effectively taking them out of contention.

Ocala Speedway’s Sportsman Division saw 21 cars take the green flag, and immediately Ken Hall took over the race and looked almost unbeatable.  But thanks to contact and mishaps that kept the yellow flag waving periodically, Hall never got too far in front of Alex Boerner, who had rocketed to second from the seventh starting position.  And after a restart on lap 12 Boerner made his move, pulling alongside of Hall and then completing the pass out of turn 4 two laps later.  The handing on Hall’s car had apparently gone south, which led him to climb the backstretch wall on lap 17 and thus give Tim Powers a shot at the leader.

The final couple of laps saw a flurry of position changes in the top five, but Alex Boerner was not to be denied a trip to Victory Lane.  Boerner was followed by Phillip Cobb for the second spot, while Paul Shead gained 14 spots during the race to grab a spot in the top three.  The biggest mover of the race was Shane Nichols, who fought forward 15 positions for a fourth place finish, while Tim Powers faded back to fifth.

The final race of the night featured Ocala Speedway’s Gladiator Division, and between the competition and a track that was taking no prisoners, some usual frontrunners found themselves in quite a struggle. Super Dave Ladrie stole the lead from pole sitter Matthew Kramer and dominated the early laps, but finally succumbed to Mike McDonald after the first third of the race.  Meanwhile Casey Feaster had started at the very rear of the pack, but had discovered that the fastest way around the track might not be the shortest.  Feaster stuck to the outside line and worked his way to the front, grabbing the lead in the final two laps.

Casey Feaster earned himself another visit to Victory Lane while Mike McDonald followed in second place.  Matt Shea drove the third place car and held off Matthew Kramer who wound up in fourth place.  And rounding out the top five on the night was Matt Stein.

Ocala Speedway is back in action on Friday, May 14th, with the return of the Pepsi Wheel of Fortune.  Fans will se action from Ocala’s Colortyme Modifieds, the Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stocks, Amsoil Synthetics V8 Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Gladiators.  For more information, visit www.OcalaSpeedway.com, or phone the speedway at 352-622-9400.

Ocala Speedway Results for 5/7/10

1- 04 Bubba Christian
2- 95 Steve Mooers
3- 2 Cory Hupp
4- 55 Heath Walker
5- 17S Chad Scranton

Amsoil Synthetic Lubricants Thunder Stock

Sportsman

Gladiator

by Ocala Speedway Media

Ocala, FL- After losing some battles with wet weather earlier in the racing season, Colortyme Rent-To-Own Night at Ocala Speedway finally saw the Modified and Sportsman Divisions take the green flag and go racing for the first time in 2010.  In addition, the Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stocks put on a wild show for the fans, and were followed by the Gladiator Division which bent plenty of sheet metal and never got settled until after most fans had headed for home.

After much hoopla surrounding the addition of the Sportsman Division at Ocala Speedway, things got off to a rocky start for two teams that had high hopes of making a good impression on their first night racing at Florida’s oldest track.  As soon as the green waved and Tim Dowling hit the gas during hot laps, his brand new Sportsman erupted in a cloud of smoke and deposited oil and engine shrapnel the length of the Ocala backstretch.  Meanwhile, Billy Costello was having persistent carburetor issues that had his 00 car stumbling again and again.  Costello would miss his heat race and have to start on the rear of the feature race, and then climbed to 3rd place before the carb problems returned.

Augie Burttram said he had something to prove by getting behind the wheel of the 58 Sportsman, and that is what he did by leading flag to flag and scoring a victory.  Burttram dominated the race, and try as he might the second place finisher, Kevin Mills, could never catch him.  Tim “Shaky Pudding” Powers came from Okeechobee to finish third, followed by Shane Nichols and Chad Scranton to round out the top five.

Fans might have been confused by watching the Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stock race, which took on the look of a Thunder Stock event with all of the pushing, shoving, beating, and banging, that was going on.  Jody Wells jumped out to the early lead, but was muscled out of the way on a restart by Kevin Durden, who protected his lead to the checkers.  Dean Jarvis also had to fight to remain in contention, and came away finishing second behind Durden, while Heath Walker placed third.  Jody Wells never really managed to recover from his earlier unseating by the top three cars and finished fourth, and Mike Eubanks climbed back into the driver’s seat at Ocala to register a fifth place finish.

The Colortyme Modifieds took their first green flag of 2010 at Ocala in what was dubbed as the Annual Spring Fling.  The 30 lap race paid $1500 to the winner, and there was quite a scramble to see who could win it.  Roger Crouse, who came to Ocala with two victories at East Bay under his belt this season, led the field to the green in his crate engine powered 9 car, but it was Devin Dixon who took early control of the race and held off all challengers to take home the big payout.  Dixon liked the high line around Ocala Speedway, while Jeff Mathews stuck mostly to the bottom route, but try as he might he never could do much more but briefly get under Dixon before falling back. 

Dixon grabbed the win, followed by Mathews in second place.  Kyle Owen nabbed a third place finish while Roger Crouse came home in the fourth spot.  And arriving at the checkers in the fifth spot was Kyle Bronson.

A solid field of Gladiators went after each other as the green waved and before the race ended there was quite a bit of damage done.  Daryl Veltman smacked turn one wall on the first lap, while Kyle Morse spun on lap 4 and collected two innocent bystanders.  Meanwhile Casey Feaster had taken over the lead and was setting the pace as Steven Cox, Devin Walker, and Ephren Souther, all squabbled over the second spot.  Walker claimed second place, but a moment of distraction caused a meeting with the backstretch wall under caution, and when the green waved again his right front tire was quickly deflating.  Walker would get the tire changed and return, but was unable to get back inside the top 8.

The Top Gun Sprints made their first visit of 3 for 2010 to Ocala Speedway on April 9 2010. There were 19 cars at the track to give fans three heat races and a 25 lap feature race.

Mark Ruel Jr. in the 83 car has the pole for the start of the first heat race with Tim George in the 1 car on the outside. The 24 car of Danny Martin took the checkered flag and the heat win. Gene Lasker in the 02 had the pole for the second heat with Darrin Miller in the 21M on the outside. It was the 21M car that made the better start and led the heat from start to finish to take the win. The 13 car of Coty Smith had the pole for the third and final heat race alongside Rocky Sullivan in the 15 on the outside. The 6 of Mike Schroeder took the race lead on the first lap and went on to win the heat.

The feature race was lined up using passing points and a 6 car inversion, putting Tim George in the 1 on the pole with Amanda Ferguson in the 21A on the outside. The 21A made a good start and took the early race lead. Amanda held on to the lead and took the feature race win. It was her first win on dirt in a sprint car for only being 16 watch out guys. Tim George in the 1 finished in second place followed by the 24 of Danny Martin, Darrin Miller the 21M and Ryan Partin in the 14 rounded out the top five.

The next race for Top Gun Sprints is April 24,2010 at Volusia Speedway Park.

Top Gun Sprints

Ocala Speedway, April 9, 2010

Heat #1

 All Photos Courtesy of rewingphotos.com

Tim George led 17 of the 19 Top Gun Sprints in attendance to the green flag, but a couple of misfires in the form of spins from contact forced restarts, plus sent Ryan Partin to the rear of the field.  The third time was the charm for 16 year old Amanda Ferguson, who blew past Tim George on the opening lap and opened up a huge lead by lap 4.

Things got a bit hairy on lap five as a sideways car on the front stretch collected another, and the 02 of Gene Lasker ended up flipping right in front of the grandstands and causing a red flag to be displayed.  Lasker leapt from his car in dramatic fashion, demonstrating that he was alright, but the remains of his sprint car was dragged to the pit area on a hook.

After the restart Amanda Ferguson again took control of the race and never looked back, although the ending came a bit later than had been expected.  The 22 of Shawn Murray, which had been flirting with the front stretch wall all night long at times, finally smacked that wall hard enough to send him spinning down the front stretch and coming to rest almost directly under the flag stand as Ferguson was coming out of the final turn.  That forced a green-white-checker situation, but Amanda Ferguson was up to the challenge, going 26 laps to get the win.

It was Amanda Ferguson’s first win on clay as her only other victory came at Charlotte County Motorsports Park in Punta Gorda, running wingless on asphalt.  Danny Martin chased after Ferguson all night but settled for second place, Danny Martin took third place honors, and Darrin Miller placed fourth. And after being relegated to the rear of the field at the start, Ryan Partin battled back to finish in the fifth position.

It did not pay to be in front while Ocala’s Mini Stock Division was racing on Friday night.  Buddy Pope was on the pole and had the lead for a moment, before problems slowed his car and passed the lead to Blake Spencer after a brief caution.  Spencer looked to be in complete control but Keith Briggs was lurking just behind him and was in no mood to follow, wrestling the lead away on lap 8 as Johnny Zackery slipped into the third spot.  Spencer fell to second, then spun on lap 12 moving Zackery up behind Briggs.

Most fans probably thought that would be the end of it, but Keith Briggs slid sideways at the top of turn 4 and limped into the pit area, leaving Zackery as the race leader.  But the race was not over yet, and Zackery fell victim to a flat tire as the caution flew for Blake Spencer’s motor expiring on lap 13.  Zackery would make the quick change in the pits and return to the rear of the field with six laps remaining, but Paul Combast was now in front and looked to remain there.   

Paul Combast held on and avoided the lead car curse to win the race, followed by Nick Kerr in the second spot.  Johnny Zackery battled back to third place, followed by Dan Kerr and Michael Oglesby for fourth and fifth.

Heath Walker did just that, slipping under Jarvis in an attempt to grab second from him.  But contact between the two would cause Jarvis to spin and sent Walker to the pits with a flat tire, as Joe Boyd now assumed the second spot.  Daniel Miller scored a convincing victory as Joe Boyd pursued him for second place.  Dean Jarvis settled for third while Heath Walker finished fourth, and Sean Babcock stayed out of the fray and grabbed a fifth place finish.

Fans have come to recognize the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks as the most competitive division at Ocala Speedway, as a host of talented racers are almost always in contention for a win.  The only problem is that at the same time, the Thunder Stocks also are known for muscling their way around the track, so contenders are sometimes fighting for survival as much as for a win.

Jerrid Bennett had the pole and the early lead, but lost it on lap 4 as Mike Stalnaker made the pass on the backstretch.  Bennett slipped out of the top five as James Erickson, Jason Gamble, and Chris Fontaine, all made their way in.  Jason Gamble would later spin on lap 8, but recover to climb back into the front pack yet again by lap 12. 

Colortyme Rent-To-Own Night comes to Ocala Speedway on Friday, April 16th, featuring the 2010 debut of the Colortyme Open Wheel Modified Division in their $1500 to win Spring Fling.  Ocala’s Sportsman Division will also debut, and fans will see action from the Tee Pee Tire Hobby stocks and the Gladiators as well.  Fans can also enter the $5 raffle for a Colortyme big screen TV to be given away.  Grandstand gates will open at 5PM with racing at 8PM, and for pricing and more info please visit www.OcalaSpeedway.com.

Ocala Speedway Results for 4/9/10

Top Gun Sprint Car Series

1- 21A Amanda Ferguson
2- 1 Tim George
3- 24 Danny Martin
4- 21M Darrin Miller
5- 14 Ryan Partin
6- 38 Tony Agin
7- 15 Rocky Sullivan
8- 6 Mike Schroeder
9- 30 John Crowder
10- 22 Shawn Murray
11- 9 Tim Grubaugh

Mini Stock

1- 19C Paul Combast
2- 75 Nick Kerr
3- 11Z Johnny Zackery

Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stock

1- Daniel Miller Jr.
2- 83 Joe Boyd
3- 37J Dean Jarvis
4- 55 Heath Walker
5- 9 Sean Babcock

by BJ Cavin

Due to heavy rains that swept across Florida during the overnight hours, Ocala Speedway will unfortunately be forced to cancel racing for tonight, Friday, March 26th.  After a valiant effort by the track crew to get the clay into racing shape, it became apparent by 2:45 this afternoon that there was no way that racing could happen, so the decision was made to cancel tonight’s events.