by BJ Cavin

About a dozen top sprint car teams joined the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions and the Florida Mini Sprints for an exciting practice session on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for this weekend’s racing action at Ocala Speedway.  The likes of Tim Shaffer, Fred Rahmer, Greg Hodnett, and Danny Lasoski, all took advantage of the early practice time to get a feel for Ocala Speedway’s challenging layout.  Many more teams are reported to be in route to Ocala and are expected to arrive in time for the 4PM practice on Thursday.

Practice did not go so well for the Lance DeWease team as their car suffered from mechanical issues throughout the session.  DeWease’s crew finally seemed to figure out the problem late in the session and the 30C machine finally completed some laps before the night ended. 

Greg Hodnett looked to be the racer to watch as he fearlessly attacked Ocala Speedway’s clay with seemingly reckless abandon.  Hodnett’s practice laps were quite quick, and at times he appeared to be on the very edge of control, eliciting ooohs and ahhs from the fans that were there to watch.

According to various websites and message boards, the car count will more than triple for the Thursday practice session.  Notables expected for Thursday’s practice include Tony Stewart Racing and 4 time World of Outlaws Champion, Donny Schatz, and possibly Steve Kinser.  Kasey Kahne Racing is also expected to be on hand with driver Joey Saldana hitting Ocala’s clay for the first time.  There is also word that both team owners will likely be on hand to oversee and observe their teams in action during the practice session

Thursday’s practice session will begin at 4PM and will end at 8PM.  Once more the admission will be $15 for adults with kids 12 and under admitted free of charge, and all attendees must sign a pit waiver in order to enter the gate.  Plenty of excellent seating is available in the turn one bleachers and the front stretch seats next to the pit entrance.  A Winternationals Pre-Party will take place after the practice on Thursday at 9PM at Ocala Entertainment Complex off of 17th street in Ocala.  Many racers and fans will be there to share some good times before getting down to business the following night.

Racing takes place on Friday and Saturday, with the pit gate open at noon, grandstand gates open at 5PM, and racing at 8PM.  A complete schedule and listing of prices can be found at www.OcalaSpeedway.com by clicking the 2010 schedule link at the top or left hand side.