OCALA, FL- After a well deserved rest and a few weeks to allow Mother Nature to rain herself out, action returns to Ocala Speedway this Friday night as the Colortyme Modifieds hit the clay in pursuit of a $1000 first place payout. In addition to thrilling modified competition, fans will also see tough racing from the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, the Mini Stocks, and the Gladiator Divisions, as they compete for double points toward their respective season championships.
As Ocala race fans should know, "Repo Man" Jeff Mathews has all but run the table on the rest of the Colortyme Modifieds this season at Ocala, winning all but one race. But as the racers go after the $1000 to win prize this Friday night, they will have an extra incentive to take Mathews down a notch as a $500 cash bounty has been placed on the "Repo Man" for this race. Ocala Speedway owner Mike Peters will personally pay the racer who beats Mathews a $500 bonus, which could potentially make this a $1500 night for all but one top mod driver.
One might expect Mathews to control the 2010 points race and he does, but not to the extent that one might guess. Wayne Hammond and Kyle Bronson are a mere 45 and 46 points shy of knocking Matthews out of first place, and both are more than capable of beating him on any given race night. Add the bounty plus the oversized first place payout, and Matthews' points lead could erode a little this weekend.
The Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks have been a rough and tumble bunch this season, with some races looking more like an enduro than Friday night divisional competition. Michael Stalnaker tops the survivors' list at present as he has overcome multiple problems on his way to regaining the points lead. Jerrid Bennett may not be in Victory Lane every Friday night, but pure persistence and determination have him just 31 points shy of Stalnaker, and no doubt salivating over the double points night to come. Stalnaker hopes that he has eliminated the gremlins that have burdened the 8 car through the meat of the season, but if one or two are still lurking, Bennett will be poised to take advantage of it.
Defending 2009 Mini Stock Champion Paul Combast holds the points lead as the last Mini Stock Division on dirt hits the clay this Friday night, but Combast is by no means safe from the two pronged attack of Dan and Nick Kerr as they chase him up the points ladder. With double points on the line, Dan Kerr is 21 points out of first place, while Nick follows at 30 points behind Dan, or 51 points out of first. But the last outing for the Mini Stocks saw "Hot Shot" Keith Briggs sporting the swagger and skills that earned him the 2008 Mini Stock Championship, and so far Combast and the Kerr's have not found the solution to staying in front of the 19T X-Treme Racing machine.
If there has ever been a tight points race in any division at Florida's oldest speedway, Ocala's Gladiator Division has had it in 2010. The current points leader is none other than Devin Walker, who assumed the top spot after off the track problems bumped Casey Feaster out of first place. Walker's lead is barely a toe hold on the top shelf, as EBD Racing's Matt Shea is just 4 points behind, and Steve Johnson, who led the points race for weeks before falling victim to all sorts of calamities, is 33 out of the top spot. Throw double points in front of these racers and it becomes a nessesity for all of them to win this week, although only one can. That means tough competition, exciting racing, and who knows who coming out on top.
Ocala Speedway will throw open the pit gate at 2PM this Friday, with the grandstands open to the fans at 5PM. Hot laps are scheduled for 7PM with the first heat race taking the green flag at 8PM. For more info on America's Dirt Track, and to see the remainder of the 2010 racing schedule, please visit www.OcalaSpeedway.com.
As is usually the case during August in central Florida, the rainy season has reached its peak and can make racing on clay a very iffy proposition. And that is a major reason why Ocala Speedway's owners choose this time of the year stop fighting nature, take some time off, and get some work done. That means Florida's oldest speedway will be empty of fans and race cars for the next three Fridays, but will reopen on September 3rd to finish out the 2010 racing season.
And September 3rd will be a special night for the Colortyme Open Wheel Modifieds, as they will be competing in a $1000 to win event. In addition to the $1000 payday, Ocala Speedway has placed a $500 bounty on Jeff Mathews, which will pay that $500 bonus to the racer who beats Mathews to the checkered flags. The Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, the Mini Stocks, and the Gladiators, will all be competing for double points on the night, making their races extra exciting as well.
911 Heroes Night will be back this season on September 10th, with all active military, law enforcement, and emergency first responders, admitted free of charge with proper ID. It will be a night of remembrance, but also a chance to thank all of those who protect our rights and freedoms as Americans, plus the kids will be able to compete in bicycle racing on Ocala's front stretch at intermission. The Late Models will headline the night's action, plus there will be exciting racing from the Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stocks, Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, and the Gladiators.
And September 17th will mark the return of the always popular Church Night and Faster Pastor Racing at Ocala Speedway, as clergy from all over our area climb into race cars and battle each other to help raise funds and awareness for their ministries and churches. Church Night is always an alcohol free night at the track, and church members are encouraged to come out and cheer on their clergy. And while the Preacher Feature might be a big draw, fans will also see action from the Colortyme Modifieds, the Tee Pee Tire Hobby Stocks, the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, the Mini Stocks, and the Gladiators.
During the three week summer break, Ocala Speedway owner Mike Peters will be working to finalize plans for upcoming events, as well as do some needed maintenance on the facilities. While some upcoming events are already set, others are still in the negotiating and planning stage, and will be added to the 2010 schedule as soon as details are worked out. One such event is the first appearance of Car Wars on dirt at Ocala Speedway, tentatively scheduled for September 24th. Formerly known as Crash-A-Rama, Car Wars will feature wacky races, demo derbies, and even the first figure 8 race on dirt at Ocala.
Until September 3rd marks the reopening of the southeast's toughest 3/8ths mile, fans can keep look for schedule updates by going to www.OcalaSpeedway.com and clicking on the 2010 schedule tab. Fans are also reminded that they can register to receive updates via RainedOut.com, a spam free service that sends a email and/or text to your cell phone in case Ocala Speedway cancels racing due to weather. Simply click on the link provided at the bottom of the front page at www.OcalaSpeedway.com, and follow the instructions.
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For the second Friday in a row, Ocala Speedway was threatened by heavy weather that passed within a mile of the facility, and early arrivals to the pits and grandstands got a refreshing spritz from the passing showers. But as was the case a week ago, nature failed to suitably moisten the clay so the water truck had to finish the job before racing could get underway, with exciting racing from Ocala's Mini Stocks, Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, Late Models, and the Gladiators.
Ocala's Mini Stock Division got first dibs on feature races Friday night, with Jimbo Bird leading the field to the green flag. Bird held the lead for about 10 feet before Johnny Zackery took over, but Zackery's car had begun smoking during earlier heat racing, and that problem returned with a vengeance in the first laps of the feature. And as Zackery got the black flag for unnecessary mosquito fogging, Keith Briggs assumed the lead and never looked back. If he had checked over his shoulder he might have seen Paul Combast giving chase, but all Briggs was focused on was the lap count and the checkered flags.
The Mini Stocks only paused for one caution period in the race, so lapped traffic was a problem for the leaders as Paul Combast soon discovered. As Briggs shot under the 3D of Dean Kinsey in turn 3, Combast could not follow and got hung up behind Kinsey's car, possibly stealing his best chance to overtake Briggs. Keith Briggs scored his second win in a row, while Paul Combast settled for second place. Nick and Dan Kerr worked their way to the third and fourth spots, and Buddy Pope rounded out the top five finishers.
Anytime that the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks hit the track the fans can rest assured that they will be hitting each other as well, and Friday was no exception. Scott Mooers led from the pole, but failed to hold the lead as Jeff Stalnaker Sr. overtook him on lap 3, drawing a huge cheer from the fans. Mike Stalnaker soon joined Jeff in front, and family ties were undone in mere seconds as they battled side by side. But as luck would have it, just as the domestic dispute heated up, contact between the parties involved resulted in enough damage that both Stalnakers, plus Curtis Clark, all went to the pits. Mike Stalnaker managed to return, but Jeff Sr. was done.
The Stalnaker exodus handed the lead back to Mooers, but before he could enjoy it he had Chris Fontaine on his rear bumper, then in his side window, and then in his path. Fontaine drew another large cheer as he knocked Mooers out of the lead for the second time in the race and never looked back, grabbing a win and forcing Mooers to settle for second place. Michael Valdez had a strong run that resulted in a third place finish, while Justin Durbin fought his way forward to claim fourth place, with Chris Shea following for fifth.
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The historic Ocala Speedway has one more week of fast paced action this Friday night before the scheduled summer break, with the Late Models, the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, the Mini Stocks, and the Gladiators, set to do battle on the southeast's toughest 3/8ths mile. The summer break means that the racers will have at least three weeks off to prepare their machines and themselves for the remainder of the 2010 racing season, and this weekend's races will be the final chance to make some moves before that happens.
After a long break that was dictated by scheduling and weather, the Late Model Division hit the clay at Ocala on July 23 as the 2009 Late Model Champion, J.O. Nobles, held off Ivedent Lloyd to grab an impressive win. But despite those heroics that had the crowd cheering loudly for the yellow number 18, Nobles is still playing second fiddle in the points standings while Mark Whitener retains the top spot. Whitener drove the Dave's Towing number 58 to a third place finish on the 23rd, and will certainly be a factor this Friday night. And while Nobles lacks only 27 points in his effort to unseat Whitener, the 2010 Powell Memorial winner, Phillip Cobb, is only six points in back of Nobles going into this week's feature event.
Michael Stalnaker has returned to the top ranks of the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, and made a statement of his own last Friday by clawing his way from a 14th starting position to battle it out with Scott Mooers for a well deserved win. That makes two victories in a row for Stalnaker, who now has a 20 point advantage over Jerrid Bennett in the 2010 points standings. Bennett has fought his way through adversity lately just as Stalnaker did earlier in the season, and came away with a fifth place finish on Friday night which padded a 50 point advantage over EBD Racing's Chris Shea, who also has had a run of misfortune lately. So as the summer break looms the question is whether Jerrid Bennett can fight his way back toward the top, and if he can, will Mike Stalnaker be able to continue his recent domination of the division?
After repeated setbacks, injuries, and other calamities that never allowed Keith Briggs to finish a Mini Stock race in 2010, the 19T machine rolled onto the clay at Ocala Speedway on July 23rd and put all of that in the past. Briggs not only finished the race, he won it convincingly, and served notice that while he may not be a threat to win a championship this season, he certainly can win any race that he enters no matter who controls the points. The 2009 Mini Stock Champion, Paul Combast, holds a 14 point advantage over Dan Kerr going into this week's race, and hopes to build on that lead by finishing in front of the Kerr machines each week. But in order to do that he must also deal with Briggs, as the 19T will factor into the remaining races on the schedule.
Steven Johnson was on top of the Ocala Speedway Gladiator Division just a few weeks ago, but lousy luck and great racing from Casey Feaster ended his time at the top as Feaster had a week as the points leader at two top Florida dirt tracks. But last Friday Casey Feaster was missing from the field as a mechanical issue with his personal car left him stranded, and that allowed young Devin Walker to scramble his way into the top spot with a third place finish. Meanwhile Matt Shea was awarded the win last Friday after technical violations disqualified two finishers, and trails Walker by a mere 6 points going into this week's race while Feaster plummeted to 50 points out of first. So will we have the third different points leader in three weeks of action? Not if Devin Walker can help it, but Matt Shea may have something to say about that as well.
The grandstand gates will open this Friday at 5PM, with heat racing scheduled for 8PM. For more information, please visit www.OcalaSpeedway.com, where the updated schedule should be posted within the next two to three weeks.
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