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| Dempsey takes Ocala SARA Open Wheel Win | By Diana Brake
Ocala, FL, April 7, 2001 - Ocala Speedway is undergoing big changes! The new concession stands now sport bright red and white paint, accented with shiny black and white tiles. The restrooms will be the next component of the speedway to receive a complete facelift. Come out to Ocala Speedway and see the great improvements being made for fans and racers alike. Tonight, fans cheered the SARA 50-lap Modified feature and the Hooters Girls!
The Junior Cup Cars were first to race. Conner Baxley (64) won the heat and started on the pole for the second race. Baxley was running very well, but Eddie Kilbury Jr.(82) was right behind him in second for most of the race. On the last lap, the two leaders caught the tail of the pack, and in the tight spots, Kilbury Jr. saw a hole to squeeze through on the inside. Eddie Kilbury Jr. won the checkered flag. Conner Baxley finished second.
The Coca-Cola Four Cylinder Bombers came onto the track rearing to go. John Hagan (23) sat on the pole. The first start went bad so a double-up restart was called. The second start was also fouled when several cars tangled in turn four on the first lap. A single file restart put Hagan back up front, and he held the point for a full lap. Mark Dully Jr. (66) roared by to take the lead, but Justin Durbin (72), Joey Durbin (33) and Darren Dukes (4) were moving up strong. Justin Durbin took the point for a couple of laps, then he gave way to Joey Durbin who opened up a big lead. Dukes moved up to take third and these three pulled away from the pack. Joey Durbin took the win, followed by Darren Dukes and Justin Durbin. Terry Dunbar and Mark Dally Jr. finished fourth and fifth.
The WTRS Pure Stocks roared from the pits. Paul Fletcher (94) sat on the pole. Fletcher and Edward England (00) raced side-by-side for the first lap, then England began to pull away. Mark Mitchell (71), Roger Brass (81) and Moose Alderman (7) moved to the head of the pack and put the pressure on England. Mitchell took the wide road and got by England on the outside. A lapped car threatened to slow the leaders, but they all got by safely. The rest of the pack wasn't so lucky. Jack Pate (69) had to go wide, but he and the 56 car bumped hard and spun. The 56 car was towed with a leaking radiator, but Pate was allowed to restart in his current position. Mark Mitchell took off running to take the checkered flag. Edward England finished second, followed by Roger Brass.
The Steven A. Bagen Sportsmen filled the track. Charles Kopach (53) sat on the pole. Kopach and Mike Wilson (79) raced as if their door handles were glued together for the first two laps. Gradually, Kopach pulled ahead. Tommy Roberts (44) took advantage of the hole underneath of Wilson to take second position. A yellow flag flew when cars tangled and spun in turn two. Everybody chased Kopach on the restart. Roberts had the power, but he had to wait for Kopach to miss his line. It didn't look like this would happen, but finally it did and Roberts went to the front on the inside. Just as Roberts gained the lead, a yellow flag flew when a car spun in turn four. Kopach regained the point since it takes a completed lap for the challenger to keep this type of gain. Kopach kept his focus under intense pressure from Roberts. Charles Kopach took the hard-earned win. Tommy Roberts finished second followed by Bob Masciarelli in third.
The SARA Modifieds filled the track tonight for their 50-lap feature. Gary Southard (39) sat on the pole. Wayne Anderson (19) sat on the outside pole. Southard started well and jumped to the lead. Anderson settled into second but within a few laps eventually gave way to Dwayne Dempsey (6) and Red Vann (32) who had worked his way up to third. After the seventh lap, a yellow flag flew when a car (52) spun in turn four. Southard maintained his lead on the restart and another four laps became history. A second yellow flag flew when Monty Morgan took a bite out of the turn four wall. Southard continued to lead the charge. Drivers settled in and positions were maintained. Racing was fast and it wasn't until the thirty-first lap that another caution slowed the action. Two cars failed to negotiate turn four and Russ Thomson (54) had to be towed. During cleanup, a red light stopped the cars to conserve fuel. Racing resumed with nineteen laps to go. Southard led the way followed by Dempsey and Vann. With the end in sight, Dempsey turned up the heat on Southard and slipped by on the inside. Another caution was thrown when Morgan took another taste of the wall in turn four. Dempsey retained the lead. Vann began to challenge Southard, but another yellow was thrown when David Baxley (64) hit the turn four wall. Only a few more laps were completed when John Grimm (5) spun and hit the wall in turn one. Grimm had to be towed. E.J. Wise (7) also took a hit in turn one, and he went pitside under his own power. A final caution slowed the race on lap twenty-seven, but the leaders were unaffected. With three laps to go, the racers turned up the heat. With one lap to go, five cars piled up in turn four. Dwayne Dempsey finished first to take the checkered flag. Gary Southard finished second followed by Red Vann. Jamie Burrows and Raymond Vann filled out the top five.
The Ocala Speedway 2001 season will continue with weekly racing. Next week, April 13th and 14th will be a special weekend. There will be action both nights and the SARA Sportsman run a 100-lap race. The regular classes will all be running 25-lap features. Come out every Saturday night during the regular season for the many exciting features. This is high-action racing fun for the whole family.
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