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| Full Moon Racing at Ocala | Ocala, FL, May 5, 2001 - Ocala Speedway was packed to the gills with fans who came to see the great racing. All the regular features were run, and tonight, the full moon provided the sole source of light for the Lights Out race.
The Junior Cup Cars raced first tonight. Eddie Kilbury, Jr. (82) sat on the pole, and Victoria Gentry (60) sat on the outside. Kilbury jumped well and took the early lead. Conner Baxley (64) quickly moved up into second, but Kilbury was way out front. It took several laps for Baxley to catch up with Kilbury, but by the last lap, he had done so. While passing lapped traffic, Baxley saw an opening on the inside and he pounced through. It wasn't quite enough, but the finish was exciting as Eddie Kilbury, Jr. won by just a nose. Conner Baxley finished second followed by Elizabeth Gentry, Victoria Gentry and Hunter Overton.
The Coca-Cola Four Cylinder Bombers presented a full field. Justin Durbin (72x) sat on the pole, and Pete Close, Sr. (89) sat on the outside. Justin took the early lead, and Joey Durbin (33) moved up to take second position within one lap. Close held fast to third until the fifth lap when Darren Dukes (4) was able to slip by. Robert Oxendine (24) put on a great show as he worked his way up through the pack, but the front runners were set early and solid. Justin Durbin won this caution-free feature. Joey Durbin finished second followed by Darren Dukes, Pete Close, Sr. and Robert Oxendine.
The WTRS Pure Stocks roared from the pits. Frank Buchanan (07) sat on the pole, and Moose Alderman (7) sat on the outside. Buchanan jumped well as Alderman slipped back. Pete Close, Jr. (89) quickly moved up to take second, and within a few laps, Edward England (00) was sitting third. These three raced in tight formation lap after lap. Close was hunting and hoping for a hole to sneak through, but Buchanan kept the door shut tight. Close tried to get through a crack and bumped Buchanan, sending them both spinning into turn three. England clipped Close on the rear but continued on. Buchanan was undamaged and retained the lead. Close went to the pit momentarily and returned in time to take the restart. Buchanan continued to run well, and England never let up the pressure. Roger Brass (81) was sitting third after working his way up. The last lap brought on some tension as England made a bid for first, but Frank Buchanan held fast to take the checkered flag. Edward England finished a very close second, followed by Roger Brass. Moose Alderman came in fourth and Pete Close, Jr. made a final charge to finish fifth.
The Steven A. Bagen Sportsmen filled the track. Tommy Robert (44) sat on the pole, and Tom Posavec (01) sat on the outside. Roberts jumped great and Doug Levesque (68) moved up to take second. William Edwards (08) settled into third. A yellow flag flew shortly into the feature when a car hit the wall in turn four and slid down the front stretch wall, flattening the right front tire and setting the right rear tire completely free. The wrecked car was towed and racing resumed. Roberts continued to lead, followed by Levesque and Edwards. Lap after lap went by until a yellow flag was thrown because the turn three lights went out. The lights returned quickly, but the fans and drivers were given a small preview of the Light Out feature to be run later. Roberts continued to lead the charge as the pack stayed pretty well bunched up behind him. Tommy Roberts held fast to take the checkered flag. Doug Levesque finished a close second followed by William Edwards, Tom Posavec and Mike Wilson.
The Budweiser Modifieds roared onto the track. Rob Akoury (1A) sat on the pole, and Gary Southard (39) sat on the outside. Southard took the early lead as Akoury slipped back. Jamie Tinkham (98) moved up to take second, followed by Glenn Baum (15). Several laps ticked off before a yellow flag was thrown for a car that spun and stalled on the front stretch. Just a few laps later, another yellow flew when Raymond Vann (99) also spun on the front stretch. Raymond recovered before a yellow was thrown, but Red Vann was also in trouble at the same time on the backstretch. Red came to a halt in turn three, and he was pushed to the pits. Red made it back to the track for the restart, but the restart was soured when several cars spun as the pack entered turn four. Confusion ruled as two cars tangled on the backstretch during the restart parade. Akoury was black flagged after Troy Robinson (0) ended up nose first in the backstretch wall. The restart went well but only for a lap. Red Vann struck the backstretch wall and rolled into turn three throwing sparks from his undercarriage and the damaged right front end. The second half of the feature went clean and Gary Southard opened up a commanding lead to take the checkered flag. Jamie Tinkham came in second, followed by Glenn Baum in third. Raymond Vann and Eddie Kilbury filled out the top five.
The Mechanic's Race consisted of cars from all divisions. The Bob Masciarelli's 72 car sat on the pole, and Roger Brass's 81 car sat on the outside. Mike Wilson's 79 car quickly took the lead. William Edwards' 08 car moved up to take second position as Michael Ruff's 23 car and Tommy Roberts' 44 car battled for third. Dick Wilson, mechanic for Mike Wilson, drove a fast race to take the checkered flag. Stan Ruff driving Michael Ruff's 23 car finished second. Don Roberts drove Tommy Roberts' car to a third place finish.
The Lights Out Feature closed the card tonight. The 4-Cylinder Bombers returned to the track to race under the moon. The "track idiots" as they termed themselves, surprised everyone with their near-normal speeds. One driver was heard to say that turns one and two were light enough to see through but turns three and four were very, very dark. All the drivers displayed excellent skill as they navigated around the track and finished the feature caution free. Marlon Durbin started on the pole and quickly took the lead. Justin Durbin made a dash for the lead after several laps, and he eventually got by Marlon. Justin held his lead to the finish wire. Marlon Durbin finished second and Terry Dunbar came in third. All ten drivers must be commended for keeping it together during this very unique feature!
The Ocala Speedway 2001 season will continue with weekly racing. Next week, May 12th, will feature all the regular divisions plus The Eve of Destruction, featuring the $1000-to-win Unlimited Figure 8, the School Bus Figure 8, a $1000-to-win Demolition Derby and FREE Hats to the first 500 fans. 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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