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| Philman $10,000 Richer in Ocala Enduro | by Diana Brake
Ocala, FL, May 19, 2001 - The racing was hot tonight at Ocala Speedway. The cool breeze made it comfortable for the fans to watch the special 25-lap features and the first $10,000-to-win ENDURO of the season.
The Coca-Cola Four Cylinder Bombers turned out in force. Darren Dukes (4) sat on the pole, and Justin Durbin (72x) sat on the pole. Dukes jumped well and took the lead. There were seven yellow flags for this feature, but Dukes was able to hold the point for fifteen laps. Bobby Valeo was working his way up from back of the pack and by lap six he was in fifth position. Valeo gained a position with every lap, and a couple of yellow flags bunched the pack up. On lap sixteen, his bid for first took him past Dukes and off he ran. Just as the twenty third lap was starting, lapped traffic in front of Valeo blocked his way. The lapped car wasn't moving over and in turn four of the twenty-fourth lap, the lapped car spun. Valeo got by safely, but a yellow flag was thrown. Bobby Valeo restarted up front with a clean track and raced home to take the checkered flag. Darren Dukes finished second followed by Justin Durbin, John Naber, and Robert Oxendine.
The WTRS Pure Stocks were hot tonight. Pete Close (86) sat on the pole, and Mark Mitchell (71) sat on the outside. Close jumped well and Moose Alderman (71) immediately rose to second. Mitchell rode third. This order held for six laps until Frank Buchanan (07) came up through the ranks to take third. Close continued to lead the way, but after lap thirteen, he suddenly lost power and slipped into the pits. Alderman had the lead and since no flags were thrown, racing continued hot and heavy. Moose Alderman raced hard to take the checkered flag. Frank Buchanan finished second followed by Mark Mitchell, Edward England and Paul Gladdin.
The Steven A. Bagen Sportsmen were rearing to go. Butch Dillion (Ez2) sat on the pole, and Rob McCalip (44) sat on the outside. McCalip jumped very well to take the point. ?? (20) rode along in second for several laps, but Charles Kopach (53) was on the move. A yellow flag flew after the tenth lap for a car that spun in turn four. On the restart, Kopach mounted a challenge on McCalip and took the point. Back in the pack, Tom Posavec (01), Tommy Roberts (44x) and Doug Levesque (68) were battling hard for position. On lap nineteen, Roberts pulled to the outside with a flat tire. Racing restarted with Kopach still leading. A yellow flag for some debris didn't slow anyone down for long. With the end getting near, Levesque and Posavec turned up the heat on their personal battle for third. The end was a sad song for them both. They tangled in turn four, and they both landed hard in the wall. Levesque was done for the evening, and Posavec restarted in the rear. On the restart Kopach found himself battling Mike Wilson (79). Just as the pack was coming to the checkered flag, Wilson spun in turn four. Charles Kopach took home a hard-earned win. William Edwards (08) finished second followed by Rob MacCalip, Tommy Brakeman and Mike Wilson.
The Jr. Cups were up next. Conner Baxley (64) was paired with Hunter Overton (24) for this dual. They ran two times and each time, Baxley took the win. The second heat was tight though as Overton rode Baxley's coattails to come in second.
The Budweiser Modifieds roared onto the track. Red Vann (32) sat on the pole, and Raymond Vann (99) sat on the outside. After two bad starts, Red took a good lead and Raymond slipped in behind him. The first half of the feature was plagued with yellow flags. Cars spun, debris was scattered, and once there was a big, multiple car pile-up in turn four. The leaders were unaffected and Red continued to lead. With just three laps to go, two cars tangled in turn four, hooking parts, pulling each other forward and back until they came apart. Red Vann led the way to take the checkered flag. Raymond Vann came in second followed by John Clair, E.J. Wise and Glenn Baum.
The big event for the evening was the $10,000-to-win ENDURO. A huge field of cars started the feature from a dead stop, three abreast. The 100-lap race started in a cloud of tire smoke. All racing was under a green flag even when cars were stalled or spun out somewhere on the track. Bumping and dodging was the only way to stay alive as there was very little spare room on the track. Several cars went to the pits, many of those returning quickly to continue racing. About the seventy eighth lap, a tangle between two cars left one with a missing rear tire and axle. Stalled cars and debris are generally left on the track for an ENDURO, but in this case, the free rolling tire and axle were deemed a danger to the pack. A red flag was thrown so track crew could move the tire and axle, and during this down time, the racing direction was changed. The seventy ninth lap was the beginning of the end as the rest of the feature ran clockwise around the track. When the smoke cleared and engines were cut to an idle, Keith Philman (83) was determined to be the winner. After tech, the top five finishers were John Mamph in second, Rick Lenhart in third, Steve Hise in fourth and Robert Ray coming in fifth.
The Ocala Speedway 2001 season will continue with weekly racing. Next week, May 26th, all division will run and the Coca-Cola 4-cylinder Bombers will go 35 laps. There will also be a Rollover Contest and the Classic Race Cars. 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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