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| Dukes Ocala 4 cyl Bomber Winner | by Diana Brake
Ocala, FL, May 26, 2001 - Once again Ocala Speedway was the place to be on Saturday night. All the regular features ran and the Coca-Cola 4-Cylinder Bombers ran a 15-lap race. The popular Classic Cars were in town for the first time this season.
The Ford of Ocala Jr. Cups were up first. Conner Baxley (64) sat on the pole for the first heat. Victoria Gentry (60) sat on the outside. All got a good start, but Conner Baxley took first. The little guys pulled numbers and after a full inversion, Victoria Gentry sat on the pole with Elizabeth Gentry (39) sitting beside her. Conner Baxley found an opening early though and jumped to the lead. Conner Baxley took the checkered flag for the win. Victoria Gentry finished second followed by Elizabeth Gentry.
The Coca-Cola Four Cylinder Bombers were set for their special feature. Darren Dukes (4) sat on the pole, and Ric Fort (2) sat on the outside. Fort made an excellent jump at the start and took the lap. Dukes sat right behind Fort and looked for holes. Lap after lap Fort was able to hold his point. Finally Dukes was able to pull even on the front stretch and take the point from Fort. A.J. Schreier (98) was driving hard in third and in turn one he tapped Fort. They both went to the rear. Now Dukes was up front with little competition, so he was able to open up a comfortable lead. Back in the pack, Schreier, Fort, Kyle Helt (M) and Richard Kuhn (47) were all battling hard for position. In turn four, Schreier spun and brought out the yellow flag. Darren Dukes took the checkered flag for the win. Kyle Helt came in second followed by Richard Kuhn.
The WTRS Pure Stocks were rearing to go. Frank Buchanan (07) sat on the pole, and Moose Alderman (7) sat on the outside. Buchanan and Alderman appeared to be well matched for the first half-lap as they ran side-by-side. But, in a surprise move, Pete Close (86) moved up from third to overtake them both and grab the lead. The pack stayed bunched together as Buchanan, Alderman, Edward England (00) and Joel Watkins (08) all battled hard. Suddenly, Alderman got by Close who appeared to be getting loose in the turns. England followed Alderman to sit second leaving Watkins to sit in third. The last lap was hard fought as the top three continued to jockey for position. Moose Alderman held on to take the win. Edward England came in second followed by Joel Watkins.
The Steven A. Bagen Sportsmen stormed from the pits. ??(Ez2) sat on the pole, and Rob McCalip (44) sat outside. McCalip quickly jumped to the lead and Mike Wilson (79) moved up to second. With two laps, Wilson was in the lead and Doug Levesque (68) was sitting second as McCalip slipped back. Charles Kopach (53) was also running well and he sat fourth, then third. The battle for third heated up as Tommy Roberts (44x) and William Edwards (08) moved up to overtake McCalip. A yellow flag was thrown when Edwards spun in turn four. With two laps to go, Wilson looked like a winner, but another yellow flag flew when Edwards spun again. So the final restart was thrown for the last lap. Mike Wilson took the checkered flag. Doug Levesque finished second followed by Charles Kopach and Tommy Roberts. Condolences go to Tommy Roberts who's mother passed away this past week. Peggy Toops was Tommy's best fan, and she will be missed by all.
The Classic Cars were in town tonight and they put on a great show. David Nunes (54) sat on the pole, and Jim Rahman (5) sat outside. Nunes jumped well but so did Rahman. They raced very close together for several laps until finally, Rahman was able to power by on the outside. Rahman's lead didn't go unchallenged for long though as Eddie Thornton (4) suddenly appeared from the pack to slip by Nunes and Rahman in turn four to take the lead. In the confusion Ed Yates (74) also moved up to take second. Nunes spun going into turn three, but the momentum carried him well clear of the track and into the infield. No yellow flag was thrown. The top four cars began to encounter the tail end of the pack and tension mounted. Eddie Thornton took the win followed by Ed Yates, and Jim Rahman.
The Budweiser Modifieds roared out of the pits. Raymond Vann (99) sat on the pole, and Red Vann (15) sat on the outside. Raymond jumped well and took the point, but Red was driving a different car and wasn't going to let Raymond rest. David Baxley (64) rode along in third with Troy Robinson (0) and John Clair (44) close behind. Clair moved up to take fourth position right behind Baxley, but the Vann brothers were way out front and running away. Raymond continued to hold off every tactic Red used. Raymond Vann took the checkered flag for the win. Red Vann finished a very close second followed by David Baxley, Troy Robinson, and John Clair.
The Ocala Speedway 2001 season will continue with weekly racing. Next week, June 2nd, all divisions will run and. 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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