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| Vann Claims Ocala Open Wheels | by Diana Brake
Ocala, FL, June 9, 2001 - The Ocala Speedway presented the 6th Annual Powell Memorial for the Florida Pro series cars. The regular features ran 25 laps, so fans of all ages were treated to a great night of racing.
The Coca-Cola Four Cylinder Bombers started off the night of racing. Darren Dukes (4) sat on the pole, and A.J. Schrieir (98) sat outside. Dukes took the lead when the green flag flew and Schrieir settled into second. Several laps into the race, Schrieir lost traction and spun in turn into turn three and had to restart in the rear. Robert Oxendine (24) was now sitting in second, and Bobby Valeo (8) moved up to third. Just as thing got well underway, Dukes seemed to lose power and Oxendine took over the point. This didn't last long though because Valeo was hot on his tail, and then Valeo flew by Oxendine and began to open up a large lead. Jeff Oglesby (88) was sitting in third, followed by Chauna Johnston (43). Within a few more laps, Schrieir had regained enough spots and after passing Johnston, he was again sitting in fourth. Just as lap twenty was completed. Schrieir bit the bad-luck bullet one more time and spun through turn four. The field was bunched back up for the restart, but again, Valeo took off hard and gained some running room. One more caution close to the finish bunched them up one more time, but Bobby Valeo had the bag sewn up to take the checkered flag. Robert Oxendine finished second, followed by Jeff Oglesby. Chauna Johnston and A.J. Schrieir filled out the top five.
The WTRS Pure Stocks were rearing to go. Frank Buchanan (07) sat on the pole, and Paul Gladdin (9) sat on the outside. The first start went bad so a yellow was thrown and a complete restart was called. Buchanan jumped well and took the early lead. Pete Close Jr. (86) quickly moved up to take second position. From back in the pack, Edward England (00) and Joel Watkins (08) were moving strong. The battle for first was getting hotter, and finally Close was able to take the point. Moose Alderman (7) moved up to sit in third as Mark Mitchell (71), Watkins and England continued to gain ground. Watkins started making power moves from the outside and within two laps, he had gained the second position. Several times there were cars three deep in turns two and four as drivers jockeyed for position. Close lead the pack by ten car lengths, but now Watkins was gaining ground. Close was having trouble holding traction in turn four and Watkins was close enough to take advantage. Watkins slipped by on the inside, leaving a hole big enough for England to get by too. Joel Watkins drove a great race to take the checkered flag. Edward England finished second, followed by Pete Close.
The Steven A. Bagen Sportsmen stormed from the pits. Tommy Roberts (44) sat on the pole, and William Edwards (08) sat on the outside. Roberts jumped well, but so did Edwards. The battles were on. Just before the first lap was completed, a car spun on the front stretch, and full restart was called. This start went bad so a single file start was called. Third time was a charm and Roberts had the lead free and clear. Edwards sat second and Doug Levesque (68) raced in third. Charles Kopach (53) sat a close fourth. A yellow flag was thrown when a car went out of control in turn four a slid into the wall. Just as the pack was coming into the turn four to finish the first lap after the restart, two cars spun and another yellow was thrown. Levesque now sat in second after scraping by Edwards on the backstretch. The top four cars continued to be tightly packed as lap after lap was counted off. Another yellow flag flew again when a car hit the turn four barrier tire and came away with a flat of its own. Tommy Roberts lead the final charge to take the checkered flag. The battle going on between Levesque and Edwards kept hearts pounding, but Doug Levesque held his place to take second. William Edwards finished a close third followed by Charles Kopach.
The Budweiser Modifieds roared out of the pits. Kris Richardson (11) sat on the pole, and Gary Southard (39) sat on the outside. Southard quickly took the lead as Raymond Vann (99) and Red Vann (15) moved up to sit second and third. After several fast laps, a yellow flag flew when a car spun in turn one. With the pack bunched back up, Southard continued to lead. Many laps were counted down when another yellow flag flew when cars spun in turn four, one of which kissed the wall. All restarted under their own power and racing continued. At the half-way point, Red Vann slipped under Southard and claimed the point. Raymond Vann made an attempt to get by Southard, but he was unsuccessful. Red Vann raced away in the blue car. With five laps to go, Red had a 12 car-length cushion. On the last laps Southard closed a few lengths, but Red Vann claimed the checkered flag. Gary Southard finished second followed by Raymond Vann.
The Ford of Ocala Junior Cup cars raced just before the Powell Memorial. Eddie Kilbury Jr. (82) sat on the pole and Conner Baxley (64) sat on the outside. Kilbury Jr. took the lead, but Baxley didn't give away any ground. After two laps, Conner Baxley took the lead and the checkered flag. Eddie Kilbury Jr. followed close behind, coming in second.
The highly anticipated 6th Annual Powell Memorial closed out a great night of racing. Dick Anderson qualified the fastest car with a 14.90. Wayne Anderson qualified second by turning a 15.032 lap. Mike Franklin was the third qualifier at 15.104. A surprise popped up in tech though when Dick Anderson's carburetor was disqualified, and he was forced to start in the rear of the 21-car field. After the pill was drawn, a four-row inversion put Scott Grossenbacher (09) in the pole position, and James Powell, III (37) sitting beside him. The racers started hard when the green flag flew. The pack stayed bunched up through the first lap and before it could be completed, a huge pile-up in turn four caused a complete restart. The second attempt to start went well, and Powell quickly took the point. The positions behind Powell were in flux as driver's found their strides but by lap seven, a running order was established. Powell raced out front followed by Jonny Kay (48), Mike Franklin (5), Rich Pratt (0) and Grossenbacher. By lap eighteen, Dick Anderson (92) had quietly worked his way up through the pack to move up into sixth. Wayne Anderson (72) was also running hard and he sat just in front of his father. There were a couple of cautions the first half of the feature, but the leaders were not affected. The fifty-first lap was just completed when a car spun down the backstretch and a second car smashed into the stalled one. Both drivers were OK, but both cars had to be towed. After some clean up time under a red flag, racing resumed with Powell still leading. With Andersons fully in the picture now, the tension began to mount. Everyone ran hard until lap sixty-seven when another yellow flew after two cars tangled in turn four. The top five cars stayed in freight train formation and lots of bumping occurred through the turns. Everyone drove well and no one could gain ground until Wayne Anderson managed to find a hole to get by Franklin. Within another lap, Dick Anderson slipped past Franklin too as Franklin seemed to lose power. This was the order of go until the last three laps when things changed dramatically. The leaders were encountering lapped traffic and spacing got very tight. After leading the whole race from the start, Powell slipped on misfortune and spun in turn one. Powell was put on the tail of the first lap along with Kay. With the two front-runners out of the way, Wayne Anderson had a clear view of the track, and he held valiantly to the point to take the checkered flag. Dick Anderson was hot on his tail to finish second. Rich Pratt drove a great race, finishing third. Scott Grossenbacher and James Powell filled out the top five.
The Ocala Speedway 2001 season will continue with weekly racing. Next week, June 16th, there will be all the regular features plus the Legacy Series and the special Texas Chain Race. 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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