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| Vann back in Winners Circle at Ocala | Ocala Speedway fans and drivers alike are enjoying faster, more competitive, side-by-side racing on the newly resurfaced track and the action Saturday night was proof of that. Each week the car count improves (almost 100 cars on this night) giving the fans a better show and the drivers a better chance to showcase their talent.
The Diamond "H" Air & Heat Modified division was the first feature race of the evening. Red Vann (32R) started on the inside pole after winning the 1st of two heat races and Troy Robinson (0), winner of the 2nd heat race, was on the outside pole. David Baxley (64), the current points leader, was tucked in behind Vann and Chris Fadling (33) was in the 4th position. By the half-way point, the first three cars had pulled away from the pack. A battle for 5th - 7th position was being fought by Rick Hall (15), Mike Wilson (79) and Alan McCafferty (32G) with Eddie Kilbury (71) close behind in 8th place. Wilson and McCafferty got by Hall with only 10 laps remaining. Caution came out on lap 14 when Fadling spun on the front stretch and that allowed the field to close up for the restart. On lap 19, Shawn Nichols (25) spun in Turn 4 bringing out the caution for the final time and setting up a shoot-out for the finish. With Vann in the lead followed closely by Baxley, Robinson and Wilso! n, the green flag and white flag were dropped together. Vann took the checkered flag, followed by Baxley in 2nd. Robinson spun coming out of Turn 4, allowing Wilson to get past him for the 3rd place finish.
The Steven A. Bagen Sportsman division was next. Michael Mennenga (16) and his brother Patrick Mennenga (20) each won their respective heat race to start 1st and 2nd. Two quick cautions came out when Michael Jordan, Jr. (7) spun in Turn 4 on the first lap and then on the front stretch on the restart. This set up a single-file restart. When the green flag dropped, the Mennenga brothers took off and never looked back. Bob Masciarelli (72), who started in the 8th position, was a driver on the move. He picked his way through traffic and passed Pete Close, Jr. (86) on the final lap to take the 3rd place finish.
The newest division this year at Ocala Speedway, the Thrifty Nickel Hobby Stock division, was in the staging area and ready to roll. Moose Alderman (7) and Mark Mitchell (71) were on the front row followed by Chauna Johnston (43) and Frank Buchanan (07). Johnston got by Mitchell on the first lap and dogged Alderman for several laps, even getting the nose of her car inside a couple of times, before Alderman was able to put some distance between them. By this time Johnston had her mirror full of Mitchell. He tried going high and then low to get around her, but she held her position and held him off. While Mitchell was trying to get around Johnston, John Betts (08), the current division points leader, was making his own moves on Mitchell. In Turn 3 on the final lap, Betts pulled up on the inside of Mitchell and they went side-by-side down the front stretch. Alderman took the checkered flag, Johnston finished 2nd and Mitchell nosed out Betts to finish 3rd.
The Speedway played host to the Dwarf Car Racing Assoc. on this night. Nineteen cars took to the track for the feature race. John Goodwin (22) sat on the pole with Ron Rowe (71) on the outside and Allen Davis (74) right behind Rowe. The green flag flew and so did Goodwin, jumping out to a big lead. The real race was behind him. Rowe and Davis fought long and hard. Davis worked every angle until half-way through the race he finally got around Rowe, only to have the caution come out and he had to go back to the position he held on the previous lap. Two laps after the restart, he passed Rowe in Turn 4 and began his pursuit of Goodwin. His only opportunity came on a restart after the caution came out for and incident in Turn 4. Goodwin was too strong for him and pulled away to take the win. Davis finished 2nd followed in 3rd by Dan Berry (44) who passed Rowe on the last lap.
The WTRS Pure Stock division took to the track with a starting field of 18 cars. Kyle Maynard (72) won his heat to start on the pole with Rick Hart (13), winner of last weeks feature race, on the outside pole. Dan Geer (65) started in 3rd place and Bobby Valeo (8B) started 4th. Valeo passed Maynard in Turn 4 on the first lap to take the lead. Maynard dropped of the pace and had to pit on lap 4. Valeo stayed in the 1st position until the half-way point when Hart passed him on the front straightaway. Valeo hung on Hart's bumper for a while, but Michael Smith (68), who had worked his way up to 3rd after starting in the 5th spot, got a run on the outside of Valeo going into Turn 3 and remained there for the better part of the next lap before finally clearing Valeo and running down Hart. Smith almost got by Hart with the same moves he made on Valeo, but Hart was able to hold him off. On the final lap, Smith went high in Turn 3 and got up beside Hart. The two got together in Turn ! 4 but Hart held on to finish ahead of Smith by less than half a car length. Valeo finished 3rd.
The last division to take the green flag, but certainly not the least since there were 20 of them, was the exciting Coca Cola 4 Cylinder Bomber division. Four heat races had to be run to decide the starting line up and the winners of those heats were Neal Durbin (33), Steve Gallagher (39), Shane Goodyear (5) and A. J. Schreier (98). Neal Durbin got a good start and let the field through the first 2 laps, followed by Steve Gallagher and A. J. Schreier. Schreier got beside Gallagher on lap 3 and they ran door-to-door until Gallagher got behind a lapped car on the backstretch and Schreier got by. Schreier worked the remainder of the race trying to get by Durbin. For such small cars, Durbin sure made his car wide! On the final lap, Schreier went on the outside of Durbin going into Turn 3 and got by briefly. While Durbin was concentrating on holding off Schreier, Gallagher snuck up and decided to go low to the inside of Durbin. Durbin held off both to take the win and Schreier be! at Gallagher to the finish line by a fender.
For complete results of all of the races, call the Speedway office Monday - Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. or Saturday from 12 noon until race end or visit our web site at www.ocalaspeedway.com.
Next Saturday night, March 30th, the Speedway will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary with a great Fireworks display, 50 cent Hot Dogs, all of our regular divisions and drawings to win Easter Baskets for the kids. Grandstand gates open at 5:00 p.m. and racing begins at 6:30 p.m.
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