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Rain Gives Way To Hot Racing at Ocala
by BJ Cavin
Thunderstorms have been the rule at Ocala Speedway over the past week, with
Tuesday's practice washed out and showers delaying Thursday's session as well.
But after a week the clouds parted for Friday and a full slate of racing played itself
out in front of an appreciative crowd. And the Goodyear Challenge Series paid it's
first ever visit to Ocala for 100 laps of late model action as well.
Having never visited Ocala Speedway before, the majority of the drivers in the
Goodyear Challenge Series were quite unfamiliar with the track's toughness. And
probably the driver with the most experience with Ocala Speedway was 14 year old
Drew Brannon, the youngest Goodyear driver. Brannon had paid previous visits to
the speedway when he was racing a truck with another racing series, and that
experience undoubtedly helped him as the night wore on. The 88 of Justin Larson
started on the pole and held the lead solidly for quite a few laps until a slight error
sent him high in turn 4. As he lifted the gas to straighten the car out, Rich Clouser
ducked under him to gain the advantage and take the lead. Closer would never
look back while Larson would later develop problems and fall far back in the field.
And in the end it was Joe Winchell who would apply the most pressure to Clouser
but was unable to make the pass. Rich Closer took the win, followed by Winchell in
second and Darren Brown in third place. And Darren Brown had over come his
own set of problems after he backed his car into the turn 4 wall on his second
qualifying lap earlier in the evening. He and his crew made hasty repairs and the
car returned for the main event as competitive as it ever was.
When racing began there were thirteen V8 Pure Stock cars in the pits. By the end
of their feature race almost half of that field failed to finish the race, and two of
those could not start the feature event. Eric Gellman won the pole and led the
race until he and Matt Schell had a rather nasty meeting on the front stretch that
sent Gellman's car into the wall. That accident sent Harold Erickson into the lead
and he held off all challengers to collect the winning hardware and first prize
money. The big surprise of the race was Josh Brown, who had just been promoted
up from the Thunder Stocks to race with the more experienced drivers. Josh
Brown fought hard and didn't give an inch, and in the end it collected him a second
place finish, while Hall Robertson battled to a third place finish.
Richard Kuhn ran hard in the his heat race, but ended up with a not so wonderful
starting spot as the feature race got underway. Mike Taylor started from the pole
and held the lead for only 2 laps before Brandon Elwood muscled into the top
position. Elwood held that lead for 2 more laps before Taylor regrouped and
retook the point, holding it until lap 17 when Richard Kuhn again asserted his
dominance and held on for the win. Mike Taylor finished a respectable second
place while Justyn Elwood fought his way up from the back of the pack to finish
third.
John Mamph doesn't race with the Sportsman division at Ocala every week, but this
week he showed up with the car to beat, and fortunately for him no one else
showed up with a car that could do it. Mamph led from the pole and drove away
from the rest of the field to get the win, while Greg Young finished a solid second
and Harold Edwards held on for third place.
And Jason Henry attempted the same feat as Mamph pulled with the sportsman
cars, only he was driving a V8 Thunder Stock. Wade Brown had been in
contention early in the race, but handling problems kept him from challenging for
first place. And while Jason Henry was busy leading the field, a few cars were
mixing it up behind him. Chris Watson emerged from that confusion to register a
second place finish while Wade Brown held off Donnie Bucknell Jr. to finish third.
Seventeen Street Stocks were set to take the green flag led by Shelby Mather, and
as the green waved it was Mather who dominated the race until lap 14 when he
and Jeff Stalnaker Jr. tangled on the backstretch. That wreck left Mather's car
unable to continue and Pete Close emerged as the leader just a lap later. Pete
Close fought off David Foster and took a well deserved win, while David Foster
settled for second and Rick Bass managed to finish in the third spot.
Next week Friday night racing returns along with the Open Wheel Modifieds for two,
25 lap feature races. The modified races had been originally scheduled for June
29th but thunderstorms forced a postponement. The first two installments of this
event were run last month at Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, and the driver
that accumulates the most points while competing in all four events will get a $1000
bonus check! In addition to the modifieds Ocala Speedway will present the other
regular divisions, including the 4 Cylinder Stocks, Thunder Stocks, V8 Pure Stocks,
and Sportsman.
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