Ocala, FL, October 30, 1999 – Spooks and Goblins of all sizes and sorts showed up tonight at Ocala Speedway. The kids were dressed in costume for the Halloween contest and the track was hot with action of the regular division features plus the Dwarf Cars and the special Halloween Bag Race.

The Coca-Cola 4-Cylinder Bombers filled the track tonight. Matt Connelly (007) sat on the pole and Gary Hotalen (312) sat on the outside. The race started well with Connelly taking the lead. By the second lap thought, Neal Durbin (33) had overtaken the two leaders and claimed first position. Dave Neiswender (69) moved up to take second, leaving Connelly in third. A caution flag was thrown after lap five with Brock Oglesby (88) and Terry Dunbar (72) got tangled up. On the restart, they were in the rear. Durbin continued to dominate the race. Lap nine was just completed when another caution flag flew because Leo Kasper (74) got turned around in turn two. Neal Durbin streaked for the finish to take the checkered flag. Dave Neiswender finished second with Clint Foley coming in third. Jamie Portera and Matt Connelly brought in the top five.

The WTRS Pure Stocks came out in full force. John Betts (81) sat on the pole and John Cook (17) sat on the outside. Betts fired hard and the race was on. Cook settled into second with Paul Gladin (9) in third. Jason Gamble was on the move, and by the fourth lap, he was in third. A yellow flag was thrown when Gladin and Richard McGlashan tangled in turn one. Betts maintained his lead while Cook and Gamble battled for second position. Gamble claimed it on the ninth lap and began to challenge Betts. It sure looked like Betts had this race, but coming out of turn four on the last lap, Betts got a little high. Jason Gamble used the inside track to get by Betts for the win. John Betts took second and John Cook came in third. Mark Mitchell and Larry Bowden filled out the top five. After tech, Mark Mitchell was awarded the third place honors, moving Larry Bowden up into fourth and Dave Dinehart took home fifth place monies.

The Dave’s Towing Hobby Stocks had a very large field tonight. Moose Alderman (55) sat on the pole and Mike “Bear” Soares (17) sat on the outside. The start was quick and Alderman and Soares held a neck-and-neck position during the first lap. Before this first lap could be completed though, a jam up happened in turn one and a full double-up restart was called. Alderman and Soares again jumped together but this time, Alderman got a slight edge. But there must have been a jinx because a huge pile-up occurred again in turn one, this time involving at least twelve cars in this twenty-one car field. Nine cars went to the pits but many returned after some quick adjustments. With a somewhat smaller field now, the third start came in single file fashion. Alderman was on the point and he took a commanding lead. The toughest competitors in the field were a good ways back in the pack. After lap four, a caution flag flew when cars fifty-three and three tangled in turn one, sending both drivers to the rear. The race restarted but went for one more lap when the final caution of the feature was thrown. A piece of bumper was on the track in turn three and had to be picked up by the track crew. On the restart, Alderman jumped hard and Bob Masciarelli (72) took up his position in second. Mike Wilson (71II) was riding in third now and David Baxley (64) had moved up from his starting position near the rear to take fourth. Faithful fans at Ocala Speedway know just how tough Baxley is, and he was true to form as he moved up, finally claiming second position by lap eleven. Baxley began to pressure Alderman with a ferocious intensity. Baxley never let. But, Moose Alderman drove an absolutely masterful race and held his lead to take the checkered flag. David Baxley settled for second and Mike Wilson came in third. Bob Masciarelli and Glen Baum filled out the top five finishers.

The Dwarf Cars came to Ocala Speedway tonight. Rick Lundeen (49) had the pole and Nick Shadid (39) sat on the outside. Lundeen jumped hard and took the lead. Allen Davis (73) quickly moved up into second and by lap five, Davis claimed the lead. The 64 car slid into second by after lap nine, a rub between the 64 car and Jim Edwards (18) put the 64 car into the turn three wall and left Edwards stopped and needing a tow just out of turn four. Both drivers were finished for the night. Davis was a dominant leader but Max Howe (50) was running so hot, he was gaining positions with every lap. Howe moved into second on the fourteenth lap but a caution flag stopped the action because of another tangle in turn four. Allen Davis fired on the green/white flag and held the lead to take the checkered flag. Max Howe finished second and John Godwin took third. Rick Lundeen and Jim Harrison filled out the top five.

The Budweiser Modifieds fielded a full pack tonight. Loren “Doc” Thornton (N8) had the pole position and Rick Brewer (9) sat on the outside. Thornton fired well and took the lead. Brewer quickly gave way and Alan McCafferty (12) filled the second position slot. Wayne Reutimann (00) was close behind in third and Scott Millar (07) sat in fourth. A yellow flag flew after lap five when Reutimann and Millar tangled and several other cars got in the mess. Thornton still had the lead when the feature restarted, but McCafferty was running well too. McCafferty made a strong move and took the point on lap twelve, much to his fans’ delight. The rest of the feature was caution free so McCafferty was able to run. Red Vann (32) came through the ranks to challenge McCafferty and Scott Grossenbacher (09) was in the wings, pressuring Vann. Alan McCafferty had started in the modified division at the beginning of this season, but a major accident early in the year had totaled his car. He was on top of his game tonight with this new car, and he held off all the competition to take his first ever win as the rookie in the modified division. Congratulations Alan! Red Vann came in second and Scott Grossenbacher finished third. Tate Pierce and Loren Thornton filled in the top five.

The Steven A. Bagen Late Models brought out a huge field of cars tonight. Mac Johnson (6x) sat on the pole, and Kevin Bryant (54) sat on the outside. Bryant fired so hard, it looked like the pack was left standing still. Johnson slid into second and Herb Neumann (98) rolled into third. A yellow flag flew when Johnson got into Bryant, causing him to spin on the backstretch. Bryant regained the point, but Johnson was sent to the rear. This put Neumann right on Bryant’s tail so the pressure only got higher. Coming through turn four on the thirteenth lap, Bryant almost lost his lead when Neumann tried to come inside. The pack was so tightly jammed together that Neumann’s bid failed and Bryant came out on top. A final caution flag flew after lap nineteen when Scott Grossenbacher (09) got loose and spun in turn four. With five laps to go, Bryant was fighting hard and the top four cars were running formation. Kevin Bryant held on to take the hard-earned checkered flag and Herb Neumann came in a very close second. For that matter, Doc Batson came in a very close fourth and Mac Johnson took home fifth.

Don’t miss any of the Ocala Speedway racing season. November 5 & 6th will be the big weekend of the Budweiser 200. Both Friday and Saturday nights will be packed with action. Make plans to attend the Enduro later in November.