Ocala, FL, May 27, 2000 – The heat of the day melted into the cool of the evening, making Ocala Speedway the place to be for great racing. The 911 Police Charity drivers appeared tonight at Ocala Speedway. They put on a great show with their hard charging cars and flashing lights.

The Junior Cup Cars started the evening features. Mariah Berry (24) sat on the pole for the first start. Berry jumped well and took the lead. Cynthia Boetcher (88) sat on the outside and held second for the first two laps. Connor Baxley (64) passed Boetcher but Berry had such a commanding lead, she took the checkered flag. For the second race, Baxley sat on the pole. Berry quickly slipped by both Boetcher and Baxley to take the lead and win the checkered flag again. Connor Baxley took second and Cynthia Boetcher took home third.

The Coca Cola Four Cylinder Bombers were hot tonight. Mike Hillary (9) sat on the pole and Joey Durdin (38) sat on the outside. Todd Roberts (44) charged hard and took the lead on the first lap. Ric Fort (2) also drove hard and held second. Chauna Johnston (43) jumped up several slots from her starting position and immediately began to turn up the pressure, gaining a spot with every lap. A yellow flag flew after lap four when Marlon Durbin (72) and Matt Griffin (77) tangled on the front stretch. Roberts still held his lead, but Johnston claimed second and started to put some serious moves on Roberts. Fort came on hard and took Johnston’s attention off of Roberts as he challenged and finally regained the second position. Todd Roberts led from the first lap to take the checkered flag. Ric Fort earned second and Chauna Johnston rolled in a close third. Neal Durbin took home fourth and Carl Thomas filled out the top five.

The WTRS Pure Stocks came out in force. Erich Hamacher (12) sat on the pole, and John Betts (81) sat on the outside. Betts got an excellent start and ran off to lead the pack from several lengths ahead. Richard McGlashan (113) was running well in second. The battle for third was intense as Hamacher, Mark Mitchell (71) and Edward England (00) fought for space. A yellow flag after lap four slowed the action when Jamie Dunn (24) spun through turn four. Another yellow flag flew before the restart was completed as England spun on the backstretch. One lap later, the third and final yellow flag was thrown when a car spun again on the backstretch. John Betts held his lead to take the checkered flag. Mark Mitchell battled for and finally earned second. Richard McGlashan slipped to third and John Ray McNeal finished fourth. Moose Alderman finished fifth.

The Dave’s Towing Street Stocks filled the track. Mike Wilson (79) sat on the pole, and Kenny Asbell (89) sat on the outside. Wilson charged hard and took the lead uncontested. Charles Kopach (53) was on the pedal hard and took second on the second lap. Glenn Baum (23) and Bob Masciarelli (72) fought for third. After lap ten, and yellow flag flew because Asbell spun on the backstretch. Kopach’s luck ran out several laps later when his radiator blew, and he went to the wall in turn four. Baum and Masciarelli were also involved in the tangle, but Baum was able to continue. Mike Wilson ran a great race to take the win. Glenn Baum finished second and Gary Wayne C finished third. Chris Fadling and John Kahl filled out the top five.

The Budweiser Modifieds came roaring out with Red Vann (32) sitting on the pole. Dave Baxley (64) sat on the outside. The start went poorly as cars tangled on the front stretch so a double-up restart was called. Vann jumped well and Johnny Newsome (31) slipped through a hole and into second. The second yellow flag flew on the third lap when Newsome and Baxley tangled in turn four, resulting in them both restarting in the rear. One more lap was completed before another yellow appeared for a car spinning into turn one. The rest of the feature was clean and hard fought. Vann was unable to just run away with this race as he is prone to do. Scott Millar (14) shadowed Vann but he never found a chink in Vann’s armor. Red Vann added another win to his record and Scott Millar came in second. Gary Sexton finished third and Dave Baxley came in fourth. Tom Bailey finished ifth.

The Stephen A. Bagen Late Model Sportsman filled out the racing card. Roy Staines (60) in his Go Machine sat on the pole. Sal Defranco (21) sat on the outside. Staines took the early lead and Kelly Charles (1) followed in second. By the third lap, Charles had taken the point from Staines. Roger Damron (76), the current points leader, had his work cut out for him tonight. For six laps, Damron was stuck in third position. Damron was finally able to get by Staines, so he began to put the pressure on Charles. It looked like Charles might break Damron’s winning streak. The two leaders were lapping a car in turn three when the lapped car broke loose and spun. Charles took the high road and got safely by. Damron took the low road and also got safely by, but Damron now had the lead. Both drivers showed off their excellent skill during these maneuvers. The yellow flag flew though, and Charles was replaced in the point position. Damron hunted hard and on the fourteenth lap, he found what he needed to take the point clear for the first time during this race. Once out front, he was secure and Roger Damron claimed the win. Kelly Charles ran a great race to finish second. Roy Staines finished third and Ronald Lentz came in fourth. Sal Defranco filled out the top five.

The Ocala Speedway 2000 season continues with weekly racing. June 3, will feature a full regular program with the Outlaw Winged Sprints as guests. June 7th is the running of the Annual Powell Memorial Late Model Celebrity 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.