Ocala, FL, June 10, 2000 – Ocala Speedway is the place to be. Cool breezes and hot racing made this a family night to remember. The Roll Over Derby provided great entertainment as one of the cars rolled one and half times for the win.
The Junior Cup Cars were the first to race. Conner Baxley (64) sat on the pole and Mariah Berry (24) sat on the outside. Baxley jumped hard and took the lead. Berry wasn’t about to let him have it easy. Berry took the lead on the second lap. The feature had one caution when Baxley and Berry tangled. Baxley was placed in the rear behind Cynthia Boetcher (88). Berry jumped well on the restart, but Baxley quickly found the spot on her bumper and continued his challenge. Mariah Berry held on to win the checkered flag under photo finish. Connor Baxley came in second and Cynthia Boetcher finished third.
The Coca Cola Four Cylinder Bombers came out in force tonight. Neal Durbin (33) had the pole, and Chauna Johnston (43) sat on the outside. This feature was caution free and N. Durbin lead pole to wire. Behind Durbin, things were tense. Johnston sat in second position for the first four laps, but Marlon Durbin (72) was keeping the pressure very high, and he finally gained her spot. Ric Hart (2) continued the assault on Johnston. Back in the pack, Todd Roberts (44) was making headway. On the last lap, both Hart and Roberts passed Johnston, but Hart suddenly lost power and slipped. Neal Durbin took the checkered flag for the win. Marlon Durbin finished second followed by Todd Roberts, Joel Eckman and Chauna Johnston.
The WTRS Pure Stocks roared out of the pits. Rick Hart (13) sat on the pole, and John Betts (81) sat on the outside. Betts jumped the best and took a commanding lead. Hart, Moose Alderman (7), Kenny Abney (3) and Mike Davis (00) were running so close together, they sometimes drove through the turns three and four cars wide. Alderman finally broke free and began a run on Betts. Alderman got a break when a caution regrouped the pack, putting him on Betts’ bumper. John Betts was able to hold off every challenge for the win, but he had to work for each lap. Moose Alderman finished second followed by Mike Davis, Mark Mitchell and Kenny Abney.
The Dave’s Towing Street Stocks filled the track. Bob Gregg (170) sat on the pole, and Gary Wayne (28) sat on the outside. Wayne took the lead and Chris Fadling (33) jumped to second. Glenn Baum (23) and Eddie Kilbury (71) were applying pressure on the leaders and on the fifth lap, they broke through. Baum was in the lead and Kilbury tapped Baum’s inside rear fender, causing Baum to spin. Baum regained the lead, and Kilbury went to the rear. Baum now had to contend with Mike Wilson (79) who was also running very well. Kilbury spent several laps regaining position, finally working his way back into third. The last lap was started when a yellow flag flew for a car spinning on the backstretch. The flags on the restart were green and white and Glenn Baum held on for his first win of the season. Mike Wilson came in second, and Eddie Kilbury finished third. Charles Kopach and Bob Gregg filled out the top five.
The Dwarf Cars appeared tonight and Don Hess took the checkered flag.
The Budweiser Modifieds filled the track. Rob Lefevre (93) sat on the pole, and Dave Baxley (64) sat on the outside. The first start went wrong when cars tangled in turn three and a double-up restart was called. A second yellow was thrown to clear debris. On the third start, Baxley jumped to the lead and Johnny Newsome (31) slipped into second. Gary Sexton (41) quickly passed Newsome and Alan McCafferty (32x), in his new car, pulled into third. Red Vann (32) started on the fourth row, but lap four, he was up behind McCafferty. Racing was fast until lap eleven when another caution was thrown for a spun car in turn four. Vann used the restart to gain two spots, and he began to apply pressure to Baxley. One lap later, Vann was in the lead. Two more cautions slowed the action momentarily, but Red Vann ran hard to take the checkered flag. Dave Baxley finished second and Alan McCafferty turned in a good run for third. Scott Millar and Johnny Newsome finished fourth and fifth.
The Stephen A. Bagen Late Model Sportsman put on a good show. Jason Garver (27) sat on the pole, and Ronald Lentz (96) sat on the outside. The first start went sour when the leaders jumped the flag. The second start went bad when Garver got sideways on the front stretch. The third restart was single file. Garver kept the point for four laps. Lentz, Roy Staines (60), Roger Damron (76) and Kelly Charles (1) were all right up front, jockeying for position. With credit to all drivers, the race was caution free from that point on. Lentz was able to gain to point on the fifth lap and Damron moved into second. Staines was running hot and never far behind. Garver and Charles were in constant battle for fourth. Lentz held a line that Damron was unable to penetrate, so Ronald Lentz took the checkered flag for the first time this season. Roger Damron ran second, ending the longest winning streak of his career. Roy Staines finished third, and Jason Garver and Kelly Charles filled out the top five.
The Ocala Speedway 2000 season continues with weekly racing. The June 17th Anniversary Night has been postponed until the fall because of the inability to obtain a fireworks permit. This event will be rescheduled. June 17th will feature all divisions. Come out every Saturday night during the regular season for the many exciting features. This is high-action racing fun for the whole family.