Ocala, FL, August 12, 2000 – Mild weather was welcomed by fans and drivers alike. Make-up races for last weeks rained-out features opened the evening features.
The WTS Pure Stocks ran their make-up feature first. The start positions held last week were retained so Paul Gladin (9) sat on the pole, and John Betts (81) sat on the outside. A spinout in the first lap brought out the yellow flag, but on the restart, Betts jumped hard and took the lead. The rest of the feature was clean and fast with Betts leading by a large margin. Moose Alderman (7) fought his way clear of the pack to take second, leaving Gladin, Richard McGlashen (113), Mark Mitchell (71), and Dave Dinehart (79) to battle it out for many laps. Doug Levesque (68) and Edward England (00) got into the fray near the end. John Betts took the checkered flag, and Moose Alderman came in second. Richard McGlashen took third followed by Doug Levesque and Edward England.
The Stephen A. Bagen Sportsmen were next to run. This was also a make-up for last week. Scott Bess (9) sat on the pole, and William Edwards (08) sat on the outside. Another yellow on the first lap caused a second double-up start to be called, but thereafter, the race was clean. The battle was furious amongst the leaders for several laps. Bess, Charles Kopach (53), Tom Posavec (01), and Eddie Kilbury (71) all had the lead at some point. Just being a some-time leader isn’t all it takes though, and Mike Wilson (79) was holding second position throughout much of the turmoil. Kilbury finally broke clear, and Wilson stuck close by. Eddie Kilbury held on to take the checkered flag, and Mike Wilson finished second. Happy Birthday Mike Wilson! Tom Posavec finished third followed by Charles Kopach and Glenn Baum.
Next up was the much-anticipated 50-lap Budweiser Modified feature. Qualifying was held last week and determined the starting order. Red Vann was the quickest qualifier so he held the pole. Johnny Newsome (31) sat on the outside. Before the second lap could be completed, four cars tangled in turn two, bringing out the yellow flag and track crew. While cleanup going on, the sky spit on the track for a moment, bringing out the red flag. Spit was all it did so racing resumed once cleanup was finished. Vann was leading, but Newsome was shown the black flag, and he went pitside. Vann lead the charge until lap 22, but then a car spun in turn one. Vann was unable to avoid a collision, coming away with damage to the right front tire. Rick Hall (15) took the lead followed by Raymond Vann (99) and Alan McCafferty (32). One more caution slowed the race, but it didn’t affect the leaders. The weather quit cooperating though and on lap 40, the skies began to do more than spit. The yellow and checkered flags came out together and Rick Hall took the win. Raymond Vann finished second followed by Alan McCafferty, Jim Alvis and Scott Millar.
Just as the Mini Cup Cars had finished their feature and the Coca-Cola 4-Cylinder Bombers were taking the track, the weather took a change for the worse. The rest of the evening was canceled.
The Ocala Speedway 2000 season continues with weekly racing. Next Saturday night, August 19th, racing will feature all regular divisions plus Classic Race Cars and Kiddie Rides. Come out every Saturday night during the regular season for the many exciting features. This is high-action racing fun for the whole family.