Ocala, FL, August 19, 2000 – A very hot day turned into a pleasant night at Ocala Speedway. The Kiddie rides were a big hit as stock car drivers and some of the Classic Car drivers lined up to allow packs of kids to ride the cars around the track.
The Junior Cup cars raced tonight. Conner Baxley (64) started on the pole with Mariah Berry (24) on the outside. Baxley jumped well and Berry was doing her best to keep up. Cynthia Boettcher (88) was also running well, but she and Berry tangled just past their turn one and a yellow flag was thrown. Boettcher’s car was out for the feature. Baxley held his lead to take the checkered flag. Mariah Berry came in second and Cynthia Boettcher finished third.
The Coca-Cola 4-Cylinder Bombers presented a full field tonight. Joel Eckman (27) sat on the pole. Bobby Valeo (8) sat on the outside. Valeo jumped very well on the start for a strong lead. Eckman held onto second, and Marlon Durbin (72) grabbed third position. The feature was caution free and these three leaders maintained their positions to the end. The excitement was to be seen back in the pack where Ric Fort and Pete Close were battling it out for fourth. Fort would hold fourth position, then Close. Fort would regain, then Close would retake. The battle was continued to the very end when Close regained the upper hand on the last lap. Bobby Valeo finished very strong to take the checkered flag. Joel Eckman finished second followed by Marlon Durbin, Pete Close, and Ric Fort.
The WTRS Pure Stocks also came out in full force. Mark Mitchell (71) sat on the pole, and Doug Webster (72) sat on the outside. The feature was fast and furious with no yellow flags to slow it down. The outcome was determined early in the race as positions were gained and held to the end. Mitchell drove a superb race and held off every challenge that Webster threw at him. A battle brewed between Doug Leveque (68) and Rick Spinney (81) for third position, but Leveque held his own. Mark Mitchell charged hard and took the checkered flag. Doug Webster finished a close second followed by Doug Leveque, Rick Spinney and Edward England.
The Stephen A. Bagen Sportsmen were next to run. Charles Kopach (53) sat on the pole and Mike Wilson (79) sat on the outside. Wilson charged hard at the green flag and took a commanding lead. Kopach was racing well in second and Bob Masciarelli (72) held third. A yellow flag was thrown to allow track crew to pick up debris then racing restarted. Gradually, Wilson was increasing his lead. Eddie Kilbury (71) spent the early laps working his way up through the ranks. By Lap seven, Kilbury was on Kopach’s tail, and on lap eight, Kilbury gained second position. Wilson was safely in the lead by several car lengths. The yellow flag that was thrown after lap eight may have been the factor that determined the outcome. The restart put Kilbury within a hand span of Wilson and now the battle began. Wilson held off Kilbury’s challenges for several laps. It wasn’t until lap thirteen that Kilbury was able to overcome Wilson. The two were very closely matched and on the next lap, Wilson moved to come under Kilbury in turn one, but a sudden flat tire resulted in Wilson spinning through turn one to the outside. Miraculously, all the traffic was able to get by safely, and with this being the last lap, no yellow was thrown. Eddie Kilbury took the checkered flag for the win. Bob Masciarelli took second followed by Tom Posavec, Charles Kopach and Glenn Baum.
The Ocala Speedway 2000 season continues with weekly racing. Next Saturday night, August 26th, racing will feature all regular divisions plus a 25-lap 4-Cylinder Bomber race and the Pro Figure 8. Come out every Saturday night during the regular season for the many exciting features. This is high-action racing fun for the whole family.