Ocala, FL, May 8, 1999 – Ocala Speedway, the place to be on Saturday nights. Balmy weather, great drivers and tons of cars, these things are the reason so many people come to watch the action.

The Coca-Cola 4-Cylinder Bombers fielded a large pack of cars tonight. Gary Hotalen (312) had the pole position and Mike Hilliary (9T) sat on the outside. The cars were packed tight and the race was on! A mix-up in turn 4 brought out the first yellow flag of the feature and caused a double-up restart. The second start went well and Hotalen pulled out front. Pete Close (86) started in the rear again but not off the pack. Tom Posavec (01), the driver of the former 05 car and Close’s rival, was back at the track tonight. He was also in the rear, but something must have been out of whack because he pulled to the infield after the third lap, taking himself out of the competition. Another yellow flag was thrown on lap three when Tim Ellis (12) spun into the front stretch wall. Hilliary was sent to the rear. On the restart, Close quickly took the lead from Hotalen. The rest of the feature was caution free, though the positions were constantly changing back in the pack. On lap eight, Dave Neiswender (69) took second position from Hotalen. These places held until the checkered flag flew with Pete Close Jr. taking first and Dave Neiswender taking second. Gary Hotalen came in third with Tim Ellis and Chuana Johnston bringing in the top five.

The WTRS Pure Stock cars filled the track tonight. Dave Dinehart (79) sat on the pole and Paul Gladin (9) had the outside. Dinehart took the lead and by lap three, Mark Mitchell (71II) had pulled into second. Peter Portera had claimed third and these positions held by the skin of their teeth until lap eight when both Mitchell and Portera squeaked by Dinehart. The only yellow flag of the feature came out after lap nine when Richard McGlashan (113) took a spin on the backstretch. The lack of yellow flags didn’t indicate totally clean racing because several times, drivers tangled or got loose. But, each time, they were able to rejoin the racing without trouble. Mark Mitchell took the checkered flag with Peter Portera coming in a close second. Dave Dinehart held on for third and Jason Gamble earned fourth. Paul Gladin took fifth. After the race, a teardown occurred and Peter Portera was declared the winner. Dinehart was second with Paul Gladin moving into third. Larry Bowden was fourth and Richard McGlashan was fifth.

The Dave’s Towing Hobby Stocks came out of the pits in full force tonight. David Baxley (64) had the pole tonight and Charles Kopach (53) sat on the outside. The Dave’s Towing Hobby Stocks were the only feature that didn’t draw an inversion for the starting lineup. Baxley quickly took the lead and drew away. Shane Nichols (65) found his way into second position by the second lap with Mike Davis (50) tailing close behind. Nichols disappeared into the pits on lap six and Davis took his place behind Baxley. Mike Wilson (79) was now in third and running well. The only yellow caution happened on lap 10 when Bud Roberts (96) took a spin in turn one. While the caution was in effect, Norman Moody (3M) blew his motor and dropped a stream of oil around the length of the track. The track crew is great, and they had the mess cleaned up in time to allow the feature to finish without going to the time clock. With five laps to go, Baxley started fading slightly and Davis was able to take the lead. Within another lap, Wilson had also gotten by Baxley. Mike Wilson was still moving strong, and he took the lead for the last two laps, taking the checkered flag. Mike Davis came in second with David Baxley pulling third. Moose Alderman earned fourth with Jason Murphree taking fifth.

The Budweiser Modifieds filled the track here at Ocala Speedway. Justin Tilton (10) had the pole position and Scott Millar (07) sat on the outside. The start was fast and hard with Tilton pulling away and Loren Thornton (n8) quickly filling the gap. All was for naught though as three cars never made it through turn four to pass the green flag. Everyone was ok and a double up restart was called. A near repeat of the first start had Tilton leading and Thornton on his tail. Again a pile-up in turn four, this time with six cars involved, stopped the race with another yellow flag. A single file restart was called this time and as luck would have it, Thornton had to take his place back in the third position. Tilton took a good lead, leaving Millar and Thornton to battle it out. It wasn’t long before another yellow flag was thrown because number 15 took a spin in turn four. Finally, the drivers got settled in and racing began in earnest. Thornton’s car seemed very powerful tonight and on lap seven he claimed second position from Millar. A fourth caution was flown on lap eight when Ed Brown (1) and Thomas Hodge (44) tangled in turn four. Brown left the track behind the tow truck with a flat tire. The next lap also came under caution when Len Owens took a little spin between turns one and two. On the restart, the top positions were retained and racing continued for some laps. A final caution flag was thrown after lap fourteen when Millar and Scott Grossenbacher (09) took a tandem slide through turn four. This delay caused the time clock to start ticking and the green flag was also the white flag on the restart. Tilton took his lead but Thornton was immediately under pressure from Gary Southard (39) who had moved into third when Millar and Grossenbacher were sent to the rear. Southard nudged Thornton out of the way and slipped by him on the inside through turn one. Justin Tilton took the checkered flag, his second of this season. Gary Southard took second and Loren Thornton came in third. Rick Brewer and Red Vann filled out the top five.

The Outlaw Winged Sprints roared onto the track here at Ocala Speedway. They saluted the fans with their trademark pass in front of the grandstand while holding a four-wide pattern. It’s truly an amazing site! The fans returned the salute with by standing and cheering for the Outlaw Winged Sprints. Larry Tyler (99) sat on the pole and Joey Aguilar (48) was on the outside. Tyler made a quick leap for the lead and Aguilar settled into second. Tyler raced ahead, leaving Aguilar and several others to line out the top five positions. Not many laps into the race, Tyler was dealing with lapped traffic and shortly after that, the top three were in the middle of it also. The only yellow flag of the feature was thrown on lap thirteen as Aguilar lost his grip and took a bite out of the wall between turns one and two. The pack was snuggled up and the leaders had a clear track for several laps. Tyler was still leading but now Sonny Hartley (32) was in second with Ray Bragg (88) trailing for third. These cars are fast and wild and it’s amazing to watch as the drivers weave their way around the track, fighting for position and managing to get by the much slower cars, all without causing pileups. Larry Tyler took the checkered flag and Sonny Hartley came home second. Ray Bragg took third with Kevin Cahill and Dave Steele coming in fourth and fifth.

Don’t miss any of the Ocala Speedway racing season. Next week, Saturday May 15th, Ocala Speedway will feature the Coca Cola 4 Cylinder Bombers, the WTRS Pure Stocks, Dave’s Towing Hobby Stocks, the Steven A. Bagen Late Models and the Dwarf Cars. The Pro Figure Eight is also on tap so don’t miss a minute of the action!