Ocala, FL, June 17, 2000 Ocala Speedway sits in a protected bowl. As storms raged all around, the track stayed bone dry for the evening schedule.

The Junior Cup Cars were the first to race. Mariah Berry (24) sat on the pole and Conner Baxley (64) sat on the outside. Both drivers jumped well, but it wasn’t long before Berry had a commanding lead. Berry took the checkered flag for the win. Conner Baxley came in second.

The Coca Cola Four Cylinder Bombers came out in force tonight. Marlon Durbin (72) sat on the pole and Ric Fort (2) sat on the outside. M. Durbin jumped well and took the point. Fort spent his efforts fending off Neal Durbin (38) and Chauna Johnston (43). They both go by Fort, but N. Durbin began to fade and Fort regained the third position. Johnston worked hard to close the gap opened up by M. Durbin, but it wasn’t until a yellow flag after lap thirteen that she was able to gain the ground. Kyle Helt (60) and Fort spun on the backstretch. On the restart, Johnston tried hard to find a gap in M. Durbin’s defense, but Marlon Durbin held his lead to take the win. Chauna Johnston finished second followed by Todd Roberts, Carl Thomas, and Joel Eckman.

The WTRS Pure Stocks roared out of the pits. Richard McGlashen (113) sat on the pole, and Douglas Levesque (68) sat on the outside. McGlashen started well and Mark Mitchell (71) slid up into the second position from the inside of the second row. Mitchell kept McGlashen on his toes but it wasn’t until the ninth lap that Mitchell gained the point. On the next lap, a yellow flag slowed the action and bunched the leaders back up. Only one lap was completed though before another caution forced another restart. From the eleventh lap on, Mitchell dominated the race. John Ray McNeal (45) passed McGlashen to take second position. Mark Mitchell took the checkered flag for the win and John Ray McNeal finished second. Edward England came in third, and was followed by Dave Dinehart and John Betts.

The Dave’s Towing Street Stocks filled the track. Kenny Asbell (89) sat on the pole and Charles Kopach (53) sat on the outside. The first start was bad, so Wild Child called a full restart. Kopach took the point with the green flag and Mike Wilson (79) jumped into second position. Eddie Kilbury (71) was driving hard, taking one position in the field with every lap. By lap three, Kilbury was solidly in the lead. One caution marred the action, but racing resumed quickly. Eddie Kibury opened up a quarter-track lead and was never challenged, taking another impressive win. After some battling between Wilson and Kopach, Wilson took second and Kopach came in third. Glenn Baum and Wesley Keller filled out the top five.

The Budweiser Modifieds filled the track. Dave Baxley (64) had the pole, and E.J. Wise (7) sat on the outside. The large field was still packed together coming into turn two on the first lap, and one car lost grip and spun. A full double-up restart was called. Baxley took the lead and Red Vann (32) began his challenge from second position. Vann claimed the point on lap two. Baxley was the only other driver who kept up a position near Vann. Gary Sexton (41), Wise and Alan McCafferty (32x) ran in tight formation back in the pack. Red Vann ran hard for the win, and David Baxley came in second. Gary Sexton took third followed by E.J. Wise and Alan McCafferty.

The Stephen A. Bagen Late Model Sportsman put on a good show. Ronald Lentz (96) sat on the pole, and Roger Damron (76) sat on the outside. The two jumped well together and Damron pressured Lentz from the outside for several laps. Rich Pratt, driving the twelve car, sat in third. It soon became clear that this was Lentz’s night to rule. One yellow flag slowed the action when Pratt came up with a flat tire. Lentz resumed his winning run to take the checkered flag. Roger Damron came in second, and John Mitchell finished third. James Findley and David White filled out the top five.

The Ocala Speedway 2000 season continues with weekly racing. June 24th will feature all divisions plus 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.