Briggs, Fontaine, Feaster, and Whitener,Win at Ocala

For the second Friday in a row, Ocala Speedway was threatened by heavy weather that passed within a mile of the facility, and early arrivals to the pits and grandstands got a refreshing spritz from the passing showers. But as was the case a week ago, nature failed to suitably moisten the clay so the water truck had to finish the job before racing could get underway, with exciting racing from Ocala's Mini Stocks, Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, Late Models, and the Gladiators.

Ocala's Mini Stock Division got first dibs on feature races Friday night, with Jimbo Bird leading the field to the green flag.  Bird held the lead for about 10 feet before Johnny Zackery took over, but Zackery's car had begun smoking during earlier heat racing, and that problem returned with a vengeance in the first laps of the feature.  And as Zackery got the black flag for unnecessary mosquito fogging, Keith Briggs assumed the lead and never looked back.  If he had checked over his shoulder he might have seen Paul Combast giving chase, but all Briggs was focused on was the lap count and the checkered flags.

The Mini Stocks only paused for one caution period in the race, so lapped traffic was a problem for the leaders as Paul Combast soon discovered.  As Briggs shot under the 3D of Dean Kinsey in turn 3, Combast could not follow and got hung up behind Kinsey's car, possibly stealing his best chance to overtake Briggs.  Keith Briggs scored his second win in a row, while Paul Combast settled for second place. Nick and Dan Kerr worked their way to the third and fourth spots, and Buddy Pope rounded out the top five finishers.

Anytime that the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks hit the track the fans can rest assured that they will be hitting each other as well, and Friday was no exception.  Scott Mooers led from the pole, but failed to hold the lead as Jeff Stalnaker Sr. overtook him on lap 3, drawing a huge cheer from the fans.  Mike Stalnaker soon joined Jeff in front, and family ties were undone in mere seconds as they battled side by side.  But as luck would have it, just as the domestic dispute heated up, contact between the parties involved resulted in enough damage that both Stalnakers, plus Curtis Clark, all went to the pits.  Mike Stalnaker managed to return, but Jeff Sr. was done.

The Stalnaker exodus handed the lead back to Mooers, but before he could enjoy it he had Chris Fontaine on his rear bumper, then in his side window, and then in his path.  Fontaine drew another large cheer as he knocked Mooers out of the lead for the second time in the race and never looked back, grabbing a win and forcing Mooers to settle for second place.  Michael Valdez had a strong run that resulted in a third place finish, while Justin Durbin fought his way forward to claim fourth place, with Chris Shea following for fifth.

Devin Walker had the points lead and the pole as the Gladiators took the green flag on Friday night, but the race became a 15 lap tussle between Matt Shea and a determined Casey Feaster as Walker followed.  Shea rocketed to the front with a 3 wide pass on the front stretch, then was passed by Feaster before the lap was completed.  Feaster may have been the leader, but Matt Shea made him work to keep it on every lap, especially as they weeded their way trough lapped traffic.  And coming down to the final turn shea was all over Feaster, but could not find a way to get past him.  Casey Feaster rebounded from the previous week's misfortunes with a resounding win, as Matt Shea was a very close second.  Devin Walker claimed the third spot as Steven Johnson followed in fourth place,  and a continuously improving Kyle Morse rounded out the top five.

Nineteen competitive late models wrapped up the night's action at Ocala Speedway, but as the green flag flew many fans were watching the back of the pack, where Ivedent Lloyd was trying to make a comeback.  Lloyd had been dominating his earlier heat race when his driveshaft broke, and after repairs the 21 car was going through the field like a hot knife through butter, climbing all the way to sixth place in just 3 laps of green flag racing.

Meanwhile Mark Whitener was large and in charge, and dominating the race as the leader, while Patrick Williams and Keith Nosbisch squabbled over the second spot.  Ryan Mitchell had a strong run going as he alternated between the fourth and fifth place spots, and J.O. Nobles also spent time in the top five, but eventually slipped to sixth late in the race.  And after making record work of the majority of the field, Ivedent Lloyd's advance stalled just outside of the top five.

Whitener was virtually untouchable a scored a decisive victory while Patrick Williams managed to get the better of Keith Nosbisch and finish second as Nosbisch followed for third.  Ryan Mitchell hung tough and completed his run in the fourth spot, and Ivedent Lloyd finally managed to get around J.O. Nobles in the final laps to round out the top five.

Ocala Speedway is taking its traditional summer break over the next three weeks, letting the heat and humidity win while the racers, fans, and staff, get a well deserved breather.  Racing action will return to Ocala on September 3rd, as Florida's oldest speedway reopens with a Colortyme Modified $1000 to win race, complete with a $500 bonus to the racer who beats Jeff Mathews to the checkered flags.  Fans will also see action from the Amsoil V8 Thunder Stocks, the Mini Stocks, and the Gladiators.

Fans are also reminded that contracts are being finalized for many exciting events over the remainder of the 2010 season, including Car Wars on dirt for the first time at Ocala Speedway, and featuring dirt figure 8 racing, on September 24th.  Events will be posted on the 2010 schedule at www.OcalaSpeedway.com as they are finalized, so check the website often over the summer break.

Ocala Speedway Results for 08/06/2010