by BJ Cavin
After heavy rains on Thursday that saturated the clay and washed out Thursday's action, the O'Reilly All Stars and the UMP DirtCar Modifieds overcame a very tacky surface on Friday and put on quite a show. But by the time Saturday rolled around and Ocala's clay had baked in the sun for a day, everything changed dramatically. Instead of a soft track with excess grip, the racers faced a rubbered up, hard surface that produced the best track times of the entire event, and some of the most exciting racing as well.
Terry McCarl battled more than a racetrack at Ocala, overcoming health issues and flight delays in order to simply get there. On Saturday night McCarl put it all behind him and launched himself into the lead at the green flag and staying there until the checkers waved. While he was not fastest in time trials, he dominated the 30 lap feature race and adapted well to the changed track conditions. And McCarl certainly was not the fastest during the race either, as Danny Lasoski ended up with the sixth starting spot in the "Pick 6" drawing, and worked his way forward during the race. "The Dude" was coming on strong in the final laps, but McCarl had too great a lead for him to overcome in the laps remaining. Lasoski settled for a second place finish.
The UMP DirtCar Modifieds saw Kenny Wallace lead Friday's race flag to flag, but a different track lead to a different winner on Saturday. The blue and yellow 10 of Randy Hall seemed unbeatable on Saturday night, and despite the best efforts of a hard charging Kenny Wallace, Hall earned himself a well deserved win. Wallace was gracious in defeat, congratulating the winner after the race. Randy Hall found a line that worked and worked it well, while it seemed that Wallace used virtually every square inch of racing surface at one time or another in a quest to make his car go faster. Ocala Speedway 2008 Open Wheel Modified Champion Jeff Mathews finished in the third spot on the night.
Thousands of race fans braved chilly temperatures on two nights to witness the Winternational events at Ocala Speedway in 2009, and Ocala Speedway owner Mike Peters promises that the 2010 version will be bigger and better. While Peters would not comment on his exact plans for 2010, it is a sure bet that the O'Reilly All Stars would figure into that equation, plus something else that is equally as exciting or even better.
The next action at Ocala Speedway will be an open practice session scheduled for February 15th, from 1PM until 5PM. Racers from all divisions at Ocala Speedway will have the opportunity to test and tune in preparation for the 2009 racing season.
And the 2009 season will open on Friday, February 27th, as the United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series returns to beautiful downtown Zuber. The last visit to Ocala Speedway by the UDLMCS brought 60 late models to the track, and expectations are high that the season opener will be just as exciting and entertaining.
UMP Modified Feature:
1. Randy Hall
2. Kenny Wallace
3. Jeff Matthews
4. Matt Aukland
5. Scott Drake
6. Kevin Weaver
7. Corky Thomas
8. Mike Wedelstadt
9. David McWilliams
10. Julie McDermid
11. Matt Aber
12. Dave Jameson
13. James Coil
14. Dave Barber
15. Ryan Aho
16. Ronnie Chance
17. Kent Robinson
18. Jeff Babbitt
19. Vic Vandergrift
20. Jeff Leka
After heavy rains on Thursday that saturated the clay and washed out Thursday's action, the O'Reilly All Stars and the UMP DirtCar Modifieds overcame a very tacky surface on Friday and put on quite a show. But by the time Saturday rolled around and Ocala's clay had baked in the sun for a day, everything changed dramatically. Instead of a soft track with excess grip, the racers faced a rubbered up, hard surface that produced the best track times of the entire event, and some of the most exciting racing as well.
Terry McCarl battled more than a racetrack at Ocala, overcoming health issues and flight delays in order to simply get there. On Saturday night McCarl put it all behind him and launched himself into the lead at the green flag and staying there until the checkers waved. While he was not fastest in time trials, he dominated the 30 lap feature race and adapted well to the changed track conditions. And McCarl certainly was not the fastest during the race either, as Danny Lasoski ended up with the sixth starting spot in the "Pick 6" drawing, and worked his way forward during the race. "The Dude" was coming on strong in the final laps, but McCarl had too great a lead for him to overcome in the laps remaining. Lasoski settled for a second place finish.
The UMP DirtCar Modifieds saw Kenny Wallace lead Friday's race flag to flag, but a different track lead to a different winner on Saturday. The blue and yellow 10 of Randy Hall seemed unbeatable on Saturday night, and despite the best efforts of a hard charging Kenny Wallace, Hall earned himself a well deserved win. Wallace was gracious in defeat, congratulating the winner after the race. Randy Hall found a line that worked and worked it well, while it seemed that Wallace used virtually every square inch of racing surface at one time or another in a quest to make his car go faster. Ocala Speedway 2008 Open Wheel Modified Champion Jeff Mathews finished in the third spot on the night.
Thousands of race fans braved chilly temperatures on two nights to witness the Winternational events at Ocala Speedway in 2009, and Ocala Speedway owner Mike Peters promises that the 2010 version will be bigger and better. While Peters would not comment on his exact plans for 2010, it is a sure bet that the O'Reilly All Stars would figure into that equation, plus something else that is equally as exciting or even better.
The next action at Ocala Speedway will be an open practice session scheduled for February 15th, from 1PM until 5PM. Racers from all divisions at Ocala Speedway will have the opportunity to test and tune in preparation for the 2009 racing season.
And the 2009 season will open on Friday, February 27th, as the United Dirt Late Model Challenge Series returns to beautiful downtown Zuber. The last visit to Ocala Speedway by the UDLMCS brought 60 late models to the track, and expectations are high that the season opener will be just as exciting and entertaining.
UMP Modified Feature:
1. Randy Hall
2. Kenny Wallace
3. Jeff Matthews
4. Matt Aukland
5. Scott Drake
6. Kevin Weaver
7. Corky Thomas
8. Mike Wedelstadt
9. David McWilliams
10. Julie McDermid
11. Matt Aber
12. Dave Jameson
13. James Coil
14. Dave Barber
15. Ryan Aho
16. Ronnie Chance
17. Kent Robinson
18. Jeff Babbitt
19. Vic Vandergrift
20. Jeff Leka
