Written by Ocala Speedway Media

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.