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Running Wide Open
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Author: |
Joe VanHoose |
Created: |
1/24/2007 10:37 AM |
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An inside look at stock car racing's biggest stories, from local dirt tracks to Daytona. |
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Where's the Spectacle |
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By Joe VanHoose on
5/26/2007 5:11 AM
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The Indianapolis 500 is this Sunday. Can you name the drivers on the front row?
Alright, that’s a little tough. How about the pole sitter? Not so much? Can you name five drivers in the field who’s not a woman and whose last name is not Andretti or Unser? Can you name one?
Therein lies the problem with the Indy 500 and Indy Car racing in general. Few people know or care anymore. And Indy Car only has itself to blame.
Granted, it didn’t used to be like this. The Indianapolis 500 used to live up to its billing as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” While network television passed on NASCAR broadcasts, the Indy 500 drew double-digit television ratings and over a half million people to the track in May. Pole day alone for the Indy 500 attracted over 100,000 fans into the early ‘90s.
But oh, how times have changed. The Indy 5 ...
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Ocala Speedway continues to cooperate |
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By Joe VanHoose on
5/19/2007 2:52 AM
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Armed Forces servicemen can see some local racing action for free this weekend at Ocala Speedway. The track will open its doors to anyone with a military I.D., whether they are active or retired.
Just what they and everyone else will see this evening will be a little different. The FAST Pro Trucks pay a visit to the 3/8-mile speedway, but the modifieds will be noticeably absent from the regular series lineup.
Ocala Speedway cancelled its weekly modified race this weekend out of respect for FASCAR’s Gulf Coast and Extreme Modified Series. The Extreme Modifieds, which runs only its second event this year after a first race flop, race at Orlando Speedworld Friday night while the Gulf Coast cars race at Bronson Motor Speedway Saturday.
Though Ocala’s weekly stable of modifieds has been just as strong as the two touring series, Ocala Speedway’s decision is noble and surprising for ...
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Behold the revival of Darlington |
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By Joe VanHoose on
5/11/2007 4:10 AM
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There are some places that just feel like home, and such is Darlington Raceway to NASCAR. This weekend’s race at the track “Too Tough To Tame” won’t be heralded by NASCAR or hyped by the sanctioning body’s public relations team, but it should be.
Darlington was the first super speedway – before Daytona, Charlotte, Talladega, etc. – to host a NASCAR race, which it did in 1950. In fact, even into the late 1970s, the Southern 500 at Darlington on Labor Day weekend was the premier race in the sport, not the Daytona 500.
But the NASCAR powers that be, in their never ending pursuit for larger television markets and more money, tried to kill off the old lady three years ago. They stripped the track of its Southern 500 and moved the race date out west to California. They gave Darlington one date on Mother’s Day weekend, a weekend that was always taken off in fea ...
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Dirt track racing may be the answer |
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By Joe VanHoose on
5/3/2007 2:18 PM
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I have to admit, I was unfaithful last weekend. Friday evening at my usual stomping grounds, I was nowhere to be found. Saturday came and went, and I was still missing.
That’s because I was cheating on Ocala Speedway, cheating on racing in central Florida, cheating on my asphalt-racing brethren.
Where was I? Tampa, south Tampa to be exact. I took in an evening show at East Bay Raceway Park, watched cars slide around on clay and dirt for four hours, and came away with no shame at all.
If you’ve never been to East Bay and you enjoy local racing, you may want to check this place out. Never have I seen more cars on the track or a tighter show in this state. Never have I seen so many fans pack an old wooden grandstand for a standard night of racing. And never have I ever seen so much overall passion spilled over the local drivers racing that night.
The track hides ...
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Is NASCAR fixed? |
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By Joe VanHoose on
4/28/2007 11:28 AM
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These two things I know are true about two-time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart: he's one of the most talented race car drivers on the track, and he's not afraid to tell you his opinion off the track.
The latter proved to be the case during Stewart's radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio Tuesday night when he openly accused NASCAR of altering the outcome of races by throwing phantom debris cautions.
"It's about the integrity of the sport, and when I feel our own sanctioning body isn't taking care of that, it's hard to support and feel proud about being a driver in the Nextel Cup Series when they're throwing debris cautions," Stewart said. "It's like playing God. They can almost dictate the race instead of the drivers doing it."
Stewart has a point. NASCAR has thrown 20 debris cautions in just nine races this season, two of them ...
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Gulf Coast Modifieds bring uncertainty to Ocala Speedway |
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By Joe VanHoose on
4/13/2007 3:48 PM
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Ocala Speedway Open Wheel Modified drivers will guard their territory this evening when the Gulf Coast Modified Series invades their home track. The series brings along different cars, different engines, and a different set of rules that could mix up the typical results by night's end.
"It's early in the year, so you never really know how many cars you'll have," said Gulf Coast Modifieds Director Rick Hall. "We'll have some running with the series, and I'm sure we'll have some that just run at Ocala."
But therein lies the problem. Gulf Coast Modifieds race smaller motors that create less horsepower than the frontrunners at Ocala Speedway who race open motors. To even the playing field, Ocala Speedway regulars must add weight to their cars to match the power-to-weight ratio of the visiting series.
Some Ocala racers say that adding weight ...
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Ramblings: NASCAR on Easter break |
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By Joe VanHoose on
4/7/2007 8:49 AM
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It's Easter weekend, which means the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series has the week off. The off week gives race teams some time to regroup for a 15-race stretch, with a race scheduled every weekend until late July.
Fortunately for NASCAR, the sanctioning body and its officials also get a week off to sort out some problems of their own.
The Car of Tomorrow has raced twice now with trouble rearing its head in both races. Drivers have openly complained about the car's raceability, but that's not the biggest problem with the COT right now. Right now, the biggest concern is how safe the COT really is.
In the first COT race at Bristol two weeks ago, several drivers noticed the padding in the right side door smoking. Sunday at Martinsville, Kevin Harvick noticed a lot more than a little smoke.
Harvick climbed out of his car on the fron ...
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The cost of spectator racing: The death of a Saturn |
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By Joe VanHoose on
3/24/2007 8:55 PM
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Spectator racing: it just sounds dangerous, letting mere fans race their own cars on a track built for professionals.
Of course, anyone who’s been to the races has heard that guy, six beers in, talking about how he could go out there and do just as good as the real racers. But anyone who’s been around a racetrack at speed knows that it’s a lot harder than it looks.
But there are some that just don’t get the message, and that’s what spectator racing is all about. Every once in a while, between the poor lines and slow speeds, someone gets enough conviction in them to go out and test the edge. Unfortunately for them, they typically fall off the speed mountain.
That’s what happened Friday night at Ocala Speedway. All of the ingredients were present: a middle-aged man in a car that wasn’t his, a front-wheel drive small sedan that can’ ...
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Fritz back in driver's seat tonight at Ocala Speedway |
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By Joe VanHoose on
3/17/2007 3:03 PM
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When Ben Fritz races at Ocala Speedway tonight in his TBARA sprint car, it will be a homecoming and a new beginning. The 24-year-old Ocalan has seen highs and lows in his racing career, but this year he is back where he is most comfortable: the driver’s seat.
In 2005, Fritz was on the verge of making the big time. After successful campaigns in the TBARA, Fritz was picked to drive an Indy car for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in the Indy Pro Series, the stepping stone to the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis 500.
But the deal went dry when a sponsor couldn’t be found for his car. Fritz sat out most of the year, trying to land a ride that never materialized.
“The whole thing turned into a money deal and a sponsor deal, and we just didn’t have any,” Fritz said. “It stole a lot of time, just a lot.
“It sucked, but wha ...
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Anderson wins Ocala Late Model season opener |
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By Joe VanHoose on
3/13/2007 9:42 AM
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Wayne Anderson, who’s dominated Ocala Speedway like no other Late Model driver, added another win to his name Friday night in the track’s season opener.
Anderson, who started third, snuck underneath Daniel Webster ill-handling Chevrolet on lap 3 and held on to lead the rest of the 30-lap Late Model feature. Scott Millar followed Anderson to the front and finished second. Scott Grossenbacher made his way to third with Keith Zavrel and Webster rounding out the top five.
Two cautions for two Perry Lovelady spins slowed the race in its late stages, but Anderson held off the rest of the field on the restarts to secure the win.
Modifieds
For a race that took three tries to get started, the 25-lap feature ran caution-free after the first lap debacles. Robbie Cooper shot to the lead from the outside pole and led ev ...
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Ocala's going racing tonight |
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By Joe VanHoose on
3/10/2007 5:04 PM
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The Ocala Speedway will start its season tonight after last week’s show was rained out. As far as I can tell, tonight's races will be run under clear skies with Chamber of Commerce approved temperatures.
Now, after last week’s column, I received some comments that I may have painted a misleading picture of the race track.
This one is straight from the mailbag: HAVE YOU GONE TO RACES AT THESE TRACKS? CITRUS RAN TWICE WAS MANY CARS AS OCALA AND THEY DRAW A LARGER CROWD… IF YOU KEEP TRACK OF THE CAR COUNT THIS YEAR AT EACH TRACK YOU WILL LEARN A LOT. THANK YOU, A RACE FAN.
Well, Mr. Race Fan, I’m not going to disagree with you. Citrus County Speedway does get better fan counts and car counts than Ocala Speedway. But I never said that Ocala was doing better than Citrus County. The two tracks are cooperating instead of competing, which is commendable ...
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Mexico Busch race leaves plenty of anger to go around |
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By Joe VanHoose on
3/9/2007 7:13 PM
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OK, experts tell me it’s always good to take a pause when you’re angry before acting on your anger. Well, I’ve taken three days to collect my feelings, and I’m still angry.
I’m angry at the finish in the NASCAR Busch Series race in Mexico City on Sunday, I’m angry at Juan Pablo Montoya, I’m angry at the antics of road racing. Really, I’m just angry at the world, or at least at NASCAR.
For the record, NASCAR got exactly what it wanted. Juan Pablo Montoya, the most-hyped new driver in years, became the first Latin American to win a NASCAR Busch Series race, and the race just happened to be in Mexico. Yes, NASCAR's only Latin American driver won NASCAR's only race in Latin America.
Make no mistake about it: NASCAR doesn’t care about race fans in Mexico. NASCAR cares about Latin American race fans in t ...
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Ocala Speedway cancels Friday's races due to rain |
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By Joe VanHoose on
3/3/2007 8:00 PM
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Mother Nature, she's a tough one to figure out. But this I know is true: she hates stock car racing.
Ocala Speedway canceled its opening night earlier today because it just won't stop raining. Even though I used my mind power to clear up the skies, the rain continues to fall.
So race fans will have to wait another week to get their local racing fix. The same program scheduled for this evening will run next Friday, March 9, with racing starting at 7:30 p.m.
Anyways, it looks like my Friday evening has just cleared up. Anybody want to go to dinner?
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Racing returns to Ocala this weekend |
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By Joe VanHoose on
3/2/2007 2:46 PM
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The Ocala Speedway gets back into full swing Friday evening with its opening points night, the first regular event of the year. But a partnership with Citrus County Speedway, in addition to a number of facility improvements over the last few years, could make this season for Ocala Speedway much more than regular.
In a time where many local short tracks in Florida struggle with car counts and attendance, the two central Florida speedways are the exceptions, not the norm.
The norm in the state has been mediocre at best. Orlando Speedworld, New Smyrna Speedway and Desoto Superspeedway are all down in attendance both in fans and drivers. In the past five years, Jax Raceways in Jacksonville and Putnam County Speedway in Palatka closed, and Hialeah Speedway and Golden Gate Speedway in Tampa were razed.
Ocala Speedway saw its share of p ...
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In this case, NASCAR was right |
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By Joe VanHoose on
2/23/2007 2:53 PM
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NASCAR just can't seem to win, even when everything is seemingly never better. In the past ten days, the sanctioning body has clamped down on cheating like never before, and it witnessed one of the most thrilling finishes in history in its biggest race, the Daytona 500.
But yet, everyone seems to be dumping on NASCAR.
Critics argue that the penalties dished out by NASCAR to the cheaters in Daytona were not harsh enough. Critics argue that NASCAR should have thrown a caution flag when a wreck broke out in the last lap of the Daytona 500, negating the photo finish that transpired.
Critics can whine all they want, but that doesn't mean they're right.
In fact, as much as it pains me to point this out, NASCAR has done everything right in the last two weeks. From pre-race penalties to in-race decisions, the NASCAR powers that be ...
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