Stan Butler wins the TBARA feature at Ocala Speedway as Ocalan Ben Fritz finishes second. Check here for a full recap.
Stan Butler overpowered Ocalan Ben Fritz early and then pulled away to win the TBARA Sprint Car feature. Fritz finished second, holding off a hard-charging Keith Butler who finished third. Tom Nichols fell back from a third-place starting position to finish fourth, and Mark Gimmler rounded out the top 5.
Butler snuck up on Fritz, who sat on the pole at his hometown track, on lap 3 and powered his way by. After a caution on the start for debris in turn 1, the race ran caution-free, making lap traffic a deciding factor in the race’s outcome.
Fritz found himself bogged down in lap traffic while Butler cut through the slower traffic, winning by a full straightaway. Keith Butler made up the most ground in the race, coming from outside the top 10 to finish third, right behind Fritz at the end.
The only wreck occurred on the final lap when Michael Smith got tagged from behind. Smith spun down the frontstretch, crossing the finish line backwards.
19 cars started the event, a race that saw two lead changes between two different drivers. All 30 laps were run under green.
Fritz won the second TBARA Sprint Car heat race, starting on the pole and leading every lap. Stan Butler won the first TBARA heat, with Nichols winning the third heat.
THUNDERSTOCKS
Cody Albright sat on the pole and went flag-to-flag as the leader to win the 15-lap Thunderstock feature, the first feature on the evening. Josh Brown rallied from last to finish second, with Chris Oliver holding on for third.
The race was slowed once by a spin from Scott Anderson. Only five cars started the feature.
STREET STOCKS
Jeff Stalnaker held on after a late-race restart to take the Street Stock feature, shutting down a fierce charge from Shane Nichols.
Nichols rode in second for most of the race, saving his car for the last few laps. On the final lap, Nichols caught Stalnaker, bumping him in the last corner. Stalnaker drove on to victory while Nichols chased his car up the track. Nichols held on for second with Pete Close coming home third.
The race was slowed twice by two cautions, both for Leonard Arnold spins.
V8 STOCKS
Matt Shell shot to the inside past Jesse Corbit to take the lead and the win in the V8 Stock feature.
Shell pulled below Corbit on lap 17 of the 20-lap feature to take the lead, bringing Brent Cooper with him for second. Corbit held on to finish third.
The race turned upside down on lap 14 when the first and second place cars tangled coming out of turn 2. Harold Erickson led with Matt Shell looking feverishly for a way by. Shell dug his way underneath Erickson coming out of turn 2, but Erickson moved low to throw the block.
Shell spun Erickson down the backstretch, causing Erickson to fall out of the race with a sour engine. Shell was sent to the rear of the field where he rallied back to finish fifth.
MODIFIEDS
Troy Robinson jumped to the front early in the Open Wheel Modified feature and cruised to a two-second victory. Robbie Cooper made his way up from the back to finish second with Mike Stalnaker moving up to finish third.
Robinson got by Donnie Strosel on lap 2 to take the lead, a lead he would never relinquish in the 20-lap race.
Jimmy Wagner's modified lost an engine in Open Wheel Modified hot laps, dropping oil in the racing groove and triggering a three-car pileup. John Call hit the oil first and then hit the turn 1 wall head-on. Call walked away but his car was destroyed. Cleanup took over 30 minutes to complete, and the track seemed to be slick all night.