ocalaspeedway Archives

Babbitt Bags Valentine’s Day Victory to Close Florida Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 14, 2026) — Corey Babbitt capped the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals in dominant fashion, scoring the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature win on the eighth and final night of competition at Ocala Speedway. The 25-lap Valentine’s Day shootout on the 3/8-mile oval saw the New Caney, Texas, driver collect his second victory of the week and the $1,000 winner’s payday after another commanding performance against a stout field. Delaware’s Ryan McKinney paced the opening circuit after expertly navigating the high side to lead lap one and establish early breathing room. Behind him, Jaedon McDowell — last year’s Sugar Bowl winner and 2024 Tennessee Mod Lite Racing Association champion — battled fiercely with Corey Babbitt for second. Babbitt secured the spot on lap five and quickly went on the offensive, slipping low past McKinney exiting turn two on lap seven to seize command. Once out front, Babbitt began to distance himself, encountering lapped traffic by lap eight but maintaining a strong advantage. A caution on lap 11 reset the field, [Read More]

Pierce Aiken Scores Friday the 13th Florida Winter Nationals Victory at Ocala

By Ben Deatherage OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 13, 2026) — Pierce Aiken turned Friday the 13th into a lucky night, capturing the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature during night seven of the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway. The 20-lap main event on the 3/8-mile oval saw the rising contender outduel a stacked field to secure his first Winter Nationals triumph of the season and his third overall victory of 2026 after sweeping a pair of January events at Hendry County Motorsports Park. The Lake Worth, Florida, racer also became the first in-state driver to reach victory lane during the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals series. Early on, it appeared Corey Babbitt might be the driver to beat after winning the night before. Ronnie Choate — the inaugural Florida Winter Nationals champion and 2023 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s winner — grabbed the initial advantage down the backstretch, but Babbitt powered underneath him exiting turn four to assume command. The Texan quickly built momentum, surviving cautions on laps two, three, and eight while [Read More]

Babbitt Breaks Through at Ocala with Florida Winter Nationals Victory

By Ben Deatherage OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2026) — Corey Babbitt put together a dominant performance Thursday night, capturing the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature during night six of the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway. The New Caney, Texas, driver took command early and never relinquished it, mastering multiple restarts on the 3/8-mile oval to secure his first series victory of the season. Ohio’s Carson Hubbard led the field to green and paced the early circuits, but Delaware’s Ryan McKinney quickly went to work on the high side in pursuit of the lead. A charge into the marbles cost McKinney momentum, allowing Corey Babbitt to slip into second. From there, the New Caney, Texas driver wasted little time tracking down Hubbard, executing a clean inside pass at the stripe on lap three to take command. When the green-flag rhythm set in, Babbitt began stretching his advantage before cautions on laps six and seven reset the field. Behind him, a three-wide battle for second erupted between McKinney, Hubbard, and defending Florida Winter Nationals champion [Read More]

Choate Conquers Ocala, Claims First ’26 Winter Nationals Triumph

By Ben Deatherage OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2026) — Ronnie Choate of Cookeville, Tennessee, delivered a dominant performance in the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature on night five of the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals, capturing the 20-lap main event at Ocala Speedway. The defending Florida Winter Nationals champion controlled the race on the 3/8-mile oval to secure his first series victory of the season. Choate jumped to the early lead on the opening start and immediately established command. Behind him, a spirited battle for second unfolded in the opening laps between Texan Corey Babbitt and Delaware’s Ryan McKinney, with McKinney initially holding the position. A caution on lap seven reset the field, allowing Babbitt to move into second on the restart, but Choate quickly stretched his advantage once green-flag racing resumed. Another slowdown on lap 11 again erased the leader’s margin, yet Choate remained flawless on the restart, driving away from Babbitt and the rest of the field. Brandon Dennis worked past McKinney for third on lap 13, while Babbitt attempted to chip into Choate’s [Read More]

Babbit Redeems Himself With Ocala Mod Lite Victory

By Ben Deatherage OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 5, 2025) — Corey Babbit got his shot at redemption in race three of the 2025 Florida Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway, claiming victory in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite main event. After being overtaken late in lapped traffic the night before, the New Caney, Texas polesitter dominated the 25-lap finale to secure his first win of the season. The event drew an impressive 42 entries from across the United States, as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Despite a red flag incident on the initial start, Babbit rocketed away once the race got underway. 2023 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s winner Ronnie Choate tried to keep pace, but the Tennessee driver soon found himself losing ground as Babbit stretched his lead. Navigating through lapped traffic, the former Texas Mod Lite Nationals winner efficiently maneuvered past slower cars without incident. However, a caution on lap 11 bunched the field back up, setting up a dramatic restart. When racing resumed, Iowa’s Josh May [Read More]

Clem Makes Late Move to Win Ocala Speedway Mod Lite Thriller

By Ben Deatherage Ocala, Florida (February 4, 2025) — Bakersfield, California transplant Riley Clem brought the crowd to its feet with a thrilling late-race pass to win the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite $1,000-to-win feature at Ocala Speedway. The event, part of the second leg of the 2025 Florida Winter Nationals, drew an impressive field of 48 cars from across the United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Texas racer Corey Babbit jumped out to the early lead from the pole position, setting a quick pace before a lap-one caution halted his momentum. On the restart, Clem wasted no time charging into second, and the two frontrunners began to distance themselves from the rest of the field. A second caution on lap six reset the action, but Babbit and Clem again pulled away on the restart. Clem made his first serious challenge on the eighth circuit, but Babbit held his ground and kept the California driver in check. As the race stayed green, lapped traffic came into play in the final three [Read More]

Raffurty races to big money at Brick City Nationals

OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 2-3, 2024) – Most of Dillon Raffurty’s first visit to Ocala Speedway was spent as a spectator. Saturday night, he was the $4,000 Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite feature winner at the Florida speed plant’s Brick City Nationals. The Kansas City, Mo., hotshoe began his quest for a fourth consecutive IMCA national championship as runner-up to Tennessee star Ronnie Choate in Friday’s $1,000 to win main event at Ocala. He flipped the script the next night in topping the big money show, 1.2 seconds ahead of Choate following multiple cautions late in the 30-lapper. “We went back and forth Friday and I led early but caught lapped traffic at the wrong time and he got by me. I was able to make it close at the end but it was too little, too late,” said Raffurty. “Ronnie was fast early but I figured it out near midway,” he continued, after IMCA career win number 89 on Saturday. “Ocala is a very unique track. You can get creative there with the way [Read More]