The bombers were the featured division at Oakshade Raceway for the first and only time in 2003 this past Saturday night with 80 competitors showing up to compete in the Fourth Annual Bomber Spectacular paying $1,000 to the winner. The event was nothing short of spectacular.

The 24-car starting line up for the Bomber Spectacular was set with the top ten qualifiers inverted after eight heat events and four consi’s.

The action started early with the 2001 winner of the Bomber Spectacular, Brice Luttrell, taking the lead from Jacob Rendel just two laps into the 30-lap race. Rendel fought hard with Luttrell to tried and wrestle the lead back away for the next couple laps.

The first caution came out on lap four for the pole starter, Bill Toedter, who spun in turn four. The next caution flag flew one lap later after Mitch Betz and Joe Smith got hooked together on the front stretch sending Smith off the high side of turn two.

After the third caution for Tommy Huff who spun on lap nine, Brice Luttrell continued his lead and began to pull away from Jacob Rendel and Jim Scout.

Brian Stricklin got into Gary Cole and Cole got turned around and collected Randy Roseman on lap 16 bringing out another yellow flag. Stricklin and Roseman both continued on, but Cole was done for the night.

Joe Wohlgamuth had a decent run going working his way into the top five after a caution for Chuck Leininger on lap 17, but Wohlgamuth drove his car back to the pits while still under caution turning the fifth position over to Mitch Betz.

Dan Bleikamp, who was the fast qualifier, worked his way up to fourth, but got too high in the corner on the restart and dropped back a few positions and then suffered mechanical problems a lap later.

At the same time, things got interesting for the lead as Luttrell, who had led every lap since lap two, blew a tire and fell off the pace. Rendel regained the lead with Jim Scout still on his tail.

Just as Luttrell’s tire blew, Ted Goetz Jr. and Joe Smith got together to bring out the yellow flag.

Luttrell made it back to the pits, quickly changed his tire and rejoined the tail end of the field just as the green flag waved.

Jim Scout continued to hound the leader Jacob Rendel for the last ten laps. Randy Roseman had closed in on the leaders running in third and Brice Luttrell worked his way back up through the field to battle with the leaders.

With two laps to go and the top four cars running in a tight pack, Luttrell made a move around Roseman for third, but got spun around coming off turn two and continued on without a caution.

In a thrilling finish, Scout made one final attempt to take the lead from Rendel on the last lap. Scout dove to the inside of Rendel going into turn three. The two raced side by side through the final two corners, but Rendel edged ahead coming down the front stretch to the checkered flag and won the Fourth Annual Bomber Spectacular and $1,000.

Scout finished a close second with Roseman finishing third. Luttrell ended up finishing in the sixth position.

The final racing event of the 2003 season at Oakshade Raceway takes place this coming Saturday with topless outlaw late models and bombers in racing action. Stop by www.oakshaderaceway.com for more details.

The Sportsman Twin 25’s wrapped up an exciting and competitive year amongst the sportsman division Saturday night at Oakshade Raceway.

A crash on the first lap of the first 25-lap segment of the Twin 25’s ended Devin Shiel’s chances of being competitive and forced him to retire to the pits. Ron Shultz and Rusty Smith also pitted, but both drivers came back out.

Ray Klawitter led the first few laps until Tim Fisher, last week’s feature winner, took over the lead on lap three. His lead was short lived because he drove his car off the track back to the pits on lap eight turning the lead back over to Klawitter.

Tim Bernard was running second and mounted a serious challenge on Klawitter for the lead until lap 12 when Bernard had problems getting by the lapped car of Curt Inks. Bernard made contact with the 33 car of Inks, but gathered back control of his car and continued on after losing a lot of ground to the leader.

Bernard managed to close back in on Klawitter and after a close call with Dan Higgins who spun right in front of the lead group; the duo of Klawitter and Bernard swapped the lead back and forth for a few laps.

That battle continued until lap 18 when Bernard lost control and spun collecting the defending Twin 25’s champion, Brad Kendall.

Klawitter went on to win the first segment of the Twin 25’s, finishing ahead of Rob Liaeff and Joe Derbeck.

The second segment of the Twin 25’s came out after the running of the bomber A Main, giving the sportsman drivers time to work on their cars. The cars on the lead lap were inverted for the starting lineup for the final 25 laps forcing Klawitter to start tenth.

After contact with Tim Bernard in the first part of the Twin 25’s, Brad Kendall jumped out to a big lead after starting on the outside of the front row for the final segment.

Joe Derbeck was a man on the move gaining six positions in the first four laps to run second. Derbeck managed to get alongside the 42 of Brad Kendall and battle side by side for the lead for a few laps, but Kendall eventually pulled away with the lead.

Jeremy Grover closed in to battle with the two leaders. Derbeck lost ground to the leader as he and Grover battled side by side for second.

Kendall went on to win the race, making him a two-time winner of the Sportsman Twin 25’s. Derbeck held on to finish second ahead of Grover and Ray Klawitter who worked his way back up to fourth.

The bomber A Main had its share of excitement as well. Things got interesting on the first lap after Mitch Betz, who started on the pole, got turned around in turns one and two in front of the entire field.

Another hard crash brought out the red flag when Gene Zollner got sideways and was collected by Rex Stow and Kevin Cole. Zollner ended up on his lid and on fire. All the drivers walked away from the incident.

Josh Steinacker had led from the start of the race, but on lap 11 he slowed and drove to the pits turning the lead over to Jim Scout who went on to win the bomber A Main. Bill Toedter finished second and Robert Gregory settled for third.

Dan Bleikamp led the whole way in the bomber B Main opening up a big lead at the start. A lap four caution for Tom Ordway tightened the field, but Bleikamp was too strong and won easily over Gordon Digby and Curtis Lancaster.

Greg Leininger led the first few laps of the bomber C Main, the final event of the night, until lap four when both Kevin Hanford and Todd Silvey passed Leininger sending him back to third.

Hanford, Silvey and David Goben all battled for the lead in the closing laps of the race and ended up finishing in that order.

The bombers will be racing for $1000 this coming Saturday in the Third Annual Bomber Spectacular at Oakshade Raceway.

Oakshade Raceway entered its final month of competition for 2003 with Season Championship night for the sportsman and bomber divisions.

A seven-car pile up at the start of the 20-lap sportsman feature stopped the action before it could even get started. The incident began when Chris Smith, who started on the outside of the front row, got loose in turns one and two in front of the entire field and everyone stacked up behind him.

Devin Shiels, who was second in sportsman points behind Ray Klawitter coming into the night’s events, got a piece of the first lap incident and pitted while the accident scene was being cleaned up. Shiels made if back out onto the track before the restart, but had to give up his fifth place starting spot and restarted at the tail.

Jeremy Grover became the early leader once they were back underway. Joe Derbeck, also in the top three in points, passed Tim Shelley to take over second and began to close in on Grover.

Problems for Grover on lap number eight forced him to the pits after he slowed way off the pace on the back stretch bringing out the yellow flag. Derbeck inherited the lead momentarily, but then pulled into the pits while still under the yellow.

That turned the lead over to Tim Fisher who went from third to first without having to pass a single car.

Ray Klawitter worked his way up to second and after a caution for Devin Shiels who spun on lap 10, Klawitter challenged Fisher for the race lead on the restart. Fisher was too strong and began to put some distance between himself and Klawitter.

Fisher went on to win his second sportsman feature of the year. Klawitter finished second which was good enough to make him the 2003 Sportsman Champion unofficially.

Brad Kendall finished third and Jeremy Grover worked his way back up to finish fourth after his problems earlier in the race.

Rob Price entered the night with the bomber points lead and elected to take the Racer’s Connection Tail Start Challenge, giving up his starting position to start at the tail and a chance at an extra $850 if he could win.

Unfortunately for Price, his car failed to make it the distance, pulling into the infield out of competition on lap 11, making him only the second car out of the event.

Josh Steinacker had much better luck leading the entire bomber A Main with just one close call after he and Josh Caudill made a little contact as Caudill went a lap down and then Steinacker bounced off the front stretch wall, but managed to maintain his lead over Gordon Digby and Adam Bokor.

Steinacker won his first A Main in the caution free event over Digby, Bokor and Bob Rendel who finished fourth.

Even with his bad luck, Price’s point lead was large enough to make him unofficially the 2003 Bomber Champion at Oakshade.

A great battle for the lead early on between Andy Borton, Rex Strow, George Laney and Ron Tolles highlighted the bomber B Main. Strow was the first to get eliminated from the lead group after he came off turn four too high and collected the front stretch retaining wall, ending his night.

Borton held off a challenge from Laney on the restart for the lead. Another caution came out after the fourth place car of Randy Murday lost a wheel.

On the ensuing restart, Laney got a better run on Borton and slid up in front of the 45 car to take the lead for good.

Borton finished second to Laney with Ron Tolles finishing third.

Billy Ruff was leading the bomber C Main, but while under a caution on lap five, Ruff pulled to the infield giving up the lead to Ted Goetz Jr. who held off Curtis Lancaster and Dennis Laney to pick up the victory in the final event of the night.

The second annual Twin 25’s for the sportsman division with be on tap for this coming Saturday’s racing program at Oakshade Raceway with more great bomber action as well.