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Schlenk Makes Barney Oldfield Race History

WAUSEON, OH – Rusty Schlenk became the first four-time winner of the prestigious Oakshade Raceway Barney Oldfield Race while picking up his fourth feature win of the season Saturday night over a stout field of competitors.

With weather moving in and lightning lighting up the distant sky, drivers were called to the staging area early for the 40-lap, 32nd Annual Barney Oldfield/American Late Model Series main event. Rich Bell and last week’s UMP Late Model feature winner, Chris Keller, started on the front row and had a heck of a battle for the lead right after the drop of the green. The two divers raced side by side the first three laps trading the lead back and forth. Bell finally established himself as the leader and began to open a gap. Oakshade point leader Devin Shiels moved in and took the lead away from Bell on lap seven. Shield then took off and pulled away from the field.

McClure, Ohio’s Rusty Schlenk started eighth and drove his Domination Race Cars #91 up to second by lap 13. Schlenk closed in on Shiels while working through lapped traffic. He looked to the outside to take the lead on lap 33. Schlenk pocketed $5,000 for the win with Shiels settling for second. Keller was able to get back around Bell to finish third. Bell slipped back to fourth and Colin Shipley climbed seven positions to finish fifth.

With lightning continuing to light up the sky, the UMP Sportsman feature took the green flag with pole-sitter Scott Robertson leading the first lap. Oakshade Sportsman point leader Josh Robertson fought back after starting on the outside of the front row and took the lead on lap two. Rusty Smith from Sylvania, Ohio, closed in a couple laps later to challenge Robertson. Smith was able to get by Robertson while working through some slower traffic and went on to post his fourth consecutive feature win. Josh Robertson and Carter Murday had a rather good battle for second late in the race with Robertson able to fend Murday off to finish second. Mike Jessen finished fourth behind Murday and Scott Robertson rounded out the top five finishers.

Jeff Foks Jr. and Kolin Schilt battled for the lead early in a caution-free Bomber A Main. Schilt, out of Stryker, Ohio, was able to get out front and pull away for an easy win. It was his third consecutive A Main victory and fourth of the season. Jeff Foks Jr., Adam Lantz and Gabe Mueller had a good battle for second through fourth for much of the race. Foks was able to hold off Lantz and Mueller to finish second. Josh Corkwell finished fifth.

The Compact A Main was delayed a couple of laps after a few rain drops started to fall. They quickly subsided and Cory Gumm darted to the lead as soon as the green flag flew. Gumm’s car was slow to come up to speed on a restart after an early caution and Jason Deshler got by for the top spot. Wauseon, Ohio’s Eric Carr passed Deshler on the outside to take the race lead a couple laps later. Carr pulled away and the Compact point leader went on to pick up his third feature win of the season. Gumm was able to get back by Deshler to finish second. Last week’s feature winner, Joe Carr finished fourth and Todd Drewes ended up fifth.

David Ellis jumped out to a big lead early in the Bomber B Main. Ellis and Jarrett Rendel got together to bring out the caution flag while running in the top two spots. Donnie Ringman from Clayton, Michigan, assumed the lead and led the field back to the green flag. Jeff Wells spun coming off turn four a couple laps later and was hit hard by Brandon Goad destroying both cars and brought out the red flag. Both drivers climbed out under their own power. Ringman went on to pick of the checkered flag. Rendel recovered nicely to finish second, just edging out John Lonabarger. Aaron Barrick finished fourth with Dylan Wittes fifth.

Aaron Vanpelt out of Clayton, Michigan, started fourth in the Compact B Main and got to the front quickly to lead from flag to flag. It was his first feature win of the season. Jake Randall drove to a second-place finish followed by Megan Elliott, Todd Drewes Jr. and John Hart.

The first of three Oakshade/Attica Late Model Challenge Series events this season is Saturday, June 26th along with UMP Sportsman, Bombers and Compacts. Gates open at 4pm, hot laps at 6pm and racing at 7pm.

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Chris Keller Edges Out Rusty Schlenk In Exciting Finish

WAUSEON, OH – Saturday night’s UMP Late Model feature event at Oakshade Raceway had just about everything, including a three-wide race at the checkered flag. It was Chris Keller who narrowly edged out the win over Rusty Schlenk while both drivers split around a lapped car.

A couple of big wrecks marred the early parts of the 25-lap UMP Late Model feature. The first happened on lap three and involved Bob Mayer, Hillard Miller, Mike Bores and B.J. Gregory. On the ensuing restart, the red flag flew shortly after going green when at least nine cars piled up in turn two completely blocking the track.

Oakshade Late Model point leader Casey Noonan did not have a good night. He pulled off the track earlier in the evening during his heat race with an issue which forced him to start at the tail of the feature. Noonan wouldn’t make it to the finish and retired to the infield only a handful of laps into the event.

Dusty Moore had stayed in front of the early wrecks, leading the race after starting on the pole. Unfortunately for Moore, his car would erupt into a fireball coming off turn four while leading on lap 11. Moore got his car slowed down and stopped in the infield where track crews quickly extinguished the fire. Moore climbed out uninjured, but he was done for the night.

That turned the lead over to Adrian, Michigan’s Chris Keller with Rusty Schlenk running second. After the lap 11 restart, Keller was able to open a gap between himself and Schlenk and seemed to be on cruise control to an easy win. That was until Keller caught some of the back markers who were trying to stay on the lead lap. Keller got stuck behind Doug Baird who was running the same line as Keller. Keller kept trying to get to the inside of Baird, but Baird hung tough and continued to run the low groove. Schlenk saw what was happening in the last few laps and closed in. On the final lap, Schlenk jumped to the outside going down the backstretch while Keller squeezed to the inside of Baird as they entered turn three. Keller and Schlenk came off the final corner in a dead heat with the lapped car in the middle between them. Keller somehow managed to keep Schlenk from picking up his fourth Oakshade feature win by the nose of his car. Defending track champion Steve Kester finished third followed by Colin Shipley and Steve Miller. Devin Shiels sixth-place finish was good enough to regain the point lead after Noonan’s troubles.

A wreck just after the start in the UMP Sportsman feature brought out the only yellow flag of the race which resulted in a complete restart. When the green flag flew once again, Rusty Smith out of Sylvania, Ohio, jumped out in front and drove away from the field. Smith went on to pick up his third consecutive feature win and the fourth on the season. Carter Murday drove up through the field to finish second after starting 11th. Mike Jessen finished third and Josh Robertson maintains a slim point lead after ending up fourth. Trevor Miller finished fifth.

Gabe Mueller and Kolin Schilt put on an exciting show in the Bomber A Main. Mueller got out in front of the Bomber A Main after battling with Schilt the first couple of laps. Schilt would regroup and take the lead on a restart just past halfway, but Mueller wasn’t done. Mueller snatched the lead away from the Stryker, Ohio, driver after a late race restart. The two would then battle side by side on the final lap with Schilt narrowly edging out Mueller for the win. Mueller’s fifth consecutive second-place finish keeps him atop the Bomber point standings. Jeff Foks Jr. drove to a third-place finish after starting 12th with Chane Stuckey and Justin Gamber rounding out the rest of the top five finishers.

Joe Elliott got the lead early in the Compact feature event after battling with Eli Kolodie. Elliott maintained the top spot until an incident while battling with Jason Deshler for the lead took him out of contention. Deshler then took over as race leader until Eric Carr got by a couple laps later. Eric Carr would lead until the final lap. Joe Carr, out of Wauseon, Ohio, made a last lap pass for the win. It was his second win of the season. Eric Carr settled for second followed by Todd Drewes, Jason Deshler and Eli Kolodie.

Logan Hough was in command of the final race of the night, the Bomber B Main. Under a lap four caution, Hough’s car rolled to a stop on the track and his night ended early. Ronnie Bloomfield took over as the race leader and went on to pick up the win over Jeff Wells who just barely held off John Lonabarger at the finish for second. Dalton Iffland and Aaron Barrick were the rest of the top five finishers.

Oakshade Raceway hosts a big night of racing this Saturday, June 19th with the $5,000-to-win Barney Oldfield Race. The event is also an American Late Model Series race. UMP Sportsman, Bombers and Compacts will also be back in action. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps at 6pm and racing at 7pm.

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DeTray Wins First DTTS Feature/Schlenk Notches Third Feature Win Of Year

WAUSEON, OH – Oakshade Raceway hosted its first ever Dirt Track Truck Series (DTTS) event Saturday night which ended up with a familiar name taking the checkered flag, 2015 Bomber Track Champion Gregg DeTray. Rusty Schlenk also had a good night, picking up his third UMP Late Model feature win of the year at Oakshade as he continues to lead the national UMP DIRTcar point standings.

Last week’s UMP Late Model feature winner, Casey Noonan, started on the pole of the 25-lap main event and jumped out to an early lead. Hillard Miller moved passed Terry Rushlow for second shortly after a restart for a lap seven caution. McClure, Ohio’s Rusty Schlenk methodically marched his way toward the front after starting on the outside of the third row. By lap 11, Schlenk moved into third and a few laps later, he passed Miller for second. Schlenk closed in on Noonan and took the lead away with six laps remaining to pick up victory. Noonan ended up finishing second which was enough to take over the Oakshade Late Model point lead. Colin Shipley got by Hillard Miller for third right at the finish and Devin Shiels’ fifth place finish knocked him back to second in the points standings.

Donovan Paskan grabbed the early lead of the UMP Sportsman feature over Chris Williams after starting on the outside of the front row. Track point leader Josh Robertson took the lead away a few laps into the event while at the same time trying to fend off last week’s feature winner Rusty Smith. Smith, out of Sylvania, Ohio, finally took the lead away on lap seven of the 20-lap event. A few more caution periods in the second half of the race kept the field somewhat tight, but Smith was able come away with his second feature win in a row. Robertson finished second with Mike Jessen finishing third. Drew Smith started 10th and ended up finishing fourth with Chris Williams slipping back to end up fifth.

Swanton, Ohio’s Gregg DeTray started fifth in the DTTS feature event and used his familiarity with the track to drive to the front to win the first ever DTTS feature event at Oakshade Raceway. Rolly Heyder gained two positions from the start to finish second with Dwayne Powell finishing third. Kevin Knittle and Vincent Wagoner were the rest of the top five finishers.

It was an all-female front row to start the Bomber A Main with Amy Clair and Taylor Dippman. Taylor Dippman would get the early advantage with her father, Craig Dippman, putting on the pressure in second. Craig eventually took the lead away from Taylor and led a good deal of the race. Kolin Schilt and Gabe Mueller would get by Dippman for the top two positions late in the race with Schilt going on to pick up the win. It was the second A Main win of the season for the Stryker, Ohio, driver. Mueller finished second with Craig Dippman slipping back to finish third. Jeff Foks Jr. and Scott Hammer rounded out the rest of the top five finishers.

The Bomber B Main capped off a great night of racing action at Oakshade Raceway. Curt Dickie out of Lyons, Ohio, had to work hard to fend off Donnie Ringman to take the checkered flag. Scott Barnhart started at the back of the field and climbed to a third-place finish with Logan Hough ending up fourth. Dave McMannamy finished fifth.

The Compacts will be back in action along with a full show of UMP Late Models, UMP Sportsman and Bombers this Saturday, June 12. Gates will open at 4pm with hot laps at 6pm and racing at 7pm.