WAUSEON, OH – Oakshade Raceway’s Night of Wheels put smiles on the faces of the many kids who got to take home a new bike on Saturday night. A total of 78 new bikes weregiven away plus some monetary prizes as well. The racing action was also exciting with Britton, Michigan’s Devin Shiels winning his third Oakshade Raceway UMP Late Model feature of the season after taking the lead late in the feature race.

Dusty Moore started on the pole of the UMP Late Model feature event and took the early lead. Rusty Schlenk started eighth and had moved into second place by lap five of the 25-lap race. Schlenk caught Moore and started challenging for the lead by lap 11. The two drivers would continue to battle while working through lapped traffic. Three-time track champion Devin Shiels finally closed in on the leaders with only a handful of laps remaining. Shiels made quick work of both Schlenk and Moore going three-wide to take the lead with two laps remaining and went on to pick up the victory in the caution-free event. With the win, Shiels continues to lead the Oakshade point standings. Schlenk finally got by Moore and finished second which also moved him into second in the points ahead of Casey Noonan. Moore ended up finishing the race third with Chris Keller and Brad Wade rounding out the rest of the top five finishers.

Mike Jessen from Berkey, Ohio, got out to the early lead in the UMP Sportsman feature event. Multiple caution flags kept slowing things down and set up a one-lap shootout to the finish. Smith looked high and low to try to get around Jessen, but the four-time track champion held on to win his second feature of the year which also moved him up to first in the Sportsman point standings. Smith, who has won seven features this year, settled for a second-place finish followed by Jesse Jones, Josh Robertson and Jake Gamber.

Jeff Foks Jr. got by Jarrett Rendel for the lead on the second lap of the Bomber A Main. Point-leader Gabe Mueller moved up to second and then challenged Foks for the lead after an early caution. The two drivers battled side by side for several laps.  Kolin Schilt closed in and spoiled their fun, splitting between both Foks and Mueller to take the lead. Schilt went on to post his seventh A Main win of the season. Foks held off Mueller for second. Chane Stuckey finished fourth with Justin Gamber fifth.

Current point leader in the Compact class, Eric Carr, earned himself his fourth Compact feature win of the season, which further increases the Wauseon, Ohio, driver’s points advantage over Jason Deshler who finished second in the feature. Dylan Iffland finished third and pole sitter Joe Carr ended up fourth. Jeff Goodman started 12^th and finished in the fifth position.

The Bomber B Main featured one of the night’s most exciting finishes. Adam Lantz worked his way up through the field to take the lead on lap six after starting near the back. The race was plagued with multiple caution periods and the 12-minute time limit expired leading to another one-lap shootout to the finish with Lantz leading the field back to the green flag. Third-place in line was Wauseon, Ohio’s Dylan Hough who darted to the inside of Dalton Iffland to take second. Hough then drove deep into turn three and made an incredible move around the outside of turn four to get alongside Lantz and beat him back to the checkered flag. Lantz finished second and had something break in his steering and slammed hard into the tire barrier in front of a light pole along the backstretch. Lantz was able to walk away from the hard impact. Iffland, Josh McNicol and Ryan Clair were the rest of the top five finishers.

Megan Elliott from Waldron, Michigan, led from flag to flag in the final event of the night, the Compact B Main. Shelby Hulbert finished second followed by James Davis, Lawrence Mullins and Dalton McVey.

The Saturday night racing action continues this coming weekend with full racing program of UMP Late Models, UMP Sportsman, Bombers and Compacts on August 7. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps/qualifying at 6pm and racing at 7pm.

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WAUSEON, OH – Persistent rain throughout the week and all day and night before the 23^rd Annual Birthday Race left the grounds of Oakshade Raceway a bit soggy, but track crews were determined in working in the racing surface to get the show in. Fans and race crews packed the house with 53 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models competitors all vying for the $10,000 winner’s check. It was Senoia, Georgia’s Ashton Winger who pocketed the money after earning his second consecutive “Hell Tour” victory.

Dona Marcoullier started on the outside of the front row next to Tanner English and was able to secure the early lead of the 50-lap Birthday Race/DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model feature event. A big pile up involving almost half the field brought out the yellow flag just after completing the first lap. Jeep Van Wormer passed Marcoullier for the lead on a lap nine restart after the second caution of the race. Ashton Winger and Bobby Pierce began to close in on Van Wormer as the leaders approached slower traffic. Winger got by Van Wormer on lap 22 and then started to drive away from the rest of the field. The defending Birthday Race champion Chris Keller was running in the top five and spun on lap 37 ending his chances of a repeat. One lap later, Marcoullier was running fourth when he spun to bring out another caution flag. Winger was able to pull away from Pierce the final 12 laps for the win. Tanner English finished third and Rusty Schlenk gained nine positions to finish fourth. Van Wormer slipped back to end up fifth.

Sixteen-year-old Hunt Gossum out of Mayfield, Kentucky, started on the outside of the front row of the Summer Racing Equipment Modified Nationals feature and beat polesitter Chad Bauer back to the line to lead lap one. Gossum opened up a big lead, but a caution with 10 laps to go wiped out his advantage. Gossum pulled away from Curt Spalding after the restart and went on to pick up his second Oakshade Raceway Modified feature win. Dylan Woodling held off Brian Ruhlman to finish third. Chad Bauer fell back to finish fifth.

Oakshade Raceway Bomber point leader Gabe Mueller got out to a big lead early in the Bomber A Main. Only one caution flag flew about halfway through the race which eliminated Mueller’s lead. Stryker Ohio’s Kolin Schilt took advantage and looked to the outside of Mueller after the restart. He was able to take the lead away and drove to his sixth feature win of the season. Mueller settled for second followed by Jeff Foks Jr., Chane Stuckey and Donnie Ringman.

Donovan Paskan got the early lead in the Bomber B Main. Dan Dippman closed in on Paskan late and looked to the outside for the lead at the white flag, but a spin would bring out the caution and set up a one-lap shootout to the finish. Paskan, out of Fayette, Ohio, would go on to pick up the victory. Scott Barnhart was able to get by Dippman to finish second. Jeff Wells and Aaron Barrick were the rest of the top five finishers.

The Bomber C Main wrapped up an exciting night of racing with Adrian, Michigan’s Cody Stetten leading the entire distance to pick up his first feature win of the season. Jeff Strock was running second and spun halfway through the race sending him to the tail for the restart. Dave McMannamy finished second with Strock recovering with a third-place finish. Brian Stutzman and Jeremiah Gilbert were the rest of the top five finishers.

Oakshade Raceway will host the Oakshade/Attica Late Model Challenge series on Saturday July 24. The Sportsman and Compacts will be back in action along with the Bombers. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps at 6pm and racing at 7pm.

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WAUSEON, OH – A huge field of race cars filled the pits and fans packed the stands for the Tim Fisher/Billy Ruff Memorial at Oakshade Raceway Saturday night which also featured the Vintage American Race Cars (VARC). Britton, Michigan’s Devin Shiels delighted the crowd by earning his second UMP Late Model feature win of the season.

With an extra $204 going to the fourth-place finisher in honor of Tim Fisher, the 25-lap UMP Late Model feature started off with pole-sitter Cody Bauer jumping out to the lead. Just after completing the first lap, Bauer ended up spinning in turn two bringing out the only caution flag of the race. Three-time track champion Devin Shiels would assume the lead for the restart. Behind him, Casey Noonan and Rusty Schlenk had a good battle going for second as the two drivers traded the position back and forth. Eventually Schlenk would take over second and set his sights on Shiels. Schlenk, last week’s feature winner, was able to chip away at Shiels lead while working through lapped traffic, but Shiels was too strong and went on to pick up the checkered flag. Schlenk settled for second with Noonan third. Terry Rushlow finished fourth and Hillard Miller climbed nine positions to finish in fifth.

Competitors in the Tim Fisher/Billy Ruff Memorial UMP Sportsman feature were racing for $444 to win and an additional $104 for second place. Point leader Josh Robertson would lead most of the race, but Carter Murday out of Adrian, Michigan was hungry for his first UMP Sportsman feature win after a string of strong showings this season. After pressuring Robertson for the lead much of the second half of the race, Murday was finally able to duck under the race leader with two laps remaining and held off Mike Jessen for the win. Rusty Smith finished third after five consecutive feature wins. Matt Lindsey ended up fourth with Robertson slipping back to fifth.

Chane Stuckey got out to the early lead in the Tim Fisher/Billy Ruff Memorial Bomber A Main that offered an additional $104 for the winner and an extra $50 for second.  Last week’s feature winner, Kolin Schilt was running third and spun in turn two and had to restart at the tail. Shortly after the restart, Gabe Mueller tried to get under Stuckey for the lead and Adam Lantz dove to the inside of both drivers to muscle his way into the lead. Lantz, out of Wauseon, Ohio, got his second feature win of the season with Mueller and Stuckey second and third respectively. Justin Gamber finished fourth and pole-sitter Roscoe Stetten finished fifth.

Hillsdale, Michigan’s Cory Gumm earned his second consecutive Compact A Main feature win and his fourth of the season. Gumm started on the outside of the front row and led from flag to flag. Point leader Eric Carr finished second. Jason Deshler got by Joe Carr to finish third and Jeff Goodman rounded out the top five finishers.

The Tim Fisher/Billy Ruff Memorial Bomber B Main started off with a big pile up after Shane Estes spun in front of most of the field going into turn one on the first lap. Estes, out of Waterville, Ohio, did a 360 and kept going while chaos ensued behind him. The result was a complete restart in which Estes made the most of by darted out to the lead. David Ellis got into Bill Reeves Jr. while battling for second and spun on lap nine. Time expired under another late caution setting up a one-lap race to the finish. Estes went on to take the victory while John Lonabarger charged his way up to second after having to restart at the tail of the field earlier in the event. Dave McMannamy finished third followed by David Ellis and Chris Yockum.

The Compact B Main was the final event of the night and once again produced one of the most exciting finishes. Edgerton, Ohio’s Kristen Vandyke got out in front early. Mark Barrick closed in and made a run to get alongside Vandyke coming to the checkered flag, but it wasn’t enough. Vandyke took the victory with Barrick settling for a close second. Emaleigh Fickle finished third followed by Gage Rushlow and Shelby Hulbert.

The VARC had 22 classic racing machines on display and put on a great show earlier in the night with a couple heat races and two features. Randy Tusing and Mike McWilliams were VARC feature winners.

Devin Shiels’ feature win gives him a confidence boost heading into this coming Saturday’s $10,000 to win Birthday Race/DIRTcar Summer Nationals event. Gates will open at 10am on Friday for anyone wishing to reserve their seats and for campers. Everyone that arrives on Friday will be required to purchase tickets for Saturday’s event. Gates will open at 10am on Saturday morning with the pits open for everyone until 4pm to meet drivers and get autographs. Pit passes will be required after 4pm to remain in the pits. In addition to UMP DIRTcar Late Models, the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals will also be in action in addition to the Bombers. Hot laps and qualifying begin at 6pm with racing following.

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