The always very competitive late model division made their debut Saturday night at Oakshade Raceway, this year competing for $10,000 for the point champion.
A big pile up in the first two corners involving Bruce Stuart, Chuck Merritt and Rob Mitchell slowed the late model feature event before it could get going. Once accident scene was cleaned up, Bill Hahn and Patrick Barney found themselves battling for the top spot.
Eventually Hahn pulled away with the lead, but Todd Schroyer and Justin Paxton had taken over the second and third positions and started to close in.
While weaving through lapped traffic, Schroyer took the lead away from Hahn on lap 11.
After slipping back a couple more positions, Hahn eventually fell off the pace and retired from the event leaving Schroyer, Paxton and Rick Delong to battle at the front.
A few more cautions slowed things down toward the end of the race, but when the checkered flag flew the 15 car of Todd Schroyer was the first to cross the line. Paxton finished second followed by Delong and Casey Noonan.
The sportsman feature also suffered a first lap incident after Tim Shelley and John Bailey got together and then collected the 80x driven by Ron Shultz.
Tim Fisher was the early leader after things got going, but surrendered it to Devin Shiels a couple laps later.
Joe Derbeck , who was running in the top five, had his night cut short when he spun in turn one after receiving a tap in the rear from Jeremy Grover. Jeff Brown had nowhere to go and plowed into Derbeck’s stopped automobile.
Last week’s feature winner, Ray Klaywitter closed in on Shiels in lapped traffic and made the pass for the lead. Shortly after that, the third place car of Jeremy Grover got tangled up with a lapped car bringing out the yellow with just two laps to go.
Grover went on to finish ninth while Klaywitter held off Shiels, Rob Liaeff and Brad Kendall to win his second consecutive sportsman feature.
Taking center stage next was the bomber A main and for the second week in a row, the 2002 Oakshade Bomber Track Champion Brice Luttrell suffered mechanical problems, this week slowing before completing the very first lap.
Delta, OH’s Brad Miller owned the race, leading from start to finish. A good battle for second ensued between Bill Toedter, Jacob Rendel and Kevin Cole, but at the checkered flag it was Toedter who followed Miller across in second with Cole taking third.
The bomber B main started off with another big pile up, literally. The 88 car of Brian George came to rest on top of the overturned 42 car driven by Mark Leach with several other cars also involved. Luckily, no one was injured in the accident.
Dan Bleikamp took off at the drop of the green flag after racing resumed and opened up a sizeable lead. Last week’s B main winner, Rich Risner suffered a flat tire while battling for the second spot and headed to the pits.
On the final lap, Bleikamp lost his drive shaft and coasted slowly across the finish line just in front of the quickly closing in Danny Nighswander and Scott Robertson.
Finally, in bomber C main racing action, Josh Scott lost the lead to Randy Murday on lap four. Murday went on to the easy victory over Jeff Potridge and Tim Streight Jr.
This coming Saturday, the late models, sportsmen and bombers will once again invade Oakshade Raceway with gates opening at 4pm and racing beginning promptly at 7pm.