Saturday night marked the final night of competition for UMP late models at Oakshade Raceway with the fourth and final American Late Model Series presented by Sunoco event.
Kris Patterson, who won two of the previous three ALMS events at Oakshade this year, jumped out to the lead at the start of the 30-lap feature.
The first of two cautions in the event came out on lap two after Jerry Bowersock, who came into the night third in ALMS points, came to a stop in turn two. He received a push back to the pits and was done for the night.
Tim Sabo brought out the second caution after he came to a stop in turn four on the restart. He joined Bowersock back in the pits after receiving a tow.
Kris Patterson, the ALMS points leader, went on to open up a big lead during a long green flag run with Shane Yoder passing Jeff Clapp for second on lap 11. Patterson was able to maintain his lead over Yoder and the rest of the field as he began to work through slower traffic.
More problems for drivers in the top five in ALMS points happened when Wayne Maffet Jr. fell off the pace and retired to the pits with eight laps to go.
After the final 28 caution free laps, Kris Patterson took the checkered flag for his sixth feature win at Oakshade this year and was presented with the check for $2000 for the win. Shane Yoder finished a distant second followed by Hillard Miller third and Rick Delong, last week’s feature winner, fourth.
In a special first time ever event, the Race of Champions, featuring eight former late model track champions ran 15 laps in a winner-takes-all-race paying $1000.
Bill Hahn led at the start and then slid up high in the corner allowing both Tony Marks and George Lindsey to drive on by to take over the top two positions.
Marks and Lindsey pulled away from the rest of the field and Lindsey made one final run at Marks on the final lap, but the 1997 Track Champion, Tony Marks held on to win the $1000 prize in the first ever Race of Champions.
Randy Franks ran strong in the sportsman feature event leading the first nine laps until Devin Shiels closed in and raced side by side with Franks before assuming the lead.
Ray Klawitter moved around Franks to take over second and closed in on Shiels. Klawitter made a final run for the lead on the final lap as Shiels dove low around a lapped car and Klawitter went high. Shiels went on to win the caution free sportsman feature event. It was his second in a row and his fifth of the year.
Dan Dippman was the leader for most of the bomber A Main leading over Rob Price. A late caution for Brice Luttrell, who was running in the top five, came out after he lost it off the high side of turn two and then drive his car back to the pits setting up a two lap shootout to the finish.
Rob Price made the move around Dippman on the restart to take the lead and went on to pick up the victory over Dippman, Robert Gregory and Brad Miller.
Mitch Betz and Dan Bleikamp battled early and often for the lead in the bomber B Main.
A couple hard multi-car crashes slowed the race a couple times, but the battle out front continued until the end of the race with Mitch Betz holding off the hard charging Dan Bleikamp to win the B Main after winning the A Main a week before.
Kevin Hanford took the lead on the second lap of the bomber C Main and went on to pull away from Jim Guinn and the rest of the field.
Some more hard crashes slowed the event a few times, but in the end, it was Hanford who was first to the checkered flag. Guinn held on to a second place finish ahead of Ben Thomas and Rex Strow.
This coming Saturday night is Season Championship night at Oakshade Raceway for both the sportsman and bomber divisions.
