Oakshade Raceway kicked off the 2013 season with night of exciting racing action highlighted by Ryan Missler edging out Brian Ruhlman at the checkered flag to win the first UMP Late Model feature of the year.
Ruhlman and Missler started on the front row and traded the lead throughout the 25-lap feature event. Ruhlman set the pace early with Missler working the high side. After several laps of side by side racing, Missler finally took over the lead on lap 10.
Other than a caution at the start of the race for Devin Shiels that resulted in a complete restart, there were no other breaks in the action. The leaders eventually started to work through slower lapped traffic. Rusty Schlenk was running third, but was unable take advantage and close the gap on the leaders.
Missler had built up a several car length cushion over Ruhlman, but Ruhlman closed back in late to get back alongside the 50Y of Missler. The two drivers were in a dead heat as they crossed the line at the white flag and stayed door to door the entire final lap. With the crowd on their feet, Missler got just enough of a run off the final corner on the high side to beat Ruhlman to the checkered flag by just the nose of his car.
Schlenk held off Dona Marcoullier to finish third while Matt Miller finished fifth.
The UMP Sportsman feature ran a little less clean with multiple caution flags slowing the racing action. The first yellow flag flew on lap one when Bob Krumm spun in turn three.
Jamie Grochowski led the first lap, but couldn’t hold off Mike Jessen and Tim Line who both got by on lap two. Another caution flag waved on lap six for an incident involving Josh Sisty and Drew Smith. A few more caution flags kept Jessen from trying to open up some distance over second-place Line. Finally the time limit expired and Jessen led Line back to the checkered flag. James Fox finished third followed by Bruce Stuart and Bob Gregory who started back in 10th.
Curt Lancaster led the entire distance of the Bomber A Main. Terry Rushlow and Jeff Foks pursued Lancaster, running second and third respectively, but neither driver was able to mount a significant charge at the lead. Foks eventually fell off the pace on lap 11 and headed to the pits.
Lancaster picked up the A Main victory with Rushlow settling for second. Adam Noonan moved up nicely to finish third after starting 13th. Donovan Paskan and Dave “Gumby” Golembieski Jr. rounded out the rest of the top five.
