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2022 Oakshade Champions

WAUSEON, OH – The 2022 Oakshade Raceway track champions were officially crowned Saturday night during the Oakshade Raceway Awards Banquet at the Jr. Fair Building at the Fulton County Fairgrounds. It was a season of incredibly tight point battles among all four weekly classes with the largest margin of victory being just five points.

That largest point differential was between 2022 Oakshade Raceway Late Model Champion Casey Noonan and Devin Shiels. It was Noonan’s second Late Model track championship after a season of nine top five finishes and three feature wins.

Carter Murday nursed a two-point advantage over Josh Robertson for his first ever Oakshade Raceway Sportsman track championship. Murday had eight top fives and five feature wins.

Another championship that wasn’t decided until the checkered flag flew on Championship Night was Kolin Schilt’s title in the Dominator Super Stocks. William “Bubba” Cundick started on the pole and led the entire distance of the championship feature event, but Schilt’s fourth place finish solidified his first ever championship by just four points. Schilt finished the season with 12 top fives and seven feature wins.

In the Compacts, Ryan Okuley came into Championship Night with the largest point advantage of the four classes. After suffering heartbreak in the championship feature when contact with a lapped car ended his night early, his 36-point advantage evaporated. Eric Carr won the race and with the win, tied Okuley in the final point standings. The tie breaker would be number of wins which Carr had six to Okuley’s one. The six wins along with eleven top fives propelled Carr to his third straight Compact track championship.

Oakshade Raceway would like to thank 2022 point fund sponsors that includes Harold & Sue Holland, Das Essen Has, Dippman Motorsports, Warpaint, Ron Miller Race Cars, Hot Rod Welding & Engineering, Dominator Race Products, Hoosier Tire, Napa, Magic Fountain Auto Wash, Mike Anderzack, Precision Ag Service, Advanced Dumpster & Container, and Ehsam Excavating.

The 2023 race season at Oakshade Raceway will kick off at the end of April. It was also announced the annual Birthday Race/Summer Nationals will be returning to the schedule as well as the annual Barney Oldfield race. The entire official 2023 Oakshade Raceway schedule will be released in early 2023.

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Rusty Smith Dominates First Ever Sportsman/Modified Dirt Duel

WAUSEON, OH – Oakshade Raceway hosted the first ever Sportsman/Modified Dirt Duel sponsored by Dippman Motorsports, Ron Miller Race Cars, Rusty Schlenk Race Cars, River City Speed Shot and Hank Walls at Get Er Done which pit the weekly Sportsman class against UMP Modifieds that would culminate in a $1,000 to win feature. It was Rusty Smith in a Sportsman that would best the field of 40 drivers and become the first Sportsman/Modified Dirt Duel winner.

Smith, out of Sylvania, Ohio, started from the pole of the 25-lap Sportsman/Modified feature race that was also the rescheduled Bill Reckner Memorial. He jumped out to the lead at the start with Shannon Fisk giving chase. The first yellow flag would fly with one lap complete for a wreck involving John Gamber, Josh Corkwell, Mike Jessen and Patrick Lajevnesse. Only one other caution would come out just past the halfway point with Rusty Smith continuing to lead. Carter Murday marched his way toward the front and closed in on Smith late in the race. Murday took a look to the inside of Smith in turn two on the final lap and the two drivers had a bit of contact causing Murday to check up. That was all Smith needed as he held on to win his second consecutive Oakshade feature event. Murday settled for second after starting in the seventh position. Fisk was the highest finishing Modified, holding off Carter Schlenk for third. Jesse Jones climbed seven positions to finish in fifth.

The unofficial Oakshade Raceway Late Model track champion, Casey Noonan, earned his third feature win of the season and picked up the Bill Reckner Memorial trophy in the 25-lap Late Model feature. Devin Shiels started mid-pack and charged his way through the field to the second position before running out of laps to catch the Sylvania, Ohio, driver. Polesitter Rob Anderzack fell back to finish third followed by Chris Keller and Mike Bores.

Dylan Burt and Roscoe Stetten battled for the lead early in the Dominator Super Stock Bill Reckner Memorial A Main. Holland, Ohio’s Gabe Mueller worked his way from his seventh starting position to take the lead from Burt by lap five of the 15-lap race. Mueller went on to pick up his second Oakshade feature win of the year. Kolin Schilt started very deep in the field and improved 12 positions to finish second with Burt and Stetten slipping back to finish third and fourth respectively. Shane Estes ended up fifth.

Cody Kipp out of Hillsdale, Michigan, and Jason Deshler battled for the lead early in the Bill Reckner Memorial Compact A Main. Deshler would get the lead from Kipp on a lap five restart, but a stopped car brought out the yellow once again forcing another restart with Deshler back to second. This time on the restart, Deshler didn’t fare as well and slipped back a few positions. Kipp went of to pick up the victory with Eric Carr taking second. Brannon Kipp finished third with Aaron Vanpelt fourth. Deshler slipped back to finish fifth.

Donovan Paskan started on the outside of the front row of the Dominator Super Stock B Main and led all but the checkered flag lap. Oregon, Ohio’s Dan Dippman worked his was up to second and challenged for the lead after a mid-race restart. Paskan fended off the challenge and pulled away by a few car lengths. A late caution would set up a one-lap shootout to the finish giving Dippman one last shot. He would drop to the inside of Paskan on the restart and the two drivers made contact in turn one resulting in  Paskan getting collected by a couple other cars. Dippman went to pick up the victory with Paskan limping his car across the line in second. Jason Drummond, Joe Overmyer and Ben Lieaff were the rest of the top five finishers.

Todd Drewes Jr., Lawrence Mullins and Gage Rushlow put on a three-car battle for the lead early in the Compact B Main. Drewes would slip up high in turn four on lap six allowing Rushlow to take the lead. Rushlow, out of Monclova, Ohio, went on to take the checkered flag ahead of Drewes. Megan Elliott took third with James Stamper and Geoff Wasnick the rest of the top five.

With the 2022 race season concluded at Oakshade Raceway, only two non-racing events remain on the calendar. The annual Oakshade Swap Meet will take place on Saturday, October 15 with a $10 spot fee and no admission charge. The Oakshade Raceway Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, December 3.

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Kolin Schilt Papa Boiler Dominator Super Stock Spectacular Winner

WAUSEON, OH – Kolin Schilt has had a great deal of success this season at Oakshade Raceway. A few weeks back, he unofficially wrapped up his first Dominator Super Stock track championship. On Saturday night, Schilt added another first-time accomplishment by earning the $1,000 Papa Boiler Dominator Super Stock Spectacular win.

At the start of the 25-lap Papa Boiler Dominator Super Stock Spectacular, Scott Hammer snatched the early lead over Dylan Burt and led the first few laps. An early caution would tighten up the field after Burt and Jeff Foks Jr. spun while battling for second. Shortly after the restart, Adam Lantz and Stryker, Ohio’s Kolin Schilt got by Hammer for the top two positions. Lantz and Schilt would trade the lead a couple times with Lantz eventually settling in to the top spot. A late caution would tighten the field one last time with Schilt trailing Lantz. Lantz would cross the finish line first, but due to a post-race inspection protocol violation Lantz would be stripped of the win. The top five finishers were instructed to remain on the track after the race, but Lantz headed to the pits. Schilt was awarded the victory, his first Papa Boiler Dominator Super Stock Spectacular win. Last year’s winner, Gabe Mueller, finished second followed by Jordan Conover, Adam Noonan and Roscoe Stetten.

Next up was the DIRTcar UMP Late Model feature with Eric Spangler from Lake City, Michigan, starting on the pole. Spangler took the lead and drove away from the rest of the field. Dusty Moore was running just outside the top five when his car slowed and brought out the caution flag with just four laps remaining which wiped out Spangler’s huge lead. Casey Noonan restarted in second behind Spangler and could not mount a challenge in the final laps as Spangler went on to pick up his first ever Oakshade Raceway feature win. Noonan finished second with outside polesitter and 2013 track champion Dona Marcoullier ending up third. Devin Shiels and Rusty Smith were the rest of the top five finishers.

Jeff Robertson and Rusty Smith, who was doing double duty, put on a great battle for the lead early in the Sportsman feature race. Smith would win that battle and pull away with the lead until a caution for a spin halfway through the race. Josh Robertson would pressure the Sylvania, Ohio, driver late in the race, but Smith would hang on for the win. Last week’s feature winner, Carter Schlenk, finished third with Jesse Jones and Ryan Davis rounding out the top five finishers.

Kaleb Hinkley started on the pole of the Compact A Main alongside Jason Deshler. Deshler would jump out to the initial lead over Hinkley. The Angola, Indiana, driver would fight back and get the lead from Deshler on lap three. Deshler would follow close behind Hinkley the final seven laps, but could not mount another significant challenge as Hinkley went on to take the checkered flag. Last week’s feature winner Eric Carr drove to a third-place finish just in front of Jerry Means. Jason Bailey finished fifth.

The Compact B Main wrapped up a jam-packed night of racing with Todd Drewes Jr. and Josh Beaver having a heck of a battle for the lead in. The two drivers raced side by side and even three-wide at one point as the leaders split around a slower lapped car. Drewes out of Whitehouse, Ohio, eventually got the advantage over Beaver and went on to pick up the victory. James Stamper started dead last and drove up to finish third with Lawrence Mullins and Sean Farley the rest of the top five finishers.

Oakshade Raceway will wrap up the 2022 season on Saturday, September 24 with Topless Night and the $1,000 to win Sportsman/Modified Dirt Duel. Late Models, Sportsman and Dominator Super Stocks will have the option to remove the roofs from their cars and the Sportsman and UMP Modifieds will run in a combined class for the $1,000 to win feature event. Compacts will also be in action. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps/qualifying at 6pm and racing at 7pm.