UMP Late Models, UMP Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts will all be back in action this Saturday, June 10 at Oakshade Raceway. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps at 6pm and racing at 7pm. Adult general admission is just $14, ages 6-11 are $5 and kids 5 and under are FREE! Pit passes are $25.
by Scott Hammer
WAUSEON, OH – Saturday night’s UMP Late Model feature at Oakshade Raceway produced a first-time winner. Adrian, Michigan’s Carter Murday led the entire distance to claim his first late model feature win in only his third start since making the move to driving late models full-time this season.
Murday started on the pole and pulled away to a big lead at the start of the 25-lap UMP Late Model feature. Devin Shiels tried to reel him in from second position and was able to make up a little ground after the leaders starting working through lapped traffic.
The first of a series of caution periods would reset the field on lap 14, wiping out Murday’s advantage. A handful of ensuing cautions would keep the drivers from reestablishing any kind of rhythm until after the last cation on lap 17. Race officials finally decided to attempt the next restart single file instead of the usual Delaware double file restart.
Murday seemed unphased by all the cautions and again proceeded to pull away from Shiels and the rest of the field in the final laps on his way to a dominating win. Dusty Moore held off Rusty Schlenk to finish third. It was Moore’s third top five in a row which keeps in atop the point standings. Eric Spangler made the trip from Lake City, MI and finished fifth.
The UMP Sportsman feature event got off to a bit of a rocky start with multiple caution flags resulting in several complete restarts. Carter Schlenk had won the previous two UMP Sportsman feature events, but found himself having to overcome some adversity after getting caught up in a wreck that caused one of those caution flags. Schlenk went to the pits and made it back on to restart at the tail of the field.
Jake Gamber started on the pole and once things finally got going, him and Josh Robertson pulled away from the rest of the field. Another pile up on lap four would tighten the field back up with Gamber continuing to lead. Robertson made a move to the inside of Gamber and took the lead away on lap 11 of the 20-lap race. Robertson, from Defiance, Ohio, went on to pick up the checkered flag with Gamber settling for second. “The Outlaw” Jesse Jones finished third followed by Kolin Schilt and Mike Jessen. Schlenk fought back to an eighth-place finish, but lost the point lead to Josh Robertson.
John Lonabarger took the lead from Herbie Haynes on the second lap of the Dominator Super Stock A Main. Four laps later, Adam Lantz, out of Wauseon, Ohio, would take the point moving Lonabarger back to second. Lantz went on to pick up his first feature win of the season with Gabe Mueller finishing second and William “Bubba” Cundick ending up third. Lonabarger slipped back to fourth with Amy Clair finishing fifth.
Hillsdale, Michigan’s Cory Gumm started on the pole of the Compact A Main and led from flag to flag to earn his second Oakshade feature win of the season. A caution for Brandon Proffitt’s slowing car would wipe out a huge lead for Gumm, but Gumm was able to take the checkered flag over Brett Ireland, Brandon Paskan, James Stamper and Mike Siegel.
Bob Zuver led the first three laps of the Dominator Super Stock B Main until Dan Shaffer got by. Shaffer would go on to pick up the victory with Josh McNicol gaining 10 positions to finish second. Derek Zuver had gotten up to second position at one point, but settled for a third-place finish with Alex Krall and Jayden Bleikamp rounding out the rest of the top five finishers.
The Compact B Main, which was also the night’s final event, produced one of the most exciting finishes of the night. Josh Beaver and Jeff Wells battled for the lead early in the race, but Wells would fall out of competition on lap two after bringing out the caution flag. Then it was Todd Drewes Jr. trading the lead with the Toledo, Ohio, driver after the restart. Drewes would later fall off the pace and drop out of competition which set up a duel between Beaver and Gage Rushlow in the final laps. Rushlow had a good run to get alongside Beaver coming off the final corner, but Beaver was able to just edge out the 4 car of Rushlow for the win. Devin Goodman and Tiffany Hernandez finished third and fourth and were the only other cars running at the end of the race. Todd Drewes Jr. was credited with the fifth-place finish.
Another full racing program of UMP Late Models, UMP Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts highlights the racing action at Oakshade Raceway on Saturday, June 10. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps at 6pm and racing at 7pm. Adult general admission is just $14, ages 6-11 are $5 and kids 5 and under are FREE! Pit passes are $25.
WAUSEON, OH –Casey Noonan, the defending Oakshade Raceway Late Model track champion, notched his first victory of the season Saturday night after setting fast time in qualifying. The Sylvania, Ohio, driver led from the drop of the green flag all the way to the checkered flag of the UMP Late Model A Main.
Behind Noonan, a heated battle ensued for the second position for much of the race between Dusty Moore, Devin Shiels and Collin Shipley. The three drivers swapped positions multiple times a good distance behind the race leader. The group did manage to chip away at Noonan’s lead just a bit while the leaders worked through lapped traffic, but not enough to make a bid for the lead. For the second straight week, Dusty Moore settled for a second-place finish after fending off Shipley and Shiels who ended up third and fourth respectively. Jake Rendel worked his way from starting in the eighth position to finish fifth.
Carter Schlenk, the youngster from McClure, Ohio, started on the pole of the UMP Sportsman feature event and took the lead from the start. Josh Robertson would pressure Schlenk for the lead and appeared to get by him, but a spin for Jeff Robertson would bring out the yellow flag at the same time reverting the lead back to Schlenk for the restart. A couple late cautions kept the field tight and allowed Kolin Schilt to challenge for the lead in the final laps of the race, but Schlenk would hold on to win his second consecutive UMP Sportsman feature. Schilt would finish second with Jeff Robertson third. Ryan Davis finished fourth and Mike Jessen climbed eight positions from the start of the race to finish fifth. Schlenk earned an extra $150 for his efforts courtesy of Links Bump Shop Collision in Grand Rapids, Ohio.
Justin Gamber and Gabe Mueller had a great battle for the lead during the first part of a caution-free Dominator Super Stock A Main. Lapped traffic late in the race made for some intense racing at the front of the field. Gamber would lead Mueller with Adam Lantz closing in after getting by Scott Hammer for third. Gamber, from Wauseon, Ohio, managed the lapped traffic well and went on to take the checkered flag with Lantz a close second. Mueller tagged the backstretch all on the final lap, but held off Hammer to finish third. William “Bubba” Cundick would just edge out John Lonabarger for fifth at the finish.
Jeff Wells, Dylan Iffland and Josh Beaver were caught up in an early incident in the Compact A Main. Eric Carr, out of Wauseon, Ohio, started from the pole and led the entire race. The defending track champion held off Ryan Okuley who settled for a second-place finish followed by Megan Elliott, Mark Prather and Maria Wells in the caution-filled race.
Joe Nickloy has a very unique looking Dominator Super Stock and was able to park it in the winner’s circle following his B Main win. The Pioneer, Ohio, driver led the entire distance. Derek Zuver and Gary Domoe traded the second position back and forth much of the race, but Zuver would take the position for good with just a few laps remaining. Zuver then closed in on Nickloy and put the pressure on, but came up just short, settling for second. Mason Lutrell would finish third followed by John Young and last week’s B Main winner Grayson Warner.
Multiple cautions marred the final race of the night, the Compact B Main. Josh Bailey took the early lead with other top five drivers suffering bad luck during the race. Todd Drewes Jr. had something break under the rearend while running third. His night ended on the hook. James Stamper was running second with one lap to go and all of a sudden, his car went straight up and over the turn two banking bringing out the final caution and setting up a one-lap shootout to the finish. Bailey, also from Pioneer, Ohio, held off last week’s B Main winner, Eli Kolodie, to pick up the victory. Brandon Proffitt took third with Dalton McVey and Nathan Jones the rest of the top five finishers.
Oakshade Raceway is back in action with another full racing program of UMP Late Models, UMP Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts on Saturday, June 3. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps at 6pm and racing at 7pm. Adult general admission is just $14, ages 6-11 are $5 and kids 5 and under are FREE! Pit passes are $25.
