WAUSEON, OH – Four-time Oakshade Raceway UMP Late Model track champion Devin Shiels has been on top of the points standings the past few weeks, but had yet to find the checkered flag this season. Saturday night, that changed. Shiels finally earned his first feature win of the season and increased his point lead with only two weeks before season championship night.
Joel Morton started on the pole of the 25-lap UMP Late Model feature and battled three-wide with Shiels and Terry Rushlow on the first lap for the race lead. Morton was able to win that battle and led the first eight laps.
Shiels, out of Britton, Michigan, regrouped and got by Morton for the race lead on lap nine. He then pulled out to a big lead until a couple of late cautions would tighten the field back up. The last of which came out with five laps to go with Rusty Schlenk restarting second. Schlenk could not mount a challenge for the lead and Shiels went on to pick up the checkered flag. Schlenk settled for second followed by Terry Rushlow, Colin Shipley and Rusty Smith.
Carter Schlenk has trailed Defiance, Ohio’s Josh Robertson in a close battle atop the UMP Sportsman Oakshade point standings that past few. Schlenk started on the pole and led at the start until Ryan Davis and Josh Robertson got by for the top two spots early in the race. Robertson would go on to capture his fifth feature win of the season and increased his point advantage over Schlenk to 21. Davis held off Schlenk to finish in the second position. Kolin Schilt finished fourth and Jesse Jones climbed seven positions from the start to finish fifth.
For the second week in a row, the Dominator Super Stock A Main has produced another first-time winner. John Lonabarger from Pioneer, Ohio, started on the pole and led the entire distance. Adam Noonan pressured Lonabarger late in the race for the win, but settled for a second-place finish. Shawn Valenti finished third followed by Amy Clair and last week’s A Main winner, Scott Hammer.
Eric Carr, from Wauseon, Ohio, increased his point lead in the Compact division after picking up his third A Main win of the season. Carr was the class of the field opening up a big lead. Another late race caution would wipe out Carr’s advantage with just three laps remaining, but Carr would still go on to lead the field to the checkered flag. Last week’s B Main winner, Geoff Wasnick, got by Brandon Paskan to finish second. Jeff Goodman finished fourth with Mike Siegel ending up fifth.
The Dominator Super Stock B Main shaped up much like the Compact A Main with a dominant performance from Oregon, Ohio’s Haley Dippman. Dippman opened up a half lap lead over the second-place car until a caution flag came out with three laps to go. Dippman was able to go on to pick up the easy win with Grayson Warner finishing second. Jason Drummond, Chad Zuver and Harriet Callahan were the rest of the top five finishers.
The night’s racing action concluded with the Compact B Main that had several failed attempts at getting started including one in which Peyton Hovis got upside down. Finally the race got going with a single file start but was cut short by running past the event’s time limit. Port Clinton, Ohio’s Mason Streight started on the pole and was the winner of the time-shortened event. Memo Hernandez finished second followed by Marcus Davis, Vanessa Goodman and James Huffman.
This Saturday night, Oakshade Raceway will host a full racing program of UMP Late Models, UMP Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts. Gates open at 4pm with hot laps/qualifying 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.
