The UMP Bomber division took center stage Saturday night at Oakshade Raceway with the 20-lap M&K Metals Bomber Bash with Jeff Foks taking the $500 pay day.
Dan Bleikamp grabbed the initial lead after starting on the outside of the front row. A spin by Tim Line brought out the yellow flag on lap six which tightened up the field for the double-file restart. Jeff Foks darted out past Bleikamp for the lead just after the restart. Chris Henry worked his way up to second before getting crossed up in turn two and collecting last week’s feature winner, Jim Scout. Henry was able to continue on without stopping and maintained his track position.
Jeff Foks continued to extend his lead until a late caution with three laps to go tightened things up for one final restart with Dan Bleikamp and Chris Henry right behind. Foks went on to pick his first Bomber A Main feature win of the year. Henry won a hard fought battle with Bleikamp for the second finishing position. Tony Tolles started 14th and ended up fourth followed by Danny Hogrefe in fifth.
In a warm up for next week’s 13th Annual Birthday Race, Alan Vochaska from South Haven, Michigan took the early lead in the UMP Late Model feature over Steve Kester. Last week’s feature winner Jon Henry closed in and began to put pressure on Vochaska. The two drivers fought side by side until Henry finally got by on lap nine. For the second week in a row, Henry took the easy victory. Vochaska held on to finish second followed by Brian Ruhlman, Casey Noonan and Rusty Schlenk.
The UMP Sportsman feature had a hard time getting the first lap completed and eventually after multiple attempts, the field was lined up for a single-file start. One lap was finally in the books when another yellow flag flew for a spin by James Fox. B.J. Gregory took the lead from Chris Keller on the restart and held it until Tim Fisher took command on lap four. Fisher never looked back and drove away to his first feature win of the year. Keller got back by Gregory to finish second. Rusty Smith started 21st and roared his way up to a fourth place finish. Last week’s winner Tim Line finished fifth.
Defending Hornet Track Champion Drew Smith continued his dominance this season by picking up his fifth Hornet feature win of the year over Derek Morris, “Sparky Marky” Gillingham, Breanna Frank and Cody Stetten.
Adam Noonan had a rough time winning the UMP Bomber B Main overcoming at least one big set back which came at the beginning of the race after he jumped two positions before the start. The resulting penalty was four positions, forcing him back to fifth after a first-lap caution. Chris Dachenhaus was the initial leader until he pushed up high in turn four on the second lap, losing the lead briefly to Scott Robertson. Dachenhaus reclaimed the lead and had a great battle with Noonan who had worked his way back to the front. The two drivers battled side by side for a few laps with Noonan eventually getting the lead. Dachenhaus’s great run came to an end when he spun on lap six while running in second. Amy Clair made a late race charge on Noonan, but Noonan held on to pick up the victory. Clair finished second followed by Josh Montague, Kyle Light and Dean Taylor.
The UMP Bomber C Main produced the night’s most dramatic finish. Gabe Mueller led the majority of the race and looked strong in the beginning, but appeared to be getting a bit loose as the race progressed. That allowed Nick Fenner to pressure Mueller for the lead in the closing laps. Mueller appeared to have things locked up as they took the white flag, but had the rear end step out on him in turn four with the checkered flag in sight. Fenner took advantage and ducked to the inside of Mueller as they exited turn four and won the drag race to the finish line by just inches to pick up the exciting win. Following Mueller’s second place finish was Dylan Hough in third, Derek Dusseau in fourth and Craig Strow in fifth.
Oakshade Raceway hosts the highly anticipated 13th Annual Birthday Race/DIRTcar UMP Summer Nationals Finale for the UMP Late Models in addition to the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Finale and Oakshade Hornets. Gates will be open from 11am to 12am on Friday, July 15 for campers and those wishing to put blankets or plastic down to save seats for Saturday’s racing. Everyone coming in Friday must purchase a ticket or pit pass for Saturday. Gates will open at 10am on Saturday morning and the pits will be open for everyone up until 4pm to meet drivers and get autographs. A pit pass will be required after 4pm to remain in the pits. Racing will begin at 7:45pm. For more information, please visit www.oakshaderaceway.com.