From John Rittenoure
Humboldt, KS — (July 17, 2015) — Robert Sellers rode the extreme high-side of the race track to his fifth AmeriFlex Hose and Accessories Oil Capital Racing Series victory of the season Friday night at the Humboldt Speedway.
But he had to get past leader Shayla Waddell, who was setting a fast pace from the low groove, and it was no easy task.
“She did an excellent job,” Sellers said of Waddell. “She could run the bottom like nobody. She just rolled around the bottom and the car was real quick off the bottom. I knew if I could keep my momentum up and get it where I could exit the corner we would catch her. It just took a little bit.”
The 25-lapper started with Waddell leading from the bottom of the track while second place Glen Passmore and Sellers in third were committed to the run the cushion. Sellers did not get around Passmore for second until lap 10. However it was not until lap 14 that Sellers was able to pull alongside of Waddell and finally take the lead.
“I was being a little bit cautious on the high side because it was right against the wall and there was nothing to hold you there,” Sellers said of his line.
“I did tag it a couple of times but did not hurt anything.”
While Sellers survived contact with the wall Passmore was not as lucky. Running in third, Passmore slipped hard into the turn three wall on lap 19 damaging his GAP Roofing sprinter, but he was able to continue and finished fourth behind defending OCRS champion Andrew Deal who took away the third spot.
“I missed my mark and drove in a little hard,” Passmore said. “It broke the rear-end, wheels and tires. But that is what I setup for.
“The high groove did not come in until seven or eight laps into the race. My car was getting faster and coming to me.”
Waddell felt the bottom of the track was the right place to run even though Sellers was gaining ground pedaling his Checkered Flag Trucking sprinter up on the cushion.
“The track worked to my favor because I started on the bottom and I am comfortable there,” Waddell explained. “We had a really good setup on the car.
“Everything was going good until Robert (Sellers) passed me. At the end I felt like I was catching him a little bit. I knew someone would show up at some point as I could hear them behind me. I just wanted to make him go around me.”
The thought of moving high did cross Waddell’s mind.
“I was good on the bottom,” she said. “If I was getting passed by two or three cars on the top I would have moved up.
“I wanted to win but it is a good confidence booster.”
As it turned out Sellers was the only car to pass Waddell, who finished with a season best second place, only .847 seconds behind the leader.
“I want to thank my sponsors, PM-PRO, Nick Newton, T-Clark Enterprises, TS Construction, Diana McDowell Motorsports, Maxwell Racing Oils, A and W Custom Designs, and Red Rock Distributing,” Waddell said of the people who make her racing possible.
AmeriFlex / Oil Capital Racing Series
Humboldt Speedway – Humboldt, Kans.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Car count: 19
(Pos-Car-Driver-Start)
Boyd Racing Engines Heat (8 laps) – 1, 4-Shane Sellers[1]. 2, 69-Glen Passmore[2]. 3, 7F-Andrew Deal[4]. 4, 16-Nigel Calvert[5]. 5, 007-Michael Bookout[3]. 6, 94-Dan Schnackenberg[7]. 7, 6-David Baxter[6].
Shock Doc Heat (8 laps) – 1, 50Z-Zach Chappell6]. 2, 88S-Shayla Waddell[2]. 3, 17-Brent Bates[4]. 4, 22T-Frank Taft[1]. 5, 5-Cameron Hagin[3]. 6, P78-Perry Pickard[5].
Drive Shafts Inc. Heat (8 laps) – 1, 31-Casey Wills[1]. 2, 4X-Robert Sellers[6]. 3, 55-Johnny Kent[5]. 4, 53-Brett Wilson[2]. 5, 30-Joseph Miller[3]. 6, 87F-Brian McClelland[4].
AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories A Feature (25 laps) – 1, 4X-Robert Sellers[3]. 2, 88S-Shayla Waddell[1]. 3, 7F-Andrew Deal[4]. 4, 69-Glen Passmore[2]. 5, 55-Johnny Kent[7]. 6, 50Z-Zach Chappell[6]. 7, 16-Nigel Calvert[10]. 8, 87F-Brian McClelland[18]. 9, 53-Brett Wilson[12]. 10, 5-Cameron Hagin[14]. 11, 17-Brent Bates[9]. 12, 007-Michael Bookout[13]. 13, 22T-Frank Taft[11]. 14, 30-Joseph Miller[15]. 15, 4-Shane Sellers[5]. 16, 94-Dan Schnackenberg[16]. 17, 31-Casey Wills[8]. 18, P78-Perry Pickard[17]. 19, 6-David Baxter[19].
Lap Leaders: Shayla Waddell 1-13, Robert Sellers 14-25.