By John Rittenoure
Mike Spivey photo
ADA, Okla. (July 25, 2015) – It has been over a year since Whit Gastineau has won an AmeriFlex Hose and Accessories Oil Capital Racing Series main event. This season has been especially troubling.
That is until this past week.
Gastineau found the source of his trouble and the result was a victory Saturday at Oklahoma Sports Park.
“We actually found last week that we had a bad air gauge,” Gastineau explained of his tire pressure gauge. “We have been three pounds light on air in every tire all year.”
The difference was evident from the start. Gastineau started sixth in the 25-lap feature and was in third before the first lap ended. On lap two Gastineau drove his Shell Rapid Lube sponsored sprinter around Brett Wilson for second. Gastineau set out after leader Michael Bookout and passed him with a high side move on lap eight for the lead.
“I tightened my car up and you really have to drive it in there,” Gastineau said of driving an extreme high line. “You could not lift or you would go off the track.
“But we run good here. We are as fast as anyone here.”
Bookout knew he needed a good start off the pole and he did just that opening up nearly a straightaway lead in the early laps. But Gastineau was riding the rim and quickly closed in.
“I just knew I had to beat them on the start and I had the hammer down on the high side,” Bookout said. “Whit just reeled me in then I just got caught in lapped traffic and it got me off my rhythm.
“He just drove around me. I thought I was driving the high side. and he showed me what the high side was.”
For the next 14 laps Bookout held down the runner-up position till Shane Sellers shot by on lap 22. Gary Owens then moved around for third on lap 23. Following a final lap restart Zach Chappell took away fourth leaving Bookout with fifth.
It was just a case of losing momentum for Bookout.
“If it wasn’t for that I felt like we had to top 2 or 3 car, but the car still ran good and I am proud of it.” he said of his Jet Hot High Performance Coating sprinter. “It was handling good and the motor worked really good. Blaine Morton has helped us out on this.”
On the final lap the race was red flagged after Wilson’s sprinter erupted in flames entering turn one. Wilson’s engine blew and after coming to a stop Wilson dived out the window and rolled on the ground.
Thanks to his fire suit which bore the brunt of the fire with some burn marks on the left arm, Wilson escaped.
“I am doing alright now,” Wilson said afterwards in the pits.
“It is the first time I have ever caught on fire. You don’t really know what to do. I have a habit of getting out of the car when something is going wrong. You see fire you get out of it.”
Willson was running seventh when the engine let go.
“I was just trying to get back past Robert Sellers when all of a sudden all I could see was yellow and everything got hot,” Wilson said. “Something happened with the pistons that blew up and built up a lot of pressure. I got singed a little,” Wilson said pointing above his upper lip.”
The night was not a totally lost for Wilson. His ninth place finish moved him into third in AmeriFlex / OCRS points.
AmeriFlex / Oil Capital Racing Series
Oklahoma Sports Park – Ada, Okla.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Car count: 16
Boyd Racing Engines Heat (8 laps) – 1, 007-Michael Bookout[1]. 2, 53-Brett Wilson[2]. 3, 31-Casey Wills[4]. 4, 55-Johnny Kent[5]. 5, 30-Joseph Miller[3]. 6, 66-David Lambert[6].
Shock Doc Heat (8 laps) – 1, 4-Shane Sellers[2]. 2, 5-Cameron Hagin[1]. 3, 50Z-Zach Chappell[4]. 4, 5$-Danny Smith[3]. 5, P78-Perry Pickard[5].
Drive Shafts Inc. Heat (8 laps) – 1, 33-Gary Owens[1]. 2, 4X-Robert Sellers[2]. 3, 2W-Whit Gastineau[5]. 4, 17-Brent Bates[4]. 5, 88S-Shayla Waddell[3].
AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories A Feature (25 laps) – 1, 2W-Whit Gastineau[6]. 2, 4-Shane Sellers[7]. 3, 33-Gary Owens[8]. 4, 50Z-Zach Chappell[9]. 5, 007-Michael Bookout[1]. 6, 17-Brent Bates[12]. 7, 5-Cameron Hagin[3]. 8, 4X-Robert Sellers[5]. 9, 53-Brett Wilson[2]. 10, 66-David Lambert[16]. 11, 5$-Danny Smith[11]. 12, P78-Perry Pickard[14]. 13, 88S-Shayla Waddell[15]. 14, 55-Johnny Kent[10]. 15, 30-Joseph Miller[13]. 16, 31-Casey Wills[4].
Lap Leaders: Michael Bookout 1-7, Whit Gastineau 8-25.
Margin of Vicctory: .650 seconds.
Boyd’s Racing Engines Heat: Michael Bookout
Shock Doc Heat: Shane Sellers
Drive Shafts Inc Heat: Gary Owens
D&E Hard Luck Recipient: Brett Wilson
Action Auto Collision Hard Charger Recipient: Brent Bates (+6)
Wesmar Power Parts Recipient: Danny Smith
M&W Aluminum Products Recipient: Perry PIckard
Lightning Wings Recipient: David Lambert
Rod End Supply Recipients: Michael Bookout, Brett Wilson, David Lambert
Maxim Racing Recipient: Michael Bookout
Amsoil Recipient: Brent Bates
Dyno Services of Oklahoma Recipient: Cameron Hagin