From David Smith Jr.
ELK CITY, Ok. (July 22, 2017) – Steven Shebester took the lead at the start then held off a fast-closing Joe Wood, Jr. at the end to claim the Sprint Series of Oklahoma IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car presented by Smiley’s Racing Products feature Saturday night at Elk City Speedway in Elk City, Oklahoma.
Shebester and Tristan Oakes started on the front row for the twenty-five-lap feature with Shebester taking the lead as
the green flag fell.
Around the races midway point, the Mustang, Oklahoma driver had his hands full with defending series champion and seventh starting Andy Shouse with the leaders approaching slower cars around the races midway point.
Shebester handled lapped traffic while behind him, Shouse had his hands full with fifth starting Joe Wood, Jr. with five laps to go. Wood would get past Shouse for the runner-up position and set his sights on the leader.
Wood, gunning for his second feature victory in a row and third career, would get a run underneath the leader coming out of turn four on the last lap. But Shebester, aboard the Pete Haskins owned, Square Deal Auto Salvage/Riverside Auto Salvage/DGM Motorsports sponsored GF1 #16s sprinter would hold on to claim his first career sprint car victory in only his fifth start piloting a sprint car.
Wood, aboard the Wood family owned, Young Tool/Mud-X sponsored Myers powered Triple X chassis settled for second while Shouse came home third. Wichita Falls, Texas driver Brandon Long came home fourth while eighth-starting Zach Blurton rounded out the top five.
The three heat races for the twenty-one-car field were won by Long, Oakes and Shebester.
The Sprint Series of Oklahoma IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Series presented by Smiley’s Racing Products will be back in action this coming Friday night (July 28) at Wichita Speedway in Wichita Falls.
Sprint Series of Oklahoma
Elk City, Oklahoma
July 22, 2017
21 Cars
1st Heat: 1) Brandon Long, 2) Andy Shouse, 3) Josh Toho, 4) Loyd Clevenger, 5) Blake Scott, 6) Chad Koch, 7) Chase Smith
2nd Heat: 1) Tristan Oakes, 2) Jake Martens, 3) Joe Wood, Jr., 4) Blake Dacus, 5) Chris Kelly, 6) Dillon Laden, 7) Tanner Conn
3rd Heat: 1) Steven Shebester, 2) Cody Whitworth, 3) Zach Blurton, 4) Justin Fisk, 5) Michael Gossman, 6) Justin Mowery, 7) Jerry Jumper
A Feature: 1) Steven Shebester (1), 2) Joe Wood, Jr. (5), 3) Andy Shouse (7), 4) Brandon Long (3), 5) Zach Blurton (8), 6) Blake Dacus (12), 7) Jake Martens (6), 8) Cody Whitworth (4), 9) Chris Kelly (13), 10) Josh Toho (10), 11) Michael Gossman (9), 12) Loyd Clevenger (11), 13) Dillon Laden (18), 14) Justin Fisk (14), 15) Blake Scott (15), 16) Jerry Jumper (21), 17) Justin Mowery (16), 18) Tristan Oakes (1), 19) Chase Smith (19), 20) Tanner Conn (20), 21) Chad Koch (17)
Lap Leaders: Shebester 1-25