From David Smith Jr.
LONGDALE, Ok. (August 26, 2017) – Defending tour champion Andy Shouse found the bottom of the track was the place to be just past the midway point of the race to claim the Sprint Series of Oklahoma IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car presented by Smiley’s Racing Products/United Rebel Sprint Series feature finale Saturday night at Longdale Speedway in Longdale, Oklahoma.
Taylor Velasquez and Zach Blurton started on the front row for the twenty-five-lap feature with Blurton shooting out into the lead as the green flag fell. Velasquez, Tristan Oakes, Cody Whitworth and Shouse followed as Blurton opened a half-stretch advantage by lap three. Lap five saw Shouse take over the third position from Oakes while Blurton continued to dominate out front.
Blurton, coming into the night the URSS point leader, began putting slower cars down on lap nine yet that never slowed his pace as he continued with a comfortable lead. The first caution of the feature would fall on lap fourteen when Keefe Hemel spun in turn two.
While pacing under caution, Shouse worked the bottom and found the it to his liking and on the restart quickly disposed of Velasquez for the runner-up position and began to challenge the leader. Meanwhile, current SSO points leader Jake Martens began making his move from his eighth starting position and passed Oakes for fourth and was began challenging Velasquez for the third position.
Back up front, Shouse tried low entering turns one and two on lap sixteen but couldn’t make the pass. The defending IMCA sprint car national champion kept working the low-side around the big three-eighths mile oval and just past the flag stand one lap later, stayed low entering turns one and two once again and throttled away down the backstretch to quickly open a half stretch lead
over Blurton.
Not even a late-race caution with six laps to go for a spin by Jed Werner on the back stretch could detour Shouse as he would go on to claim the full-straightaway victory.
Blurton held on for second while Martens spirited battle with Velasquez for the third position ended in his favor while sixteenth starting Gary Owens rounded out the top five.
Steven Richardson won the Competition Suspension first heat race while Velasquez won the Keizer Wheels second heat. The Saldana Racing Products third heat race was won by Whitworth.
The next event for the Sprint Series of Oklahoma presented by Smiley’s Racing Products will be held on Friday night, September 8, at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, Oklahoma for the second annual “Pat Suchy Memorial.” This event is guaranteed to be the largest purse in the second- year history for the SSO as it will pay $1250 to win, not counting the $1500 in lap money that will also be paid out. Just starting the twenty-car feature finale will pay $300 while all drivers not transferring out the that night’s “B” feature will also receive extra pay. The total payout will be released in the next couple of days.
SSO/URSS
Longdale Speedway/Longdale, Oklahoma
August 26, 2017
20 Cars
C.S.I. 1st Heat: 1) Steven Richardson, 2) Jake Martens, 3) Zachary Blurton 4) Josh Tojo, 5) Chris Kelly, 6) Gary Owens, 7) Howard Van Dyke
Keizer Wheels 2nd Heat: 1) Taylor Velasquez, 2) Andy Shouse, 3) Jed Werner, 4) Loyd Clevenger, 5) Justin Mowry, 6) Mike Scott
Saldana Racing Products 3rd Heat: 1) Cody Whitworth, 2) Tristan Oakes, 3) Tracey Hill, 4) Tanner Conn, 5) Keefe Hemel, 6) Jerry Jumper, 7) Ty Williams
A Feature (25 Laps) 1) Andy Shouse, 2) Zach Blurton, 3) Jake Martens, 4) Gary Owens, 5) Taylor Velasquez, 6) Tracey Hill 7) Josh Toho, 8) Tristan Oakes, 9) Cody Whitworth, 10) Tanner Conn, 11) Loyd Clevenger, 12) Jerry Jumper, 13) Mike Scott, 14) Howard Van Dyke, 15) Justin Mowry, 16) Jed Werner, 17) Keith Hemel, 18) Steve Richardson, 19) Chris Kelly, DNS) Ty Williams
Lap leaders: Blurton 1-17; Shouse 18-25