By John Rittenoure
SALINA, Okla. (Sept. 21, 2019) – Alex Sewell added his name to the list of AmeriFlex / OCRS Challenge champions with a victory Saturday at Salina Highbanks Speedway.
Winning the AmeriFlex / OCRS Challenge IV earned Sewell $3,000 from a purse of over $25,000.
“I think this is the most money I have won racing at one single event,” said Sewell who joins Mike Goodman, Mickey Walker, and Sean McClelland as AmeriFlex / OCRS Challenge winners. “It is awesome that we get to participate for this caliber of money. A big thanks goes out to Corvan (Robison) because without him it wouldn’t be possible. It is really nice to be able to come to a race for three grand.”
“I really wanted to win at least two this year and we were lucky enough to get it done tonight.”
Sewell, who started sixth after the top eight in points redraw, chased early leader Robert Sellers for 13 laps then took advantage of an opportunity in lapped traffic to take the lead.
“Sometimes it is better to run second,” Sewell said of his eventual pass of Sellers for the lead. “I had been watching the lapped cars for the last couple of laps trying to make sure I knew what to do when I got to him. Lucky enough for me Robert (Sellers) wen to the bottom and I went to the top and was able to clear Robert around those lapped cars.”
Once out front in his Action Auto Collision sponsored sprinter, Sewell had to deal with more lapped traffic and hope he could maintain the lead.
“I had to try and hold my own there at the end,” Sewell said. “I got held up by a few lapped cars there at the end who I guess wanted to race the leader. But in the end, I just got around the lapped cars better I think and came home with the win.”
Points leader Zach Chappell also got by Sellers and chased and chased down Sewell in the closing laps, but settled for second. Sellers held on to third with previous Challenge winner Walker and Terry Easum finishing fourth and fifth.
The race got off to a rough start with pole-sitter Whit Gastineau took a hard ride entering the backstretch of lap one. Sheldon Barksdale flipped hard. Joe Wood, Jr., Alex DeCamp and Tim Kent also suffered damage. Kent and DeCamp were able to rejoin the race for the restart.
AmeriFlex / OCRS Challenge IV Results
Salina Highbanks Speedway
September 21, 2019
Drive Shafts, Inc. Heat 1 (8 Laps)
1, 2W-Whit Gastineau[7]. 2, 2-Mickey Walker[2]. 3, 5-Joe Bob Lee[3]. 4, 15D-Andrew
Deal[5]. 5, 21P-Phillip Davis[1]. 6, 14-Shane Sellers[4]. 7, 2L-Brandon Leland[8]. 8, P78-
Perry Pickard[6]. (DNS).
Bravado Wireless Heat 2 (8 Laps)
1, 22C-Robert Sellers[4]. 2, 28-Joe Wood Jr.[6]. 3, 20S-Sheldon Barksdale[7]. 4, 31-Casey
Wills[3]. 5, 53-Brett Wilson[2]. 6, 79-Tim Kent[5]. 7, 22T-Frank Taft[1].
Car and Fleet Parts Heat 3 (8 Laps)
1, 6-Alison Slaton[1]. 2, 8-Alex Sewell[7]. 3, 5H-Cameron Hagin[2]. 4, 22X-Charlie
Crumpton[5]. 5, 007-Michael Bookout[4]. 6, 77-JC Wilson[3]. 7, 62-James Shoun[6].
Car and Fleet Parts Heat 4 (8 Laps)
1, 50Z-Zach Chappell[3]. 2, 88-Terry Easum[2]. 3, 84-Alex DeCamp[7]. 4, 30-Joseph
Miller[4]. 5, 82-Keith Bolton[5]. 6, 65L-Nick Lucito[1]. 7, 911-Waylon Weaver[6].
Wesmar B FEATURE (12 Laps)
1, 30-Joseph Miller[3]. 2, 79-Tim Kent[9]. 3, 82-Keith Bolton[5]. 4, 22X-Charlie Crumpton[1].
5, 14-Shane Sellers[11]. 6, 53-Brett Wilson[7]. 7, 65L-Nick Lucito[13]. 8, P78-Perry
Pickard[17]. 9, 62-James Shoun[15].
Wesmar B FEATURE (12 Laps)
1, 15D-Andrew Deal[1]. 2, 21P-Phillip Davis[4]. 3, 007-Michael Bookout[3]. 4, 77-JC Wilson[6]. 5, 22T-Frank
Taft[8]. 6, 31-Casey Wills[2]. 7, 911-Waylon Weaver[7]. 8, 2L-Brandon Leland[5]. (DNS).
Ameriflex Hose and Accessories A FEATURE (25 Laps)
1, 8-Alex Sewell[6]. 2, 50Z-Zach Chappell[7]. 3, 22C-Robert Sellers[2]. 4, 2-Mickey
Walker[9]. 5, 88-Terry Easum[10]. 6, 15D-Andrew Deal[14]. 7, 5-Joe Bob Lee[11]. 8, 79-
Tim Kent[15]. 9, 6-Alison Slaton[3]. 10, 82-Keith Bolton[17]. 11, 62-James Shoun[22]. 12,
007-Michael Bookout[18]. 13, 22T-Frank Taft[21]. 14, 77-JC Wilson[20]. 15, 84-Alex
DeCamp[5]. 16, 5H-Cameron Hagin[12]. 17, 30-Joseph Miller[13]. 18, 21P-Phillip Davis[16].
19, 22X-Charlie Crumpton[19]. 20, 2W-Whit Gastineau[1]. 21, 28-Joe Wood Jr.[4]. 22, 20S-
Sheldon Barksdale[8].
Lap Leaders: Robert Sellers 1-13, Alex Sewell 14-25.
Contingency Award Recipients:
Ameri-Flex Hose A Feature Winner: Alex Sewell.
Drive Shafts Inc. Heat Award Recipient: Whit Gastineau.
Bravado Wireless Heat Award Recipient: Robert Sellers.
Car and Fleet Parts Award Recipient: Alison Slaton, Zach Chappell.
York Plumbing Hard Charger Award: Andrew Deal +8.
M&W Aluminum Hard Luck Award: Casey Wills.
Amsoil High Point Driver Award: Whit Gastineau.
Rod End Supply Recipients: James Shoun, Michael Bookout, Frank Taft.
Wesmar Racing Engines Recipient: Joseph Miller, Andrew Deal.