By John Rittenoure
TULSA, Okla. (November 17, 2020) – Oil Capital Racing Series owner Kerry Gorby announced at the 2020 Awards Banquet that Terry Mattox has purchased an interest in the series and is now co-owner of OCRS.
Mattox is well known to the racing community in his position as Scheduling Coordinator for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series and owner of the NOW600 Micro Sprint series. Mattox is also involved with the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl Midget Nationals where he serves as flagman. If that is not enough, Mattox also promotes various events under the Terry Mattox Promotions banner as time permits.
However, in recent years sprint car racing in Oklahoma has become diluted with several organizations dividing the field of competitors. Mattox wants to see sprint car racing thrive again and he sees that happening through his involvement with OCRS.
“When Kerry bought it (OCRS) from Barry Grabel I was kind of an advisor, and now going into 2021, I had the opportunity to buy into OCRS,” explained Mattox who felt the time was right for this move. “With the allowing of the 5×5 wings and the 305’s I thought why not take a shot at it as it could be something bigger going down the road.
“I grew up with the series and it has been part of my life so I am glad to be involved in it even more now.”
With that goal in mind Gorby and Mattox purchased the 305 Sprint Series of Oklahoma and merged it into OCRS. Now Racesaver 305’s will be racing wheel-to-wheel with 2-barrel sprints under OCRS and IMCA sanction.
The next step was to give drivers more opportunity to race by keeping scheduling conflicts to a minimum. To meet that goal Mattox sat down and put together schedules for the AmeriFlex OCRS IMCA Series, ASCS Sooner Region and NOW600 that do not conflict.
“It was not easy,” smiled Mattox. “If we have an OCRS race ASCS Sooner is not running and if ASCS is running we won’t have an OCRS race. Most of the guys have an OCRS car and a ASCS car and in my seven years of doing this most everyone would go to an OCRS race. We are trying to get the car counts together. That is why we are doing a combined deal.”
Mattox will be at every AmeriFlex OCRS IMCA event overseeing all race operations.
“I am series director and competition director,” Mattox said. “I will head up all the duties and do timing and scoring. Angie Battles will be our hand scorer. That is what we do with ASCS and NOW600.”
Mattox is looking forward to the future of Oklahoma sprint car racing.
“I am glad to have a good partnership with Kerry,” he said. “I think it will be good for both of us.”