Conn wins OCRS Sprint Car opener with final turn pass

Tanner Conn David Smith Jr. photo

By John Rittenoure
MEEKER, Okla. (March 11, 2023) – When Tanner Conn shows up at Red Dirt Raceway past history suggests that he will be in or near the winners circle.

In 2021 Conn picked up two victories at Red Dirt (one with OCRS). Last season Conn won the June 24 OCRS stop at the Cody Brewer owned quarter mile. Saturday Conn won the 2023 AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories / OCRS season opener, and he did it in dramatic fashion.

Conn passed leader Steven Shebester on the final turn to win the 30-lap main event over a 38-car field.

It was his fourth OCRS career victory and fourth Red Dirt Raceway win in his last 10 appearances there.

Conn started outside second row and immediately drove into third behind veteran Danny Wood in who was in second and Shebester who was leading the 20-car field. On lap 19 Conn went around Wood for second and started his run after Shebester. Entering turn four for the 30th and final lap Conn threw a slider on Shebester and took away the lead. Conn outran Shebester to the checkered. Shebester settled for second after leading from the start, and second starting Danny Smith was third. Wood fell to fourth and Johnny Kent rounded out the top five to earn Hard Charger honors advancing 9 spots.

2021 champion Joe Bob Lee led Landon Thompson and Rees Moran to victory in the opening B main, Joey Danley topped Gage Montgomery and Shane Sundquist in the second B. All six transferred into the A main. Montgomery was the highest finisher of the six climbing to 10th.

Two events are on tap for next weekend with a stop at the historic Thunderbird Speedway half-mile in Muskogee on Friday followed by a stop at Tulsa Speedway on Saturday. Tulsa Speedway takes the date that was originally scheduled for Creek County Speedway.

AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories OCRS Sprint Car Results

Red Dirt Raceway – Meeker, Oklahoma

March 11, 2023

AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories A-Main (30 Laps): 1. 78-Tanner Conn[4]; 2. 16S-Steven Shebester[1]; 3. 5$-Danny Smith[2]; 4. 55W-Danny Wood[3]; 5. 55-Johnny Kent[14]; 6. 2-Whit Gastineau[8]; 7. 88-Terry Easum[13]; 8. 10-Trevor Serbus[6]; 9. 03-Joe Wood Jr[12]; 10. 79-Gage Montgomery[18]; 11. 22M-Rees Moran[19]; 12. 938-Bradley Fezard[7]; 13. 22C-Alex DeCamp[11]; 14. 7-Shane Sundquist[20]; 15. 5-Joe Bob Lee[15]; 16. (DNF) 7T-Landon Thompson[17]; 17. (DNF) 8-Alex Sewell[5]; 18. (DNF) 14-Joey Danley[16]; 19. (DNF) 07-Owen Carlson[9]; 20. (DNF) 50Z-Zach Chappell[10]

Smileys Racing Products B-Main 1 (12 Laps): 1. 5-Joe Bob Lee[2]; 2. 7T-Landon Thompson[3]; 3. 22M-Rees Moran[1]; 4. 31-Casey Wills[6]; 5. 18-Dillon Laden[4]; 6. 20S-Sheldon Barksdale[8]; 7. 8R-Ryker Pace[12]; 8. 37-Bryce Norris[5]; 9. 22RL-Gage Laney[9]; 10. 30X-Larry Bratti[10]; 11. 12M-Mitchell Barros[11]; 12. 1T-Joshua Tyre[7]

Smileys Racing Products B-Main 2 (12 Laps): 1. 14-Joey Danley[2]; 2. 79-Gage Montgomery[1]; 3. 7-Shane Sundquist[3]; 4. 21-Brandon Jennings[4]; 5. 16-Conner Thomas[7]; 6. 9-Emilio Hoover[9]; 7. 30-Matt Johnson[10]; 8. 4S-Jeremy Snow[6]; 9. 38-Jimmy Forrester[8]; 10. 26M-Fred Mattox[5]; 11. 2L-Brandon Leland[11]; 12. 51-Ryan Dean[12]

Schure Built Suspensions Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 55W-Danny Wood[3]; 2. 938-Bradley Fezard[4]; 3. 79-Gage Montgomery[2]; 4. 88-Terry Easum[6]; 5. 4S-Jeremy Snow[1]; 6. 16-Conner Thomas[5]; 7. 22RL-Gage Laney[7]; 8. 2L-Brandon Leland[8]

Lightning Wings Powder Coating Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 78-Tanner Conn[2]; 2. 16S-Steven Shebester[6]; 3. 5$-Danny Smith[8]; 4. 18-Dillon Laden[4]; 5. 1T-Joshua Tyre[1]; 6. 31-Casey Wills[7]; 7. 30-Matt Johnson[3]; 8. 51-Ryan Dean[5]

Smith Titanium Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 2-Whit Gastineau[1]; 2. 50Z-Zach Chappell[2]; 3. 03-Joe Wood Jr[4]; 4. 14-Joey Danley[5]; 5. 21-Brandon Jennings[6]; 6. 37-Bryce Norris[8]; 7. 12M-Mitchell Barros[3]; 8. 8R-Ryker Pace[7]

Dyno Services of Oklahoma Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 8-Alex Sewell[1]; 2. 10-Trevor Serbus[4]; 3. 5-Joe Bob Lee[2]; 4. 7T-Landon Thompson[5]; 5. 7-Shane Sundquist[7]; 6. 38-Jimmy Forrester[3]; 7. 30X-Larry Bratti[6]

AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 07-Owen Carlson[1]; 2. 22C-Alex DeCamp[2]; 3. 22M-Rees Moran[3]; 4. 55-Johnny Kent[6]; 5. 26M-Fred Mattox[4]; 6. 20S-Sheldon Barksdale[5]; 7. 9-Emilio Hoover[7]

Lap Leaders: Steven Shebester 1-29, Tanner Conn 30.

Margin of Victory: 0.236

Hard Charger: Johnny Kent +9

2023 Winners

03/11 – Red Dirt Raceway, Tanner Conn.

2023 Top 10

1. Tanner Conn 120; 2, Steven Shebester 116; 3. Danny Smith 112; 4. Danny Wood 111; 5. Johnny Kent, Whit Gastineau 105; 7. Terry Easum 99; 8. Trevor Serbus 98; 9. Joe Wood, Jr. 94; 10. Rees Moran 88.

About the AmeriFlex / OCRS Series –

Established in 2002, the Tulsa OK based AmeriFlex / Oil Capital Racing Series sanctions dirt track sprint car racing in the southern region of the central plains. Fan appeal and quality race teams, combined with our solid core of supporting sponsors are the nucleus of the series. Thrilling competition providing the ultimate quality family entertainment is the essence of what the AmeriFlex / OCRS series is all about.

Website: www.ocrsracing.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/oil.series

About AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories –

Located in Tulsa OK, AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories is a family owned and operated company. From food grade hose to hoses for the petroleum industry, AmeriFlex will strive to fill your needs. AmeriFlex can build a hose to your specifications or we will assist you in creating what you have designed while you wait. AmeriFlex has several hard to find items that some vendors can’t get or find. Product can be shipped quickly and efficiently. If we do not have what you are looking for, we will direct you on where to find it. Give us a try, after all…………..

AmeriFlex Has The Stuff That Keeps You Going!

Website: www.AmeriFlexHose.com

AmeriFlex / OCRS IMCA Contingency Sponsors

AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories, Hoosier Racing Tires, Smileys Racing Products, Schoenfeld, Brodix, Lucas Oil, RacinDirt.TV, Schure Built Suspension, Lightning Wings & Powder Coating, Smith Titanium, MyRacePass.