By John Rittenoure (Meeker, OK) - Patience and some good old fashion luck combined to help Shane Sellers find the winners circle in the Ameri-Flex / OCRS Sprint feature Sunday evening at Red Dirt Raceway.
Photo credit; Mike Howard
It was the third victory of the season and second straight for Sellers and his Courtney Farms, and David Grace Motorsports sponsored sprinter. Sellers' last victory in his XXX chassis / Brand Racing Engines powered sprinter came in the Oklahoma State Championship race at Oklahoma Sports Park on September 16.
The feature was billed as a special “Salute to State Fair Speedway” and went 40-laps instead of the usual 25. And for most of the race, it appeared Sellers might have to settle for second behind outside front row starter Johnny Kent.
Kent shot ahead of pole sitter Shayla Waddell on the start with Sellers quickly moving from his third row inside starting position to second with his dad, Robert Sellers, moving into third. Kent had little trouble maintaining his lead although Sellers closed in on the leader around lap 15. Still Kent remained in command until he tangled with Morgan Fletcher, who he was about to lap, on lap 30. Fletcher flipped as a result and Kent spun to a stop to bring out the red.
When the race restarted, Sellers inherited the lead but Andrew Deal was closing fast. Deal, who started 13th after winning the first of two Wesmar Racing Engines B mains, tried to challenge Sellers after the restart but fell back slightly in the closing laps and finished a respectable second.
“I lost a right front shock probably ten laps in,” Deal said of his run toward the front. “We were really good in the bottom of (turns) one and two. If the shock had not been hanging off we probably had the car to win.
“At the end I could not keep the front end where I wanted to be.”
Deal felt he might have had a chance to pass Sellers but did not want to chance it.
“I ran him down there and may be could have thrown something on him,” Deal said of catching Sellers. “Shayla (Waddell) went down on the bottom and there was no getting down there.”
Despite not winning Deal was very happy with how the car worked all night.
“We came from the B and passed some really good cars,” he said. “If that shock had not come loose we had the car to win. I will take second.”
The victory allowed Sellers to pickup 21 points on series points leader Zach Chappell who finished sixth. Sheldon Barksdale and Ty Hulsey, in his first OCRS event, and Matt Sherrell (from 15th) picked up third through fifth.
Deal led Sherrell, Casey Wills and Jaiden Hughes in the first B main. All of which transferred to the main. In the second B main, newcomer Matt Moore won followed by Chappell, Cameron Hagin and Morgan Fletcher.
Ameri-Flex / OCRS Results
Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker Okla.
October 8, 2017
Car count: 32
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(Pos-Car-Driver-Start)
Drive Shafts, Inc. Heat 1 (8 laps)
1, 4X-Robert Sellers[2]. 2, 2W-Whit Gastineau[1]. 3, 16-Steven Shebester[3]. 4, 20S-Sheldon Barksdale[6]. 5, 18J-Cody Jarvis[4]. 6, 50Z-Zach Chappell[5]. 7, 20-James Esmond[7]. 8, 20H-Noah Harris[8].
A1 Machine Shop Heat 2 (8 laps)
1, 24H-Ty Hulsey[4]. 2, 5L-Joe Bob Lee[8]. 3, 31-Casey Wills[3]. 4, 4T-Joshua Tyre[7]. 5, 777-Bailey Hughes[2]. 6, 13-Len Larkin[1]. 7, 30J-Larry Bratti[5]. 8, 20G-Noah Gass[6].
Car and Fleet Parts Heat 3 (8 laps)
1, 4-Shane Sellers[2]. 2, 55-Johnny Kent[8]. 3, 22M-Matt Moore[3]. 4, 5X-Matt Sherrell[4]. 5, 5-Cameron Hagin[7]. 6, 94F-Morgan Fletcher[1]. 7, 54-Will Scribner[6]. 8, 222-Jaiden Hughes[5].
Car and Fleet Parts Heat 4 (8 laps)
1, 2-Mickey Walker[1]. 2, 76S-Shayla Waddell[5]. 3, 15D-Andrew Deal[8]. 4, 65-Nick Lucito[6]. 5, 22T-Frank Taft[3]. 6, 8J-James Fabian[7]. 7, P78-Perry Pickard[2]. 8, 3G-Jeff Garnett[4].
Wesmar Racing Engines B Feature #1 (12 laps, top 4 transfer)
1, 15D-Andrew Deal[2]. 2, 5X-Matt Sherrell[3]. 3, 31-Casey Wills[1]. 4, 222-Jaiden Hughes[10]. 5, 8J-James Fabian[5]. 6, 54-Will Scribner[8]. 7, 20-James Esmond[7]. 8, 13-Len Larkin[6]. DNS: 20H-Noah Harris[9], 777-Bailey Hughes[4].
Wesmar Racing Engines B Feature #2 (12 laps, top 4 transfer)
1, 22M-Matt Moore[1]. 2, 50Z-Zach Chappell[5]. 3, 5-Cameron Hagin[2]. 4, 94F-Morgan Fletcher[6]. 5, P78-Perry Pickard[8]. 6, 3G-Jeff Garnett[10]. 7, 30x-Larry Brattin[7]. 8, 18J-Cody Jarvis[3], 22T-Frank Taft[4]. DNS:, 20G-Noah Gass[9].
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AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories A Feature (40 laps)
1, 4-Shane Sellers[5]. 2, 15D-Andrew Deal[13]. 3, 20S-Sheldon Barksdale[10]. 4, 24H-Ty Hulsey[3]. 5, 5X-Matt Sherrell[15]. 6, 50Z-Zach Chappell[16]. 7, 5L-Joe Bob Lee[8]. 8, 31-Casey Wills[17]. 9, 22M-Matt Moore[14]. 10, 76S-Shayla Waddell[1]. 11, 65-Nick Lucito[11]. 12, 5-Cameron Hagin[18]. 13, 55-Johnny Kent[2]. 14, 94F-Morgan Fletcher[20]. 15, 16-Steven Shebester[12]. 16, 4X-Robert Sellers[7]. 17, 2-Mickey Walker[6]. 18, 4T-Joshua Tyre[9]. 19, 2W-Whit Gastineau[4]. 20, 222-Jaiden Hughes[19].
Lap Leaders: Johnny Kent 1-29, Shane Sellers 30-40.
Contingency Awards
Drive Shaft Inc. Heat: Robert Sellers
A1 Machine Shop Heat: Ty Hulsey
Car and Fleet Heat #1: Shane Sellers
Car and Fleet Heat #2: Mickey Walker
Wesmar Racing Engines B-Feature #1: Andrew Deal
Wesmar Racing Engines B-Feature #2: Matt Moore
Amsoil Hard Charger: Andrew Deal +11
M&W Aluminum Hard Luck: Noah Gass
Rod End Supply Recipients: Nick Lucito, Cameron Hagin, Johnny Kent
On Deck: 81 Speedway / Park City Kansas / Saturday October 14th
Pictured:
Shane Sellers is all smiles at Red Dirt Raceway
Shane Sellers speeds to his 3rd win of the season
Photo Credits: Mike Howard
http://www.ocrsracing.net