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Nick Smith Nails ASCS Sooner Win at State Fair Speedway
Lonnie Wheatley, OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (April 11, 2008)
Nick Smith snared his first feature win of the year by wiring the field in Friday night's 25-lap
American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region main event at State Fair
Speedway.
After drawing the pole position, Smith fought off several bids from
defending series champion Brian McClelland and then survived a late caution to snare
his ninth career ASCS Sooner Region victory aboard Kip Smith's Wesmar-powered
Sooner Network Solutions/Smith Trucking No. 15s J&J.
With the top eight point earners from heat race action redrawing to set the
front four rows of the feature, Smith bettered himself from seventh to start
on the pole while top point earner Travis Rilat drew the eighth position.
Smith outgunned fellow front row starter McClelland for the early lead, with
sixth-starter Garry Lee Maier overtaking Chris Lloyd for third after a
handful of laps and Rilat cracking the top five by the time the first caution flew
after seven laps for Gary Taylor's disabled mount.
Back under way, Smith opened up a lead as McClelland's mount stumbled on the
start. But McClelland reeled the leader back in and challenged as lapped
traffic came into play at the midway point.
Smith was up to the task, slipping away while Rilat battled forward to take
second from McClelland by the 20th lap.
A final caution after 22 laps for a turn four tangle involving Jack Dover
and Natalie Sather set up a three-lap dash to the checkered flag, but with a
pair of lapped cars separating Smith from his pursuers the outcome was sealed.
Smith sailed to the checkered flag unabated, while Rilat settled for
runner-up honors. Maier made a late move to take third, with McClelland crossing
the stripe fourth.
Andy Shouse rounded out the top five, with Zach Chappell charging from 20th
to snare sixth. Joe Wood, Jr., was seventh, with Larry Neighbors, Dover and
Eric Baldaccini completing the top ten.
Rilat, McClelland, Wood and Kolt Walker topped heat race action for the
34-car field, with Natalie Sather and Kerry McAlister winning the "B" Mains.
American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Results from State Fair
Speedway:
Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 15s-Nick Smith, 3. 15b-Michael
Brown, 4. b4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 33-Kris Miller, 6. 20-Rick Barksdale, 7.
29x-Don Grable, 8. 43-A.J. Selenke, 9. 65au-Matt Sherrell.
Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 87-Brian McClelland, 2. 28-Chris Lloyd, 3. 27-Andy
Shouse, 4. 64J-Johnny Miller, 5. 20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 6. 72-Sherman Davis,
7. 3r-Michael Beckerman. Disqualified: 41-Koby Barksdale (failed to report
directly to scales after finishing first). DNS: 92-Zach Chappell.
Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 2. 5*-Gary Taylor, 3. 11x-Garry
Lee Maier, 4. 15k-Kerry McAlister, 5. 11-Justin Melton, 6. 81au-Gavin Punch,
7. 13-Kathryne Minter, 8. 27m-Kyle Merriman.
Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 18-Lorne Wofford, 3. 29n-Larry
Neighbors, 4. 53-Jack Dover, 5. 94s-Natalie Sather, 6. 95-Matt Covington, 7.
61J-Danny Jennings, 8. 01-Brandon Jennings.
First "B" Feature (10 Laps): 1. 94s-Natalie Sather, 2. 64J-Johnny Miller,
3. 72-Sherman Davis, 4. 95-Matt Covington, 5. 41-Koby Barksdale, 6.
20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 7. 61J-Danny Jennings, 8. 29x-Don Grable, 9. 3r-Michael
Beckerman. DNS: 01-Brandon Jennings.
Second "B" Feature (10 Laps): 1. 15k-Kerry McAlister, 2. 81au-Gavin Punch,
3. 92-Zach Chappell, 4. 33-Kris Miller, 5. 11-Justin Melton, 6. 13-Kathryne
Minter, 7. 27m-Kyle Merriman, 8. 20-Rick Barksdale, 9. 43-A.J. Selenke, 10.
65au-Matt Sherrell.
"A" Feature (25 Laps): 1. 15s-Nick Smith, 2. 29-Travis Rilat, 3. 11x-Garry
Lee Maier, 4. 87-Brian McClelland, 5. 27-Andy Shouse, 6. 92-Zach Chappell,
7. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 8. 29n-Larry Neighbors, 9. 53-Jack Dover, 10. b4-Eric
Baldaccini, 11. 81au-Gavin Punch, 12. 45k-Kolt Walker, 13. 15b-Michael Brown,
14. 18-Lorne Wofford, 15. 28-Chris Lloyd, 16. 94s-Natalie Sather, 17.
64J-Johnny Miller, 18. 72-Sherman Davis, 19. 5*-Gary Taylor, 20. 15k-Kerry McAlister.
American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Travis
Rilat 296, 2. Brian McClelland 288, 3. Kolt Walker 268, 4. Andy Shouse 266, 5.
Michael Brown 236, 6. Garry Lee Maier 219, 7. Matt Covington 211, 8. Don
Grable 207, 9. Eric Baldaccini 205, 10. Kathryne Minter 193.
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