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Gastineau Sprints To Third Win At West Siloam Speedway

By: John Lemon

Tulsa, Oklahoma (July 25, 2010) - When the 2010 racing season began, Whit Gastineau knew there would be more traveling to do with the closing of his hometown track in Oklahoma City after the 2009 racing season. When it came to hitting the road for the 2010 Oil Capital Racing Series tour, Gastineau was unsure how often he would hit the road to compete in the traveling series.

On Saturday night at West Siloam Speedway, Gastineau made the haul from Moore, Oklahoma for his eighth night of competition in OCRS action. For his efforts, Gastineau sprinted to his third win of the season for a winning percentage of 37.5% which is tops for drivers with more than one victory. Gastineau has solidified his position as being one of the top flight drivers that is a threat to win on any given night.

Kyle Clark of Sand Springs shot out into the lead in his Same Day Auto Repair number 9$ mount from the pole position with fellow front row starter Jeffery Newell of Broken Arrow tucking in right behind in his Risley’s Trash Service / Lucito Machine Shop #24 sprinter. Third heat race winner Kacee Frazier completed the first lap in third with Gastineau fourth and his brother Beau on his bumper in fifth.

Gastineau didn’t waste time moving forward in the 25 lap affair has he disposed of Frazier a lap later and then set Newell back a position on lap five. Second year driver Clark, who was having his best run in an OCRS feature event, was controlling the pace until Gastineau overtook him on lap eight. Mike Goodman began to pronounce his presence by moving into the fifth spot on the same lap. David Stephenson was keeping the top five in check by riding Goodman’s bumper around the red clay oval.

Gastineau began to distance himself from the pack and had an eight to ten car length advantage by lap twelve. Goodman worked his way past Frazier two circuits later for the fourth spot. Lapped traffic would allow the front runners to bunch up and a yellow flag would fall on lap 16 when Gastineau, Clark and the lapped car of Brady Demeree would all run into each other in a domino effect in turn four. Demeree stalled thus having the yellow halt racing action. Gastineau, who was fortune not to stall, would lead the field to the restart with Clark, Newell, Goodman, Frazier, Jonathan Beason (last years WSS winner), Stephenson, Sean McClelland and Jamie Passmore all in tow.

After the completion of one lap when the green was reinstated, Beason passed Frazier in turn one with Goodman overtaking Newell and McClelland taking a spot from Stephenson another lap later. The yellow would slow action again on lap 19 when Bristow’s Tim Kent slowed in turns one and two. Kent was fighting a power steering fluid issue that sent the slick oily substance into the cockpit area. Kent would get tended to in the work area and rejoin the field tail back. The field would go green then back to yellow when Kevin Cummings came to a stop between turns three and four on lap 21. Gastineau would take charge again on the restart only to have the yellow fall on last time on lap 23 when Frazier spun to a stop in turn two.

Gastineau, driving the Shell Rapid Lube, Allen Engines, Red Rock Racing Fuel special drove off to a six car length victory followed by Clark, Goodman in his Premier Homes / Mid America Speedway Twister chassis, Beason in the Toro / Broken Arrow Lawn and Garden machine and Newell completed the top five.

Danny Smith took the 12 lap B feature with Kevin Cummings, Phillip Davis and Tim Kent all earning transfers into the A feature.

On a night that produced a full moon, two high profile OCRS drivers had “full moon blues”. Rafe Essary took a wild ride in his hot lap session causing substantial damage to his sprinter. With the help of point leader Jamie Passmore, Danny Smith and others, Essary returned to start scratch in the B feature but wasn’t able to transfer into the A feature.

Matt Sherrell had his own gremlins. In what was thought to be a blown motor based on the amount of heavy oil that emitted from the Pat and Don Carnes number 35 in hot laps, it was found that the oil filter blew off the car and with a little clean up, the Owasso racer was ready for heat race action. However, he was involved in a skirmish that caused him to fall out of the heat and attempt to transfer from the B feature. In that event, Sherrell came up one spot short of the transfer.

The OCRS warriors will be in doubleheader action next week. Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kansas will host OCRS for the second time in 2010 on Friday night while the Mid-America Speedplant in South Coffeyville Oklahoma will host OCRS for the third time.

OCRS results from West Siloam Speedway 6/24/10

It was a great show!! Congratulations to Whit Gastineau on the win.It was good to see a lot of the OCRS regulars back at WSS.Along with a lot of new faces.A lot of fun working with the OCRS crew again!

Charles Crawford

"Back to the Drive"

it was a good night of racing. hope to be back!

"its useless to put on the brakes when you are upside 
down"   -Paul Newman