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AMID LIGHTNING SKIES…… OWENS THUNDERS TO GLORY IN THE OKLAHOMA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

John Lemon

OCRS Public Relations

Ada Oklahoma (September 17, 2011)- Fate can sometimes be a thing of chance. Other times, it just becomes destiny regardless if such fate comes in a positive or a negative form. In the Oil Capital Racing Series fifth annual running of the “Oklahoma State Championship” at George Welch’s Oklahoma Sports Park, fate would be embraced and be coy as Pauls Valley resident Gary Owens would take his first career OCRS main event triumph while Drumright’s Fred Mattox would see his chance at a first career OCRS victory come up short by a mere 25 yards.

With skies threatening overhead with streaks of lightening, OCRS and track officials would hustle to get the scheduled 25 lap championship event to the line so the nearly packed house could witness the event they came to see. In an effort to save time, the traditional Pole Dash race was scrapped and the top six in heat race points would draw for their starting positions. Owens drew the pole for his Field’s Pecan Pies / Glen Owens Sand & Gravel / Jim’s Hickory Smoked Meats #33 while the 18 year old Mattox would draw the outside of the front row for his David Mattox owned D&J Tank Trucks / Pacer Energy Marketing / A.K.L. Oilfield Services #26m sprinter.

Mattox would win the race to turn one while outside second row starter Matt Sherrell would sneak his Sherrell Paint & Body Shop sprinter past Owens for the second spot. Third row starter Brian Bishop would slide over the top edge of turn one loosing several positions in the process. With rains from the previous day making for a fast track, the leaders would encounter lapped traffic in only five laps. The lead trio would continue to hold court while Robert Sellers, three time defending OCRS champion Jamie Passmore and Danny Smith would be locked bumper to bumper for fourth to sixth respectively as they began lap six. Looming behind them would be six time feature winner in 2011, Whit “The Gasman” Gastineau.

Owens would get by Sherrell for second on lap seven to begin the chase for the lead. A lap latter, Sellers would slip three spots when Passmore, Smith and Gastineau all went by. A couple of laps after that, Sherrell would lose three spots of his own when the same trio that swept past Sellers would do the same to Sherrell. On lap 13, the Gasman overtook Smith then a yellow would halt action on lap 15 when Kyle Clark would spin to a stop in turn two. The next few minutes went into drama mode.

On the restart, Gastineau got out of shape up high in turn four coming down to take the green and lost multiple positions to his peers. Fate worked in the positive charge for Gastineau when a yellow would fly for a Kevin Cummings spin on the back straight before the lap would be completed. This allowed Gastineau to restart back in the fourth position. With 14 laps down and light rain falling, OCRS officials called for a green-white-checker finish.The field took the green and fate evolved. The field held their positions in check and coming down for the checkered flag. Mattox got into the front-stretch wall and flipped his mount to its landing just 25 yards short of the finish line. Flagman J.D. Etter had unfurled the checker flag prior to Mattox’s misfortune and with the red out and raindrops falling, the race was declared official. While it was a negative fate for Mattox, it was all positive for Owens as he lost his bid for his first OCRS feature in the last corner of the last lap during the last stop OCRS made at OSP. Passmore was credited with second with Gastineau, Smith and Sherrell rounding out the top five. Mattox was scored 15^th.

“I hated it for Mr. Mattox,” said Owens. “ Last time we were here a radiator blew and we hit it (water) and spun out. We were just in the right spot tonight. Mattox drove a good race tonight and couldn’t quite finish I guess. The more the rain came, the track was getting faster and faster then lapped traffic played a big part too. We got through turns 3 and 4 real well but one and two was getting slicker and slicker. I just want to thank Glen Owens Sand and Gravel, Field’s Pecan Pie, our number one sponsor and Goodyear along with Jim’s BBQ” exclaimed the excited winner.

For the heartbreak at hand, Mattox was a sport in discussing his ill willed fate. “I got the lead and we were following lapped cars, we were all fast. They (OCRS officials) came over the radio after that last caution after Kevin (Cummings) spun and they said green-white-checkered. We got into the front chute and I smacked the wall. It should have been prevented from going green-white-checkered.”

Heat race winners for the 25 car field were: Sellers, Bishop and Sherrell. OCRS will make their next appearance at the Outlaw Motor Speedway in Oktaha Oklahoma on Friday night, September 30^th for the “Sprint Car Fall Nationals”.

Oklahoma Sports Park Results
Race date: September 17, 2011 - Event 17

Congrats to Gary Owens!! Good to see him win again. Good ole Okie weather wreaking havoc everywhere last night, from racin' to football. It's always something around here, I guess.

Go Fast, Turn Left, Repeat Often!!