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Dean Drake Jr Captures First OCRS Triumph at Mid-America Speedway

John Lemon

OCRS Public Relations

South Coffeyville Oklahoma (July 2, 2011) On a weekend where Americans all over this vast nation celebrate America's Independence, Dean Drake Jr had his own reason for some special celebrating as he won his first career Oil Capital Racing Series sprint car main event at Kenny Gariss' Mid-America Speedway.Twenty cars would take to a sun baked clay surface which would make passing a quality commodity.Drake Jr would lead the field to the start from his pole position in his Oil Express / Liquid Designs/ Maxim sprinter with Stillwell's Rafe Essary along side in his XXX chassis.

Drake would bolt to the lead as the pair drag raced for the top spot going into turn one. Owasso's Matt Sherrell would tuck behind the duo in his Sherrell Paint & Body racer with Johnny “Hotrod” Kent on Sherrell's bumper in his Kent Construction/WFO Motorsports machine.Trouble would find Sherrell two laps into the affair as he fell out of the event with mechanical woes.2011 OCRS rookie of the year candidate Josh Toho would work his way past Kent on the same lap with Tulsa's Mike Goodman looking for a way to move past as well. A couple of laps later, Goodman would set Toho one spot back by over taking the El Reno Oklahoma resident in turn one. However, the features only stoppage in the 25-lap affair came when Kevin Guinn, Tim Kent and Whit Gastineau were all entangled in turn number two.The yellow flag would negate Goodman's pass of Toho as the cars were reverted back to the last completed lap. Guinn would go to the pits and not return while Kent and Gastineau would rejoin the field at the rear.

Once back under green, it took Goodman but one lap to retake the 3rd position from Toho on the backstretch.It was during this time that point leader Sean McClelland and Andrew Deal were beginning to make their presence known.On the next lap, McClelland would dispose of Toho in turn number one. Further back, the “Princess”, Shayla Waddell of OKC, would move into the 7^th position from her 11^th starting spot.Waddell would work past Toho just a lap later displacing him yet another spot.Meanwhile, Deal was pressuring McClelland on a track that had laid down enough excess rubber, which provided the cars a launching ramp at the exit of each corner. Deal, who started 9^th, would eventually work past McClelland on the 12^th lap and set his sights on those just ahead. Deal would overtake Goodman on the 16^th lap while Drake and Essary continued to pace the field up front. The top five runners were all tied together battling for positions as laps began to wind down.Drake would encounter lapped traffic on the 22^nd circuit and it was on this lap that Deal would over take Essary for the runner up position. While tightly bunched together, the field would hold par for the course to the finish. As Drake took the checkered flag, he was chased across the line by Deal, Essary, Goodman and McClelland.Waddell would take 6^th for her best finish of the season with Fred Mattox, Kyle Clark, Travis “Hollywood” Jenkins and Johnny “Hotrod” Kent would round out the top 10.

“The rubber started coming in about half way and there were spots that had rubber (some not) and then the track started taking more and taking more (rubber).Then we started getting into lapped traffic and then a couple of them were racing at the end and I did not want to get tangled up into their mess so I backed off a little bit and then next thing I know Andrew Deal was right there and all I was thinking was that I can't lose it now with just two to go” said a relieved Drake Jr.“This is a new motor and I'm kind of glad it lived. We ran Meeker last night to break it in as it was the motors first night, it was built Bubba Hunt and it ran great.”

Although a bridesmaid this night, Deal was pleased with his outcome.When asked about his success in coming from 9^th to 2^nd on a track that was difficult to gain positions on, Deal commented: “I think it (driving on dry tracks) is from my days of racing micros and midgets on similar type tracks. What you really had to do was to let the car roll into the corner and pick up the throttle. A lot of guys would run their cars into the corner farther and their cars became difficult to get off the corners as they needed to.We (with car owner David Stephenson) are really getting this car figured out and I feel our first win is really not too far away. This is a really good car to drive with good people behind it and all I got to do is steer it.”

Heat race winners for the 25 car field were Sherrell, Toho and Essary.Drake Jr would take the Pole Dash to earn the right to start the feature in the number one slot. After suffering difficulties in his heat race, Gastineau would take the 12 lap B Feature with Tim Kent, “Hollywood” Jenkins and Darien Roberts earning the transfer spots into the nights main event.Alex Sewell entered the night driving the Kenneth Walker owned sprinter in his OCRS (and personal) sprint car debut.Sewell just missed transferring into the A feature by finishing 6^th in the B feature. The next event for the 2011 Oil Capital Racing Series traveling vagabonds will be next Saturday, July 9^th at George Welch's Oklahoma Sports Park in Ada Oklahoma.Last May, Whit “The Gasman” Gastineau was victorious in the first stop at OSP.

Mid-America Speedway
Race date: July 2, 2011 - Event 9

25 Cars

Heat 1

1) Matt Sherrell 2) Dean Drake Jr. 3) Kyle Clark 4) Rob Forehand 5) Beau Gastineau 6) Kevin Guinn 7) Darien Roberts 8) Derrek Wilson 9) Whit Gastineau

Heat 2

1) Josh Toho 2) Johnny Kent 3) Colton Brewer 4) Sean McClelland 5) Shayla Waddell 6) Tim Kent 7) Alex Sewell 8) Kevin Cummings

Heat 3

1) Rafe Essary 2) Terry Easum 3) Mike Goodman 4) Andrew Deal 5) Fred Mattox 6) Travis Jenkins 8) Waylon Weaver 8) Casey Wills DNS

Pole Dash:

1) Dean Drake Jr 2) Rafe Essary 3) Matt Sherrell 4) Johnny Kent 5) Josh Toho 6) Kyle Clark

B Feature

1) Whit Gastineau 2) Tim Kent 3) Travis Jenkins 4) Darien Roberts 5) Alex Sewell 6) Waylon Weaver 7) Derrek Wilson 8) Kevin Cunmmings 9) Casey Wills (DNS)

A Feature

1) Dean Drake Jr 2) Andrew Deal 3) Rafe Essary 4) Mike Goodman 5) Sean McClelland 6) Shayla Waddell 7) Fred Mattox 8) Kyle Clark 9) Travis Jenkins 10) Johnny Kent 11) Josh Toho 12) Tim Kent 13) Terry Easum 14) Whit Gastineau 15) Colton Brewer 16) Darien Roberts 17) Beau Gastineau 18) Rob Forehand 19) Kevin Guinn 20) Matt Sherrell.