Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (March 19, 2022) – North Carolia’s Gavan Boschele made it a sweep of the weekend by taking the $7,500 winner’s share in Saturday night’s 52-lap Non Wing Showcase Outlaw Micro Sprint feature event benefitting the Rayce Rudeen Foundation at Port City Raceway.
While he started from the pole position aboard the Swindell Speedlab / Motorsport Games No. 5, he had his hands full throughout fending off challenges from the best in the business including the likes of Frank Flud, Jeffrey Newell and Cannon McIntosh to score the lucrative victory that more than covered the late-night supply of waffles for all.
Boschele wasn’t the only one to make it a sweep of the weekend as Kaley Mahaffey and Ryker Griggs both backed up Friday night preliminary victories in Restricted “A” Class and Junior Sprints, respectively.
In the 52-lap Outlaw Non-Wing Micro Sprint feature, Boschele capitalized on his pole starting position to grab the early lead and kept Flud and McIntosh at bay in the early stages by running the low line.
After a Scotty Milan flip in turn two a dozen circuits in, Boschele moved to the topside to fend off the rim-riding Flud. Flud kept the pressure on, pulling alongside and nearly taking the lead moments before a second red flag flew for a Brecken Reed flip in turn four after 17 laps.
With the lead trio of Boschele, Flud and McIntosh working the topside ahead of Jonathan Beason, Newell began making ground on the bottom of the track and was into second by the time Beason went for a tumble in turn four after 31 laps.
Boschele dipped to the bottom on the restart, but Newell still slipped under in a battle for the point. Boschele retreated to the cushion and the pair battled in side-by-side fashion for a handful of laps before the 14-year-old Boschele edged back into the lead with ten laps to go.
As the bottom slowed, Newell fell back and McIntosh closed in to challenge in the final circuits but to no avail as Boschele proved flawless to finish off the long-distance event.
McIntosh settled for runner-up honors in the Christopher Bell-owned No. 21 with Flud, Newell and Chelby Hinton rounding out the top five. Trey Robb was sixth with 14th-starter Corbin Rueschenberg, Johnny Boland, 21st-starter Shawn Mahaffey and Tyler Kuykendall completing the top ten.
In the 30-lap Restricted “A” Class feature event, Tulsa’s Kaley Mahaffey grabbed the lead at the outset and withstood the race-long pressure from Chase McDougal to collect the $1,000 victory.
While Mahaffey and McDougal ran out front throughout, Lathe Griggs was providing premium entertainment by ripping the cushion relentlessly to race from tenth to claim the show position. Brody Brown and Scout Sproggins rounded out the top five.
Bartlesville’s Ryker Griggs proved to be the class of the field in the Junior Sprints for the second night in a row, leading all 20 laps before taking the checkered flag ahead of Kansan Micah Becker, Callan Hill, Nolan Medlock and Mattix McBride.
- Ryan Merz on Mar 20, 2022
- Article Date: 3/20/2022 by Lonnie Wheatley