By John Rittenoure
Pictured:
Zach Chappell (50z) & Shayla Waddell (88s) power through the turns at Tri-State Speedway / Mike Spivey Photo
Pocola, Okla. (September 19, 2015) - Zach Chappell has had to exercise a lot of patience in his first season racing on the AmeriFlex Hose and Accessories Oil Capital Racing Series tour.
After starting the season five weeks late, Chappell logged two second place and four third place finishes over the next 16 weeks, but no victory.
Saturday, in the AmeriFlex / OCRS season finale at Tri-State Speedway, patience paid off and Chappell who captured his first career OCRS main event victory.
Chappell became the 11th different winner in what ended up as a 22-week season for OCRS.
“We ended the year on a high note which is good for us,” Chappell said afterwards. “We have been close a couple of times and it feels good to get back to victory lane.
“We decided to go for it tonight and we got lucky.”
The victory was a complete turnaround from the week before at Oklahoma Sports Park where mechanical issues in hot laps put the number 50Z sprinter on the trailer without running a single lap.
“We had a pretty tough week last weekend,” Chappell recalled. “We drove all the way to Ada and broke a rear-end in hot laps. We were disgusted with ourselves because we knew better than what we did.”
It was a low point of the season for the Talala, Oklahoma native. The broken rear-end dropped Chappell from 4th to 7th in points.
Saturday Chappell started outside front row next to pole sitter Johnny Kent after winning his heat and drawing the number 2 pill in the re-draw. When the green dropped Kent shot into the lead with Chappell tucking in behind. Kent was hugging the inside line around the high-banked 3/8’s mile oval and Chappell followed for 21 laps. Then with four laps remaining Chappell saw an opportunity and seized it.
“I had settled for second, but we had lapped traffic at the right time,” Chappell said. “We started on the front of the heat and it was a hard track to pass on. We started outside front row in the “A” (feature) and was patient enough. Johnny (Kent) made one mistake all night and I was right there to take it.”
Kent’s rear brakes were glowing red-hot and he slipped high on lap 22 allowing Chappell take away the lead.
“We were in lapped traffic and he entered turn one a little high out of the rubber,” explained Chappell. “His right rear hit the dust and it took him up high. I got underneath him and hugged the wall the rest of the time.
“It made for a great race.”
Chappell stayed down low and crossed the finish line first after 25 laps. Meanwhile Kent faded to third giving way to three-time past champion Mike Goodman who finished second. Chance Morton and Whit Gastineau rounded out the top five.
For the first time, 2015 champion Robert Sellers had to run the first B main to make his way into the main event and finished 20th after becoming involved in a lap two red. Sellers was unable to restart.
On lap 24, the race was stopped when three-time past champion Sean McClelland and Danny Smith tangled in turn three. McClelland reportedly got into the wall and the rear of his car ended up on the hood of Smith’s spun sprinter. McClelland was extracted from his sprinter and transported to a Fort Smith AR. hospital with a reported shoulder injury. Smith was not hurt in the crash.
The season points race ended with a three-way tie for fourth between Cameron Hagin, Casey Wills and Whit Gastineau. Chappell finished just one point behind the trio in seventh after his victory, Rookie Brent Wilson earned the third points spot in his first full season with OCRS.
AmeriFlex / Oil Capital Racing Series
Tri-State Speedway - Pocola, Okla.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Car count: 29
(Pos-Car-Driver-Start)
Boyd Racing Engines Heat (8 laps)
1, 84-Alex DeCamp[1]. 2, 2W-Whit Gastineau[4]. 3, 9$-Kyle Clark[2]. 4, 87F-Brian McClelland[8]. 5, 53-Brett Wilson[3]. 6, 8M-Kade Morton[7]. 7, 88S-Shayla Waddell[6]. 8, 4PM-Travis Jenkins[5].
Shock Doc Heat (8 laps)
1, 4-Shane Sellers[1]. 2, 22T-Frank Taft[2]. 3, 11J-Joshua Tyre[3]. 4, 5-Cameron Hagin[6]. 5, 007-Michael Bookout[4]. 6, 16-David Stephenson[7]. 7, P78-Perry Pickard[5].
Drive Shafts Inc. Heat (8 laps)
1, 4AM-Mike Goodman[5]. 2, 55-Johnny Kent[7]. 3, 7M-Chance Morton[6]. 4, 31-Casey Wills[1]. 5, 5$-Danny Smith[3]. 6, 30-Joseph Miller[2]. 7, 17-Brent Bates[4].
Car and Fleet Parts Heat (8 laps)
1, 50Z-Zach Chappell[1]. 2, 1-Sean McClelland[2]. 3, 69-Glen Passmore[3]. 4, 4X-Robert Sellers[5]. 5, 5X-Sheldon Barksdale[4]. 6, 94-Dan Schnackenberg[6]. DNS: 3-Brian Gramm.
Wesmar Racing Engines B Feature #1 (12 laps, top 4 transfer)
1, 4X-Robert Sellers[2]. 2, 5$-Danny Smith[4]. 3, 11J-Joshua Tyre[1]. 4, 53-Brett Wilson[3]. 5, 8M-Kade Morton[5]. 6, 17-Brent Bates[8]. 7, 88S-Shayla Waddell[7]. 8, 30-Joseph Miller[6]. 9, 3-Brian Gramm[9].
Wesmar Racing Engines B Feature #2 (12 laps, top 4 transfer)
1, 69-Glen Passmore[1]. 2, 31-Casey Wills[2]. 3, 5X-Sheldon Barksdale[4]. 4, 4PM-Travis Jenkins[8]. 5, 007-Michael Bookout[3]. 6, P78-Perry Pickard[7]. 7, 16-David Stephenson[5]. 8, 94-Dan Schnackenberg[6].
AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories A Feature (25 laps)
1, 50Z-Zach Chappell[2]. 2, 4AM-Mike Goodman[5]. 3, 55-Johnny Kent[1]. 4, 7M-Chance Morton[3]. 5, 2W-Whit Gastineau[4]. 6, 84-Alex DeCamp[6]. 7, 9$-Kyle Clark[12]. 8, 69-Glen Passmore[14]. 9, 5X-Sheldon Barksdale[18]. 10, 87F-Brian McClelland[8]. 11, 5-Cameron Hagin[11]. 12, 53-Brett Wilson[19]. 13, 31-Casey Wills[16]. 14, 4PM-Travis Jenkins[20]. 15, 11J-Joshua Tyre[17]. 16, 22T-Frank Taft[9]. 17, 1-Sean McClelland[10]. 18, 5$-Danny Smith[15]. 19, 4-Shane Sellers[7]. 20, 4X-Robert Sellers[13].
Lap Leaders: Johnny Kent 1-21, Zach Chappell 22-25.
Contingency Awards:
Boyd's Racing Engines Heat: Alex DeCamp
Shock Doc Heat: Shane Sellers
Drive Shafts, Inc. Heat: Mike Goodman
Car and Fleet Parts Heat: Zach Chappell
D&E Hard Luck Recipient: Sean McClelland
Action Auto Collision Hard Charger Recipient: Sheldon Barksdale (+9)
Wesmar Power Parts Recipients: Robert Sellers, Glen Passmore
M&W Aluminum Products Recipients: Kade Morton, Michael Bookout
Lightning Wings Recipient: Brian McClelland
Rod End Supply Recipients: Whit Gastineau, Sheldon Barksdale, Joshua Tyre
About AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories-
Located in Tulsa OK, AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories is a family owned and operated company. From food grade hose to hoses for the petroleum industry, AmeriFlex will strive to fill your needs. AmeriFlex can build a hose to your specifications or we will assist you in creating what you have designed while you wait. AmeriFlex has several hard to find items that some vendors can’t get or find. Product can be shipped quickly and efficiently. If we do not have what you are looking for, we will direct you on where to find it. Give us a try, after all:
AmeriFlex Has The Stuff That Keeps You Going!
Website: www.ameriflexhose.com
About D&E Supply -
D&E Supply has over 35 years of experience towards serving Oklahoma builders, architects and independent contractors as a drywall and drywall supply source. Their years of experience mean you can rest assured you are getting the best quality product for your specific needs.
D&E Supply works with some of the most cutting edge manufacturers bringing to the drywall industry a source for green products, acoustic drywall, steel framing or soundproof drywall. Tools of the trade are available as well in their contractor supply department. For your professional drywall needs, call D&E Supply at 918 621-4600.
Next Event: 2015 Ameri-Flex / OCRS Awards Banquet (Date to be announced)
www.ocrsracing.com
- John Lemon on Sep 20, 2015
- Article Date: 9/20/2015 by John Rittenoure