Sooner Region Little Rock results 2008-05-31

McClelland Takes ASCS Sooner Region Win at I-30 Speedway!

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (May 31, 2008) -- Reigning American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region champion Brian McClelland outlasted defending I-30 Speedway track champion Zach Pringle to win Saturday night's 25-lap ASCS Sooner Region feature event atop the high-banked, 0x00bc-mile I-30 Speedway clay oval.

After taking the lead at the drop of the green, McClelland had his hands full with Pringle throughout before finally securing his second series win of the year aboard the Wesmar-powered Maxwell Oil No. 87 Triple-X.

"That eight kid (Pringle) wore me out, I couldn't get rid of him!" a sweat-drenched McClelland exclaimed his pulled off his helmet in victory lane. "He definitely made me get up in the seat."

The evening's third heat race, when McClelland fought off several bids from Pringle's No. 8z machine, proved to be a preview of what was to follow in the main event.

Starting from the front row outside, McClelland outgunned Justin Melton for the lead at the drop of the green. Pringle wasted little time blasting from sixth to second on the opening lap, with the caution then flying as Gary Taylor came to a stop with a flat left rear tire. Taylor, who entered the nights with three Sooner Region wins in the most recent four events, rejoined the chase after a quick trip to the work area before calling it a night ten laps later.

McClelland pace the early rounds on the top side of the track in front of fellow cushion runner Pringle and Donnie Ray Crawford, who worked the low side of the track. As lapped traffic came into play on the ninth round, Pringle turned up the heat on McClelland as Justin Sturch took third away from Crawford.

Pringle briefly surged ahead of McClelland as the pair battled for the lead through turns one and two on the 17th lap, with McClelland powering off the top of turn two to retain the point. The caution lights flickered on a lap later when Sherman Davis slid across the infield and to a stop at the exit of turn two with steering woes.

Pringle tried to slide by McClelland in turns one and two on the restart, with McClelland once again successfully fending off the bid as Sturch joined the mix for the lead. Sturch took second a lap later when Pringle slipped off the top of turn two, only to have the move negated for a turn two spin by Justin Melton, with current series points leader Kolt Walker spinning as well.

McClelland fought off Pringle's advances the rest of the way to secure his fifth career ASCS Sooner Region win, closing to within three points of Kolt Walker in the championship points race in the process.

Pringle settled for second, while Lewis Jenkins, Jr., made a last lap move around Sturch to claim the show position. Sturch was fourth, with Crawford rounding out the top five in the Bobby Sparks No. 91 entry.

Joe Wood, Jr., advanced a half dozen positions to finish sixth, with Cody Gardner, Joe Young, Walker and Jerry Kamer completing the top ten.

Gardner, Walker and McClelland each posted heat race wins.

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Results from I-30 Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 1g-Cody Gardner, 2. 11-Justin Melton, 3. 91-Donnie Ray Crawford, 4. 29a-Jason Botsford, 5. 15-Brad Bowden, 6. 1x-Chad Pitts.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 9-Justin Sturch, 3. 5*-Gary Taylor, 4. 12T-Joe Young, 5. 5k-Jerry Kamer, 6. 72-Sherman Davis.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 87-Brian McClelland, 2. 8z-Zach Pringle, 3. 7h-Lewis Jenkins, Jr., 4. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 5. 38-Rick Pringle, 6. 95-Matt Covington.

"A" Feature (25 Laps): 1. 87-Brian McClelland, 2. 8z-Zach Pringle, 3. 7h-Lewis Jenkins, Jr., 4. 9-Justin Sturch, 5. 91-Donnie Ray Crawford, 6. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 7. 1g-Cody Gardner, 8. 12T-Joe Young, 9. 45k-Kolt Walker, 10. 5k-Jerry Kamer, 11. 95-Matt Covington, 12. 15-Brad Bowden, 13. 11-Justin Melton, 14. 72-Sherman Davis, 15. 5*-Gary Taylor, 16. 29a-Jason Botsford, 17. 38-Rick Pringle, 18. 1x-Chad Pitts.

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Kolt Walker 938, 2. Brian McClelland 935, 3. Sherman Davis 833, 4. Gary Taylor 828, 5. Joe Wood, Jr. 812, 6. Matt Covington 790, 7. Justin Melton 742, 8. Michael Brown 707, 9. Eric Baldaccini 605, 10. Travis Rilat 558.

-credit: ascs