Sooner Region Mid-America results 2007-06-09

Ramey Prevails in ASCS Sooner Slugfest at Mid-America

SOUTH COFFEYVILLE, Okla. (June 9, 2007) -- Nobody has won more feature events in American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region history than Fort Worth, TX, gun Kevin Ramey. But it's been a long while since he's been forced to work any harder than he did in Saturday night's 30-lap feature at Mid-America Speedway.

Two-time series champion Ramey and Brian McClelland, vying for his first series win, swapped the lead at least a dozen times along the way in a stirring battle before Ramey finally snared the point for keeps with just a half dozen laps remaining and then took the checkered flag aboard Tom Willis' Wells-powered Commercial Music No. 7m Eagle with a slim two car-length advantage.

"Now that was fun, that's the way we like to do it!" Ramey exclaimed after his 16th career ASCS Sooner Region win and 30th overall ASCS triumph. "I don't know how many times we traded the lead, probably as many times as I scraped the frontstretch wall with my right rear tire."

Starting from the pole position, Ramey jumped into the early lead over fellow front row starter Gavin Punch. But third-starter McClelland was on the move from the outset, setting the tone for the balance of the race.

McClelland slid past Ramey for the lead in turns one and two on the second lap, only to have Ramey edge back ahead in turn three. But McClelland used the low side of turn four to power into the lead to complete lap two, a move he would utilize repeatedly throughout the race.

The pair continued to trade the lead on each end of the track through most of the opening eleven circuits, wading through three cautions along the way in the early stages.

Following the race's final caution with eleven laps in the books for Kyle Bellm, who spun out of a top ten position after contact and collecting Michael Brown and Foster Landon, Ramey stalked McClelland for two laps before the battle resumed.

The pair swapped the lead twice in turns three and four on the 14th round and proceeded to trade the lead for the next ten laps before Ramey finally took command for keeps to take the win.

The younger brother of 2005 ASCS Sooner Region champion Sean McClelland, who has engaged in previous battles with Ramey, Brian McClelland settled for a career-best runner-up finish aboard the Wesmar-powered R&B Motorsports No. 87.

"He'd get me in one and two and then I could get him back in four, then we got in all that lapped traffic and I just couldn't catch a caution when I needed it towards the end," McClelland commented.

While all eyes were focused on the lead battle, the action behind was just as intense. Punch fought off a variety of challengers along the way to secure the show position, including Danny Smith who retired after the midway point with front end damage.

Cody Branchcomb retained his series point lead by charging from 15th to finish fourth, while Jamie Passmore rebounded from a lap seven encounter with a turn one infield tire to round out the top five.

After starting 13th, Sean McClelland climbed as high as fourth by the 20th round before slipping back to sixth in the final laps. Mike Goodman crossed the line seventh, with 17th-starter Nick Smith, 19th-starter Dex Eaton and Ray Allen Kulhanek completing the top ten.

Brian McClelland made a last-lap pass of Foster Landon to win the night's opening heat race, with Passmore, Danny Smith and Goodman also victorious in heat race action. Nick Smith wired the field in the "B" Main.

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Results from Mid-America Speedway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 87-Brian McClelland, 2. 11F-Foster Landon, 3. 4am-Travis Jenkins, 4. b4-Eric Baldaccini, 5. 15s-Nick Smith, 6. 45-J.P. Bailey, 7. 26-Rafe Essary, 8. 8-Jeff Eckhardt.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 4-Jamie Passmore, 2. 81au-Gavin Punch, 3. 1-Sean McClelland, 4. 72-Sherman Davis, 5. 2-Kenneth Walker, 6. 59-Dex Eaton, 7. 95-Matt Covington.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 5$-Danny Smith, 2. 41-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 94-Cody Branchcomb, 6. 22-David Stephenson, 7. 26m-Shelly Ward, 8. 85s-Forrest Sutherland.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 92-Mike Goodman, 2. 15b-Michael Brown, 3. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 4. 85-John Hunt, 5. 25-Derek Cottrell, 6. 1n-Nick Lucito. DNS: 010-Brian Roberts.

Pole Dash (5 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 81au-Gavin Punch, 3. 87-Brian McClelland, 4. 5$-Danny Smith, 5. 92-Mike Goodman, 6. 4-Jamie Passmore.

"B" Feature (12 Laps): 1. 15s-Nick Smith, 2. 2-Kenneth Walker, 3. 59-Dex Eaton, 4. 25-Derek Cottrell, 5. 95-Matt Covington, 6. 85-John Hunt, 7. 1n-Nick Lucito, 8. 8-Jeff Eckhardt, 9. 85s-Forrest Sutherland, 10. 26m-Shelly Ward, 11. 45-J.P. Bailey, 12. 26-Rafe Essary. DNS: 010-Brian Roberts.

"A" Feature (30 Laps): 1. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 2. 87-Brian McClelland, 3. 81au-Gavin Punch, 4. 94-Cody Branchcomb, 5. 4-Jamie Passmore, 6. 1-Sean McClelland, 7. 92-Mike Goodman, 8. 15s-Nick Smith, 9. 59-Dex Eaton, 10. 41-Ray Allen Kulhanek, 11. 4am-Travis Jenkins, 12. b4-Eric Baldaccini, 13. 25-Derek Cottrell, 14. 15b-Michael Brown, 15. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 16. 2-Kenneth Walker, 17. 5$-Danny Smith, 18. 11F-Foster Landon, 19. 72-Sherman Davis, 20. 22-David Stephenson.

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Cody Branchcomb 566, 2. (tie) Ray Allen Kulhanek and Brian McClelland 528, 4. Kevin Ramey 507, 5. Sherman Davis 498, 6. Gavin Punch 493, 7. Sean McClelland 483, 8. Nick Smith 476, 9. Michael Brown 447, 10. Kenneth Walker 406.

-credit: ascs