Speedweek round 5 Oklahoma City results 2009-06-12

"Grandpa" Wright Romps in ASCS Speedweek Round Five at OKC!

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (June 12, 2009) -- Prior to Friday night, the 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters had been an ordeal that Gary Wright would just as soon forget.

"The Texan" changed that in short order though by romping to victory lane in Friday night's 25-lap main event atop State Fair Speedway's 3/8-mile oval to become the fourth different winner in as many Speedweek events after the previous night's card at Devil's Bowl Speedway was washed out.

And, to top it off, the six-time ASCS Speedweek champion got some big news earlier in the night.

"I just found it I'm gonna be a Grandpa, so this is a special night to win one," Wright revealed to the crowd in victory lane. "My daughter Lauren and my son-in-law Nick (Smith) just found out yesterday they're having their first."

While collecting four assorted ASCS Regional wins this season, the four-time Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion had been denied a National caliber victory thus far.

After starting sixth though, Wright needed just nine rounds to chase down early leader Channin Tankersley and then checked out to eventually take his 30th career ASCS Speedweek checkered flag with a full half-lap advantage in the lightning-quick, non-stop affair.

"Finally!" a relieved Wright commented as he climbed out of Scott Brown's ASI-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service/Richwood Construction No. 9x Maxim.J"It's been a tough week. We had a really good car tonight though, it couldn't have been much better."

Up to third behind pole starter Tankersley and front row outside starter Eric Baldaccini in the early rounds, Wright took second away from Baldaccini on the sixth circuit and quickly began reeling in the 18-year-old ASCS Gulf South contender.

Wright raced by Tankersley in turns three and four on the ninth round and immediately disappeared into a maze of lapped traffic. When it was all said and done, Wright took the checkered flag with eight lapped cars and a half-lap separating himself from runner-up Brady Bacon.

Bacon had worked forward from eighth in the Wesmar-powered Tel-Star Communications No. 99 Triple-X and wrangled second away from Baldaccini in the closing circuits. The 19-year-old hailing from Broken Arrow, OK, took over the ASCS Speedweek points lead in the process.

Baldaccini, the 2008 Brodix Rookie of the Year, claimed the show position in Harry Baldaccini's Smiley's Racing Products No. 4 Maxim, with defending Lucas Oil Sprint Car champion Jason Johnson advancing a half-dozen spots to snare fourth in Lanny Row's Wesmar-powered The Shop Motorsports No. 41 Eagle.

Travis Rilat rounded out the top five in the Shark-powered F&Construction No. 29 Triple-X, with Paul McMahan keeping the Speedweek title within his sights by finishing sixth. McMahan goes into Saturday night's finale just four points off of Bacon's lead pace.

Matt Clevenger posted his second consecutive seventh-place run to launch into a potential money-paying points position, with Tankersley, Gavin Punch and Nick Smith completing the top ten.

Bacon, Clevenger, McMahan, Rilat and Punch topped heat race action for the 41-car field with Danny Wood and Tim Crawley winning the twin "B" Mains. After climbing from 20th to eleventh, Crawley enters Saturday's finale just six points behind Bacon.

The 17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters concludes on Saturday night at Oklahoma's Lawton Speedway, with racing action set to go green at 8:00 p.m.

Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Car Dirt Series presented by K&N Filters
17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek
Round Five -- State Fair Speedway

Heat Races (Top 18 in Passing Points to "A" Main):

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 99-Brady Bacon, 2. 15s-Nick Smith, 3. 53-Jack Dover, 4. 1-Sean McClelland, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 7. 27-Andy Shouse, 8. 12w-Dale Wester, 9. 22-Koby Barksdale.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 2. 41-Jason Johnson, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 88-Tim Crawley, 5. 1J-Danny Jennings, 6. 57-Shane Stewart, 7. 95-Matt Covington, 8. 87a-Andrew Marshala.

Heat Three (8 Laps): 1. 3d-Paul McMahan, 2. 71-Channin Tankersley, 3. 9x-Gary Wright, 4. 94-Danny Wood, 5. 77-Colt Treharn, 6. 93-Dustin Morgan, 7. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 8. 21$-Michelle Decker.

Heat Four (8 Laps): 1. 29-Travis Rilat, 2. 28-Chris Lloyd, 3. 75-Don Young, 4. 21-Brian Brown, 5. 25-Robert Sellers, 6. 2-Kenneth Walker, 7. 27m-Kyle Merriman, 8. 20-Rick Barksdale.

Heat Five (8 Laps): 1. 81au-Gavin Punch, 2. 23-Seth Bergman, 3. 91-Gary Taylor, 4. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 5. 45-Martin Edwards, 6. 20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 7. 61-Earnest Jennings, 8. 9-Brian Parker.

"B" Mains (Top 3 From Each Advance to "A" Main):

First "B" Feature (10 Laps): 1. 94-Danny Wood, 2. 45-Martin Edwards, 3. 1J-Danny Jennings, 4. 93-Dustin Morgan, 5. 2-Kenneth Walker, 6. 77-Colt Treharn, 7. 27-Andy Shouse, 8. 1a-Robby Wolfgang, 9. 61-Earnest Jennings, 10. 87a-Andrew Marshala, 11. 9-Brian Parker. DNS: 21$-Michelle Decker.

Second "B" Feature (10 Laps): 1. 88-Tim Crawley, 2. 57-Shane Stewart, 3. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 74e-Claud Estes, 6. 20s-Sheldon Barksdale, 7. 95-Matt Covington, 8. 27m-Kyle Merriman, 9. 12w-Dale Wester, 10. 22-Koby Barksdale. DNS: 20-Rick Barksdale.

ASCS Speedweek Round Five "A" Main Event:

"A" Feature (25 Laps): 1. 9x-Gary Wright, 2. 99-Brady Bacon, 3. 4-Eric Baldaccini, 4. 41-Jason Johnson, 5. 29-Travis Rilat, 6. 3d-Paul McMahan, 7. 31m-Matt Clevenger, 8. 71-Channin Tankersley, 9. 81au-Gavin Punch, 10. 15s-Nick Smith, 11. 88-Tim Crawley, 12. 21-Brian Brown, 13. 1-Sean McClelland, 14. 53-Jack Dover, 15. 57-Shane Stewart, 16. 94-Danny Wood, 17. 91-Gary Taylor, 18. 75-Don Young, 19. 25-Robert Sellers, 20. 1J-Danny Jennings, 21. 45-Martin Edwards, 22. 28-Chris Lloyd, 23. 97-Aaron Berryhill, 24. 23-Seth Bergman.

Lap Leaders: Channin Tankersley 1-8, Gary Wright 9-25.

17th Annual F&J Construction ASCS Speedweek Points (Top Fifteen -- Through Round Five of Six): 1. Brady Bacon 544, 2. Paul McMahan 540, 3. Tim Crawley 538, 4. Jason Johnson 532, 5. Sean McClelland 530, 6. (tie) Gary Wright and Matt Clevenger 518, 8. Shane Stewart 506, 9. Eric Baldaccini 482, 10. Nick Smith 481, 11. Danny Wood 470, 12. Dustin Morgan 455, 13. Seth Bergman 441, 14. Kenneth Walker 437, 15. Tony Bruce, Jr. 430.

-credit: ascs