OKTAHA - Terry Phillips left little doubt that he is going to be a top contender for the $5,000-to-win Modified Special race at Outlaw Motor Speedway this Sunday.

Phillips, from Springfield, Mo., qualified for the main event with an easy win on Friday night. Starting from the pole position, he led the 25-lap race from the green flag. He beat fellow Springfield driver Jeremy Payne to the checkered flag. The two were in front for the entire race.

Racing resumes at 6 p.m. Saturday in the special three-day weekend of racing. There were 64 modified races signed for the first night. A larger number is expected for tonight's qualifying that will lead to Sunday's Feature run to the top prize. Racing starts at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The weekend's total purse is $50,000.

Only the leading seven cars of the 24 that started in Friday’s feature will transfer to Sunday’s race. The other 17 will have to go through the qualifying process again tonight and on Sunday.

If Friday's first Modified qualifying feature is any indication, tonight’s round and Sunday's final qualifying attempt should produce some good racing. Of the 24 cars who raced, 23 finished. There were only two cautions -both early.

Third place went to Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., with Steve Holzkamper of Gentry, Ark., fourth. Rounding out the first seven were Tommy Weeder of Woodward, John Tesch of Watertown, Mo., and defending champion Johnny Bone of Pea Ridge, Ark.

Points races were held in the Pure Stock and Hobby Stock divisions. The Economy Modifieds will race for points tonight.

From last to first in just six laps, James Gillian won the abbreviated Pure Stock feature. The Boynton native took the lead with two laps remaining in the raced trimmed from a scheduled 15-laps to 10 because of numerous slow-downs for cautions.

Gillian himself was flagged to the back of the pack for jumping the restart twice after a lap two accident produced the first caution. He moved to sixth before a lap four spin out by Brandi Levasseur prompted a second caution. On the restart, he passed two cars on the back stretch and then eyed the leader, Darien Austin of Muskogee, who led the race from the start.

Levasseur, of Chouteau, was bidding for her third straight feature win but handing problems plagued her race car throughout the night. Going into the third week of racing, she had two feature and two heat triumphs to her credit..

For the second race in a row, Dale Richardson took advantage of a breakdown by Brookin Stephens to win the Hobby Stock Feature.

With two laps remaining, Stephens, of Spiro, had a five-second lead over the field when a yellow flag - when Kerney Weaver made contact the wall in turn one - slowed the race. While the track wrecker hooked onto Weaver's car, Stephens made an exit to the pits and never returned.

That unlocked the door for Richardson as the Muskogee driver won his third straight feature. He started in the seventh position and battled Muskogee's Randy Moses II, Weaver and Stigler's Andrew Bohanan for second while Stephens pulled away from the pack.

Richardson finally captured second from Weaver one lap before the accident.