Published May 03, 2009 12:02 am -
Arkansas driver wins dash in final Modified lap
Special to the Phoenix
Booneville, Ark., native Jay Rierson won a caution-dash to the flagstand to wrestle the lead from Stilwell’s Roy Long with one lap remaining to win the 360 Modified feature before a damp, chilly crowd at Outlaw Motor Speedway on Friday night.
A spinout in turn one with two laps to go brought out the caution. Under track rules, drivers race to the start-finish line before slowing down for the yellow flag.
Long had led the race from the pole until Rierson caught him down the backstretch. He was just inches ahead of Long at the flag before slowing for the wreck between turns one and two.
On the restart, Rierson jumped to a three-car lead out of turn two and won easily from there. Long outraced Muskogee’s Dennis Slader to the finish with Inola’s Justin Shoemaker in fourth.
Rain which was in the surrounding area most of the night limited the crowd to a season-low of approximately 800. The race card ran uninterrupted despite a continuous light mist.
In Hobby Stock, Kevin Flock won the feature in a shoot-out between three former race winners. The trio raced to the top three spots at the halfway point with Flock leading Colton Dunlap and last week’s winner Dale Richardson. The three Muskogee drivers stayed in that order to the end, although Dunlap did put the heat on Flock.
With three laps remaining, Dunlap got to Flock’s bumper and twice from there he got the nose of his car inside Flock’s left rear quarter-panel going into turn three. But each time, Flock was able to stay in the high groove and roar out of turn four with the lead.
The three finished nearly a turn ahead of Haskell’s Jay Arnold and Siloam Springs, Ark., racer Jeff Metcalf.
Adjustments to his car after his heat race paid dividends for Hilldale High School junior Dalton Clay as he won his first Outlaw Modified feature of the season. The suspension was changed to compensate for the slick track conditions. Starting on the inside in row three, he took the lead on lap one from Haskell’s Danny Womack and never trailed from there. Brian Williams of Fayetteville, Ark., was second, followed by Fort Gibson’s Dan Morris and Muskogeean Gary Andrews.
Matt Burnett claimed his second straight Pure Stock feature, edging Justin Sellars. The two Muskogee drivers raced one-two for the final seven laps of the race.
Checotah’s Daniel Tarkington, the early pacesetter, led early before getting high in turn one and sliding through turn two on lap eight. He never recovered and finished ninth.
Tahlequah’s Jason Ward was third, followed by Lee McClain of Chouteau. Burnett has won three features this season.
Henryetta driver Cody Kellogg took a wild ride in front of the grandstands when his car was bumped from behind by Muskogee’s Garrett Boyd when Boyd’s car lost grip on the slick track and slid into Kellogg, flipping the latter’s car onto its side, bouncing off the track fence before sliding to a stop. He emerged from the car unhurt.