Special to the Phoenix

OKTAHA – For the first time this season Dale Richardson did not win a feature at Outlaw Motor Speedway.

In fact, the Muskogee driver and the early Hobby Stock points leader failed to finish Friday night, allowing Justin Shoemaker to snap Richardson’s string of victories at three, driving to an easy win once he took the lead at the race’s halfway point.

Shoemaker took command on a restart after Richardson’s car came to a stop in turn three nine laps into the race. It was the second time Richardson brought out the yellow flag. In lap four, he stalled in turn two after contact with another car.

Until Shoemaker took the lead, Muskogee’s Tim Sands was the pacesetter, jumping in front from the outside pole position. He surrendered the lead to Shoemaker when the Inola racer coasted into the low grove in turn one, emerging from turn two in front of the field.

He was never challenged after that.

For Brookin Stephens of Spiro it was the same old song but a different verse. For the fourth straight week, he failed to finish the feature despite having one of the fastest cars on the track.

Kerney Weaver of Muskogee was second followed by Jay Arnold, Haskell, and Sands.

A former track champion, Glenpool’s Jake Kelley, found the high groove to his liking to claim his third Economy Modified feature, while Brandi Levassuer took her third checkered flag in the Pure Stock chase.

Kelley passed Mike Northrup of Coweta with three laps remaining in the 20-lap run and then ran off with the win. Starting deep in the pack (14th), he methodically worked his way through traffic to the front. He went from third to first on lap 17, passing Northrup and Muskogee’s Dennis Slader on the high side. Northrup placed second with Slader third.

A lap two accident wiped out five cars from the field, including Muskogee’s Charles Bumgarner and Haskell’s Danny Womack. James Gillean’s misfortune two laps from the end of the Pure Stock feature turned into a cash night for Levasseur.

Gillean, from Boynton, had a comfortable six-second advantage over Levasseur, but got tangled with the slower car of Checotah’s William Ferguson out of turn four on lap 13. Gillean had too much damage to his car to continue, exiting to the pits. Ferguson was black-flagged. Until that time, Gillean drove a methodical race, widening his lead on each lap. He started from the pole.

Second went to Jason Ward of Tahlequah, while Darien Austin of Muskogee placed third.

The third heat in the Pure Stock class was stopped after one lap when Oktaha’s Randy Fairchild rolled his car halfway between turn one and two. He walked away from the accident. His car rolled sideways once after coming in contact with a Mike Bantaa’s racer.