7/20/2019
RacinBoys
Chappell holds off Gastineau to win Harold Leep Classic at Thunderbird Speedway
John Rittenoure - OCRS PR (Muskogee, OK) -- Zach Chappell jumped out to a large lead then had to hang on at the finish to win the 5th annual Harold Leep Classic presented by Carter-Maxwell Friday at Thunderbird Speedway.
It was the third Ameri-Flex / OCRS victory of the season for the 2017 series champion. Chappell won by just a 0.940-second margin over a hard-charging Whit Gastineau who ran him down from a half-a-lap deficit on the half-mile oval.
““We were quick, but not as quick a Whit. We were a little tight,” Chappell said of the setup on his Ameri-Flex Hose and Accessories, Maxim chassis sprinter powered by DSO Racing Engines. “We changed a tire before the A (feature). I thought it was a little slicker then it was.”
The first time Chappell realized Gastineau was on his tail was in the final five laps.
“I saw his nose wing getting into (turn) one and that is when I went ahead and split the lapped cars,” Chappell said. “He is fast here. He has this place figured out. To beat him, I’ll take it.”
The race went the distance without a yellow causing lapped traffic to become a factor for both Chappell and Gastineau.
“Once we got in lapped traffic and dicing with them it was hard to pass because it was two and three wide sometimes,” Chappell said. “I was trying to pick and choose my battles wisely. But I could not slow down much because I knew someone was going to be coming.”
The 25-lap feature got underway with Chappell leading Andrew Deal, Robert Sellers and Gastineau through the first lap. Gastineau drove past Sellers for third on lap two but could not get around Deal for second until lapped traffic came into play on lap 8. For the next 17 laps, Gastineau stood on the gas chipping away at Chappell’s lead as the laps ran down.
“We were better than him,” Gastineau said of his efforts to catch Chappell. “We ran him down from half a straightaway (back).
“The cushion kind of saved all these cars. A lot of people can be fast on the cushion, but if it had slicked off we would have had the lead.”
The impressive run toward the front came despite fuel issues that plagued Gastineau in his heat race and again in the feature.
“We were catching him but the last five laps the motor was not running right,” Gastineau said. “We have some fuel issues, the magneto or something. We fixed it in the heat then in the A (feature) it was not 100 percent.”
At the finish Gastineau was a close second followed by Deal, Sellers and son Shane Sellers in fifth.
Alison Slaton picked up the York Plumbing Hard Charger award for her run from 17th to 11th.
OCRS Notebook
A big thank you goes out to David Grace, Carter-Maxwell and all the sponsors who donated to the purse for the Harold Leep Classic.
We also want to thank Jerry Medlin for adding $100 to the pay for the last-place driver running at the finish and to Annette Leesekamp for her donation of $100 for the Hard Luck driver which went to Casey Buechler.
Ameri-Flex / OCRS Results
Thunderbird Speedway - Muskogee, Okla.
July 19, 2019
Car count: 18
Drive Shafts, Inc. Heat 1 (8 Laps)
1, 14-Shane Sellers[1]. 2, 22C-Robert Sellers[2]. 3, 55-Johnny Kent[3]. 4, 5-Joe Bob Lee[4]. 5, 22T-Frank Taft[6]. 6, 6-Alison Slaton[5].
Bravado Wireless Heat 2 (8 Laps)
1, 50Z-Zach Chappell[4]. 2, 88-Terry Easum[1]. 3, 15D-Andrew Deal[6]. 4, 2-Mickey Walker[2]. 5, 62-James Shoun[5]. 6, 1-Casey Buechler[3].
Car and Fleet Parts Heat 3 (8 Laps)
1, 2W-Whit Gastineau[4]. 2, P78-Perry Pickard[1]. 3, 20S-Sheldon Barksdale[5]. 4, 31-Casey Wills[2]. 5, 15-Jase Randolph[3]. 6, 65L-Nick Lucito[6].
Ameriflex Hose and Accessories A FEATURE (25 Laps)
1, 50Z-Zach Chappell[2]. 2, 2W-Whit Gastineau[7]. 3, 15D-Andrew Deal[1]. 4, 22C-Robert Sellers[4]. 5, 14-Shane Sellers[3]. 6, 20S-Sheldon Barksdale[5]. 7, 55-Johnny Kent[9]. 8, 88-Terry Easum[8]. 9, 2-Mickey Walker[12]. 10, 5-Joe Bob Lee[10]. 11, 6-Alison Slaton[17].
12, 65L-Nick Lucito[16]. 13, 62-James Shoun[14]. 14, 22T-Frank Taft[11]. 15, 31-Casey Wills[13]. 16, 15-Jase Randolph[15]. 17, P78-Perry Pickard[6]. 18, 1-Casey Buechler[18]. (DNS).
Lap Leaders: Zach Chappell 1-25.
Margin of Victory: 0.940.
Contingency Award Recipients:
Ameri-Flex Hose A Feature Winner: Zach Chappell.
Drive Shafts Inc. Heat Award Recipient: Shane Sellers.
Bravado Wireless Heat Award Recipient: Zach Chappell.
Car and Fleet Parts Award Recipient: Whit Gastineau.
York Plumbing Hard Charger Award: Alison Slaton +6
M&W Aluminum Hard Luck Award: Casey Buechler.
Amsoil High Point Driver Award: Zach Chappell.
Rod End Supply Recipients: Alison Slaton, Nick Lucito, James Shoun.
Wesmar Racing Engines Recipient: Joe Bob Lee.
About the Ameri-Flex / OCRS Series -
Established in 2002, the Tulsa OK based Ameri-Flex / OCRS series sanctions dirt track sprint car racing in the southern region of the central plains. Fan appeal and quality race teams, combined with our solid core of supporting sponsors are the nucleus of the series. Thrilling competition providing the ultimate quality family entertainment is the essence of what the Ameri-Flex / OCRS series is all about.
Website: http://www.ocrsracing.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oil.series
Ameri-Flex Has The Stuff That Keeps You Going!
Website: http://www.ameriflexhose.com
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
