By David Smith Jr.
MEEKER, Okla. (May 5) – His last-lap pass made defending champion Andy Shouse a first-time 2017 Sprint Series of Oklahoma feature winner Friday at Red Dirt Raceway.
Shouse, who parlayed the series title into the 2016 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car national crown, passed Zach Blurton in the first of two appearances this season for the series, presented by Smiley’s Racing Products, at Meeker.
Shouse and Jake Martens started on the front row for the twenty-five-lap feature with Martens taking the lead as the green flag fell. Martens kept a three-car-length lead for the first half of the race.
Martens was working the bottom of the track while Blurton kept his momentum up top and on lap 13 drove around the leader exiting turn two to take the lead.
Blurton reach the back of the field with 10 laps to go while Shouse got past Martens to take over the runner-up position. Blurton’s lead was five car lengths with just three laps remaining but that would soon change as slower cars would come into play
Entering turns one and two on the final lap and with two cars battling for position in front of him, Blurton hesitated briefly to find and opening allowing Shouse to sneak pass exiting turn two to take the lead.
Shouse worked low coming out of turn four and Blurton up high coming out of turn four with Shouse holding on to take the one-car-length victory. Martens settled for third while eighth starting Blake Daccus and seventh starting Brandon Long rounded out the top five.
Next up for the Sprint Series of Oklahoma will be Saturday, May 13, at Elk City Speedway in Elk City.
Feature results – 1. Andy Shouse; 2. Zach Blurton; 3. Jake Martens; 4. Blake Daccus; 5. Brandon Long; 6. Todd Schwartz; 7. Chad Koch; 8. Cody Whitworth; 9. Sheldon Barksdale; 10. Brandon Anderson; 11. Justin Fisk; 12. Tristan Oakes; 13. Justin Mowery; 14. Loyd Clevenger; 15. Shayla Waddell; 16. Eric Mathews; 17. Michael Gossman; 18. Jerry Jumper; 19. Stan Constant; 20. Joe Wood Jr.