Clement is IMCA Modified star in Shootout opener at Ardmore

Feature

Mitchell Clement was the $1,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified winner Thursday, opening night of the All Star Shootout at Southern Oklahoma Speedway. (Photo by Debra Hix)

ARDMORE, Okla. (May 26, 2022) – A driver without a plan going into the opening night All Star Shootout feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds went home with $1,000 after it. 

Mitchell Clement took charge following a restart at halfway, then held off a late challenge from William Gould in winning the Thursday night headliner at Southern Oklahoma Speedway. Jacob Pirkle found the fast line coming to the checkers to edge Gould for second-place pay.

“I didn’t know what the track was going to do. I didn’t have a plan out there,” Clement admitted after his first feature win of 2022. “I knew the 60 car (Gould) would be coming. He likes it when it’s Baja hammer down like that.”

“I was glad we could turn back under him coming out of turn four like that,” added Clement, now eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational.

Clement had passed Pirkle for the point 13 laps into the 25-lapper. Gould made his way from 10th starting and closed to a car length, throwing a slider at the leader on the final turn.

That bid came up short and Pirkle slipped past Gould, finishing less than half a second off the winning pace. Hard charger Chad Melton raced from 21st starting to fourth, Jared Baird from 18th on the initial grid to fifth.

Jeffrey Abbey and Rowdy Day were both $750 feature winners, Abbey by leading the last two laps of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main event and Day in a flag-to-flag run at the front of a Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod show that saw most of the excitement on the last turn.

Gould dominated the first 14 laps in the Stock Car feature before slowing and then heading to the pits on the first of two lap 15 restarts. Cody Williams inherited the lead, staying in front the next four times around the track before the 10th starting Abbey eked ahead. 

Already B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible, Abbey then got the best of 23rd starting Tim Clonch and Williams in the sprint to the checkers. Arizona visitor Chris McCurdy Jr. was fourth. 

Day ran second behind Chad Reid early in the SportMod main, took over up front on lap seven and then checked out on the field. 

He was half a track ahead of runner-up Brandon Geurin before making last-turn contact with a lapped car but still won by a margin of better than 3-1/2 seconds.

“We’re going to get it put back together,” he promised after surveying the front end damage to his car, “and see if we can’t keep the momentum going at Boyd.”

Michael Dabney and Dean Abbey completed the top four. 

Round two of the All Star Shootout at Boyd Raceway Friday night sees the pit gates and grandstand opening at 6 p.m. Hot laps precede racing at 8 p.m. 

The All Star Shootout is at Kennedale Speedway Park on Saturday and at Heart O’ Texas Speedway on Sunday. 

All Shootout programs are broadcast by IMCA.TV.

Feature Results 

Modifieds – 1. Mitchell Clement; 2. Jacob Pirkle; 3. William Gould; 4. Chad Melton; 5. Jared Baird; 6. Spencer Hartwick; 7. Steven Whiteaker Jr.; 8. Brint Hartwick; 9. Matt Beasley; 10. David Goode Jr.; 11. Mark Adams; 12. Robbie Daniels; 13. Jeff Rowland; 14. Mike White; 15. Fred Wojtek; 16. Tate Butler; 17. Chris Morris; 18. Buddy Honaker; 19. Matthew Day; 20. Jake Upchurch; 21. Michael Ables; 22. Jon White; 23. Cody Tidwell; 24. Rusty Trevathan Jr. 

Stock Cars – 1. Jeffrey Abbey; 2. Tim Clonch; 3. Shelby Williams; 4. Chris McCurdy Jr.; 5. Thomas Hall Jr.; 6. Markiss Harcrow; 7. Boone Evans; 8. Chris Webb; 9. Dennis Bissonnette; 10. Jim Fowler; 11. William Gould; 12. Cody Cline; 13. Tommy Fain; 14. Haydan Hartwick; 15. Lance Hanson. Jr.; 16. George Egbert III; 17. Connor Kesler; 18. David Goode Sr.; 19. Bosco Garrett; 20. Matt Guillaume; 21. April Phillips; 22. Brad Hartwick; 23. Thomas Hall. 

Southern SportMods – 1. Rowdy Day; 2. Brandon Geurin; 3. Michael Dabney; 4. Dean Abbey; 5. Chad Reid; 6. Josh Landers; 7. John Reid Jr.; 8. G.W. Egbert IV; 9. Devin Chambers; 10. Calen Mohler; 11. Mason Day; 12. Shannon Hartline; 13. Tommy Dove; 14. Jacob Martin; 15. Danny Cavanagh; 16. Dustin Hector; 17. Bill Blackman; 18. Andrew Williams; 19. Chad King; 20. Colton Keel; 21. Mason Martin; 22. James Skinner; 23. Payton Zentgraf; 24. Boone Evans.

Related Articles

Feature

Gould, local veterans are big winners in All Star Shootout finale at Heart O’ Texas

WACO, Texas (May 30) – William Gould and organizations assisting veterans in the Waco area were big winners on the night before Memorial Day at Heart O’ Texas Speedway. Gould raced from 12th to win the All Star Shootout fueled by Fast Shafts IMCA Modified main event, earning $1,000, plus $500 bonuses for his second All Star win of the week and $250 for perfect attendance throughout the five-race Shootout.  And local veterans’ groups will be getting $2,660, the amount raised in the evening’s Modified drivers’ auction. Gould gaveled at $400 and, appreciating the buyer’s confidence, told him to keep what would have been his share, half those proceeds.  Interviewed post-race on IMCA.TV, the buyer announced his plans to donate the full amount to local organizations dedicated to assisting veterans. Jimmy Reeves started on the pole and led past midway of the 25-lapper, finally giving way to Fred Wojtek, the Saturday winner at Kennedale Speedway Park. Gould, who had won the previous night at Boyd, was up to third by lap 11 and passed Reeves for [Read More]

Feature

Opening night moves to Thursday for IMCA All Star Shootout

ARDMORE, Okla. (May 25, 2022) – Rain had the final word and resulted in rescheduling opening night of the IMCA All Star Shootout.  The lidlifter for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMods moves to Thursday, May 26 at Southern Oklahoma Speedway in Ardmore. The event originally scheduled that evening at Grayson County Speedway has been canceled. The Shootout is at Texas speedplants Boyd Raceway on Friday, May 27; at Kennedale Speedway Park on Saturday, May 28; and at Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Waco on Sunday, May 29.  Modifieds run for $1,000 to win and Fast Shafts All-Star qualifying eligibility each night. Stock Cars and Southern SportMods race for $750 to win each night, with Stock Car winners becoming B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational eligible.  Pit gates and the grandstand open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. Thursday at Ardmore.  Boyd opens pit gates and the grandstand at 6 p.m. Hot laps precede racing at 8 [Read More]

Feature

Davis, Egbert, Williams clinch Red River Tour crowns

By Jackson Braun ARDMORE, Okla. (May 31) – The finale to the second edition of the Lone Star Super Gas IMCA Red River Modified Tour presented by Smiley’s Racing Products provided a lot of action as the racing events unfolded on the Southern Oklahoma Speedway. Feature winners on the fifth and final night of the tour were Jake O’Neil, IMCA Modifieds; Trevor Egbert, Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMods; and Jeffrey Abbey, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars.  Champions were Cory Davis in the Modifieds, Egbert and Gary Williams, Stock Cars. Throughout the Modified pack, three- and four-wide racing was common as the racers fought for position. Up front, Travis Johnson and O’Neil raced around the high side of the speedway and O’Neil attempted to find a way around Johnson. In almost every single corner, O’Neil would double up with Johnson, but couldn’t find the momen­tum to do so until a few laps later. A caution flag reset the field before Jeff Taylor took his ma­chine to second.  Nobody was able to touch O’Neil, however, as the decision [Read More]