The stifling heat that has been making life miserable gave way to a lovely cool evening at Shady Bowl Speedway Saturday.
The VORES compact series headlined the night’s action, as they competed in the fifth running of the Bowl Classic presented by Servpro. A full field of 28 cars took the green flag to start the 50-lap event.
Veteran driver, Tom Gossar, took the lead as the field dove into turn one. A mix-up caused a complete restart, with Gossar once again leading the way.
The race was red-flagged on lap eight when second-place running Holli Eaton and Gossar made contact at the flag stand. The end result was Eaton head-on into the wall. It took EMTs a few minutes to get Eaton out of her car. She was then met with a roar from her hometown fans greeting her. Holli revealed Sunday morning she was a little sore, but otherwise fine.
On the restart, it was Gossar once again out front. He led until lap 13 when defending series champion Chris Jennings blasted by to take the lead. Jennings, who won the first race of the season back in March, built up a lead as the laps dwindled down. Remember the warning on car mirrors “objects in mirror are closing than they appear?” Well, Jennings saw a Honda Civic coming and it was close. Oceola, Indiana driver Jason Clevenger sped by Jennings and opened up a lead until the checkered flag. The beautiful Honda Civic he was driving was sponsored by RCJ Motorsports. Jennings held on for second followed by Gary Eaton Jr., Gossar, and Ron Sagers.
The Wooten Automotive and Towing of Saint Paris Modifieds were up next. Bellefontaine driver Logan McPherson went to work and led every lap to post his first feature win of the season. The former track champion was behind the wheel of his family-owned open-wheeler. Fast qualifier (13.685) Chris Parker was second Daniel McPherson was third, Mike Pippin was fourth, and Josh Smith was fifth. The race was red-flagged on lap 8 for a multi-car wreck on the back chute. No one was injured, but Austin Eaton’s ride took the brunt of the damage. Eaton was the dash winner with Logan McPherson and Greg Winget taking heat honors.
The rained-out Wooten Automotive and Towing make-up feature from June 11th was won by the ageless one, Jerry Stapleton. It was the third win of the season for Stapleton in his T.C. Holzen-sponsored car. Josh Smith, Logan McPherson, Kyle Purvis, and Buck Purtee rounded out the top five.
The Harrod Septic Solutions Compacts were up next. 23 cars took the green from starter Charlie Gifford to start the 25-lap feature. Jordon Sage in Damien Weigel’s 08 led the first eighteen counters before Jimmy McElfresh took over for two laps, then Sage took command again. On lap 23 New Carlisle driver Devin Glessner took over the lead, Glessner led the final laps to post his first career win in his Quick Parts Cavalier. The win came on his 19th birthday. Steve Duty, was second, McElfresh was third, Scott Henson fourth, and Alec Young fifth. Glessner was the fast qualifier with a 16.888 lap. Young carried the dash checker, Heat win honors went to Zach Beatty-Lakins, Kolton Morgan, and Dominic Smith. Sage and Bobby Terry were disqualified after failing a post-race inspection.
The Frazier/Parsons Designs FOMOCO Cruisers had some drama.in the tech inspection. Curtis Noble finished first in the 20- lap feature, posed for pics, then failed his post-race inspection. The win then went to second place running Sam Marquis of Rosewood. Marquis’s Crown Vic is sponsored by Marquis Pump Repair. Zach Beatty-Lakins, Bobbie Jo Parsons, Matt Parsons, and Nate Wilcoxon finished second thru fifth. Noble set quick time with a 16.696 lap. Marquis won the dash and Wilcoxon took the heat win.
The Bullet Liners of Dayton Thunder Cars rounded out the night’s program. Buck Purtee of DeGraff seems to be unstoppable as he has won every event thus far. He is edging closer to a $500.00 bounty if he continues to win. Purtee’s Bryce Realty Monte Carlo was followed by Scott Drake, Corey Wooten, Robert Roush, and Hunter Hicks. Wooten paced the field in time trials with a 15.530 lap. Brad Blue won the dash and Purtee the heat.
Summary 6/25/22
Vores Compact Series:
5th Annual Buckeye Classic presented by Servpro: 1. Jason Clevenger, 2. Chris Jennings, 3. Gary Eaton Jr., 4. Tom Gossar, 5. Ron Sagers, 6. Trent Gossar, 7. Bo Hoelscher, 8. Jess Drook, 9. Scott Huffman, 10. Brett Smith, 11. Zack Morris, 12. Jeff Vore, 13. Aaron Teegarden, 14. Aaron Tatman, 15. Phil Iliff, 16. Terry Eaton Jr., 17. Will Jennings, 18. Kyle Frame, 19. TJ Fannin, 20. Nicholas Meade, 21. Sean Frederick, 22. Yogi Metz, 23. Shawn Lawson, 24. Holli Eaton, 25. Jake Albright, 26. Karter Stark, 27. Brady Winters, and 28. Travis Lee.
Wooten Automotive and Towing of Saint Paris Modifieds:
Modified Makeup feature from 06-11-22:
1. Jerry Stapleton, 2. Josh Smith, 3. Logan McPherson, 4. Kyle Purvis, 5. Buck Purtee, 6. Daniel McPherson, 7. Chris Parker, 8. Mike Carroll, 9. Hayden Wren, 10. Mick Zile, 11. Steve Fowler, 12. Skylar Mueller, 13. Austin Eaton, and 14. Mike Howell.
Fast Qualifier: Chris Parker 13.685
Dash Winner: Austin Eaton
Heat Winners: Logan McPherson and Greg Winget
Feature: 1. Logan McPherson, 2. Chris Parker, 3. Daniel McPherson, 4. Mike Pippin, 5. Josh Smith, 6. Buck Purtee, 7. Brian Reeser, 8. Brad Yelton, 9. Don Townsend Jr., 10. Hayden Wren, 11. Greg Winget, 12. Mike Howell, 13. Andy McCaslin, 14. Skylar Mueller, 15. Austin Eaton, 16. Kyle Purvis, 17. Rodney Sutton, 18. Mike Carroll, and 19. Steve Fowler.
Harrod Septic Solutions Compacts:
Fast Qualifier: Devin Glessner 16.888
Dash Winner: Alec Young
Heat Winners: Zach Beatty-Lakins, Dominic Smith, and Kolton Morgan
Feature: 1. Devin Glessner, 2. Steve Duty, 3. Jimmy McElfresh, 4. Scott Henson, 5. Alec Young, 6. Chase Lang, 7. Tony Heath 8. Eddie Kemp, 9. Nick Hall, 10. Daniel Geeting, 11. Timmy Bailey, 12. Donnie Eaton, 13. Josh Asher, 14. Robin Zornes, 15. Jaron Fields, 16. Keven Baggett, 17. Zach Beatty-Lakins, 18. Dominic Smith, 19. Jake Kohler, 20. Kolton Morgan, 21. Makayla Gardner, 22. Chris Hensley, and 23. Seth Rager.
Frazier/Parsons Designs FOMOCO Cruisers
Fast Qualifier: Curtis Noble 16.696
Dash Winner: Sam Marquis
Heat Winner: Nate Wilcoxon
Feature: 1. Sam Marquis, 2. Zach Beatty-Lakins, 3. Bobbie Jo Parsons, 4. Matt Parsons, 5. Nate Wilcoxon, 6. Jakob Brunke, 7. Jay Smith 8. Dalton Oder, 9. Dylan Faherstock, 10. Fred Triplett, and 11. Dalton Griffin.
Bullet Liners of Dayton Thunder Cars:
Fast Qualifier: Corey Wooten
Dash Winner: Brad Blue
Heat Winner: Buck Purtee
Feature: 1. Buck Purtee, 2. Scott Drake, 3. Corey Wooten, 4. Robert Roush, 5. Hunter Hicks, 6. Landen Jones, 7. Brad Blue, 8. Richard Roush, 9. Brandon Helton, 10. Bob Coppock, 11. Bill Blue, and 12. Dylan Pippin.
