Welborn Whips Cowtown

for First ASCS Sooner Win

 

 

Lonnie Wheatley, KENNEDALE, Texas (July 26, 2008) – For the second time in as many nights, lapped traffic played a key role in the final outcome of American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region feature action.  And on this night, it was Brad Welborn cashing in on a friendly nod from Lady Luck to capture his first career Sooner Region triumph in Saturday's 25-lap feature at Cowtown Speedway.

 

After race-long leader Gary Taylor ran afoul of lapped traffic 15 laps into the main event, Welborn assumed the point and paced the final ten circuits aboard the Metro Trailer Repair No. 17 Maxim for the win. 

"This is our first weekend back on track this season, so it's pretty awesome to come away with a win like this," commented Welborn, who recently completed training to join the Frisco, TX, Fire Department.

Gunning for a fourth ASCS Sooner Region win on the season, Taylor jumped into the lead at the outset with the third-starting Welborn quickly taking second away from pole starter Nick Clinkenbeard, who was making just his sixth career Sprint Car start.

 

Leading Welborn and Matt Covington in the early rounds, Taylor survived a pair of early interruptions including a red flag after four laps for Darrell Fletcher's turn one tumble and then a yellow flag two laps later for Johnny Miller's near endo.

 

Back under way, Taylor controlled the tempo in the Tel-Star Communications No. 5* Triple-X, reaching lapped traffic by the midway point.
Brad Welborn snared his first career American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region feature win by topping Saturday night's 25-lap main event at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, TX.

Brad Welborn snared his first career American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region feature win by topping Saturday night's 25-lap main event at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale, TX.

 

But slight contact with a lapped car exiting turn four on the 15th lap cut Taylor's right front tire, with the leader then unable to make the turn entering one and clipping John Ricketts as a result.  Both were forced pitside.

 

Welborn assumed command and led the rest of the way without any serious challenge, taking the checkered flag eight car-lengths ahead of Sherman Davis, who was then disqualified when he missed the scales.

 

Vying for a fourth consecutive series win, Joe Wood, Jr., needed just four laps to charge from 15th to sixth.  Two laps later he cracked the top five, then took fourth from Covington by the tenth lap and gained another spot when Taylor exited.  Following the Davis DQ, Wood climbed one more rung for runner-up accolades.

 

Also racing from deep in the field, defending series champion and current point leader Brian McClelland claimed the show position after starting 14th, with Covington and Kolt Walker rounding out the top five.

 

Marvin Lough was sixth, with Michael Brown rebounding from a pair of quick trips to the work area in the early going to snare seventh.  J.P. Bailey climbed from 16th to eighth, with Claud Estes and Clinkenbeard completing the top ten.

 

Taylor, Clinkenbeard, Welborn and Walker topped heat race action for the 28-car field, with Wood battling past Bailey in the early stages to win the 12-lap "B" Main.

 

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region

Results from Cowtown Speedway: 

Heat One (8 Laps):  1. 5*-Gary Taylor, 2. 72-Sherman Davis, 3. 74e-Claud Estes, 4. 11-Justin Melton, 5. 45-J.P. Bailey, 6. 12-Shawn Mize, 7. 04J-Joshua Hemby.

 

Heat Two (8 Laps):  1. 66-Nick Clinkenbeard, 2. 26-Dalton Steed, 3. 64J-Johnny Miller, 4. 14-Michael Lang, 5. 76-John Ricketts, 6. 11F-Darrell Fletcher, 7. 25-T.J. Herrell.

 

Heat Three (8 Laps):  1. 17w-Brad Welborn, 2. 87a-Aaron Reutzel, 3. 39-Marvin Lough, 4. 87-Brian McClelland, 5. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 6. L23-Landon Brown, 7. 68-Andy Rea.

 

Heat Four (8 Laps):  1. 45k-Kolt Walker, 2. 95-Matt Covington, 3. 15b-Michael Brown, 4. 14b-Robert Byrom, 5. 1r-Scott Reneau, 6. 87x-Billy Melton, 7. d99-Jeff Dodd.

 

"B" Feature (12 Laps):  1. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 2. 45-J.P. Bailey, 3. 76-John Ricketts, 4. 1r-Scott Reneau, 5. 11F-Darrell Fletcher, 6. 14b-Robert Byrom, 7. 12-Shawn Mize, 8. 87x-Billy Melton, 9. L23-Landon Brown, 10. 04J-Joshua Hemby, 11. d99-Jeff Dodd, 12. 25-T.J. Herrell, 13. 68-Andy Rea. 

DNS: 14-Michael Lang.

 

"A" Feature (25 Laps):  1. 17w-Brad Welborn, 2. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 3. 87-Brian McClelland, 4. 95-Matt Covington, 5. 45k-Kolt Walker, 6. 39-Marvin Lough, 7. 15b-Michael Brown, 8. 45-J.P. Bailey, 9. 74e-Claud Estes, 10. 66-Nick Clinkenbeard, 11. 11-Justin Melton, 12. 87a-Aaron Reutzel, 13. 5*-Gary Taylor, 14. 76-John Ricketts, 15. 1r-Scott Reneau, 16. 26-Dalton Steed, 17. 64J-Johnny Miller, 18. 14b-Robert Byrom, 19. 11F-Darrell Fletcher,

(20. 72-Sherman Davis Disqualified: Failed to report to scales after finishing second).

 

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Points

(Top Ten):  1. Brian McClelland 1,721, 2. Kolt Walker 1,672, 3. Joe Wood, Jr. 1,640, 4. Gary Taylor 1,630, 5. Matt Covington 1,562, 6. Michael Brown 1,475, 7. Justin Melton 1,424, 8. Sherman Davis 1,169, 9. Eric Baldaccini 975, 10. Johnny Miller 833.


Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com .

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