It was a washout for many local race tracks on Saturday night, but drivers and teams were out in full force at Oxford Plains Speedway on Sunday, anticipating the Pro All Star Series 150.
The 150 was the last PASS-sanctioned event at Oxford Plains Speedway before the coveted Oxford 250, which takes place at the end of this month.
Drivers and teams filled the pits on Sunday, with 51 drivers hoping to secure a spot in the big show and get some practice time turning laps at the speedway.
With so many cars attempting to qualify for the event, the series held five 15-lap qualifying heats, where the top four drivers from each heat would advance to the 150.
Lonnie Sommerville took the early lead in the first 15-lap heat.
Westbrook’s John Peters was also a quick mover, making his way into third on lap 8. Alan Tardiff was on a mission in the later half of the heat, making his way to the outside of John Peters for third on lap 10.
The #50 of Jeff White got hard into the turn 4 wall on lap 13, leading to an extended caution.
Derek Ramstrom took it 3-wide for position on lap 14, powering his way into the fourth spot.
Lonnie Sommerville, Alan Tardiff, John Peters and Derek Ramstrom all advanced into the 150 after the completion of heat one.
Nick Sweet took off with the early lead in the second heat.
Brandon Barker was on the move early, making his way around Adam Gray for the runner-up spot on lap 7. Barker’s #88 machine began smoking on lap 14, but he managed to hold onto it for the remainder of the heat.
Nick Sweet, Mike Rowe, Joe Squeglia and Brandon Barker all advanced after heat 2.
Curt Gerry and Ryan Robbins both went around on the initial lap of the third heat in turn two. Both drivers got their spots back after the incident, with Curt Gerry powering into the lead.
Ryan Robbins made his way to the outside of Chad Dow on lap 6, challenging him for the runner-up spot. Robbins completed the pass just two laps later.
Scott Robbins came to a slow on lap 9, heading to the pits.
Ivan Kaffel and Chad Dow made contact on lap 13 in turn 4, leading to the #39 of Dow taking a spin. The move led to a late-race caution.
Curt Gerry, DJ Shaw, Ryan Robbins and Ivan Kaffel all advanced after round 3.
Joey Pole pulled away with the early lead in the fourth qualifying heat.
Reid Lanpher was on the move, challenging Joey for the lead on the outside on lap 6.
While those two drivers were battling it out, Garrett Hall made his way around Wyatt Alexander for the fourth spot on lap 12.
Joey Pole managed to hold Reid Lanpher off, taking home the heat victory. In addition to Joey and Reid, Ben Rowe and Garrett Hall also advanced after round four.
Tim Brackett took the early lead in the fifth qualifying heat.
TJ Brackett and JT Thurlow made contact on lap 5, resulting in Thurlow taking a spin on the front stretch. The incident led to the first caution of the heat.
Ray Christian, III stole the lead away from Tim Brackett on the restart.
Bryan Kruczek, Cassius Clark and Rusty Poland took it 3-wide for position on lap 9, with Cassius coming away with the spot.
Rusty Poland and TJ Brackett made contact on lap 14, resulting in Brackett taking a spin in turn 4. The incident led to a late-race caution.
Ray Christian, III managed to hold off the competition, pulling away with the heat victory. Cassius Clark, Austin Teras and Bryan Kruczek also advanced this round.
Valvoline “Fast Track to Fame” contest winner, Wyatt Alexander, took the early lead in the first consolation heat, eventually leading to the heat victory.
Glen Luce took home the second consolation victory, while Calvin Rose, Jr. took home the third.
TJ Brackett won the “last chance” race, securing himself in the big show.
Two big surprises were Travis Benjamin and Derek Griffith, who had both failed to race their way into the 150. Both drivers received provisional’s for the main event.
After the field was set and drivers were ready to roll, Ray Christian, III took off with the early lead.
Cassius Clark was all over Christian for the lead by lap 8, eventually making his way around him on lap 10.
Mike Landry and Derek Griffith both took spins on lap 14 in turn 2, leading to the first caution of the feature.
TJ Brackett was pushed to the outside groove on the restart, resulting in the #61 car falling to the back of the pack.
Mike Landry had a left front tire go down on lap 30, resulting to him scathing the turn 2 wall. The incident led to the second caution of the feature.
Reid Lanpher broke into the top 5 on the restart, coming a long way after starting back in fourteenth.
John Peters took a spin on lap 34 in turn 4, resulting in both Tracy Gordon and Garrett Hall getting tied up. Peters was able to drive away with little damage, but both Hall and Gordon drove away with cosmetic damage to their cars.
Johnny Clark also retired his #54 car for the day during this caution period.
Cassius Clark took off on the restart once again as Reid Lanpher powered his way into third.
Derek Griffith and Garrett Hall made contact on lap 45 in turn 2, leading to yet another caution.
Reid Lanpher was on the move on the restart, fighting his way up to the runner-up spot.
Curt Gerry was also on a mission, breaking the top 5 on lap 54. He continued his pursuit to the front, powering into fourth on lap 56 and later, third, on lap 58.
By lap 65, the leaders had caught the tail-end of the field and began putting cars a lap down.
Curt Gerry was all over Reid Lanpher for the runner-up spot on lap 66. The battle between the two drivers had cooled off by lap 75, where Cassius Clark had also managed to extend his lead to 1/2 of a straightaway.
Brandon Barker was on the move during the late stage of the race, breaking the top five on lap 92.
By lap 100, Cassius Clark had extended his lead to a full straightaway over Reid Lanpher and Curt Gerry.
There was a single-car spin on the front stretch on lap 101, leading to a late-race caution.
Lap traffic was kept in the lineup for the restart, allowing Cassius Clark to pull away from his competitors once more.
Derek Griffith, having an uncharacteristic bad day, took a slide into the sand pit on lap 115 in turn 1, leading to another late-race caution.
There was no lap traffic on this restart, and Curt Gerry was able to make his way around Reid for the runner-up spot.
Ivan Kaffel, Joey Pole, Mike Hopkins and Ryan Robbins collided on lap 122 in turn 4, resulting in yet another caution. The bad luck continued for Ivan Kaffel, who took another spin on the front stretch on lap 128. The incident led to another caution.
Curt Gerry took the lead on the restart for the first time of the feature, pushing Cassius Clark off his throne at the top of the leader board.
Glen Luce took spin in turns 3 & 4 on lap 135, leading to another caution. The madness continued on lap 137, as Garrett Hall and TJ Brackett collided in turn 2.
Once the field got going for the final time, Curt Gerry was able to hold off Cassius Clark for the win. The victory broke a new Pro All Star Series record, marking the first time that a single driver has won 5 consecutive PASS races at the same speedway.
Gerry celebrated with his family, friends and crew in Victory Lane, thoroughly soaking in the moment with those close to him.
Cassius Clark, Reid Lanpher, DJ Shaw and Travis Benjamin rounded out the top five.
The next time the Pro All Star Series returns to Oxford Plains Speedway, it will be for the Oxford 250.
Until then, you can catch the next PASS event at Lee USA Speedway this upcoming Friday, August 3rd. The racing action begins at 7:00 pm.
Get out there and support your local short track!
We hope to see you there!
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