As the immense heat gave way to a very warm evening, the Duttons dirt held its high side and the stars of the Lucas Oil American Small Car Series played to it well, setting a blistering pace throughout the night.
Fort Worth, Texas native and 2004 ASCS Sooner Region Champion Kevin Ramey led the Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw field to the start of the headlining 25 lap A feature event, but it would be fellow front starter Zach Alley immediately taking the point.
Following a lap two stoppage for Blake Hahn's broken chain, the Tulsa native opened up a sizeable margin before Bixby, Oklahoma's 2009 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw Champion Kevin Bayer would close the distance and challenge for the lead.
Just as Bayer shot by Alley for the lead, a lap 11 yellow for Tyler Gordon's stalled mount would nullify the pass and put Alley back up front.
It would be the final time Alley saw immediate challenge, as the Tulsa native cruised to his first Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw win of the 2011 campaign aboard the red and white no. 10 Intruder Chassis machine. Further sponsorship information will be added as it is received.
Having what could have been a race winning pass wiped out by caution, Kevin Bayer would continue to shadow Alley for the duration of the 25 lap main event before ultimately settling for runner up honors.
Collinsville, Oklahoma native and most recent Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw feature winner at Port City Raceway, Layne Heimbaugh used the final caution of the race on the 18th circuit to his maximum advantage. As the top 5 seemed to accept that the racing surface had narrowed drastically, it would not prevent Heimbaugh from rocketing from 6th to overtake Brandon Hahn for the show position in the final stages.
Tulsa, Oklahoma's Brandon Hahn and Chance Terrell would complete the top 5 running order. Kevin Bayer and Coweta, Oklahoma's Kade Morton took heat race honors over the 17 car Lucas Oil ASCS2 Outlaw field.
In what was likely the premier race of the evening, Glenpool, Oklahoma's Matt Ward led the field to the start of the 25 lap Lucas Oil ASCS2 Non Wing main event, a start that was continued approximately four times due to consecutive accidents in turn one.
Attempt #5 would prove succesfull, and somewhat prophetic as well. Ward would maintain the lead over the first handful of laps while the action blazed from top to bottom immediately behind. Emerging from the dazzling fray was Oklahoma City native Shelby Byrd.
Byrd shot his no. 5 Non Wing machine into the lap 6 lead and never looked back, taking his first Lucas Oil ASCS2 Non Wing victory of the 2011 campaign in his first attempt since a 2010 Championship push netted th 23 year old a 3rd place finish in the 2010 Non Wing ranks.
Putting racing on hold to pursue a engineering degree, and this having friday's occupied, a Byrd's-eye was put on this weekend of Saturday/Sunday Lucas Oil ASCS2 action. In just his fifth total event of the 2011 racing season, Byrd's Lucas Oil ASCS2 Non Wing score accompanies a pair of local triumphs, also at Dutton, aboard the ever sharp Metric Cycles, CKS Fabrications, Baker Boys Yamaha, and RFR Chassis sponsored no. 5 Non Wing mount.
Always a contender at any event he enters, Byrd is currently seeking sponsorship to assist in continuing his 2011 Non Wing assault.
After losing the lead early, Matt Ward would keep distantly keep pace with Byrd most of the way, staying well ahead of the fierce action immediately behind him. Ward's runner up finish will net him the 2011 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Non Wing point lead, a lead that could perhaps conflict with his Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour Director of Competition duties.
An Outlaw winner later in the evening, Tulsa's Zach Alley made a late push from sixth to take show position honors at the stripe. Adamantly keeping to the low line with varying success, Jim Woods would settle for fourth with Pauls Valley, Oklahoma's Steven Shebester completing the top 5 running order.
Gage Robb, Matt Ward, and Steven Shebester seized heat race wins over the 22 car Lucas Oil ASCS2 Non Wing field, with Kevin Ramey taking top honors in the 12 lap B Feature.
Very little has stopped Chance Morton as of late. The Coweta, Oklahoma entered the Lucas Oil ASCS2 double at Duttons with a sizeable advantage in points and three wins in seven starts of the 2011 Lucas Oil ASCS2 Restricted campaign.
In a dominant showing, Morton led the field to the start of the 20 lap Lucas Oil ASCS2 Restricted main event and led wire to wire in an outstanding effort that resulted in his fourth Lucas Oil ASCS2 Restricted achievement of the 2011 campaign aboard the Momo's Racing Engines, Napa Autoparts, Morton Exacavating, and Intruder Chassis sponsored black no. 7m mount.
However, a ferocious and often damaging battle would be staged for the runner up spot. Following a lap 4 red flag for a Ryan Padgett's hard contact with the front straightaway wall, Colton Wisely would trail Morton while repeatedly fending off challenge from El Reno, Oklahoma's Kyle Keeler.
The battle would continue and intensify as the race went on, until Keeler's lap 16 attempt to dive under Wisely would end in the turn 4 infield and with enough damage to send Keeler pitside. Morton and Wisely then led Lone Star reps Dylan Fox and Garron Brimmer with Cyril, Oklahoma native Cord Dodson pacing fifth.
The lap 16 restart would prove chaotic, as Wisely's found it difficult to battle past the lapped machine that seperated himself from the leading Morton. The slower progress allowed both Fox and Brimmer to pull alongside the turn two exit with Fox attempting a daring move between Wisely and Brimmer in turns 3 and 4.
The daring attempt would turn disastrous as Fox checked up to acoid colliding with a lapped Brendan Wisely. The loss of speed on the extremely fast surface resulted in ricochet contact between half a dozen drivers, with Fox drilling the front straight wall hard as contact between Colton Wisely and Garron Brimmer sent Brimmer to a turn one stop.
Lone Star state natives Garron Brimmer and Dylan Fox would both be towed off to appluse of both their safety and effort. Initially it appeared Colton Wisely would be able to continue, but pace laps immediately following the red suggested otherwise as a disappointed Wisely was forced pitside as well.
Inheriting the runner up spot after the lap 16 scramble, Cyril, Oklahoma's Cord Dodson would fend a strong late race challenge from Atoka, Oklahoma's Austin Shores to claim second at the line with Shores taking show position honors. Layden Pearson and Grady Chandler completed the top 5 running order.
Colton Wisely, Dylan Fox, and Chance Morton took heat race honors of the 22 car Lucas Oil ASCS2 Restricted field, with Aaron Dromgoole taking the top spot of the 12 lap Lucas Oil ASCS2 B Feature event.
The Lucas Oil American Small Car Series Independence Day double at Dutton's Speedway continues with a Sunday, July 3rd finale. Pit gates open at 5pm with heat race action set to go green at 8pm.
For more information regarding the Lucas Oil American Small Car Series, please contact ASCS headquarters at 918.838.3777
For more information regarding Duttons Speedway, including ticket pricing and track directions, please visit www.duttonsspeedway.com or contact track promoter Orval Williams at 580.774.5599.
