CANEY, Kans. (September 3, 2016) - History was made Saturday at the Caney Valley Speedway.
Ameri-Flex Hose and Accessories put up $5,000 for an event pitting the 14 OCRS sprint drivers in a 15-lap shootout titled the Ameri-Flex Challenge.
The $5,000 first place payout was a record for a champ sprint race in Oklahoma and the race lived up to its billing.
Drivers lined up on the front stretch for introductions and to receive their starting positions from envelopes handed to them from youngsters selected from the grandstands. Each driver selected a boy or girl who held an envelope.
Ameri-Flex owner Corvan Robison made two wild card selections to fill the field prior to the draw. The drivers walked to their sprint cars parked on the backstretch following the draw and strapped in.
Sean McClelland entered the race as a wild card selection and with all the drama of a action movie and $5,000 on the line, the three-time OCRS champion made sure the race had a Hollywood ending shooting around leader Cameron Hagin on the final lap to pick up the win and a record pay check.
“I am tired,” grinned McClelland afterwards in the pits as he prepared his sprinter for the nights 30-lap main event.
“I have won some big races but this is one of the biggest and the biggest purse I have ever won. That means a lot.”
Logan Robison (L) and Corvan Robison (R) of Ameri-Flex Hose & Accessories present Sean McClelland
with the $5000 grand prize for winning the Ameri-Flex Challenge. / Kent Bergman Photo
Hagin started on the pole after receiving the envelope with the number one inside. At the drop of the green Hagin charged out front holding a two-turn lead for most of the race and appeared headed for victory when the white flag waved.
“i tried to stay patient,” McClelland said as time was running out. “He outran me. His car was faster then I was for sure. He made a few too many mistakes."
“I made some mistakes and he pulled away from me. I had to run him back down a couple of times.”
Entering turn two of the final lap, McClelland saw an opportunity and took it shooting into the lead as the pair entered the backstretch.
“He made a mistake at the wrong time,” McClelland said of Hagin. “If he had not made that mistake on the last lap I would not have got him. He just tightened up and got into the cushion a little too far. He over corrected off the cushion and spun his tires a little bit.”
Hagin tried to set up a cross over move in turn four but McClelland was expecting it.
“I knew I had to get to the bottom of the back straightaway because he was going to come back on me,” McClelland said. “I moved down and that was all she wrote."
“Patience and experience helps you out in that kind of deal. But he ran a great race.”
It was a heartbreaking finish for Hagin who is still looking for his first OCRS win.
“The car was getting tight and I just screwed up a couple of times,” Hagin said. “I was trying to be cautious and it cost me."
“Five Thousand is a lot of money and I was trying to win it.”
Hagin knew his only chance to regain the lead would be a cross-over attempt on the final turn, but it did not work.
“The white flag came out and he did a massive slider,” Hagin recalled. “I tried to cross over but he ended up running me down and there was no where to go."
“He has a lot more experience then I do.”
The auto racing community has been very gracious to provide their support of the Ameri-Flex Challenge and the Ameri-Flex / OCRS sprint car series. Here are some very special people we wish to say 'Thank You' to:
David Stephenson of D&E Supply & DSO Racing Engines
Tom Lorenz of Smiley's Racing Products
Dan Musselman of Maxim Racing
Doug Schoenfeld of Schoenfeld Headers
Jennifer Brotherton Woods of Brodix
Pat Grady of Amsoil (Grady Oil)
Bob Douglas of Rod End Supply
Kerry Gorby of Caney Valley Speedway
And the men that stepped up to the plate in the biggest way......
Corvan and Logan Robison of Ameri-Flex Hose & Accessories
Ameri-Flex Challenge - $5,000-to-win (15 laps)
Caney Valley Speedway / Caney Kansas
1, Sean McClelland. 2, Cameron Hagin. 3, Shane Sellers. 4, Whit Gastineau. 5, Zach Chappell. 6, Sheldon Barksdale. 7, Alex Sewell. 8, Tim Kent. 9, Andrew Deal. 10, Johnny Kent. 11, Perry Pickard. 12, Casey Wills. 13, Shayla Waddell. 14, Robert Sellers.
About AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories -
Located in Tulsa OK, AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories is a family owned and operated company. From food grade hose to hoses for the petroleum industry, AmeriFlex will strive to fill your needs. AmeriFlex can build a hose to your specifications or we will assist you in creating what you have designed while you wait. AmeriFlex has several hard to find items that some vendors can’t get or find. Product can be shipped quickly and efficiently. If we do not have what you are looking for, we will direct you on where to find it. Give us a try, after all:
AmeriFlex Has The Stuff That Keeps You Going!
Website: www.ameriflexhose.com
ocrsracing.com
