Garry Lee Maier battled past upstart Travis Jenkins on the seventh round and went on to post a commanding victory in the opening stanza of a two-night set for the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region at Mid-America Speedway in Friday night’s 25-lap feature.
Ranked second on the career ASCS National Tour win charts with 37 triumphs, Maier’s third career ASCS Sooner Region win came aboard Scott Brown’s Wesmar-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 11x Maxim.
“It was a racy track and you just had to stay out of trouble, ” Maier commented. “The Maxim with Wesmar power was good tonight. “
While Maier gridded the feature field in ninth, it was Sherman Davis and 2001 ASCS Sooner Region champion J. P. Bailey leading the field to the green flag. The original start was waved off though, when 2005 ASCS Gulf South Region champion Ray Allen Kulhanek and 2005 ASCS Sooner Region champion Sean McClelland tangled.
Under the ensuing caution, Davis surrendered the pole position when he made a quick stop to the work area and rejoined the field at the tail, giving the pole position to Jenkins.
And Jenkins took full advantage by gunning into the early lead in front of Bailey, with Maier making a quick move to third in front of 2004 ASCS Rocky Mountain Region champion Keith Rauch.
But Maier, the American Sprint Car Series’ initial National champion in 1992, was on the move, making his way past Bailey for second and then riding the high line around Jenkins in turn three to snare the point on the seventh round.
Maier encountered lapped traffic two laps later, but was given open track when Trey Robb brought out the caution on the eleventh round after contact with an infield tire resulted in a downed front-end.
After wasting little time opening up a straightaway advantage, Maier weathered three more cautions over the final ten laps to secure the win, with Cody Branchcomb moving atop the ASCS Sooner Region point charts with a runner-up finish. Don Droud, Jr., raced from 14th to claim the show position, while Kulhanek rebounded to snare fourth.
Jamie Passmore rounded out the top five, with Gavin Punch, 20th-starter Brad Best, Bailey, 16th-starter Michael Brown and Jenkins completing the top ten.
Former ASCS Rocky Mountain Region champion Gary Taylor held down the third position until a lap 15 tangle with Brian McClelland. Rauch held fifth until a late miscue, while Sean McClelland climbed back up to fourth before brake woes forced him into an infield tire with just five laps to go.
Rauch, Davis, Sean McClelland, Branchcomb, Bailey and Kulhanek topped heat race action for the 43-car field, with Brian McClelland and Michael Brown winning the twin “B” Mains.
Shelly Ward flipped in the evening’s second heat race and then went for another tumble in “B” Main action. Other Friday night tumblers included Forrest Sutherland, Derek Cottrell, Jerrod Hull and Foster Landon. There were no injuries.
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