Kansas shoe Garry Lee Maier slugged his way past Don Droud, Jr., on the 16th round en route to winning Saturday night’s American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region feature at Mid-America Speedway to complete a sweep of the weekend double.
Piloting Scott Brown’s Wesmar-powered Lubbock Wrecker Service No. 11x Maxim, Maier pocketed $4,500 for the weekend sweep with Saturday’s $3,000 winner’s share bolstering Friday night’s $1,500 take.
But the Saturday clincher didn’t come without some controversy, as Maier’s race-winning move sent Droud spinning in 360-degree fashion and losing a handful of positions in the process.
“I got a bite coming off two and got under him and couldn’t make the pass, it is one of those things, ” Maier explained afterward. “Then coming off four, he turned sideways and we got together. He was protecting as I do, it was one of those racing accidents. ”
With Friday night’s top four finishers locked into the feature, Droud earned the pole position for the feature by winning the Pole Dash and gunned into the early lead in front of Brian McClelland, Ray Allen Kulhanek and Maier.
Working the high side, Maier was on the move and made his way by Kulhanek and then took second from McClelland on the sixth circuit, two laps before race’s first caution flew for a turn four tangle involving B. J. Fay and Trey Robb.
Maintaining the point, Droud weathered several more cautions over the next few laps before the race’s pivotal moment occurred exiting turn four on the 16th round when Droud and Maier made contact while battling for the lead. Maier somehow saved his mount and took command as Droud looped his machine and continued on.
Despite brushing the wall exiting turn four on the white flag lap, Maier held on to post the victory by six car-lengths over tenth-starter Sean McClelland, who had battled past younger brother Brian for third on the eleventh round before climbing to second when Droud looped it.
Sherman Davis climbed from 12th to claim the show position, with Kulhanek and a dejected Droud rounding out the top five.
Finishing fifth after the skirmish while dicing for the lead in just his fourth outing aboard the Ochs Racing MAP Inc. No. 1x Maxim, a dejected Droud commented that, “I didn’t figure Garry Lee would run over me. I drove the same line for fifteen or twenty laps, whatever it was. ”
Current ASCS Sooner Region point leader Cody Branchcomb crossed the stripe sixth, with Gavin Punch in seventh. Robb, Kevin Ramey and Brian McClelland each recovered from separate mid-race incidents to complete the top ten.
Punch, Davis, Brad Best and Sean McClelland topped Saturday night’s heat race action, with Mike Peters and Roy Larkin winning the twin “B” Mains.
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