Schlenk Earns Third Career Barney Oldfield Race Win

Rusty Schlenk from McClure, Ohio, started deep in the field for the 30th Annual Barney Oldfield Race at Oakshade Raceway and managed to get by Jeep Van Wormer late in the 40-lap feature for his third Barney Oldfield Race win. This puts Rusty in the elite company of the only other three-time Barney race winners that include the legendary Kris Patterson and Matt Miller.

Curtis Roberts darted out to the lead after starting on the pole at the start of the Barney Oldfield Race, which was also an American Late Model Series event. His lead would only last a handful of laps until two-time Barney winner Jeep Van Wormer stormed by. The caution flag would fly soon after Van Wormer took the lead which would tighten the field and allowed the 2019 $10,000 Birthday Race winner, Chris Keller, to charge to the inside of Van Wormer. At the same time, Dona Marcoullier got into the lead fray and looked to the ouside. Keller would fade back to third, leaving Marcoullier to duke it out with Van Wormer for the lead. Finally Van Wormer was able to open up a bit of breathing room through the middle part of the race. A caution on lap 27 would once again tighten things up with Rusty Schlenk restarting in third behind Van Wormer and Marcoullier. Schlenk immediately went to work on Marcoullier once the green flag flew for the restart. The two drivers battle side by side for a few laps allowing Van Wormer to once again open up his advantage. Schlenk was able to get by and take over second, but Van Wormer’s lead looked to be insurmountable unless a caution would come out and it did. The final caution flag flew with just five laps remaining for an incident involving Steve Miller and Chad White. Schlenk wasted no time after they went back green. He would get by and lead the final three laps on his way to a $5,500 pay day and career win number 201. Dona Marcoullier ended up finishing second as Van Wormer faded back the final few laps to end up third. Devin Shiels finished fourth and Keller held on to a fifth place finish.

Bruce Stuart looked strong in the first part of the 20-lap UMP Sportsman feature, leading the first eight laps. That is when Jackson, Michigan’s Jerry Signor closed in and took the lead on lap nine. Last week’s feature winner Mike Jessen began to close in on Signor late in the race, but ran out of laps as Signor picked up second career UMP Sportsman career win, both wins coming this season. His win closes up the point battle between himself and Jessen with Jessen maintaining just a four point advantage after finishing second. Joe Keebler capped off a decent run in third followed by Bruce Stuart and Jake Gamber.

William “Bubba” Cundick out of Wauseon, Ohio, started inside the second row of the Hot Rod Welding & Engineering Bomber A Main and took the lead by the end of the first lap. He would go on to lead from flag to flag. Cundick recovered nicely for his first A Main win of the year after slamming into an embankment around a light pole that almost caused him to roll over earlier in the night in his heat race. Adam Noonan started 16th and worked his way up to a second place finish with last week’s A Main winner, Jeff Foks Jr., ending up third. Justin Gamber and Bomber point leader Terry Rushlow were the rest of the top five finishers.

There have only been two different feature winners all year in the Napa of Swanton Compact class at Oakshade Raceway. And one of those drivers, Cory Gumm, has won all but one of those features. Gumm out of Hillsdale, Michigan, led from flag to flag and earned his fifth consecutive feature win and sixth of the season. Brogan Rehklau, who is the only other driver with a compact feature win this year, finished second. In the battle for third, contact between Eric Carr and Joe Elliott sent Elliott sideways off of turns one and two on the final lap. That allowed Nathan Goodman to gain positions and finish in third with Carr slipping back to fourth and Jeff Rahklau rounding out the top five.

The Hot Rod Welding & Engineering Bomber B Main started out with big wreck that collected at least five cars, including the eventual winner. Toledo, Ohio’s Dylan Burt would have to restart at the back of the field and quickly charged up toward the front. Cody Laney led the first four laps, until Burt took command on lap five. A couple more cautions would keep the field relatively tight, but Burt was the class of the field despite the damage suffered in the first lap crash. It was Burt’s second B Main win of the year. Brian Johnsonbaugh and Dave McMannamy would get by Laney to finish second and third respectively. Derrick Roseman finished fifth.

A full racing program of UMP Late Models, UMP Sportsman, Hot Rod Welding & Engineering Bombers and Napa of Swanton Compacts is on tap for Saturday, August 3rd. Gates will open at 4pm, hot laps at 6pm and racing starts at 7pm. Adult general admission is just $14.

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