6/26/2020
RacinBoys
Stovall shows the way in MLRA at Outlaw Motor Speedway
By Billy Rock, Lucas Oil MLRA (Oktaha, OK) -- Jesse Stovall survived a late race caution on Thursday night at the Outlaw Motor Speedway in Oktaha, OK to capture his first Lucas Oil MLRA victory of the season. Stovall keeps the streak alive by becoming the fifth consecutive different winner in MLRA action in 2020.
PHOTO CREDIT: Lloyd Collins/Fast Track Photos
Race officials spent an extensive amount of time working the racing surface prior to the start of the 40 lap main event, providing drivers a multi grooved racing surface in the MLRA's first visit to the 3/8-mile facility since 2014. By virtue of his heat race win, Stovall started from the DirtonDirt.com pole position alongside of Omaha, Nebraska's Jake Neal. Stovall quickly jumped to the lead running the high line until the races first caution waved on lap number four.
On the restart, Stovall would again jump out in front and quickly pull away from the field including the likes of Jason Papich, Chad Simpson, and Neal. The events second caution waved on lap number twelve when Sunoco Race Fuel Rookie candidate Tony Toste and Jordan Yaggy came together in turns one and two. From there the field would run caution free for the next twenty six laps.
Just like he did one night ago, sixth starting Johnny Scott used the long run to his liking and moved past Simpson on lap eighteen into the second position. As the race progressed, Stovall had to adjust his line multiple times on the rapidly changing track, all the while the XR1 Rocket of Scott was able to pull within striking distance. As the top two caught the tail of the field with just ten laps to go it added Simpson and Will Vaught back into the mix.
With the leaders exciting turn four approaching just two laps to go, the events final caution waved for the F15 of Jeremy Conaway who spun on the bottom of turns one and two setting up a green-white-checkered dash to the finish. Stovall, like he had done all night long in his Back Diamond chassis, was able to pull away and not give up the bottom side of the track to Scott. Stovall would capture the $3,000 pay day by .654 seconds over Scott, while series point leader Chad Simpson would come home in third. Will Vaught had his best finish of the year in fourth, while Justin Duty came home as the Sunoco Rookie of the race in fifth.
The MLRA win marked Stovall's 26th career under the MLRA banner. Stovall noted in Cedar Creek Beef Jerky Victory Lane, "I knew it was going to be a fight to stay on that bottom there and that the guys behind me would have to race me clean and only take a position if they could get it. The track kind of latched down a little bit and had some rough character to it that didn't allow to go around wide open, and you had to watch what you were doing getting into the corners and stuff."
"The car still quite isn't where I want it to be" said Stovall. "I know we won the race, but were going to try and make this thing even better than this. Ronnie Stuckey at Black Diamond Chassis, I just can't say enough about them guys. I have been with them for five years now and he's more of a friend now than just a chassis builder and an awesome person. Them guys down there all bust their butts and have been phenomenal to me," concluded Stovall.
Scott came as close as it gets to a direct repeat of his win from the night prior at Lucas Oil Speedway noting, "We had a good car. That's the thing that sucks starting out with a harder tire early is you just kind of fade back and then you've got to make up all that ground, but I think more than anything track position hurt us a little bit tonight. If we would have won that heat it would have been a little better starting on the front row but I can't complain with another top five finish tonight."
Simpson match his best run of the year in third and was happy to have his Jay Dickens powered entry in one piece and will look to build on his performance as the series heads to the Salina Highbanks on Friday night. "We struggled a little bit last night," said Simpson. "When we pulled off the track last night we had about every quarter panel and door we had to pound flat, so not to have to do any sheet metal work tomorrow is real good."
"This MLRA is always a tough points deal. We have won it twice now, but one bad night is all it takes to take you right out of it, so were just going to keep putting runs together and see if we can knock some wins off," stated Simpson.
Up next for the Lucas Oil MLRA will be a two night stand at the Salina Highbanks Speedway in Pryor Creek, OK on Friday and Saturday June 26th - 27th. The 7th Annual ARMI "Freedom Classic" returns to the Highbanks for two complete shows, paying the winners $3,000 and $5,000 respectively.
Outlaw Motor Speedway Contingencies 6/25/20
Slick Mist "Fast Time Award" - Payton Looney
DirtonDirt.com "Pole Award" - Jesse Stovall
Allgaier Motorsports Racing Shocks Award - Johnny Scott
Casey's General Store's "Hard Charger of the Race" - Will Vaught
Dynamic Drivelines "Crew Chief of the Race" - Tommy Rogers
Hooker Harness "11th Place Finisher" - Garrett Alberson
Midwest Sheet Metal "Points Leader Spoiler Challenge" - Chad Simpson
Performance Bodies "Performer of the Race" - Jesse Stovall
RacingJunk.com "Hard Luck Award" - Jordan Yaggy
Sunoco "Rookie of the Race" - Justin Duty
Lucas Oil Racing TV A Feature (40 Laps): 1.Jesse Stovall 2.Johnny Scott 3.Chad Simpson 4.Will Vaught 5.Justin Duty 6.Jake Neal 7.Tony Jackson Jr. 8.Payton Looney 9.Jeremiah Hurst 10.Jason Papich 11.Jeremiah Hurst 12.Mitch McGrath 13.Raymond Merrill 14.Daniel Hilsabeck 15.Tony Toste 16.Jeremy Conaway 17.Jeremy Grady 18.Jake Timm 19.Terry Phillips 20.Joseph Gorby 21.Joe Duvall 22.Jordan Yaggy 23.Mason Oberkamer 24.Brennon Willard
Allgaier Motorsports Racing Shocks B Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1.Joe Duvall 2.Jeremy Conaway 3.Joseph Gorby 4.Preston Luckman 5.Reid Millard 6.Brennon Willard 7.Steve Johnson 8.Cliff Morrow 9.Jake Davis (DNS)
MAV TV Motorsports B Feature 2 (12 Laps): 1.Mitch McGrath 2.Jake Timm 3.Jeremy Grady 4.Daniel Hilsabeck 5.Hayden Ross 6.Austin Theiss 7.Mark Shipman 8.Richard Shepler 9.Ryan Johnson
Cedar Creek Beef Jerky Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1.Jesse Stovall 2.Jeremiah Hurst 3.Justin Duty 4.Payton Looney 5.Preston Luckman 6.Jeremy Conaway 7.Reid Millard 8.Jake Davis 9.Steve Johnson
Casey's General Stores Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1.Jason Papich 2.Raymond Merrill 3.Terry Phillips 4.Tony Toste 5.Joe Duvall 6.Joseph Gorby 7.Brennon Willard 8.Cliff Morrow
Sunoco Race Fuels Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1.Jake Neal 2.Johnny Scott 3.Tony Jackson Jr. 4.Mason Oberkramer 5.Mitch McGrath 6.Jeremy Grady 7.Hayden Ross 8.Ryan Johnson 9.Richard Shepler
Midwest Sheet Metal Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1.Chad Simpson 2.Jordan Yaggy 3.Will Vaught 4.Garrett Alberson 5.Jake Timm 6.Daniel Hilsabeck 7.Austin Theiss 8.Mark Shipman
For all of the latest news and information fans are encouraged to visit the series website at http://www.MLRARacing.com.
Fans may also "like" the Lucas Oil MLRA Facebook page by clicking http://www.Facebook.com/lucasoilmlra or follow us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/MLRA.
Submitted By: Kirk Elliott
