Maier Sprints to Fourth O'Reilly/NCRA Sprint Victory

By David Smith, Jr.
 

PARK CITY, Kan. (July 27, 2007) - Garry Lee Maier of Cimmaron, Kansas started on the pole and held off late race charges by Marc Robe to pick up his fourth series victory of the season as the O'Reilly NCRA Sprint Series presented by ICM/Ethanol second stop of the season at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas Friday night.

 

   Maier, aboard the Lubbock Wrecker, Jantz Excavating sponsored No. 11x sprinter, jumped into the lead past fellow front row started Cody Forshee and led the rest of the field on the start. Robe, who started fourth, got past rookie Forshee and settled into second with Gavin Punch and Mike Woodruff the top five after the first lap was complete. Maier would open a six car length lead by lap three before the first of four caution flags would have for Forshee, who spun coming out of turn two and hit the wall at the top of the track ending his night.

 

   The restart Maier again stretch out his lead over Robe, who inherited the runner up position after the caution. Three laps after the restart the caution would be seen once again as Koby Barksdale would come to a stop on the backstretch.

 

   Once the race resumed, Maier would motor his Wesmar-powered Maxim to a ten car length advantage by lap ten as he drove the top of turns one and two and near the middle in three and four. At the races midway point it was Maier, followed by Robe, Woodruff, Derek Drown and eleventh starting Mike Peters. Maier looked to have the race well in hand but by lap fifteen, he began approaching lapped traffic allowing Robe to close the gap.

 

   While battling lapped traffic on lap nineteen, Maier got caught between a couple of lapped cars allowing Robe to make the apparent pass for the lead on the front stretch. But the lead change was all for not as the third caution of the feature fell for Punch as he came to a stop in turns one and two.

 

   With the caution, Maier restarted with a clear track ahead of him while behind him, Robe had his hands full with third running Woodruff, who tried several attempts for the runner up position by diving low in turns one and two as Robe used the cushion at the top of the track.

 

   A late race caution for Scott Lehman on lap twenty-two would slow the pace one last time but on the restart, there was no catching Maier as he set sail to his 60th career series victory.

 

   "I was a bit worried about finding the rubber late as I have had alot of trouble finding it this year," said Maier in victory lane. "I was running about mid track in three and four before he (Robe) showed me he was there on that restart. Then I decided it was better if I went back down to the bottom in three and four."

 

   Robe would hold off several challenges from Woodruff to finish second while Peters hard charge would end with a fourth place finish. Luke Cranston would round out the top five.

 

   The first heat race for the twenty-seven car field got off to a rough start as several cars came together entering turn one on the start. J.D. Johnson and James Riner both flipped and collected Jason Johnson, Mike Peters, Corey Moore and Koby Barksdale. Johnson Eagle would suffer the most damage as he would suffer a broke chassis and broken injectors ending his night early. All other drivers, except for Johnson and Moore, would be back to compete in the "B" feature later. Woodruff would go on to win that first heat race with Maier and Punch the other two heat race victors. Peters would waste little time from his third starting position in the "B" feature to take the lead and go on to the ten lap victory over David Wheeler, Stu Snyder and Mike Chadd.

 

   Next up for the O'Reilly NCRA Sprint Series presented by ICM/Ethanol will be a non points race as drivers head to the Knoxville 360 Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa August 2-4 and the Brodix Tournament of Champions August 5th. The next scheduled NCRA points race will be Saturday night, August 18th back at 81 Speeway before the series heads north to the the Belleville Highbanks the following night. (David Smith Jr./www.oklahomatidbits.com).

 

A Feature -- 1, Garry Lee Maier. 2, Marc Robe. 3, Mike Woodruff. 4, Mike Peters. 5, Luke Cranston. 6, Shane Howard. 7, Andy Shous.e 8, J.D. Johnson. 9, Scott Lehman. 10, Jon Freeman. 11, Dwight Schroeder. 12, Mike Chadd. 13, Stu Snyder. 14, Dan Freeman. 15, Derek Drown. 16, Gavin Punch. 17, David Wheeler. 18, Roger Sundquist. 19, Koby Barksdale. 20, Cody Forshee.

B Feature -- 1, Mike Peters. 2, David Wheeler. 3, Stu Snyder. 4, Mike Chadd. 5, Jon Freeman. 6, Dwight Schroeder. 7, Koby Barksdale. 8, Dan Freeman. 9, Roger Sundquist. 10, J.D. Johnson. 11, A.J. Selenke.

Heat 1:  1, Mike Woodruff. 2, Marc Robe. 3, Luke Cranston. 4, James Riner. 5, Mike Peters. 6, J.D. Johnson. 7, Corey Moore. 8, Koby Barksdale. 9, Jason Johnson.

Heat 2: 1, Garry Lee Maier. 2, Shane Howard. 3, Scott Lehman. 4, Andy Shouse. 5, Stu Snyder. 6, Mike Chadd. 7, Dwight Schroeder. 8, Kenneth Walker. 9, Jon Freeman..

Heat 3: 1, Gavin Punch. 2, Cody Forshee. 3, Derek Drown. 4, David Wheeler. 5, Dan Freeman. 6, Roger Sundquist. 7, A.J. Selenke. 8, Dusty Murry. 9, Derrick Ortega.