DAN WALLACE
CASEY NOONAN
By: Scott Hammer
WAUSEON, OH – Dan Wallace led from flag to flag and captured his second feature win of the season in the Oakshade/Attica Late Model Series feature event at Oakshade Raceway on Saturday evening.
The 25-lap feature event was the final race of the 2024 Oakshade/Attica Late Model Series. Devin Shiels held a 37-point lead over Casey Noonan at the start of the night, but Shiels was not in attendance to race for the title. That meant Casey Noonan had to finish sixth or better to unofficially claim the 2024 Oakshade/Attica championship.
The race was also the penultimate event before next week’s Oakshade Raceway Season Championship Night. Carter Murday held a slim lead over Rusty Smith who had won three of the previous four features to tighten the point battle in recent weeks.
Smith was slated to start on the outside of the front row in the feature race but broke a rear end during the pace laps and was forced to sit this race out.
That allowed the outside row of the 25-lap feature to move up putting Toledo, Ohio’s Dan Wallace on the outside of Steve Kester for the start. Wallace got the advantage over Kester at the drop of the green flag.
Just as Wallace was about to catch the tail of the field, the yellow flag flew as Brad Eitniear’s car rolled to a stop in turn 2. It was the only caution period of the race and afforded Wallace a clear racetrack ahead for the restart.
Kester hung within a few car lengths behind Wallace most of the race, but Wallace was able to put some further distance over him in the final few laps as he went on to pick up the victory.
Kester held on to finish second with Casey Noonan claiming third which would unofficially earn him the Oakshade/Attica Late Model Series championship. Carter Murday finished fourth which all but locks up the Oakshade Raceway track championship for him heading into next weekend. Jake Rendel finished fifth.
The DCR Graphics Sportsman feature got off to a rough start with the red flag coming out on the first lap after an incident with Donnie Ringman and Brian Retcher to allow crews room to clean it up. Once the green flag flew again, point leader Ryan Davis from Weston, Michigan, took the lead after starting on the pole.
Several more incidents would keep the field from getting too strung out with Davis leading the entire distance for his fifth feature win of the season.
Kolin Schilt had some bad luck again and retired from the race while running in the second position. Chris Williams would finish second instead with Mike Jessen third. Last week’s feature winner, Roman Brown, ended up fourth and Ian Palmer finished fifth.
Jeff Foks Jr. out of Holland, Ohio, got in front of Jarrett Rendell on the high side to get the early lead in the Dominator Super Stock A Main.
A hard crash just past the halfway point of the race that involved Dylan Burt, Wesley Fisher, Cody Stetten and Curt Dickie brought out the red flag to once again give crews space to clean up the scene.
Foks would go on to notch his second consecutive A Main win and close to within 30 points of point leader Jarrett Rendel. Rendel slipped back to finish the race third after John Lonabarger got by. Jake Rendel finished fourth and Adam Noonan took fifth. Noonan is 45 points behind Rendel heading into next week’s championship night.
The Compact A Main had a heated battle for the lead early with five cars running under a blanket until a caution flag came out. Detroit, Michigan’s James Stamper found himself with the lead by lap five and held off Gavin Stambaugh who would slow in turn two while running second on lap nine of the 12 lap race. Stamper went on to pick up the victory over Chris Rutan, Geoff Wasnick, Ron Hulbert and Megan Elliott.
John Young got the lead in the Dominator Super Stock B main, but Jamie Grochowski from Toledo, Ohio, quickly closed in. Young tried to fend him off, but Grochowski got to the inside and took the lead on lap four.
He would go on to pick up the checkered flag with Young settling for second. Derek Zuver finished third with Joe Nickloy close behind in fourth. Pole sitter Brian Stutzman slipped back to finish fifth.
The Compact B Main once again wrapped up a fantastic night of racing. Eli Kolodie passed Christian Hulbert for the lead on lap one. The Fayette, Ohio, driver went on to pick up the victory after surviving a near incident with a lapped car on the final lap.
Mike Rice appeared to fall off the pace a bit in the final laps, but held on to finish second with C.J. Hargett, Christian Hulbert and Tyson Harper the rest of the top five finishers.
This weekend is Season Championship Night at Oakshade Raceway which includes a full racing program of DIRTcar UMP Late Models, the DCR Graphics Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts.
Gates open at 4pm with hot laps/qualifying at 6pm and racing at 7:30pm. Adult general admission is just $15, ages 6-11 are $5 and kids 5 and under are FREE! Pit passes are $25.