PHOTO BY FREEZE FRAME PHOTOS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
FEATURE WINNER … #51- Devin Shiels- winner of the DIRTCAR UMP Late Model Feature. This was the second feature win of the season at Oakshade for Shiels.
By: Scott Hammer
WAUSEON, OH – Devin Shiels won his second Oakshade Raceway DIRTcar UMP Late Model feature with a dominating performance Saturday night.
Shiels, from Britton, Michigan, started on the pole of the 25-lap main event and immediately took off to a big lead over Kevin Reeve and the rest of the field.
His lead did shrink down to a few car lengths as he caught the tail end of the field and had to deal with lapped traffic. Shiels was able to eventually put some distance on Reeve once again as both drivers worked through heavy lapped traffic.
Shiels had lapped up to the 13th place driver during a long green flag run. The first and only caution flag flew on lap 22, which would tighten the field up behind the race leader.
Reeve was unable to take advantage of the situation as Shiels once again drove away in the closing laps to take the checkered flag.
Ryan Missler had been charging toward the front runners before the caution and was able to pass Reeve for second with two laps to go, but he could not reel in Shiels. Terry Rushlow finished fourth behind Reeve.
Casey Noonan ended up fifth and took over the point lead from Steve Kester, who finished the race back in ninth.
The 2022 track champion now carries a slim three-point advantage over Kester heading into the final month of championship points competition.
A caution-filled Speedy Graphics Sportsman feature followed with Josh Robertson getting the early advantage over pole-sitter John Lonabarger. A huge pile up a few laps into the race would bring out the red flag to unpile the cars of Lonabarger and Mike.
Last week’s feature winner and current point leader Dylan Jessen got by Robertson for the lead about halfway through the 20-lap feature.
Despite the multiple cautions that continued to slow the race and keep the field relatively tight, Robertson could not mount a challenge on the Berkey, Ohio, driver, who went on to earn his fourth feature win of the year with Robertson settling for second.
Chris Williams finished third with Mike Jessen maintaining a fourth-place finish. Dylan Hough gained 12 positions from the start to end up fifth.
Another caution-filled feature followed with the Dominator Super Stock A Main. The top two drivers in a tight point battle started on the front row.
Mason Luttrell had a mishap last week and fell to second in the point standings to Jeff Foks Jr. after being atop the standings most of the season. Luttrell, from Metamora, Ohio, had been fighting motor gremlins most of the night but took the early lead in the 15-lap main event.
Jake Rendel had worked his way past Foks for second, and a final late restart would give him one last shot at Luttrell, but Luttrell was too strong and won his third feature of the season.
Foks, who had taken over the point lead after getting the win last week, slipped back to second in the standings by just eight points after finishing the race third. Brad Eitniear and Donovan Paskan were the rest of the top five finishers.
The always exciting compacts capped off another great night of racing with their feature event. Nathan Owens got to the lead in the first part of the race, but last week’s winner and current point leader Ryan Okuley was hot on his heels.
Okuley, out of Holgate, Ohio, was able to get by Owens for his third consecutive feature win. Owens settled for second, followed by Geoff Wasnick, Russell Nickloy and Adam Thomas.
Oakshade Raceway kicks off the month of August with another full racing program of DIRTcar UMP Late Models, Speedy Graphics Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts this Saturday, August 1. Gates open at 4 p.m., hot laps start at 6 p.m. and racing will begin at 7:15 p.m.