By: Scott Hammer
WAUSEON, OH (August 23, 2025) – Track records were broken during DIRTcar UMP Late Model qualifying on Season Championship Night at Oakshade Raceway and four new track champions were crowned.
Oakshade late model point leader Devin Shiels was first to break Kyle Moore’s track record during qualifying setting a lap time of 13.568 seconds. Then last week’s feature winner, Colin Shipley, went out and ran an even quicker time of 13.405 seconds.
Shiels, out of Britton, Michigan, unofficially wrapped up his sixth Oakshade Raceway late model track championship with a convincing win in the season championship feature event. He started from the pole and led from flag to flag.
Colin Shipley was able to close in to the rear bumper of Shiels while working through lapped traffic until a caution flag on lap 15 of the 25-lap main event would reset the field and provide Shiels with clear track ahead for the restart.
Shiels opened up a big lead once again and went on to score his fourth feature win of the year. Shipley maintained second place with Dusty Moore third.
Steve Kester ended up finishing fourth and ended up second in points. John Miller capped off a great run with a fifth-place finish.
Shiels’ sixth championship ties him with Rusty Schlenk for the most DIRTcar UMP Late Model Oakshade Raceway track championships.
Roman Brown came into the night second in DCR Graphics Sportsman points behind “The Outlaw” Jesse Jones. Brown did all he could do to try to catch Jones, winning both his heat race and then the 20-lap feature race.
Although Jones struggled a bit, it wasn’t enough as the youngster from Adrian, Michigan, was still 13 points in arears to Jones who unofficially claimed his first track championship at Oakshade Raceway.
Last week’s feature winner, Dylan Jessen, finished second to Brown with Scott Robertson, Ryan Davis and Shane Estes the rest of the top five feature race finishers. Jones started fifth and slipped back to a seventh-place finish to hang on to that point championship.
Montpelier, Ohio’s Chad Poorman got the advantage over pole-sitter Shawn Valenti at the start of the 15-lap Dominator Super Stock A Main.
The two drivers would battle at the front of the field the entire caution-free race with Poorman hanging on to win his second feature of the year.
Craig Dippman finished third with Jake Rendel in fourth with last week’s feature winner rounding out the rest of the top five finishers.
Rendel’s fourth place finish unofficially wrapped up his first track championship following up on his brother’s championship in the same class last year.
With lightning lighting up the sky in the distance, the Compact Season Championship A Main rolled onto the raceway to wrap up an exciting night of fast racing action.
Tim Streight took the lead at the start after starting on the outside of the front row. Ryan Okuley entered the night with the largest point advantage in any of the four classes and battled hard with Gavin Stambaugh for second for much of the race as Streight drove away with the lead.
Finally, Okuley was able to make the pass for second with only a couple laps to go in another caution-free race. Okuley could not close the gap and Streight, out of Port Clinton, Ohio, earned and emotional first A Main win of the season.
Okuley’s second place finish was more than enough to unofficially secure his first track championship. James Stamper got by Stambaugh to finish third and Megan Elliott finished fifth behind Stambaugh.
Oakshade Raceway will be back in action this coming Saturday night with a full racing program feature DIRTcar UMP Late Models, DCR Graphics Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts.
It will mark the final night of late model competition this season. Plus there will be the Chris Mize Memorial Hot Dog Race for the Compacts.
Gates will open at 4 p.m. with hot laps/qualifying at 6 p.m. and racing at 7:15 p.m. Adult general admission is just $15, ages 6-11 are $5 and kids 5 and under are FREE! Pit passes are $30.