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  1st Place: #5 - Bob Williams | |
 2nd Place - #14 Ian Black |
 3rd Place - #2 Chase Larson |
WESCAR OKTIRE Challenge Series - MacCarthy GM 100 Results:
August 5, 2007,
Terrace Speedway - Terrace, BC
The Saturday night prior to the event a couple of late model sportsman races were run and some of the WESCAR regulars came out to play. Veteran Lee Thomas in his T&T Communications #38 Pontiac had a successful evening while rookie Chase Larson in the Regency Chrysler #2 Dodge had to do some repairs after being caught up in a racing incident.
Sunday the WESCAR haulers and their teams arrived at the track early under hot sunny skies to set up pit tents and carts and get some practice in. The #6 Brandt Tractor Chev of Sheldon Mayert was fastest in the one round of practice with a fast lap of 17.753 seconds on the 3/8 mile steeply banked oval. The record to beat was 17.452 set the year before under cooler conditions and was never challenged in qualifying due to the warmer slicker track. Bob Williams of Prince George in the #5 Turtlewax Monte Carlo captured the fast time with a lap of 17.617 with Terrace driver #14 Ian Black in the Jock’s Excavating Chevy close behind with a 17.639 second rotation around the oval. Lightning Lee Thomas in the #38 Pontiac was less than a tenth behind recording a 17.713 and Sheldon Mayert in the #6 logged a 17.761 for 4th on the grid.
The qualifying effort of the #23 Fountain Tire Chev of Peter Ernst resulted with an inside front row starting spot with the #71 David Olson Canacord Capital Chevy on the front row outside. The #2 Regency Chrysler Dodge of Chase Larson was lined up behind Ernst with hometown driver #92 Darcy McKeown in the MacCarthy GM Chev on the outside row. When the green flag dropped (insert introductory sentence here), the action started for the delight and frustration of the fans in the stands. The fans came to hear horsepower and watch cars go real fast and they were thoroughly entertained even when the first caution flag flew. It was displayed not for an accident or a crash but instead for a disappearing car. The #71 David Olson ran high down the backstraight, so high that he flew off the track on the entrance to turn 3 and hid in the bushes, moments later he returned to the track from the bushy area unaided and returned to the race undamaged. He was gone barely long enough for flagman Lyall McComber to display the yellow flag.
Once the green was again shown to the drivers the action (insert introductory sentence here) returned with the #5 Williams and the #23 Ernst competing for the lead. The rolled up black flag had to be pointed as a warning to a number of drivers to keep the action clean and green. On lap 61 the second caution flew when the #14 Ian Black, on turn 3, tried to pass on the inside of the #38 Lee Thomas, the cars touched and the #38 spun. Race officials sent both cars to the back of the pack for being involved in bringing out the caution.
When the green flag was displayed again on lap 70 a repeat of the restart was required due to a jumping of the start from one of the front two cars. Once under green, it did not take long for the #14 Black to weave his way to the front pack of cars. The crowd was screaming and on their feet enjoying every turn as the #14 Black raced the rookie #2 Larson as they battled for the 2nd position on the track. On lap 98 with the #5 Williams out front by over 5 seconds the #14 Black eventually made his pass around the #2 Larson to a roar of applause from the hometown crowd of fans. The checkers flew for #5 Bobby Williams Turtlewax Chevy as he earned his first win of the year with the #14 Ian Black in his Jock’s Excavating Chev locking down second with the #2 Chase Larson in the Regency Chrysler Dodge Intrepid cementing a third 3rd place finish in his rookie season.
Lee Thomas in the #38 Pontiac had to retire from the race when he was black flagged for an oil leak from a fuel pump after showing he had the car to possibly challenge for the lead. We can now see how the fortunes of racing can quickly change. Blair Loset of Terrace in the recently acquired #55 Ford had to retire early as well due to mechanical problems.
That was how they finished to complete the 5th race of the OKTire Challenge Series . The next race in the series will be at the highbanks of Hythe Motorspeedway in Hythe Alberta west of Grande Prairie.
Sub-note: race report written on overnight sailing to the Queen Charlotte Islands
place, car, driver:
(unofficial)
1. #5 Bob Williams;
2. #14 Ian Black;
3. #2 Chase Larson;
4. #23 Peter Ernst;
5. #92 Darcy McKeown;
6. #71 David Olson;
7. #6 Sheldon Mayert;
8. #38 Lee Thomas;
9. #55 Blair Loset
// Fast Qualifier: #5 Bob Williams, 17.617 seconds
// Margin of victory, 6.421 seconds
// Race time 35:53
// Fastest race lap #5 - 17.815seconds
WESCAR OK Tire Challenge Series Announcer/Media Rep.