Johnson Prevails to Take URSS Feature Win at Oberlin
The United Rebel Sprint Series made its final appearance at the Decatur County Speedway in Oberlin, Kansas Sunday night. The fans in the stands were treated to some good old fashion side by side racing, as the track was fast and racy with the Drivers using multiple lines in entire feature. When the checkers flew it was the “Kansas Tornado” Jon Johnson taking the win.
Timken, Kansas’s Craig Jecha led the field to the green with Hill City’s Jeff Radcliffe taking the point with Jecha, Cody Salem, Willie Wynn and Taylor Velasquez rounding out the top five. Wynn moved up to the third spot on lap two with Velasquez and Smokey Fairbank coming with him to claim the fourth and fifth spots respectively. Lap four saw Cody Salem take the fourth position with Fairbank and Johnson on his back bumper.
Lap six saw Radcliffe in the lead as battles were shaping up behind him as Johnson was making his way to the third spot by lap eight. Wynn, Salem and Velasquez were all locked in a battle for the fourth spot closely shadowed by Fairbank until lap twelve when Fairbank took fifth spot Wynn. Ray Seemann was shadowing Fairbank as the pair worked their way up through the field. Up front Radcliffe had his hands full as Johnson had caught up with by lap twelve with Jecha in tow when the caution flew for a spin in turn four.
On the restart Radcliffe and Johnson were locked in a drag race down the front stretch, they dove into turn one Johnson took to the bottom and made the pass for the lead as the pair came off of turn two. Behind them Fairbank took the third position from Salem who immediately was pressured by Seemann for the fourth spot. Salem got high in turn four and lost four positions as he gathered it up and set sail. As Johnson held the lead, the fight for the second heated up as Fairbank and Seemann turned up the wick and caught Radcliffe. The trio were dicing their way through traffic as Radcliffe held the spot as Fairbank and Seemann applied the heat. The battle went on for five laps before Seemann took the third spot from Fairbank on lap nineteen. Seemann lost the spot back to Fairbank on lap twenty as the pair hounded Radcliffe.
Lap twenty-one saw Fairbank and Seemann slingshot past Radcliffe sending him back to the fourth spot. The trio was still nose to tail as the laps starting dwindling down. Joining the battle was Velasquez who had worked his way back up to the fifth spot. The front three had started to pull away slightly from Radcliffe and Velasquez who were fighting for the position. As the checkers flew it was Johnson picking up the win with Fairbank, Seemann, Radcliffe and Velasquez rounding out the top five.
The Weld Racing Wheels “Hard Charger” of the race was Jon Johnson who raced his way from his tenth starting position to pick up the win.
Heat Race winners were Craig Jecha, Ken Lutters and Jon Johnson.
A-Main: 1-Jon Johnson (86), 2-Smokey Fairbank (2), 3-Ray Seemann (72), 4-Jeff Radcliffe (21R), 5-Taylor Velasquez (21), 6-Ken Lutters (79), 7-Reed Bernbeck (C3), 8-Randy Washburn (0T), 9-Willie Wynn (36W), 10-Chuck Lutters (55), 11-Cody Salem (23), 12-Darren Berry (12), 13-Craig Jecha (17X), 14-Corey Koberstien (29), 15-Larry Radcliffe (7R), 16-Jason Stephens (19), 17-Randy Bantam (5R), 18-Michael Williams (77W), 19-Chad Salem (777), 20-Bill Hays (2H)