Sooner Region Ada race notes

Neighbors notches ASCS Sooner Region triumph at Ada.

ADA, Okla. (April 26, 2003) - Larry Neighbors needed only eight laps to charge from his tenth starting slot into the lead en route to winning Saturday night's 25-lap American Sprint Car Series Sooner Region feature at Oklahoma Sports Park in Ada, OK.

Defending series champion Danny Jennings was originally slated to start from the pole position, but an unusual flip during the pace lap resulted in wing damage, that after quick repairs, relegated Jennings to the tail of the 20-car main event starting field.

Rawdy Hull jumped into the lead at the drop of the green from his outside front row starting position, with Lance Blevins, subbing for Foster Landon, overtaking Travis Scott for second on the third circuit. Hull paced the opening five rounds before Blevins slipped into the lead. Action was halted a lap later when Marvin Lough and Edd French performed a double flip in turn four. Lough was uninjured, while French was transported to a local hospital as a precautionary measure.

Blevins took the green on the restart in front of Hull, but Neighbors, who had already raced into third, made quick work of first Hull, then Blevins, taking a lead that he would not surrender.

Neighbors' charge to the checkered flag was briefly interrupted after nineteen rounds when Tina Creswell flipped down the backstretch. Creswell escaped injury.

On the restart, Neighbors slipped away from Kevin Ramey, who had taken over the second position on the 18th round after starting 15th. Neighbors charged to the checkered flag unchallenged, holding an eight car-length advantage at the line, while Ramey maintained his ASCS Sooner Region point lead by snaring the runner-up position. Blevins claimed third, with Robert Sellers overtaking Hull for fourth.

Nick Smith crossed the stripe sixth after starting 17th, with Derek Drown, Andy Shouse, 20th-starter Sean McClelland and Joe Wood completing the top ten. Wood started the feature as an alternate after Stephanie Chappell, who earned the third transfer position in the first B Main, scratched from the main event due to mechanical problems.

Hull, Travis Scott, Gary Owens and Blevins topped heat race action for the 34-car field, with Ramey and Shouse emerging victorious in B Main action.

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