Sooner Late Model Series
Oklahoma Sports Park
August 13, 2016
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Harlan Sale wins first Sooner Late Model main

by John Rittenoure - Sooner PR
ADA, Okla. (August 13, 2016) - Harlan Sale won his first Sooner Late Model Series feature Saturday at Oklahoma Sports Park.

However Sale was the last to know.

Sale thought he was running second after Sloppy Hogg passed him with with four laps remaining. But Hogg, who had led the race earlier, was a lap down and Sale soon learned he was the winner.

“I thought I finished second,” laughed Sale as he climbed out of his car in the pit area. “They told me at the tech barn.

“I am shocked. I am amazed.”

It was the biggest night of his career.

“This is my first one ever,” Sale said of his victory. “I have been racing off and on for about ten years.”

Sale was one of three drivers to lead the 25-lapper. Tire wear became a factor for many as only half the field finished the race. However Sale managed to go the distance without blistering his tires.

“The key was consistency,” he said. “I rode the brakes pretty hard to make it work right. But I can’t complain. The car worked perfect.

“The tires got a little wear. That is where the control came in. I figured the longer I could stay where I was the better.”

Sale, who started on the pole, stuck to his game plan even when he lost the lead. Sale led the first eight laps with veteran David Hennan giving chase. Fifth starting Hogg  was on the move and passed Hennan for second on lap seven then powered around Sale for the lead on lap nine.

Hogg stormed out to a two turn advantage over Sale over the next seven laps despite five yellow flags stopping the race for spins and flat tires.

During the last restart on lap 16 Sale made a move inside of Hogg in turn one and took back the lead. Hogg then ducked to the pits with a right rear flat.

“We bumped sides,” Sale recalled. “It was more of a racing thing. I did not hit him on purpose.

It was a good race. It was a blast.”

A lap later the yellow waved for Gary Lowe who spun in turn three. Hogg rejoined the field for the restart. Meanwhile Joseph Gorby, who had been trying to conserve his tires, stood on the gas after the restart charging by Sale for the lead. But his luck ran out after three laps and Sale regained the lead.

“The right rear tire finally gave out,” Gorby said afterwards. “I tried to save it, evidently I did not save it long enough.”

Gorby was happy with his cars performance in his first ever trip to Oklahoma Sports Park.

“It felt pretty good,” Gorby said of his late model. “I kind of laid back for awhile. We have been struggling a little but but we are finally getting things figured out.

“The track was pretty easy to drive. I liked it.”

Meanwhile Hogg was charging his way back and moved into second on lap 22. Hennan exited the race with a right rear flat and Hogg shot around Sale a lap later for the lead. However the scoring transponder scored Hogg a lap down due to his pit stop. Sale was the leader for the final three laps.

Hogg was credited with a fifth place finish, but was found to have an illegal tire on his car after the race and was disqualified. Series points leader Mark Harrison was moved up to second, Eric Brill picked up his highest finish of the season with third, Lowe was fourth and Jay Sale finished in fifth.

Sooner Late Model Series
Oklahoma Sports Park
August 13, 2016

Car Count: 24

Heat 1 (10 laps)
1, 9-Joseph Gorby. 2, 81-Mark Harrison. 3, D11-David Hennan. 4, 52-Dillon Rupe. 5, 55-Zach Nickell. 6, 19P-Robert Pierce.

Heat 2 (10 laps)
1, 31-Gary Lowe. 2, 15X-Terry Johnson. 3, 77-Steven Hawkins. 4, 99-Nate Jantz. 5, 95-Mark Brill. 6, 1J-Johnny Reed.

Heat 3 (10 laps)
1, ZZ-Sloppy Hogg. 2, 36-Jason Redman. 3, 91-Eddie Martin. 4, 4-Harlan Sale. 5, 93-Eric Brill. 6, 24-Dan Moreno.

Heat 4 (10 laps)
1, 64-Jay Sale. 2, B52-Brandon Hightower. 3, 15-Wayne Bush. 4, 7-Dalton Ragsdale. 5, 164-TJ Sale. 6, 80-Mick Anderson.

B Feature (10 laps, top 4 transfer)
1, 55-Zach Nickell. 2, 95-Mark Brill. 3, 164-TJ Sale. 4, 93-Eric Brill. 5, 24-Dan Moreno. 6, 1J-Johnny Reed. DNS: 19P-Robert Pierce, 80-Mick Anderson.

A Feature (25 laps)
1, 4-Harlan Sale. 2, 81-Mark Harrison. 3, 93-Eric Brill. 4, 31-Gary Lowe. 5, 64-Jay Sale. 6, 55-Zach Nickell. 7, D11-David Hennan. 8, 15-Wayne Bush. 9, 9-Joseph Gorby. 10, 164-TJ Sale. 11, 7-Dalton Ragsdale. 12, 52-Dillon Rupe. 13, B52-Brandon Hightower. 14, 95-Mark Brill. 15, 91-Eddie Martin. 16, 36-Jason Redman. 17, 77-Steven Hawkins. 18, 15X-Terry Johnson. 19, 99-Nate Jantz. 20, ZZ-Sloppy Hogg. (DQ).