Oakes Gets WMDH ThunderCar Feature Victory

By Ken de la Bastide

(April 17, 2012) – Cambridge City driver Frankie Oakes did something last Sunday at Anderson Speedway that he couldn’t accomplish last year won a feature for the WMDH ThunderCars.

Oakes posted the sixth quick time during qualifications and as a result of the inversion started outside of Ranny Hinton on the front row.

At the start Oakes got a great start to claim the lead entering turn one and opened a gap over Hinton, who was chased by Rob Allman, Rob Wyman and Hannah Lundy.

On the third lap, Hinton was passed on the high side by the freight train of Allman, Wyman and Lundy and they started to close on Oakes. By the halfway point Doug Dugger was running fifth.

For the next ten laps the front runners ran nose to tail, everyone waiting for the driver in front of them to make a mistake. Several times Wyman looked on the outside in an attempt to pass Allman, but could never get far enough along side to challenge for the position.

That was the way they finished with Oakes scoring the victory.

In the first heat race, Ryan Buckner took the early lead chased by Jeff Hopkins, Eddie Richardson, Earl Adams II and Mike Peters. The caution flag waved on the second lap when Tylor Stanley got loose in turn two and make contact with the outside retaining wall.

On the restart Adams moved into the second spot with an outside move on Richardson entering turn one, but on the next lap Richardson used the high line to power around both Adams and Buckner in turn four to take the lead.

Buckner spun on the ninth lap going down the back straight while running second, the caution flag wasn’t displayed since his car came to a stop near the cross-over.

At the finish Richardson was followed to the checkers by Hopkins, Adams, Peters and Jared Keller.

Rob Allman won the second heat race by using the outside line on a restart on lap six to pass James Peterson; Wyman used the same move to claim the second spot. Lundy passed Peterson on lap seven.

Peterson and Pamela Neal battled for the top spot for the first five laps when Neal spun in turn two bringing out the only caution flag.

Travis Burge spun going down the back straight on lap nine while running fifth and came to rest against the inside retaining wall in turn three.









































 
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