Oberlin, Kansas – August 17, 2019 - The old saying “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” is a cliché often used in racing. But that statement could not be more accurate than the outcome of last night’s annual Bob Salem Memorial at Oberlin Speedway in Oberlin, Kansas as Jake Bubak passed leader Zach Blurton on the white flag lap to claim the Lucas Oil POWRi United Rebel Sprint Series presented by Mel Hambelton Ford Racing on Friday night.
Blurton and Kyler Johnson started on the front row for the twenty-five-lap feature with Blurton taking the lead as the green flag fell. Fourth-starting Jeremy Huish quickly moved into the runner up position while Johnson, Shon Pointer and Kade Hagens the top five after the first lap was complete.
While Blurton kept the pace out front, Huish was hot on the leaders rear bumper and pressured the two-time and defending URSS champion throughout the early stages of the race. The leaders would approach slower cars on lap seven yet, lapped cars didn’t slow the Quinter, Kansas resident as he withstood each of Huish’s challenge.
Action all around the three-eighths mile oval was at a fast pace as the non-stop feature for the majority of the event saw drivers three and four cars wide throughout the field.
All would change with four laps to go as Blurton and Huish continued to battle for the lead in lapped traffic, but Huish would make contact with a lapped car causing him to spin. John Webster had nowhere to go and collected Huish causing damage to both cars, thus ending their night.
On the final restart it was Blurton out front, followed by Pointer, Johnson, eleventh-starting Bubak and eighth-starting Jake Martens. Blurton looked to pull away but behind him, Bubak made a strong move around the top entering turns one and two to move into the runner-up position with three laps remaining. Blurton stuck to the low line while Bubak rode the top and coming out of turn four to take the white flag lap, Bubak made the winning move to take the lead.
The Arvada, Colorado hot-shoe, driving the Bourke Motorsports 27b, would go on to claim his series-leading fifth series victory on the season as well as the Keizer Wheels hard-charger of the race. Blurton would settle for second while Martens, Pointer and Johnson rounded out the top five.
The three, eight lap heat races for the twenty-five-car field were won by Plemons, Johnson and Martens while Shayle Bade took home “B” feature honors.
Drivers will now regroup and prepare their sprinters for the final night of the annual Bob Salem Memorial set to take place tonight (Saturday) with the night’s championship feature winner taking home $1200.
United Rebel Sprint Series
Oberlin Speedway/Oberlin, Kansas
August 17, 2019
25 Laps
B Feature: 1) Shayle Bade, 2) Coby Pearce, 3) John Webster, 4) Connor Atkinson, 5) Nate Berry, 6) Kevin Schramek, 7) Dalton Webb (r), 8) Brady Skrdland, 9) Howard Van Dyke, 10) Mark Walinder, 11) Aaron Ploussard, 12) Jason Martin, 13) Nick Nichols
A Feature (25 Laps): 1) Jake Bubak, 2) Zach Blurton, 3) Jake Martens, 4) Shon Pointer, 5) Kyler Johnson, 6) Jed Werner, 7) 1 Coby Pearce 8) Ty Williams, 9) Shayle Bade, 10) Shane Sundquist, 11) Buddy Tubbs, 12) Todd Plemons, 13) Darren Berry, 14) Nate Berry, 15) Connor Atkinson, 16) Kevin Schramek, 17) Howard Van Dyke, 18) Brady Skrdland, 19) Jeremy Huish, 20) John Webster
Don Holbrook photo