Winner Sheldon Mayert

The 2nd 100 lap race of the OKTIRE Challenge Series was run on the 3/8 mile PGARA Speedway oval on Sat May 26 and on Sunday 27th. The evening started with the weather threatening to delay the event and it did delay it but only slightly, the biggest delays were due to non-weather related track conditions.

Fans welcomed the return of hometown driver Smokey Prest with the Screaming Eagle Race team as the pilot of the #78 came out of a 2-year hiatus to take on the challenge of the OKTire Challenge Series. Warren Bergman, former driver of the #49 also received a round of applause when it was announced he also had returned to the series to control the Turtlewax #5 Chevy usually driven by P.G.�s Bobby Williams. Williams was suffering at home due to an illness so his long time friend Bergman agreed to fill William�s spot as the borrowed shoe for the event. The #92 Gary MacCarthy Chevy of Terrace, B.C. was to be driven by co-driver Darcy McKeown on this night. Prince George driver Leonard Wilnechenko in the Tropical Pool and Spa #17 had also returned to the series with a new car after a year off. The rest of the WESCAR regulars showed up to entertain the crowd of fans on this night, which would end up being a very long night.

In qualifying the old record was not broken on this night of cool air but the Jock�s Excavating #14 of Ian Black came close with a fast qualifying effort of 16.852 seconds with the Brandt Tractor #6 of Sheldon Mayert close behind with a circuit of 16.882 and Leonard Wilnechenko in the Tropical Pool and Spar #17 clocking in a 16.896 seconds for his fastest lap. The entire field of cars was only separated by 0.781 seconds in qualifying.

The #22 Ford Taurus of Chris Babcock, a new driver with the WESCAR OKTire Challenge Series, showed his abilities in Vernon and on this night he would repeat his effort with a win in his 4 lap C-dash and 15 lap B-heat race. Babcock�s fellow northerner from Fort St. John, #38 Lee Thomas, used his experience to win his A-dash and A-heat. The B-dash was won by the #92 MacCarthy Chevy driven by Darcy McKeown.

The rain sprinkles fell during the early evening, just enough to make the other classes of racing slip a little through the corners, however, their main events worked to dry the track for the feature race of the evening, the WESCAR 100.

During one of the earlier races a vehicle deposited oil on the track in turn 1 and a compound was put on the track to absorb it though this compound also proved to create a lot of dust. When the green flag waved for the OKTire Challenge Series WESCAR 100 the dust did fly, so much so the drivers could not see the car in front of them as they went through turn 1.

The result as expected was the BIG ONE that all racecar drivers dread. The race started with the Regency Chrysler #2 of Chase Larson on the pole and as he went through the turn 1 it appeared he was contacted by a car behind him which sent the #2 spinning, what ensued was chaos as drivers behind could not see ahead through the dust to what lay in front of them. The result, the #2, #5, #78 and the #17 became locked together in turn 1 leaving a narrow gap between them and the turn 1 wall that a few drivers used to escape the carnage. No drivers were hurt but the car nose of the #5 Bergman was badly damaged and the nose of the #17 Wilnechenko had wedged under the #5 lifting both rear tires of the #5 well up off the ground.

A red flag was flown and some drivers elected to go to the pits and work on their car under the redflag. The result was they were placed at the back of the pack of cars on the lead lap since the race had not officially completed one complete lap, so there was to be a complete restart.

After a lengthy delay the caution and then the green flag flew. A few more caution flags would come out over the course of the race due to contact or ill-handling cars.

During the first half of the race the #6 Mayert moved up to lead a number of laps and the #14 Black was charging up from the back as fast qualifier. Around lap 30 the #14 noticeably backed off to avoid any other possible wrecks in front of him and slid back to second last. Around lap 50 the Jocks Excavating #14 felt strong enough to mount another charge and freely passed many cars as he worked his way into 2nd. Once behind the leader #6 Mayert the #14 attempted a number of times to get beside the #6 and he raced him clean with a couple of minor contacts down the back straight but never anything to shake the #6 from his goal. The Northshore Auto #52 followed in 3rd hoping for an opportunity to capitalize on a spin between the two front-runners but it never occurred.

That is the way the cars ran as they passed under the checkered flag on May 27, 2007 at 12:10 AM on lap 100 with the Brandt Tractor #6 of Sheldon Mayert winning with the Jocks Excavating #14 of Ian Black in second and the Northshore Auto #52 Garnet Grimard in 3rd.�

The next race in the series will be at Terrace Speedway June 2, 2007. Check the website www.wescarracing.com for all the pictures, schedule and news in the OKTire Challenge Series.

1.  #6 Sheldon Mayert;
2.  #14 Ian Black;
3.  #52 Garnet Grimard;
4. .#22 Chris Babcock;
5. #92 Darcy McKeown;
6. #71 Dave Olson;
7. #23 Peter Ernst
8. #38 Lee Thomas;
9. #2 Chase Larson

Fast Qualifier: #14 Ian Black, 16.852 seconds

Margin of victory, 0.215 seconds/