By LONNIE WHEATLEY

ASCS

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (June 20, 2009) - Tulsa's Brian McClelland broke out of his early season doldrums in convincing fashion by racing to victory lane in Saturday night's 25-lap American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region debut atop the º-mile Springfield Raceway clay oval.

The two-time and defending series champion assumed the point on the second round and led the rest of the way for his first win of the season aboard the Wesmar-powered R&B Motorsports/Maxwell Oil No. 87 Triple-X.

And, he survived not only a treacherous turn four cushion that gobbled up initial leader Joe Wood, Jr., but also the challenges of Zach Chappell to collect his sixth career ASCS Sooner Region win.

"I ran off the top of the track there in turn four two different times, I couldn't believe nobody passed me," McClelland explained in victory lane. "And then Zach showed me his nose in one and two, I moved down a little bit and the car really took off after that."

With McClelland starting the feature outside the second row, it was front row outside starter Joe Wood, Jr., who had raced from the tail of the field to win the night's first heat race, outgunning pole sitter and second heat race winner Sherman Davis for the point at the drop of the green.

McClelland immediately moved into second and began the chase for the lead. The chase was short-lived though, as Wood jumped the turn four cushion the second time around and crashed as Matt Covington sailed off the steep turn four embankment as well in the aftermath. Wood's mount was too damaged to continue while Covington rejoined the chase.

With McClelland in the lead, Zach Chappell kept the pressure on much of the way before McClelland began to slip away in the final circuits. Not even a final caution with just three laps to go for New Mexico's Derrik Ortega, who looped it turn two while running fifth, could prevent McClelland from breaking into victory lane.

McClelland hit his marks perfectly over the final three-lap dash to the stripe and jumped from 12th to sixth in the championship points race with the triumph.

Chappell settled for runner-up honors in the familiar family-owned No. 50z Legend's Bar-B-Que & Steak Joint entry, with Donnie Ray Crawford battling into the third position by the third round and holding the spot down the rest of the way in the A&W Motorsports/Tel-Star No. 55.

Kyle Bellm crossed the stripe fourth, with Sherman Davis rounding out the top five.

Sean McClelland scratched for the night after breaking a camshaft in hot laps. Davis overcame early engine issues to celebrate his birthday with a top-five finish, while Matt Covington claimed sixth after swapping out rear ends following hot laps.

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Results from Springfield Raceway:

Heat One (8 Laps): 1. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 2. 50z-Zach Chappell, 3. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 4. 04-Brad Graham, 5. 28-Chris Lloyd. DNS: 1-Sean McClelland.

Heat Two (8 Laps): 1. 72-Sherman Davis, 2. 87-Brian McClelland, 3. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 4. 19s-Steven Cross, 5. 35-Derrik Ortega, 6. 95-Matt Covington.

"A" Feature (25 Laps): 1. 87-Brian McClelland, 2. 50z-Zach Chappell, 3. 55-Donnie Ray Crawford, 4. 14k-Kyle Bellm, 5. 72-Sherman Davis, 6. 95-Matt Covington, 7. 28-Chris Lloyd, 8. 35-Derrik Ortega, 9. 19s-Steven Cross, 10. 04-Brad Graham, 11. 03-Joe Wood, Jr. DNS: 1-Sean McClelland.

American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region Points (Top Ten): 1. Joe Wood, Jr. 546, 2. Matt Covington 538, 3. Sherman Davis 514, 4. Kyle Bellm 474, 5. Sean McClelland 470, 6. Brian McClelland 461, 7. Donnie Ray Crawford 459, 8. Danny Wood 446, 9. Brad Graham 423, 10. Brady Bacon 394.