ONA, WV-67 cars from 5 different states packed the Ona Speedway pit area on Saturday, August 19th for one of the track’s biggest events of the season, the 3rd Annual Bryce Keyser Fly By 40 presented by Freedom Used Autos featuring the Vores Compact Touring Series. A great crowd assembled at West Virginia’s only asphalt oval in what was another excellent night of racing.
The Vores Compact Touring Series took to the track to start the night with their 20 lap B4 Mini Series race. Nicholas Meade jumped out to the early lead and held off numerous challenges from Derek Simon to lead every lap in the caution free race and take the big win! It would then be three more feature races with Ona Speedway classes before the Vores Series would take to Ona for the big 3rd Annual Bryce Keyser Fly By 40 presented by Freedom Used Autos feature event.
Kenny Chapman and Tommy Rowe would have an intense battle for the lead to start the nights 20 lap Haunted Majestic Street Stock feature. Chapman would lead with Rowe right on his tail in second. The two battled nose to tail for the first 6 laps with Chapman slipping high on lap 7, allowing Rowe to get to his inside and take the lead. Once in the lead, Rowe would pull away and lead the remaining laps to claim his second feature win of the season! Chapman finished second with Clinton Thompson third, Chris Jividen fourth, and Mike Christy fifth.
Mike Burcham took the lead to start the nights 20 lap All Seasons Powersports Late Model feature with Gregg Carby and Jake Keaton right behind him in an intense three car battle for the lead. Keaton would quickly move into second and set his sights on Burcham. Burcham and Keaton then had what may have been the most intense battle for the lead all season long in the division. The two battled hard for the first 7 laps of the race with Keaton making the pass on Burcham on lap 8 to take the lead. Once in the lead, Keaton would pull away from the field and lead the remaining laps to take his third feature win on the season! While Keaton was up front, the battle for second remained intense between Burcham and Carby. On the final lap, the two would make contact in turn two with Carby spinning. Burcham would keep the car from spinning and come across the checkers to take second with Jacob Bell third, Devyn Marcum fourth, and Carby in fifth.
Randall Cline and Rob Dunlap had an intense battle for the lead in the nights 20 lap Jeffrey Trucking INEX Legends Car Semi-Pro feature with Cline leading and Dunlap in second. On lap 8, while battling for the lead, Dunlap would get loose and spin on his own, bringing out the nights first AirTech Heating & Cooling caution flag. On the restart, Cline would continue with the lead while Dunlap quickly moved his way through the field and up to the second position. A AirTech Heating & Cooling caution on lap 16 for a Kenny McComas spin bunched the field up once again. Cline continued with the lead on that restart until the red flag flew on lap 18 for a hard hit into the guardrail by Elijah Johnson. Johnson walked away uninjured.
This would setup a green-white-checkered finish. On the restart, Cline continued with the lead with Dunlap a car length behind in second. Coming to the white flag, the two were nose-to-tail for the lead! Off of turn 2 Dunlap would get a run and get alongside of Cline. Cline would clear Dunlap down the backstretch with Dunlap going back down low into turn three. Dunlap would give Cline a bump with Cline going up the track a car length, allowing Dunlap to get to the inside and battle side by side for the win! Off of turn four the two were side by side with Cline getting loose and spinning into Dunlap. The two bounced off each other going down the frontstretch and crash hard coming to the checkered flag with Dunlap spinning across the checkered flag backwards to win in the wildest finish in recent memory at the speedway! Cline crashed across the line as well but would finish second with 80 year old Teddy Berry third, Kenny McComas fourth, and Elijah Johnson scored fifth in the race of attrition.
After race fans caught their breathe from the wild finish, it was time for the Vores Compact Touring Series to hit the speedway for the 3rd Annual Bryce Keyser Fly By 40 presented by Freedom Used Autos. Chris Jennings would take the lead at the start with Trent Gossar in second and Tim Cassidy in third. For the opening laps of the race, the field was all stuck nose to tail in a race that resembled a line of cars drafting in a NASCAR race at Daytona as nobody could get away from each other. The race would slow for the first time on lap 7 when fast qualifier Kyle Frame hit the guardrail off of turn four while battling for fifth. Frame would be forced to retire from the race with damage.
On the restart, Jennings would lead while Cassidy would pass Gossar and set his sights on Jennings. The two would battle nose to tail for the lead for several laps with Cassidy making a power move into turn three n lap 12 to pass Jennings and take the lead! Once in the lead, Cassidy slowly started pulling away from the field and looked bound for victory until the races second caution flew with 5 laps to go as third place runner Jay Workman lost a tire and spun wildly in turn 2. On the restart, Cassidy would continue with the lead while Joe Workman moved into second. Workman stayed right on Cassidy’s tail but wouldn’t have enough to make the pass as Cassidy came across the checkered flag to score his second Fly By 40 win! Workman finished second with Trent Gossar third, Tom Gossar fourth, and Keith Watson fifth. Ona drivers took 3 of the top 5 finishing positions.
The win was an emotional one for Cassidy. Cassidy, the owner of Freedom Used Autos, was racing with a heavy heart as Bryce Keyser, son of his longtime crew chief and best friend Danny Keyser, passed away on August 11th. Keyser was a vital part of the Ona Speedway family and will be greatly missed by everyone at the speedway. Cassidy changed the name of the race to the Bryce Keyser Fly By 40 to run in memory of Bryce and also led a fundraising effort at the speedway on August 4th-5th that resulted in $3,400 being raised for the Keyser family. Knowing how much the win meant to Cassidy, the large crowd in attendance absolutely erupted as Cassidy came out of his car in victory lane.
Drama occurred in the nights 20 lap Patriot Meat Processing Modified feature before the race even started as polesitter Josh Artis blew a motor on the pace laps and had to pull off. This made a new front row of Andy Booten and Jeremy Cooper at the start of the race. Cooper would take the lead from the outside on the start with Booten in second and J. R. Adkins in third. Cooper would pull away up front while Booten and Adkins were involved in an outright war for the second position. The two battled lap after lap with the cars sideways, brakes sparking, and tires smoking. Cooper would lead every lap to claim his third feature win of the season! Booten held off Adkins to finish second with Adkins third, Benny Hickle fourth, and Artis scored in fifth.
Jake Keaton took the lead to start the nights 20 lap Mays Tire & Service Center INEX Legends Car Pro race with Jason Garrett in second and Will Geer third. The trio would battle nose to tail for much of the race. Coming down to two laps to go, you could put a blanket over the top three drivers as both Garrett and Geer desperately tried to find a way around Keaton. On the final lap, the trio was still nose-to-tail with Garrett trying to get a run underneath of Keaton into turn three. Garrett couldn’t get that run while Geer sent his #11 machine hard into the turn on the outside line! Geer would lose traction and spin while Keaton came across the checkered flag to claim his second win of the season in the class! Jason Garrett finished second with Dale Garrett third, Tyler Martin fourth, and Steve Hass fifth.
No drivers have won more races in the Gumbo Stop Cafe Crazy Compact class over the past four seasons than Thomas Bailey and Stacie Watson. It was a battle of those two drivers in the nights 20 lap race for the class as Bailey took the lead to start with Watson tucking right behind him in second. The two battled nose to tail for the lead for the entire race until Watson would get loose in turn one with three laps to go and lose all of her momentum. Bailey, driving the #8 in memory of Bryce Keyser, would lead every lap to claim his second feature win of the season! Watson finished second with Evan Proctor third, Evan Strickland fourth, and Andy Ennis fifth.
The Ona Speedway will be back in action for another big event on Saturday, September 9th when the Ohio Wheelman Super Stock Series will come to town. The popular Street Stock Series brought 16 of the fastest Street Stocks around to Ona last season. All Seasons Powersports Late Models, Patriot Meat Processing Modifieds, Contempo Trophy & Awards UCAR’s, Mays Tire & Service Center INEX Legends Car Pro, Jeffrey Trucking INEX Legends Car Semi-Pro, and Gumbo Stop Cafe Crazy Compacts will also be on the exciting racing card. Racing will start at 6:30 pm. The speedway will also host an open practice on Friday, September 8th from 4 pm until dark for all classes that are racing on Saturday.
Complete Results
Vores Compact Touring Series
Fast Qualifier: Kyle Frame-20.375
B4 Mini-Series Fast Qualiifer: Derek Simon-20.934
20 lap B4 Mini-Series Feature: Nicholas Meade, Derek Simon, Bill Honius, Brett Smith, Aaron Teegarden, Cody Griffith
Lap Leaders: Nicholas Meade (1-20)
3rd Annual Bryce Keyser Fly By 40 presented by Freedom Used Autos: Tim Cassidy, Joe Workman, Trent Gossar, Tom Gossar, Keith Watson, Nick Fowler, Justin Brown, Joseph Jennings, Aaron Tatman, Yogi Metz, Jake Burgoff, Bradly Winters, Steve Vore, Jay Workman, Ron Sagers, Chris Jennings, David Adkins, Shawn Frederickson, Kyle Frame, Jeff Vore
Lap Leaders: Chris Jennings (1-11), Tim Cassidy (12-40)
Car Count-28
All Seasons Powersports Late Models
Fast Qualifier: Jake Keaton-18.445
20 lap Feature: Jake Keaton, Mike Burcham, Jacob Bell, Devyn Marcum, Gregg Carby
Lap Leaders: Mike Burcham (1-7), Jake Keaton (8-20)
Car Count-5
Patriot Meat Processing Modifieds
Fast Qualifier: Jeremy Cooper-18.505
20 lap Feature: Jeremy Cooper, Andy Booten, J.R. Adkins, Benny Hickle, Josh Artis (DNS: Wes Smith)
Lap Leaders: Jeremy Cooper (1-20)
Car Count-6
Haunted Majestic Street Stocks
Fast Qualifier: Tommy Rowe: 19.831
20 lap Feature: Tommy Rowe, Kenny Chapman, Clinton Thompson, Chris Jividen, Mike Christy
Lap Leaders: Kenny Chapman (1-6), Tommy Rowe (7-20)
Car Count-5
Mays Tire & Service Center Legends Car Pro
Fast Qualifier: Will Geer-19,641
20 lap Feature: Jake Keaton, Jason Garrett, Dale Garrett, Tyler Martin, Steve Hass, Scott Martin, Adam Jeffrey, Will Geer
Lap Leaders: Jake Keaton (1-20)
Car Count-8
Jeffrey Trucking INEX Legends Car Semi-Pro
Fast Qualifier: Rob Dunlap-20.299
20 lap Feature: Rob Dunlap, Randall Cline, Teddy Berry, Kenny McComas, Elijah Johnson, Jay Dunlap (DNS: Shane Brotherton, Jeremy Dosier)
Lap Leaders: Randall Cline (1-19), Rob Dunlap (20)
Car Count-8
Gumbo Stop Cafe Crazy Compacts
20 lap Feature: Thomas Bailey, Stacie Watson, Evan Proctor, Evan Strickland, Andy Ennis, Tommy Ross, Rex Burton
Lap Leaders: Thomas Bailey (1-20)
Car Count-7
