ARDMORE, Okla. — After biding his time, Mitchell Clement surged to the front and banked $1,000.
Clement won Wednesday’s All Star Shootout opening night feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds at Southern Oklahoma Speedway, capitalizing on race-long leader Troy Morris III’s bobble following a restart with nine laps to go.
“I had a really good car,” Clement said. “I knew I just had to be patient.”
Morris drew the pole start and kept William Gould and then Josh McGaha at bay before back-to-back yellows on lap 17.
He did some of his best driving avoiding any serious contact with a tire that had come off another car and then pinballed along the front stretch while the race was under caution. Clement earned Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility by a margin of just more than 1.7 seconds over Morris.
Texans McGaha, Matthew Day and Chris Morris rounded out the top five.
Fifty-six Modifieds were among the 112 IMCA entries on the night.
Shelby Williams and Cody Smith were $750 winners in IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod features, respectively. Lance Hanson Jr. led early in the stock car main before falling off the pace and out of the race with mechanical issues. Gregory Muirhead took over at the point and weathered two restarts before national points leader Williams and Jeffrey Abbey both moved ahead.
Abbey’s last-lap bid came up short as Williams captured another B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifier. Muirhead was third.
And Smith was in control throughout the Southern SportMod 20-lapper, pulling away before and again after multiple cautions at midway. Dean Abbey was second, Jeff Shepperd third.
Night two is Thursday at Grayson County Speedway in Bells, Texas, where all three IMCA divisions are in action. The All Star Shootout travels to Boyd Raceway on Friday, to Kennedale Speedway Park on Saturday and to Waco’s Heart O’ Texas Speedway on Sunday.
All five race programs are broadcast exclusively by SPEED SPORT affiliate and Shootout presenting sponsor IMCA.TV.