WAYNESFIELD, Ohio – Drew Rader utilized a late-race pass to claim the opening round of the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series season on Saturday at Waynesfield Raceway Park.
Rader raced in the top-five throughout the 30-lap feature before making the late-race pass.
“Nobody likes leading here,” said Rader. “I think I could have made a move earlier, but those guys were running a good race. Then I got back in the pack and finally caught those cautions. Dustin (Ingle) and those guys were running such a good race. I started thinking I wasn’t sure if I could catch those guys or not. But the car got better, faster, and I could get more aggressive.”
Pole sitter Korbyn Hayslett took the field into turn one as leader at the start of the race. Surviving a handful of restarts and maintaining his lead, Hayslett had the car to beat until he rolled to the top of turn four and came to a stop.
Ingle became the race leader at that point, but Rader was quietly clicking off laps and waiting for his moment to strike. It paid off when the yellow flag waved late in the race, allowing Rader to close the gap on the leader.
Now on the tail tank of Ingle and with a clear track ahead, Rader jumped on the gas and used his momentum to blast around Ingle to take the lead.
“For a while I was afraid I might seal up a tire. I got really good in three and four, and once I started doing that the distance between me and Dustin got smaller and smaller,” Rader said. “Then, I knew then I had a chance as long as I kept my head in the game, and didn’t make any mistakes. I haven’t raced or been in a Sprint Car in two years with the exception of Florida this year. I wasn’t sure if I could still drive or not. It feels good to win.”