SALINA, Okla. – In the past four years, no one had managed to win the AmeriFlex/OCRS Challenge more then once.
That changed on Saturday, when Alex Sewell took the checkered flag first to win the AmeriFlex Challenge V at Salina Highbanks Speedway.
Sewell defended his Challenge IV victory in 2019 and earned $3,000 from a purse that exceeded $28,000.
Sewell has been on a win streak of late, with three victories coming in July. Saturday’s victory was his fourth of the season in seven starts.
Sewell started outside of pole sitter Jase Randolph and the two battle for the early lead. However, the race was red flagged after just a couple of laps when Cameron Hagin tangled with another car entering turn three and flipped end-over-end.
Fortunately Hagin was not hurt.
Another red flag waved at the half-way point when two-time champion Robert Sellers got some air time between turns one and two. Sellers walked away unhurt.
Once Sewell took command, Randolph settled for a second place finish. Series points leader Zach Chappell held on to third for the 25-lap distance, Joe Bob Lee advanced from eighth to fourth and Blake Edwards finished fifth after coming from 10th.
James Shoun earned DFR Hard Charger honors by advancing 10 spots to finish 12th.
The finish:
1. 8-Alex Sewell [2]; 2. 15-Jase Randolph [1]; 3. 50Z-Zach Chappell [3]; 4. 5-Joe Bob Lee [8]; 5. 22E-Blake Edwards [10]; 6. 15D-Andrew Deal [14]; 7. 88-Terry Easum [15]; 8. P78-Perry Pickard [17]; 9. 82-Keith Bolton [18]; 10. 22X-Charlie Crumpton [19]; 11. 2C-Whit Gastineau [9]; 12. 62-James Shoun [22]; 13. 9-Casey Buechler [20]; 14. 2L-Brandon Leland [23]; 15. 22T-Frank Taft [24]; 16. 11-Avery Goodman [4]; 17. 3F-Roy Larkin [13]; 18. 22C-Robert Sellers [6]; 19. 9E-Kinzer Edwards [11]; 20. 21P-Justin Patocka [5]; 21. 39-Kimberly Tyre [25]; 22. 55-Johnny Kent [7]; 23. 31-Casey Wills [21]; 24. 6N-Cameron Hagin [12]; 25. 22-Danny Smith [16].