ELDON, Mo. – Championship night for the third annual Non-Winged Nationals at Lake Ozark Speedway did not disappoint for the Lucas Oil POWRi WAR Sprint League Saturday.
After great side-by-side racing throughout the evening, Mario Clouser used precision and late-race dramatics to claim the feature victory at the one-third mile dirt oval.
Elbows up heat racing saw Wesley Smith, Joe B. Miller, and Clouser all pick up heat wins, before high point qualifier Clouser led the field of 22 competitors to the initial start.
Using an outstanding start Clouser rocketed to the lead on the first lap, with Smith close behind.
Showing the way for the next several circuits, Clouser opened up a commanding lead as drivers sliced and diced for positions on a cowboy-up racing surface.
A four-car battle broke out for the second position as Smith, Miller, Wyatt Burks, and Riley Kreisel all tried their best to chase down Clouser.
As the laps ticked away, Friday winner Smith found another gear on the high side, passing Clouser for the lead briefly with Kreisel, Burks, and Miller holding steady behind them.
But a caution would fly as the field was coming to the white flag, bunching the field back together for a green-white-checkered shootout.
With Smith leading the pack, the late-race restart saw Clouser and Smith swap sliders on each end of the track in a dramatic closing stint, with Clouser ultimately earning the hard-fought feature victory.
Smith finished the night a close second, with Riley Kreisel rounding out the podium. Rookie Xavier Doney and Burks crossed fourth and fifth, respectively.
The finish:
1. 6-Mario Clouser [1]; 2. 44-Wesley Smith [2]; 3. 91-Riley Kreisel [7]; 4. 74-Xavier Doney [6]; 5. 11W-Wyatt Burks [4]; 6. 31-Joe B. Miller [3]; 7. 8D-Terry Babb [10]; 8. 28-Kory Schudy [5]; 9. 22-Koby Barksdale [15]; 10. 9H-Mitchell Moore [12]; 11. 73-Samuel Wagner [13]; 12. 24H-Ty Hulsey [9]; 13. 52F-Logan Faucon [16]; 14. 7JR-J.D. Black [18]; 15. 16-Anthony Nicholson [11]; 16. 8BB-Brody Bay [21]; 17. 77-Jack Wagner [8]; 18. 41-Brad Wyatt [19]; 19. 24C-Craig Carroll [17]; 20. 18-Wyatt Siegel [14]; 21. 5BB-Robert Talley [20]; 22. 00-Taylor Walton [22].