By Jerry Jordan, Editor
CANEY, Kan. – Despite weeks of preparation for Sooner 600 Week, the racing action at Caney Valley Speedway didn’t go as planned for Lumberton’s Ryder Wells, as he could seem to get the needed RPMs out of his engine to turn a solid lap. Still, it was a solid learning experience on the first night and gives a foundation to build on for the rest of the week.
“We tried to figure out the track but we just missed the setup,” said Ryder Wells. “The good thing is we learned from it. The whole goal was to come up here and compete against some of the best racers in micro sprints. We are doing that and we will take what we learn this week and make our car faster wherever we are racing.
“I appreciate everyone’s support and I want to thank our sponsors, Preferred Contractors, Kickin’ the Tires, Universal Coin & Bullion and The Brooks Report.
Having never raced at Caney Valley Speedway before, Wells and his dad/crew chief, Zach, didn’t know exactly what type of setup they would need for the sticky clay track. Most of the tracks where the Ryder Wells Racing team has raced at have been composed of a sand/clay mix. The dark brown clay in the Oklahoma region is much different than the sandy red clay at most racetracks in Southeast Texas.
Throughout his hot laps and into the heat race, Wells’ No. 24 micro sprint appeared to be “stuck” to the track as if it were getting too much grip. That obviously slowed him down so setup adjustments were needed. For the B-Main, they changed the gearing and went up on air pressure but according to Zach, they may have gone too far in trying to find the sweet spot to gain speed.
“Yeah, we think we just went too extreme on the last change,” Zach said. “The engine should turn 14,000-plus RPMS and we’re getting about 10,800. We will adjust and be ready tonight for the race at Creek County Speedway.”
The action at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Oklahoma will be featured live on Fast 4 Media.
RESTRICTED MICROS A-MAIN
| Finish | Start | # | Competitor | Hometown | +/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | 25S | Justis Sokol | Peyton, CO | – | ||
| 2 | 8 | 33 | Jett Nunley | Marlow, OK | 6 | ||
| 3 | 9 | 2B | Garrett Benson | Concordia, MO | 6 | ||
| 4 | 6 | 10T | Talin Turner | Basehor, KS | 2 | ||
| 5 | 10 | 26 | Corbin Rueschenberg | Mesa, AZ | 5 | ||
| 6 | 2 | 35 | Gaige Weldon | Alton, IA | -4 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 55J | Jayden Huppert | Glendale, AZ | -4 | ||
| 8 | 17 | 10S | Scout Spraggins | Indiahoma, OK | 9 | ||
| 9 | 7 | 9 | Abigayle Lett | Odessa, MO | -2 | ||
| 10 | 11 | 11 | Kaley Mahaffey | Tulsa, OK | 1 | ||
| 11 | 16 | 15V | Cole Vanderheiden | Papillion, NE | 5 | ||
| 12 | 13 | 13 | Elijah Gile | Pheonix, AZ | 1 | ||
| 13 | 15 | 74 | Natalie Doney | Odessa, MO | 2 | ||
| 14 | 14 | 11D | Dominic White | Plainview, NE | – | ||
| 15 | 19 | 21 | Keegan Osantowski | Columbus, NE | 4 | ||
| 16 | 20 | 38K | Jackson Kounkel | Sioux City, IA | 4 | ||
| 17 | 18 | 23J | Jace Wren | Caney, KS | 1 | ||
| 18 | 12 | 71 | Jaxton Wiggs | Benton, IL | -6 | ||
| 19 | 5 | 66 | Jayden Clay | Newcastle, OK | -14 | ||
| 20 | 4 | 13C | William Conner | Newcastle, OK | -16 | ||
RESTRICTED MICROS B-MAIN 1
| Finish | Start | # | Competitor | Hometown | +/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | 74 | Natalie Doney | Odessa, MO | – | ||
| 2 | 3 | 10S | Scout Spraggins | Indiahoma, OK | 1 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 21 | Keegan Osantowski | Columbus, NE | 1 | ||
| Top 3 transfer | |||||||
| 4 | 5 | 14G | Madelyn Gjerness | Lake Stevens, WA | 1 | ||
| 5 | 2 | 88 | Billy Lieb | Hammond, IL | -3 | ||
| 6 | 6 | GH7 | Garyn Howard | Newcastle, OK | – | ||
| 7 | 8 | 5L | Landon Jesina | Omaha, NE | 1 | ||
| 8 | 9 | 5B | Cade Bierman | Sapulpa, OK | 1 | ||
| 9 | 7 | 63 | Jack Thomas | Bates City, MO | -2 | ||
RESTRICTED MICROS B-MAIN 2
| Finish | Start | # | Competitor | Hometown | +/- | ||
| 1 | 2 | 15V | Cole Vanderheiden | Papillion, NE | 1 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 23J | Jace Wren | Caney, KS | -1 | ||
| 3 | 4 | 38K | Jackson Kounkel | Sioux City, IA | 1 | ||
| Top 3 transfer | |||||||
| 4 | 3 | 36 | Meelah Watson | Grand Forks, ND | -1 | ||
| 5 | 6 | 38 | Riley Osantowski | Columbus, NE | 1 | ||
| 6 | 8 | 24 | Ryder Wells | Lumberton, TX | 2 | ||
| 7 | 5 | 5G | Landon Graham | Coffeyville, KS | -2 | ||
| 8 | 7 | 24C | Cale Lagroon | Salina, KS | -1 | ||