There are nights when a driver wins a race.
Then there are nights when a driver wins the grandstands.
Mannford's Jensen Long may not have found Victory Lane Saturday at Port City Raceway in Catoosa, but by the time the dust settled on the Non-Wing Micro feature, plenty of people were talking about the orange-and-black No. 28L.
Starting 18th in a 21-car fi eld, Long spent 25 laps picking o drivers one by one, slicing through tra c and avoiding the chaos that seems to follow every tightlypacked Micro Sprint feature.
By the time the checkered fl ag waved, the Mannford racer had climbed 14 positions to fi nish fourth, one of the biggest charges through the fi eld all weekend. Only race winner Hank Soares of Overland Park, Kansas, who stormed from 20th to fi rst, gained more positions.
It was the highlight of a weekend that featured strong performances from racers representing Mannford, Sand Springs, Jennings and communities across northeastern Oklahoma.
Friday: local racers in the . ght
Friday's Non-Wing Micro feature also belonged to Soares in the No. 22, but several area drivers spent the evening near the front of the fi eld and making passes of their own.
Mannford's JT Moss drove the No. 33M from seventh to fi fth in the feature after running second in his heat race. It was the type of bluecollar performance racers appreciate—a clean, steady climb against one of Port City's toughest divisions. It was also a clear display of the kind of consistency that has cemented Moss in the third spot in the points race.
Just ahead of Moss at the fi nish was Sand Springs racer Ethan Wicker. Driving the No. 27E, Wicker advanced from ninth to fourth in the main event, posting one of the strongest local drives of the night.
Jenks driver Aaron Cook authored perhaps the biggest Friday charge. After transferring through the B-Feature, Cook drove the No. 20C from 20th to sixth in the A-Feature, gaining 14 positions along the way.
In Restrictor Micro competition, Dewey's Hudsyn Truitt parked the No. 1 in Victory Lane, while Sand Springs racer Ryker Jones continued his impressive season. Jones won his heat race in the No. 22 and followed it with a fourth-place feature fi nish.
Bartlesville's Masyn Truitt fi nished second behind Hudsyn after charging forward eight positions.
The Junior Sprint feature saw Quapaw's Bentley to victory. Sand Springs driver Giovanni Lucito turned in a solid performance in the No. 56L, advancing in both his heat race and feature before fi nishing sixth.
Broken Arrow's Chase McDougal captured the A-Class Micro feature in the No. 73. Mannford's Jensen Long drove the No. 28L from 11th to seventh, while fellow Mannford racer Ruston Moss battled the No. 51M through the feature fi eld.
Sportsman Micro belonged to Tulsa's Shelly Ward in the No. 73, who led a strong Tulsa contingent to Victory Lane. Jennings racer Johnny Goolsby represented the local coverage area in the No. 0 and fi nished 18th after advancing through his heat race.
Saturday: Long steals the spotlight
If Friday was about consistency, Saturday was about comebacks.
The night's biggest story unfolded in Non-Wing Micro competition.
Soares once again found Victory Lane, driving the No. 22 from the 20th starting position all the way to the win. It was one of the most impressive drives Port City has seen this season.
Yet right behind that story was Long.
The Mannford racer's No. 28L seemed to get faster as the race progressed. Starting 18th, Long steadily worked tra c, avoided trouble and climbed all the way to fourth. In a division where passing opportunities are measured in inches, a 14-position gain is no small feat.
Sand Springs driver Shawn Wicker brought the No. 20 home ninth, while Aaron Cook backed up his Friday performance with another strong run, guiding the No. 20C to sixth. Unfortunately for local fans, Friday standout JT Moss qualifi ed, but was unable to start Saturday's feature.
In Restrictor Micro action, Bartlesville's Masyn Truitt put the No. 75 in Victory Lane after charging from sixth on the starting grid. Once again, Sand Springs' Ryker Jones made noise in the No. 22, advancing from 13th to fourth and posting one of the best drives in the fi eld.
The Junior Sprint feature once again belonged to Bentley Thompson and the No. 3T. The Quapaw driver completed a weekend sweep, winning both feature events. Lucito's Saturday ended with disappointment after a strong heat-race performance placed him near the front of the starting grid before feature troubles dropped the Sand Springs racer back through the fi eld.
A-Class Micro saw Broken Arrow's Cody Barnes drive the No. 49 to victory. Long added another solid fi nish for Mannford, bringing the No. 28L home sixth after running second in his heat race earlier in the evening.
Sportsman Micro produced another repeat winner as Tulsa's Shelly Ward completed a weekend sweep in the No. 73. The division featured another strong local showing, with Coweta's Justin Simpson fi nishing fi fth and Owasso's Randy Myers driving the No.
6 to a runner-up fi nish.
By the end of the weekend, there were feature winners, hard-luck stories and more than one bent suspension loaded early on the trailer.
But among the racers from the Keystone Gushery coverage area, few left a bigger impression than Mannford's Jensen Long.
The trophy may have gone elsewhere.
The momentum and passing points did not.