August 20, 2023 | By John Rittenoure

Gorby nurses his late model to a dominate Sooner Series win at Longdale Speedway

LONGDALE, Okla. —  Joseph Gorby felt he was lucky to win Saturday’s Complete Well Testing Sooner Late Model Series presented by Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation A-main event at Longdale Speedway.

Many of his fellow competitors would probably wish for the kind of bad luck Gorby claimed Saturday night. Gorby easily won the third heat and left the field behind in the 25-lap main despite mechanical problems.

“I was having bad luck,” Gorby said of his night. “It was missing real bad in the heat race then the transmission went out. I am going to have to change the transmission.”

You could not tell from watching. Gorby roared into the first lap lead and pulled away from the field on the way to his 4th career Sooner Series victory.

“It was working pretty good,” Gorby said of his cars setup. “Did not change anything all night long.”

Gorby felt the high line was the best place for him in the feature and that is where he stayed.

“The top seemed to be the best place to run,” he said. “I felt real good around the bottom but I did not know if I was up to speed when I went down there.”

Rookie Eli Ross gave chase but finished a distant second. It was the second time this season that Ross has finished runner-up. The first came April 15 at Tulsa Speedway. Damian Patocka ran a strong third followed by points leader Brett Hansen in fourth and Christopher Wilhite, Jr. rounding out the top five.

Next event is Friday at Tulsa Speedway followed by a $3,000-to-win event at Caney Valley Speedway on Saturday.

Complete Well Testing, Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation
Sooner Late Model Series Results
Longdale Speedway, Longdale, Oklahoma
August 19, 2023

Complete Well Testing A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 9-Joseph Gorby[2]; 2. 66-Eli Ross[4]; 3. 229-Damian Patocka[3]; 4. 7H-Brett Hansen[6]; 5. 21-Christopher Wilhite JR[5]; 6. 1M-Darren Moses[7]; 7. B1-Dustin Bolster[9]; 8. 10 4-Adam Popp[13]; 9. (DNF) 9XX-Dakota Dellinger[11]; 10. (DNF) 65-Eric Brill[15]; 11. (DNF) H1-Steve Hewitt Sr[16]; 12. (DNF) 31-Gary Lowe[8]; 13. (DNF) 57-Jerry Derr[18]; 14. (DNF) 88S-Richard Shepler[10]; 15. (DNF) 33R-Kaleb Roach[12]; 16. (DNF) 26-Adrien Hickman[1]; 17. (DNS) 60-Kip Hughes; 18. (DNS) 27X-Ron Brown

O’Reilly Auto Parts Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 7H-Brett Hansen[4]; 2. 229-Damian Patocka[1]; 3. 1M-Darren Moses[2]; 4. 88S-Richard Shepler[6]; 5. 10 4-Adam Popp[5]; 6. (DNF) H1-Steve Hewitt Sr[3]

Gage Diamonds Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 21-Christopher Wilhite JR[6]; 2. 26-Adrien Hickman[3]; 3. 31-Gary Lowe[5]; 4. 9XX-Dakota Dellinger[1]; 5. (DNF) 60-Kip Hughes[2]; 6. (DNF) 27X-Ron Brown[4]

Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 9-Joseph Gorby[1]; 2. 66-Eli Ross[5]; 3. B1-Dustin Bolster[2]; 4. 33R-Kaleb Roach[6]; 5. 65-Eric Brill[4]; 6. 57-Jerry Derr[3]

Lap Leaders: Joseph Gorby 1-25.
Marks Machine Shop Hard Charger: Adam Popp +5

2023 Winners
4/14 - Kip Hughes - Thunderbird Speedway
4/15 - Brett Hansen - Tulsa Speedway
?4/29 - Brett Hansen - Monett Raceway
5/6 - Brett Hansen - Thunderbird Speedway
6/2 - Kip Hughes - Outlaw Motor Speedway
6/9 - Kip Hughes - Humboldt Speedway
6/10 - Kip Hughes - 81 Speedway
6/24 - Jace Parmley - Salina Highbanks Speedway
7/1 - Joseph Gorby - Enid Speedway
7/15 - Brett Hansen - Longdale Speedway
7/22 - Kip Hughes - Caney Valley Speedway
7/29 - Brett Hansen - Enid Speedway
8/19 - Joseph Gorby - Longdale Speedway

Top 10 Standings: 1. Brett Hansen 5525; 2. Eli Ross, 5125; 3. Richard Shepler, 5000; 4. Joseph Gorby, 4610; 5. Eric Brill, 3955; 6. Dakota Dellinger, 3905; 7. Ron Brown, 3820; 8. Gary Lowe, 3685; 9. Kip Hughes, 3355; 10. Steve Hewitt, Sr., 2935.

About Complete Well Testing
Based in Oklahoma, Complete Well Testing is a family owned and operated company specializing in hydrostatic tubing testing and EMI tubing scanning.

Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation
Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation goal is to help grow both high school, trade school and college programs to start and or develop a motorsports program, club, or organizations at their school as well as individual motorsports programs. HRMF will provide financial grants, equipment, expertise, scholarships, and educational opportunities for these organizations and individuals. This program will allow students to overcome the hurdle of entering motorsports due to the high costs and specialized experience needed to get started. This program will allow these students the opportunity to be part of a team with one overall goal of success on the track, including budgeting, marketing, mechanical skills, logistics, and team building efforts. All while honoring the life lost to early of Hayden Diesel Ross, #forever66.

Sooner Late Model Series
The Sooner Late Model Series was formed in 2016 by Enid Speedway co-promoter Mark Brill. Brill felt there was not many opportunities for late model competitors to race in Oklahoma and the Sooner Late Model Series was formed. Now the series has grown beyond the borders of Oklahoma with events held in the neighboring states of Kansas, Texas and Arkansas