KOKOMO, IN (June 20, 2023) - The iRacing community is buzzing in the aftermath of the 16th Annual Schaeffer's Oil Spring Fling Presented by Spartan Transportation. Held at the virtual Kokomo Speedway, the race was one of the more exciting Spring Fling races in recent memory. At the center of the whirlwind was Evan Seay, who, in his fifth Spring Fling attempt, finally tasted victory, securing a $6,000 prize for his efforts.
The 100-lap main event was a testament to driver skill and the new tire wear model in iRacing. Pole-sitter Jordan Casey maintained the lead for the first 28 laps of the race, only for Evan Seay to get by him momentarily. Casey then moved his dirt late model to the top side of the track, regaining the lead by lap 30, and would go on to lead the next 60 laps.
Seay, unfazed by losing the lead, continued to muscle his car around the bottom side of the track even as Casey's lead grew to over one-second. Seay's strategy appeared to be tire conservation while Casey's was to rip the top of the track and use the wall to his advantage to build a commanding lead.
The race took a dramatic turn when Casey found himself locked in an exhausting 25-lap duel with the lap car of Ryan Flaten, who was also running the top side of the track. This struggle slowly allowed Seay to reel them in, inching closer with each passing lap.
Seay was able to use the lap traffic to his advantage and work his way by Casey with 11 laps to go. When Seay reached Flaten, it seemed Flaten willingly conceded his position, allowing Seay to pass freely. The sequence sparked fierce debates on social media, with fans accusing Flaten of deliberately holding up Casey in order to benefit his teammate, Seay.
Adding to the suspense, an incident involving Dylan Houser and another lap car, Dylan Yeager, occurred with just five laps remaining. After being bumped from behind, Yeager slid up the track, barely missing Houser, who was hot on Seay's trail. Despite this scare and a hard collision with the wall on the final lap in a last ditch effort to catch Seay, Houser coasted across the line to finish second, trailing Seay by 2.287 seconds.
Post-race interviews reflected the tense atmosphere. A disgruntled Houser didn't hold back, "Soon as I got to Yeager's bumper, he yeets her to the high side and spins out in front of me, and that was the race." He continued to voice his exasperation about Seay's teammates, deepening the brewing controversy.
Blake Matjoulis, who brought home a third place finish after failing in his bid to win back-to-back-to-back Spring Flings, found himself ensnared in the post-race fray. In a fervent defense of his team, Matjoulis responded to the accusations from Houser and Casey, "You guys go back and watch that broadcast and tell me what I did wrong. I'd like to hear it, really."
Yet amidst the discord, it's essential not to detract from Seay's well-earned victory. His unwavering gameplan to stay on the bottom of the track until late in the race to save tires was key to his success, a factor he acknowledged in his post-race interview, "I can't believe it, to be honest. We were talking all week about the game plan. We knew tire conservation would be vital, and it paid off. Some of us thought there may not be any cautions and some thought there'd be a bunch. You just had to race it as if there wouldn't be any."
Interestingly, the race was remarkably clean with only one caution slowing the proceedings on lap 16, showcasing the talent of the star-studded 25 driver field to go nearly an entire 100-lap distance without a caution.
While the Flaten controversy and team dynamics dominated discussions, Evan Seay's tactically achieved victory is a testament to his skill and a deserving addition to iRacing's history. With a significant $6,000 prize to his name, the story of this Spring Fling is, in essence, the story of his triumph.