Inside Line Promotions
MESQUITE, Texas (March 31, 2014) – Despite a bumpy night last Saturday, Sam Hafertepe Jr. is appreciative of the opportunity to race at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
“We had a really good car,” he said. “The whole night we had bad things happen, but I was grateful to be able to race.”
It started when Hafertepe Jr. discovered that a rocker arm was broken in his engine.
“We didn’t have a spare rocker arm and we were lucky enough to find that Brandon Berryman’s team had a spare,” he said. “If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have been able to get out there and race.”
Although he missed hot laps, Hafertepe Jr. was lightning quick in his heat race, which he started on the outside of the front row. Hafertepe Jr. posted the second-fastest lap and was one of only two drivers to break into the 13-second bracket during heat races. His second-place result was enough to start him 10th in the main event.
“The track was real narrow and really, really hard to pass,” he said. “We were really fast. It’s just tough whenever there’s only one lane to run. That’s part of it sometimes.”
Hafertepe Jr. began to work his way toward the top five during the feature when he was involved in a crash on Lap 7.
“We jumped to sixth pretty early,” he said. “I was trying to get by Blake Hahn. He spun sideways in the middle of turns one and two. I had nowhere to go and got into the side of him. It bent the right rear wheel pretty bad and broke the Jacob’s Ladder. We stayed out there trying to get as many points as we could.”
Hafertepe Jr. restarted 20th and rebounded to post a 14th-place finish. He ranks sixth in the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour championship standings, but is only 16 points out of second place.
Hafertepe Jr. is scheduled to race this Friday and Saturday at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, with the ASCS Gulf South Region.
QUICK RESULTS –
March 29 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas – Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 14 (10).
SEASON STATS –
14 races, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s, 5 top 15s, 6 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, with the ASCS Gulf South Region
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.Sam15.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Kiebler & Sons Lawn and Landscaping
Kiebler & Sons Lawn and Landscaping is a residential landscaping business based in New Oxford, Pa.
“They are really good friends of ours who have been around for quite a while,” Hafertepe Jr. said. “We’ve always really appreciated their support.”
Hafertepe Jr. would also like to thank Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Lone Star Speedway, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Smiley’s Racing Products, Wells Racing Engines, Fisher Racing Engines, J&J Auto Racing, Pro Shocks by OC Shocks, Fire-Down Graphics, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Vortex Wings, Kear’s Speed Shop, Pancho’s Racing Products, GPC, Joe Gibbs Racing Oils, Zemco Headers and Simpson Racing Products for their continued support.