By Bill W
Mike Howard photo
May 22, 2017 – While most of the country fell to Mother Nature, Sam Hafertepe Jr. and the Keith Dobbs #15H team were racking up another win. This one came at Lawton Speedway in Oklahoma in ASCS Red River competition. The win came with most of the National tour cars in attendance. The Lucas Oil ASCS National Series is scheduled to hit two Colorado venues this weekend. On Saturday, the El Paso County Raceway in Calhan hosts, and Sunday, the series moves on to Phillips County Raceway in Holyoke.
The team was looking to get back on the winning track after reeling off the first five victories of the year with the National series. “We wanted to try some things there, and the things I wanted to try…I left at the shop like an idiot,” says Sam. “We changed a few things trying to learn some stuff, but mostly, we were back to the basics.”
Sam started third in his heat. “We were able to get up to second early,” he says. “We started running through the middle and making that work. Everything had been run on the bottom before that. We got a caution with two to go, and we were able to get by Danny Smith on the restart to win that.”
Things were a little unconventional at the redraw for the feature. “Wayne Johnson drew me the pole for me, so that was nice,” says Sam. “He wanted me to draw for him and him for me, so that worked out. I drew him the six. I told him he was giving all his good luck to me!”
Sam says that was a key to his win. “That was definitely helpful. They went out a sprinkled the track. Then they sprinkled right on the cushion quite a few times. The top was really good in one and two, and then in three and four, you could really run all over.”
He would chase outside front row starter, John Carney II early on. “With the top being good, John got the lead, and he set a pretty good pace,” says Sam. “He got away from me a little bit early, and we started reeling him in about lap ten. We got into lapped traffic, and we were able to pounce and get the lead.”
Sam held out on one last restart and shot to his sixth win of the year. “We may not have been at our best, but we worked traffic well,” he says. “We were pretty sharp in traffic, and I think that was the key.”
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| Sam Hafertepe Jr. | 410 and 360 Sprint Car Driver of …
www.sam15.com Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Five for Five Ties GW! (Bill W) April 17, 2017 – To say Sam Hafertepe Jr. and the Keith Dobbs #15H team are on a roll is an understatement! |
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