From Bryan Hulbert
FT. WORTH, Texas (November 1, 2019) – When the dust settled on a slide job filled SawBlade.com A-Feature Friday night at the Texas Motor Speedway, Australia’s Scott Bogucki capped off his 2019 season with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network with victory at Tony Stewart presents the VANKOR Texas Sprint Car Nationals.
“This is unbelievable. I’ve got so many great people behind me with SawBlade.com, Scotty McDonald at Dissolvalloy, Lee with Ostrich Racing Engine – this is for them. We’ve been struggling lately, so before I went out Scotty’s like hey, it’s the end of the year, if you get it done let her rip but if you don’t turn her over, I’ll hit you with the four-wheeler. I didn’t quite turn it over, but it was some fun,” commented Bogucki with a chuckle, referencing his full-throttle donuts to celebrate his win.
Taking the lead on Lap 3 from Brandon Hanks, Bogucki kept pace through several restarts with the No. 28 finally getting held up in slower traffic at the race’s mid-point.
With Tony Stewart in hot pursuit, the two drivers began going at it for the lead with Stewart wheeling his Rush Truck Centers No. 14 to the point on Lap 20. Trading lines and slide jobs through the next few laps, Bogucki regained the lead on Lap 23 as 18th starting, Aaron Reutzel, raced into the mix.
On the battle with Tony for the point, Scott stated, “I knew he had a run. It’s hard sometimes to tell when you’re leading where to go, but it didn’t look clean enough to have rubbered up down there. I don’t know if he was diamonding the corner or what, all I knew was I had to make myself as wide as I could be, but it was a lot of fun getting to slide Tony like that.”
Using slower cars as picks with Stewart and Reutzel now in pursuit, Bogucki looked to have everything in hand. Rounding the final two turns, however, the cautions lights suddenly blinked on as McKenna Haase began helicoptering her No. 55 through turn-two with a pack of cars bearing down on her.
Setting up a green, white, checkered finish, Bogucki was able to keep pace as Stewart and Reutzel began racing each other for the runner-up spot. Able to take the position, Aaron was too late to mount a charge as Scott Bogucki raced to his fourth career victory with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
Aaron Reutzel was the night’s hard charger with 16 cars passed after having to race out of a B-Feature. Tony Stewart made up the night’s podium with Blake Hahn coming up to finish fourth. Winning Thursday’s prelim, Iowa’s Terry McCarl capped the weekend with a fifth-place finish after a tough battle with Sammy Swindell who crossed the stipe sixth.
Roger Crockett in seventh was followed by 2019 Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network Champion, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. Ninth went to Harli White with Matt Covington completing the top ten.
A field of 39 drivers returned for the second night of Tony Stewart presents the VANKOR Texas Sprint Car Nationals. Five SCE Gaskets Heat Races went to Matt Juhl, Seth Bergman, Kevin Ramey, Brandon Hanks, and Danny Jennings. Hoosier Tire Qualifiers were won by Harli White, Tony Stewart, and Jordon Mallett. BMRS B-Features went to McKenna Haase and Aaron Reutzel.
Sam Hafertepe, Jr. picked up his fourth championship in as many years and his second for Hills Racing. The 2019 Brodix National Rookie of the Year is El Paso’s John Carney II. With the series 28th season of competition in the books, the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network would like to thank the teams, promoters, sponsors, and above all the fans who make this all possible.
The schedule for the 2020 slate is in the works and is set to be released in December.
For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the nine Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2019, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, on Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).