Lonnie Wheatley, POCOLA, Okla. (June 6, 2005) – Eugene, Oregon’s Roger Crockett
left no room for doubt about his first career O’Reilly American Sprint Car
Series National Tour presented by Love’s Travel Stops & County Stores
feature triumph in Monday night’s 25-lap feature at Tri-State Speedway, as he
posted a dominant performance to become the third different winner in as many
legs of the 13th Annual COMP Cams ASCS Speedweek.
Crockett
gunned into the lead at the drop of the green flag from his front row outside
starting position and, despite weathering a pair of cautions, was never
challenged en route to collecting the victory and moving atop the ASCS
Speedweek point charts aboard Paul Silva’s Wesmar-powered ProBilt
Construction/Silva Race Wings No. 57 Eagle.
“We had a
great car and when you’re leading you never can really tell how much of a lead
you might have so I just kept going as hard as I could lap after lap and it
worked out pretty well for us tonight,” Crockett commented from victory lane
after the impressive triumph.
Dale
Howard led the feature field to the green flag from the pole position, but it
was Crockett leading the way into turn one with fourth-starter Jan Howard
taking over second as the field exited turn two.
Crockett
immediately began stretching his lead over the brothers Howard, with
eighth-starter Steven Tiner and current O’Reilly ASCS National Tour point
leader Gary Wright moving into the top five by the time the race’s first
caution flew with six laps in the books for Cody Branchcomb’s disabled mount in
turn four with six laps in the books.
Crockett
wasted little time reestablishing his straightaway advantage over the field as
the action intensified in his wake.
Crockett’s childhood friend and fellow native Californian Tiner needed
just two laps after the caution to move past Jan Howard into second, with
Crockett
began navigating through traffic after 15 rounds as Tiner fought off Johnson
for the runner-up slot. The final
caution flew with 18 laps complete when Nick Smith came to a halt off turn
three, setting up a seven-lap dash to the checkered flag.
With a
pair of lapped cars separating Crockett from his contenders on the ensuing
restart, Dex Eaton’s lapped mount sputtered coming off turn four, forcing the
balance of the field to take evasive action.
Mike Ward and A.G. Rains were caught up in the inevitable frontstretch
tangle, with both sent pitside for the night.
Crockett
rocketed away from the field on the next restart and raced to the checkered
flag with nearly a straightway advantage over Johnson, who slipped past Tiner
on the 23rd round to snare the runner-up position. Tiner matched his career best O’Reilly ASCS
National Tour feature finish by claiming the show position, with Wood and Jan
Howard rounding out the top five.
Zach
Chappell raced from tenth to finish sixth, with Dale Howard crossing the stripe
seventh. After making a last-lap pass in
the “B” Main to earn the 20th starting position for the main event,
defending COMP Cams ASCS Speedweek champion
Dale
Howard, Crockett, Rains and Jan Howard topped heat race action for the 34-car
field, with Marshall Skinner winning the 12-lap “B” Main.
Thirteenth
Annual COMP Cams ASCS Speedweek action resumes with Round Four at Tulsa
Speedway on Tuesday night at
Results:
First Heat (8 Laps):
1. Dale Howard, 2. Dex Eaton, 3. Jason Johnson, 4. Toby Brown, 5. Lee
Sowell, 6. Jake Martens, 7. Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 8. Terry Henry, 9. Tim Crawley.
Second Heat (8 Laps):
1. Roger Crockett, 2. Gary Wright, 3. Darren Stewart, 4. Terry McCarl,
5. Marshall Skinner, 6. Natalie Sather.
DNS: Sean Walden, Dara Morrow, Brian McClelland.
Third Heat (8 Laps):
1. A.G. Rains, 2. Steven Tiner, 3. Danny Wood, 4. Mike Ward, 5. Ricky
Stenhouse, Jr., 6. Justin Sturch, 7. Rafe Essary. DNS: Derek Cottrell.
Fourth Heat (8 Laps):
1. Jan Howard, 2. Zach Chappell, 3. Tony Bruce, Jr., 4. Jamie Passmore,
5. Nick Smith, 6. Cody Branchcomb, 7. Mike Sittzman, Jr., 8. Jimmy Taylor.
B Feature (12 Laps):
1. Marshall Skinner, 2. Nick Smith, 3. Cody Branchcomb, 4. Tim Crawley,
5. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., 6. Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 7. Justin Sturch, 8. Rafe
Essary, 9. Lee Sowell, 10. Natalie Sather, 11. Mike Sittzman, Jr., 12. Terry
Henry, 13. Jimmy Taylor, 14. Jake Martens.
DNS: Sean Walden, Dara Morrow, Brian McClelland, Derek Cottrell.
A Feature (30 Laps):
1. Roger Crockett, 2. Jason Johnson, 3. Steven Tiner, 4. Danny Wood, 5. Jan
Howard, 6. Zach Chappell, 7. Dale Howard, 8. Tim Crawley, 9. Toby Brown, 10.
Jamie Passmore, 11. Tony Bruce, Jr., 12. Darren Stewart, 13. Gary Wright, 14.
Jake Martens, 15. Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 16. Mike Ward, 17. A.G. Rains, 18. Dex
Eaton, 19. Marshall Skinner, 20. Nick Smith, 21. Cody Branchcomb, 22. Terry
McCarl.
O’Reilly ASCS National Tour presented by Love’s Travel
Stops & Country Stores Points (Top Ten):
1. Gary Wright 1,396, 2. Darren Stewart 1,376, 3. Jan Howard 1,315, 4.
Jake Martens 1,282, 5. Tony Bruce, Jr. 1,261, 6. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1,207, 7.
Toby Brown 1,197, 8. A.G. Rains 1,147, 9. Lee Sowell 931, 10. Jimmy Taylor 880.
13th Annual COMP Cams ASCS Speedweek Points (Top
Ten – Through Round Three of Seven Events):
1. Roger Crockett 432, 2. Darren Stewart 430, 3. Tim Crawley 418, 4.
Gary Wright 414, 5. Jan Howard 412, 6. Steven Tiner 406, 7. Dale Howard 390, 8.
Tony Bruce, Jr. 386, 9. Toby Brown 380, 10. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 366.