Hafertepe Jr. unhappy with late-race pass that nets Swindell his 10th Outlaws win
EDMONTON, Alberta - Aug. 25, 2012 - Sam Hafertepe Jr. won't be inviting Sammy Swindell over for a barbecue any time soon.
The duo nearly touched racing for the lead with two laps remaining on a brisk Saturday evening at Castrol Raceway, where Swindell edged Hafertepe Jr. to claim Night 2 of the Sixth annual Oil City Cup and his 10th World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series feature win of the season.
"I definitely had the better car," Hafertepe Jr said. "He had to pretty much drive through us to pass us. That's part of it sometimes. We'll do the same thing when the option comes around (to) my turn."
Hafertepe Jr., who seized the lead from World of Outlaws championship points leader Craig Dollansky in thick traffic on lap six, had the dominant car until a caution with four laps remaining. It erased a half a straightaway lead and gave Swindell a renewed shot at the victory.
While Hafertepe Jr.'s car became tight running the cushion, Swindell powered around the bottom within striking distance for two laps after the restart. Then, opportunity arose as Hafertepe Jr. had a slight bobble in turn two.
Swindell rocketed off the bottom and slid across the nose of Hafertepe Jr., who said he had to nearly slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. The move was enough for Swindell, who held off Hafertepe Jr. during the final lap and a half to record his third World of Outlaws win in the last 11 points races.
"It looked like he kind of missed the top, got off and was out there kind of spinning his tires some," he said. "Things just gotta go your way. We were in the right place at the right time to capitalize on the way the race played out and so we were able to get the win."
The racing was just as close behind the lead change, where Steve Kinser got around Joey Saldana for the final spot on the podium during the last restart.
"We were pretty good and passed some good cars," Kinser said after his 23rd top five of the season. "I can't complain. We ran good."
Cody Darrah finished fourth and Donny Schatz rounded out the top five. Dollansky placed sixth and while Saldana dropped to seventh in the closing laps, he earned enough points to snag the overall title at the Oil City Cup.
"All in all, it was a good, solid weekend and obviously (we) had enough points to win the cup," Saldana said. "That's a good thing to come up here and win the overall like we did."
Kerry Madsen charged from 15th to eighth, Chad Kemenah ended ninth and Travis Rilat won the KSE Hard Charger Award after maneuvering from 19 th to 10th.
Oil City Cup Night 2 Notebook
NOTES - Joey Saldana picked up his eighth quick time in qualifying of the season. … Steve Kinser claimed his 15th heat race victory, Kraig Kinser his eighth and Craig Dollansky his 10th of the season. … Sam Hafertepe Jr. earned his first dash win of the season.
WINNERS - Sammy Swindell - 10 (Castrol Raceway on Aug. 25, River Cities Speedway on Aug. 17, Autodrome Granby on July 27, Eldora Speedway on July 14, Lakeside Speedway on June 30, Red River Valley Speedway on June 16, Eldora Speedway on May 5, Knoxville Raceway on April 28, Missouri State Fair Speedway on April 20 and Merced Speedway on March 30); Craig Dollansky - 7 (Castrol Raceway on Aug. 24, Lebanon Valley Speedway on July 22, Lernerville Speedway on July 17, I-96 Speedway on June 2, Hagerstown Speedway on May 20, Tri-State Speedway on April 21 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Donny Schatz - 7 (Nodak Speedway on Aug. 19, Junction Motor Speedway on Aug. 14, Knoxville Raceway on Aug. 11, Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 29, Farmer City Raceway on April 25, Silver Dollar Speedway on March 23 and Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 19); Joey Saldana - 5 (Autodrome Drummond on July 28, Eldora Speedway on July 13, The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 25, Paducah International Raceway on April 13 and Perris Auto Speedway on March 10); Kraig Kinser - 4 (Beaver Dam Raceway on July 7, Dodge City Raceway Park on June 23, River Cities Speedway on June 15 and Kokomo Speedway on June 5); Tim Kaeding - 3 (Cedar Lake Speedway on July 6, Thunderbowl Raceway on March 16 and The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8); Steve Kinser - 3 (Dodge City Raceway Park on June 22, Orange County Fair Speedway on May 19 and Williams Grove Speedway on May 12); Kerry Madsen - 3 (Limaland Motorsports Park on July 11, Belleville High Banks on June 29 and Knoxville Raceway on June 9); Chad Kemenah - 2 (Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 28 and Eldora Speedway on May 4); Tony Stewart - 2 (Ohsweken Speedway on July 31 and Lernerville Speedway on July 17); Cody Darrah - 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on July 21); Danny Dietrich - 1 (Lincoln Speedway on May 10); Mark Dobmeier - 1 (Huset's Speedway on July 3); Danny Lasoski - 1 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 18); Paul McMahan - 1 (Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on May 16); Fred Rahmer - 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 11); Brad Sweet - 1 (Clay County Fairgrounds on June 8) and Lucas Wolfe - 1 (Bloomington Speedway on Aug. 3).
TIME TRIALS - Joey Saldana was the fastest qualifier around the 3/8-mile oval with a time of 12.918 seconds to earn five championship points. Also earning points were Donny Schatz (4 points), Craig Dollansky (3), Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2) and Sammy Swindell (1).
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- Admin Account on Aug 26, 2012
- Article Date: 8/25/2012 by Shawn Miller - World of Outlaws