7/7/2013
ASCS Northwest Region
Crockett Ends Bully Dog Performance Speedweek Northwest Winning Round #7 At CGS
Crockett Ends Bully Dog Performance Speedweek Northwest Winning Round #7 At CGS
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Fletcher Motorsports Photography)
A packed house at Oregon’s Cottage Grove Speedway witnessed Roger Crockett close out the 2013 Bully Dog Performance Speedweek Northwest presented by Contingency Connection in winning fashion by dominating the seventh and final round of action of the grueling seven races in nine day stint. The win would be Crockett’s fourth of the week and be enough for the Medford, Oregon driver to win his fourth career Speedweek championship which ties him with the all-time leader Steve Kent.
Pole sitter Rob Held of Sutherlin, Oregon, in his Held’s Automotive/Budget Lumber/Independent Motor Rebuilders #68 J&J, was the early race leader and led the first few circuit before being overtaken by Crockett on lap three. From there Crockett would set the pace in his familiar SKS Racing/Al Parker Racing Engines/Rocket Designs #11 KPC.
The rest of the distance would see Crockett be put under pressure by Pittsboro, Indiana’s Shane Stewart. Stewart was looking to break his string of runner-up finishes and on several occasions was able to challenge Crockett. Unfortunately for the sake of Stewart and the Finley Farms/CLT Logging/Rider Racing Engines #77 A.R.T. team the cautions would fall just as lap traffic was coming into play.
Two late race restarts would occur and each time Stewart gave his all to get around Crockett but Crockett was able to stay out in front. The two drivers hit lapped traffic for the final time in the last moments with Crockett making a key pass to clear a lapped car on the final circuit. Roger Crockett would win the race and the title in stunning fashion at a track where he remains undefeated in 2013.
“The track was tricky tonight,” commented Roger Crockett in victory lane, “I had to work my tail off to keep them behind us all night. Al Parker Racing Engines has helped us tremendously. Since we’ve been running his 360 engines we’ve been in the top five thirty times in thirty-nine starts. We’ll keep on smiling and head to the next one.”
Shane Stewart was a respectable second while third went to Justyn Cox of Clarksburg, California in the Lucas Oil Products/Rodgers Racing Engines/JRD Endeavors #5H Maxim for car owner Harley Van Dyke. Completing the balance of the top five was the Starks Timber Processing/MASCO Petroleum/Blue Dot Fabrication #55 Schnee of Trey Starks from Puyallup, Washington in fourth and Central Point, Oregon’s Chadd Noland in fifth piloting the Hedge Carter Continuous Gutter Service/Oregon West RV/Steelhouse Metal Roofing Supply #71 XXX for car owner Hedge Carter.
A $300.00 Hardcharger Award was given courtesy of Speedmart Inc. and Terry Mickelson. Receiving it was the Great Western Transport/Wesmar Racing Engines/Elma Lanes #9R Eagle of Reece Goetz from Snohomish, Washington who started fifteenth and end the night in seventh.
“Roger is exceptional here,” said Shane Stewart, “I thought I had something for him on the bottom of one and two. Catching him was one thing but passing him would have been another at this track. We’ll be back for the National races here in a couple of weeks.”
“We were good on the bottom,” stated Justyn Cox, “I struggled on the top but I was getting better at it. We wanted to run all of Speedweek but circumstances prevented us from making all of it. We’ll be here for when the National Tour makes it out this way.”
Four heat races were run and earning the victories in them were Roger Crockett, Shane Stewart, Rob Held, and Hedge Carter. Winning the twelve-lap consolation feature was Cam Smith of Mill Creek, Washington in his Dave Smith Motorsports/Don Ott Racing Engines/Nelson Texturing #17 Maxim.
Enumclaw, Washington’s Henry Van Dam in his Kovash Logging/Johanson Excavating #33V A.R.T. would end the week second in Speedweek points followed by the Moore Insurance Services Inc./LRB Race Products/Rodgers Racing Engines #22 A.R.T. of Mason Moore from Princeton, California was third. We would like to send a huge shout out to Bully Dog Performance and Contingency Connection for their support this entire week. Also a massive thanks to the fine folks at Speedmart Inc. for their hard work during the entire week and Mr. Larry Frazier for his continued support of this wonderful series.
The ASCS-Northwest Region will be back in action Friday July 12th and Saturday the 13th as ASCS-National Tour will make their first stop in the Pacific Northwest. Those two events will take place at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington while the following weekend both organizations will take each other on at the Cottage Grove Speedway. Willamette Speedway will host the Northwest Region versus National Tour on Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th.
Race Summary:
American Sprint Car Series-Northwest Region Race #9
2013 Bully Dog Performance Speedweek Northwest presented by Contingency Connection Round #7
Saturday July 6th, 2013
Cottage Grove Speedway
Cottage Grove, Oregon
28 Entries
Heat Race Winners: Roger Crockett (1), Shane Stewart (2), Rob Held (3), Chadd Noland (4)
B-Feature: 1. Cam Smith, 2. Colin Baker, 3. Brent Hoover, 4. Jay Cole, 5. Zack Spaulding, 6. Garen Linder, 7. Mike Romig, 8. Allison Journey, 9. Rob Lindsey, 10. Josh Ruhs, 11. Luke Didiuk, DNS Brian Boswell
A-Feature: 1. Roger Crockett, 2. Shane Stewart, 3. Justyn Cox, 4. Trey Starks, 5. Chadd Noland, 6. Rob Held, 7. Reece Goetz, 8. Henry Van Dam, 9. Seth Nunes, 10. Mason Moore, 11. Kyle Miller, 12. Colin Baker, 13. Steven Tiner, 14. Brent Hoover, 15. Cam Smith, 16. Jake Waddell, 17. Jay Cole, 18. T.J. Winningham, 19. Kelly Miller, 20. J.J. Hickle
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage