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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| SASSELLI OUTDUELS HARRIS,
FIRST SPRINT CAR WIN FOR PRESS by Gary Jacob |
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Ford Focus Midgets, Wingless Spec Sprints |
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Watsonville, CA...Sept 2...Talented female racer Audra Sasselli from
Fresno won a hard fought duel with second ranked Alex Harris to capture Friday
night's 25 lap USAC Ford Focus Midget feature race as Watsonville Speedway ended
their 2005 race season. Sasselli came out of the night just 8 points back of
Harris in their duel for second behind leader Chase Barber in the traveling
series. Harris did nose ahead of Sasselli to pace lap 5, but Plaza Park mini
sprint graduate Sasselli was out front the rest of the way. She was just a car
length ahead of Harris at the checkered flag as the event finished with 22
straight green flag laps. Keith Janca ran second ahead of Brett Engstrom. David
Press from Burlingame led the final 15 laps to close his rookie wingless spec
sprint car season with his first $600 win. He fought off a late charge from
track champion Steve Pemberton, who made a late move around division newcomer
Lee Yetter to finish second. Pemberton won $300 and Yetter $150. The win allowed
Press to finish second in points, just two tallies ahead of Steve Mannina.
Mannina broke after leading the first five laps. Track promoter Rick Farren
announced that family business obligations was forcing him to give up the
contract at Watsonville Speedway and the track will go out for bid for 2006 and
beyond. The Ford Focus Midgets appeared with 11 cars and Harris won heat 1 from the pole over fellow front row starter Cameron Veach and Sasselli. Series point leader Barber climbed the front wall and flipped. The team ran out of time to make repairs and he just made a token appearance during the feature pace laps to get last place points. Previous Watsonville race winner Robbie Whitchurch, a graduate of the outlaw kart ranks, won heat 2 ahead of Engstrom and former California Lightning Sprint champion Janca. Janca and Sasselli shared the front row for the 25 lap feature ahead of Cameron Veach and Engstrom. The officials graded the track prior to the main event in hopes of producing a smoother racing surface, the midget drivers faced the same rough, but tacky fast conditions that the other divisions battled. Sasselli raced into the lead over Engstrom with Harris jumping from sixth to third in just 2 laps. Fifth starter Whitchurch followed him in fourth. In turn 3 of lap 4, Whitchurch tried a banzai inside pass to leap from 4th to 2nd, but he flipped wildily in the process. He was unhurt and his team worked late into the nights in the pits trying to get the car fixed for a Saturday night Petaluma race. Jenna Frazier could not get her car in gear and joined Whitchurch on the sidelines. Chris Veach had night long woes and returned for the restart with Nevada senior citizen racer J R Williams pitting his car. A bobble coming off turn 4 by Sasselli allowed Harris to lead lap 5, but Sasselli forced Harris high in turn 1 and she regained the top spot on lap 6. Janca moved up to third ahead of Cameron Veach and Bob Davison. Engstrom had ran off the end of the track in the Whitchurch incident and restarted in the back. He was back to fifth on lap 9. By lap 15, Sasselli was a half lap in front of third, but Harris again reeled her in. Engstrom made a lap 23 pass on Cameron Veach for fourth. Harris tried a high line on the final lap, but Sasselli held her groove and picked off the popular win. Janca ran third ahead of Engstrom, Cameron Veach and Davison. Barber's point lead was cut to 59 points by Harris. Chris Veach is now just 3 points ahead of Whitchurch in their fourth place duel, 43 behind Sasselli. The wingless spec sprints fielded 7 cars and Ken Fredenburg won the heat race from an outside front row start. Pemberton started on the pole and ran second ahead of Rob Hammond. The 20 lap feature lineup was a complete inversion of the heat finish and Mannina raced into the lead from the pole over Press and Yetter. Fredenburg took fourth from Pemberton on lap 2. The race ran without a caution as Mannina was able to get into the infield after he broke leading on lap 6. Press paced the remainder of the race. Yetter settled into second over Fredenberg and Pemberton. Press did bobble on lap 13 and get hit by Yetter, but he recovered to maintain his lead. Pemberton grabbed third from Fredenburg on lap 17 and second from Yetter in the final corner, but he fell short in his bid to overtake Press. Press won ahead of Pemberton, Yetter, Fredenburg, Hammond and another division newcomer, Cameron Beard. Summary Wingless Sprint Car Heat-Kenny Fredenburg, Steve Pemberton, Rob Hammond, Lee Yetter, Cameron Beard. Main-David Press, Pemberton, Yetter, Fredenburg, Hammond, Beard, Steve Mannina. Ford Focus Midget Heat 1-Alex Harris, Cameron Veach, Audra Sasselli, Bob
Davison, Chase Barber. Heat 2-Robbie Whitchurch, Brett Engstrom, Keith Janca,
Jenna Frazier. Main-Sasselli, Harris, Janca, Engstrom, Cameron Veach, Davison,
Chris Veach, J R Williams, Whitchurch, Frazier, Barber. |
