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Green
Closes CASA Championship Gap at Altamont
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10-1-05
– Tracy, CA...With
his fourth feature win of season, rookie sensation Nick Green has closed to
within four points of the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association championship
title chase. Green was able to take full advantage of problems encountered by
point leader and defending CASA Champion Nick Rescino, Jr. who suffered an
unusual wheel vibration, lost some laps in the pits repairing the problem and
ultimately finished 17th while Green prevailed over the largest CASA
field ever to take the track. Eight NCMA cars joined forces with 14 CASA
regulars and visiting Tim Barber to comprise a solid 23-car field. Jeff
Gardner started off the sprint car portion of Altamont’s Mark Hutto Memorial
by cranking out fast time at 17.547 (102.582 mph) out pacing Green, Jessica
Helberg who became the 19th member of the CASA 100 MPH Club with her
best time on the big half-mile and recent Stockton 99 winner Tim Barber who
qualified fourth. Trophy dashes were not held due to time constraints as
Altamont had 100 lap races scheduled for many of its divisions. The
CASA feature began with a 10-car inversion, which found inaugural 2003 CASA
champion Tony Iacobitti aboard the OCR #71 on the pole along side the
Stanton-Erickson mount of Earle Stanton. As the big field streaked past Willie
William’s fluttering green flag Stanton gamely held the outside through the
first turn, however Iacobitti narrowly held the point down the backstretch and
led lap one. A caution on lap four for a stalled Steve Amador regrouped the
field, and after the restart, fourth starting Glenn Hopper seized the lead from
Iacobitti down low in turn four and led for several laps until encountering a
large group of cars all racing side by side for position. As Hopper began
dissecting his way through the pack, Green made a brazen move on the outside,
making a 3 wide pass in turn two and momentarily trapping Hopper to take the
lead. Barber also had a clean run through the traffic and took second as well. Green
held the point through traffic and just ahead of Barber until the next caution,
which found Rescino stopped at the pit exit with his aforementioned wheel
problem. According to reports, CASA safety officials could not detect the wheel
center fracture with the naked eye and Rescino restarted his mount only to duck
into the pits to change the wheel as the pace car left the field to retake the
green and trapping Rescino in the pits. Green
was well pressured by Barber over the next few laps and the pair diced their way
through lapped traffic while Helberg took third from Hopper and the rest of the
field battled relentlessly for positions throughout the field. The ever so close
action was abruptly halted with a red flag when Matt DeMartini, amid a large
cluster of competitors, suddenly shot into the outside retaining wall between
turns one and two, pummeling the beautiful #6 car and tumbling over to stop
upright in turn two. DeMartini was unhurt but his Ric Carr mount suffered major
damage and was finished for the evening. Only
one other caution slowed the action over the remainder of the 50 lap distance,
Joe Hauck stopped safely near the turn three track entrance with a broken
u-joint and was retired for the rest of the event. Rookie leader Green continued
to lead the event, nimbly zipping in and out of lapped traffic and keeping
Barber at bay. When the checkered flag flew high above Green’s bright orange
#14, young Nick flashed passed to take his second win at Altamont, second in a
row including the Silver State Classic, and his fourth of the 2005 campaign.
Barber finished a strong second, Helberg posted her first podium finish at
Altamont with an excellent drive, “Cowboy” Craig Smith came from the last
starting position, as result of having his car qualified by Green in his absence
earlier in the day, to finish an excellent fourth over Hopper who had to settle
for fifth at the stripe. Ivan
Worden finished a very close sixth holding off fast timer Gardner in seventh,
Ryan Baumgartner in eighth, Iacobitti in ninth and Stanton who held on for a top
ten finish. Ageless “Dr.” Don Hicks finished first among the NCMA carbureted
cars and eleventh overall, followed by Marvin Mitchell and NCMA’s Rob Hammond,
Michael Zarevich, Pat Ariaz and Bert Silverling ahead of Rescino who was
credited with 17th. Hauck, Ed Amador, Denny Burrell, DeMartini, Scott
Clough who retired with a bad vibration, and Steve Amador completed the scoring. Next
up: CASA settles it’s 2005 Championship at Madera Speedway on Saturday,
October 8th. Rescino leads Green by a scant four point with Hopper only 22
markers behind and Iacobitti still mathematically alive, 45 points in arrears
with 54 points eligible for an evening of CASA racing. For more information on
all CASA activity, visit www.casaracing.com 10-1-05 CASA Results QUALIFYING |
