6/2/2014
Inside Line Promotions
Hafertepe Jr. Records ASCS National Tour Hard Charger Award at Eagle Nationals
(Photo by DB3 Imaging)
Inside Line Promotions – EAGLE, Neb. (June 2, 2014) – After testing for the past several weeks, Sam Hafertepe Jr. believes he has solved his tire issue.
“We’ve hit on something here lately,” he said. “Our testing is starting to pay off and we’re starting to get the car where we need it.”
That was evident throughout last weekend when Hafertepe Jr. and the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour competed at a pair of Midwest tracks beginning on Friday at Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan.
“We drew a decent heat and were pretty dominant,” he said.
Hafertepe Jr. won his heat race after starting third, which earned him enough points to advance into the feature redraw. Unfortunately, Hafertepe Jr. pulled the second-highest number – seven – in the random draw to line up on the inside of the fourth row in the main event.
“In the feature I felt like we kind of missed it,” he said. “We got up to pass for fourth about halfway through the race and I got stuck on the bottom for a little bit. The groove was predominantly on the top and I lost about three positions. We kind of maintained where we started and we really didn’t have the best race car.”
Hafertepe Jr. ended the night with a seventh-place result.
On Saturday, he headed to Eagle Raceway for the Hinchman Racewear Eagle Nationals. Hafertepe Jr. started on the inside of the third row in his heat race on the fast track.
“In the heat it was real hard to get going, especially if you started on the bottom,” he said. “The track was pretty fast so you really couldn’t pass many race cars.”
After picking up one position in his heat race, Hafertepe Jr. was the final driver to be locked into the main event. He started the 35-lap feature on the outside of the eighth row.
“For the feature we started messing with tires,” he said. “We made a few changes to the car. When they dropped the green flag it was a night and day difference. It made the car 10 times better. We picked up the forward bite we’ve been lacking.”
Hafertepe Jr. powered from 16th to eighth in the first handful of laps and he methodically picked up several positions throughout the remainder of the race to post a third-place result, which earned him the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.
“We needed a caution at the end and we didn’t have a caution after Lap 10,” he said. “We were pretty fast. We could run high or low. It didn’t matter where we went. After this weekend I think we hit the nail on the head of what we needed and where we needed it.”
Hafertepe Jr. will make his debut at Lexington 104 Speedway in Lexington, Tenn., this Friday and he will tackle I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour.
QUICK RESULTS –
May 30 – Salina Speedway in Salina, Kan. – Heat race: 1 (3); Feature: 7 (7).
May 31 – Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. – Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 3 (16).
SEASON STATS –
29 races, 1 win, 7 top fives, 11 top 10s, 15 top 15s, 20 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday at Lexington 104 Speedway in Lexington, Tenn., and Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.Sam15.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamHafertepeJr
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Keizer Aluminum Wheels
Keizer Aluminum Wheels has provided custom aluminum racing wheels for any type of racing application for several decades. For more information, visit http://www.KeizerWheels.com.
“I’ve been using Keizer Aluminum Wheels since 2004,” Hafertepe Jr. said. “They are like family to me and have been with me through the highs and the lows.”
Hafertepe Jr. would also like to thank Lonestar Speedway, Kiebler & Sons Lawn and Landscaping, Wells Racing Engines, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Smiley’s Racing Products, Fisher Racing Engines, J&J Auto Racing, Pro Shocks by OC Shocks, Fire-Down Graphics, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Vortex Wings, Kear’s Speed Shop, Pancho’s Racing Products, GPC, Joe Gibbs Racing Oils, Zemco Headers and Simpson Racing Products for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
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To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
Article Credit: Inside Line Promotions
Submitted By: Shawn Miller