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Hafertepe Jr. Claims Port-A-Cool U.S. Dirt Track Championship Opener

(Photo by DB3 Imaging)

Inside Line Promotions – FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 16, 2014) – Momentum is clearly on the side of Sam Hafertepe Jr., who nearly swept the Port-A-Cool U.S. Dirt Track Championship last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Hafertepe Jr. powered from fourth to win the opening feature on Friday and he maneuvered from eighth into the lead on Saturday before finishing second.

“Last Thursday we went to the practice night,” he said. “The first couple of sessions we weren’t real great. I wasn’t happy with the way the car felt. I called Rick Ferkel, who is a guy I lean on for advice. He gave me a couple of ideas that we needed to do and it definitely woke the car up right away.”

Hafertepe Jr. took advantage of the revived race car and a good pill draw on Friday when he won his heat race from the pole. That gave him a spot in the feature redraw and he pulled the No. 4 during the random draw to line up on the outside of the second row for the main event.

“We got a good pill draw and we won the heat race going away,” he said. “When we redrew the four I knew we’d have a good chance to win the race. The track was predominantly on the top. As the race went on we got faster and faster.”

Following a restart at the midpoint of the 25-lap feature, Hafertepe Jr., who reached the runner-up position by Lap 10, made a bid for the lead.

“We had a restart on Lap 13 and I slid Kevin Ramey in turns one and two,” he said. “He got back by me and I slid him again in turns three and four. After that it was smooth sailing.”

Hafertepe Jr. pulled away to a victory by more than five seconds, which marked his fourth ASCS National Tour win of the season. It also locked him into the feature redraw for Saturday’s event.

Unfortunately, Hafertepe Jr. picked the highest number – eight – during the redraw on Saturday. However, it didn’t matter as he charged into second place by Lap 3 and into the lead on Lap 9.

“We were driving by guys,” he said. “We got in a lot of traffic and it opened the door a little bit. I think Seth (Bergman) snuck down to the bottom one time and when he felt the rubber he obviously drove right by us. We weren’t really searching for it. We didn’t think anything was there.”

Hafertepe Jr. led until Bergman passed him in the rubber on Lap 17. The race ended with Hafertepe Jr. finishing second, which moved him into second place in the ASCS National Tour championship standings.

He will tackle the Midwest Fall Brawl this Friday and Saturday at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb. If a driver sweeps the ASCS National Tour doubleheader he or she receives a $50,000 bonus.

“We have a really good car and the motors are running good,” he said. “It seems like pill draws are going our way. We have a lot of momentum in our favor.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Sept. 12 – Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas – Heat race: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (4).

Sept. 13 – Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas – Feature: 2 (8).

SEASON STATS –

56 races, 6 wins, 22 top fives, 32 top 10s, 39 top 15s, 48 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb., for the Midwest Fall Brawl with the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.Sam15.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamHafertepeJr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Hafertepe-Jr-and-The-Plumbfast-Racing-Team/116304711773031?ref=br_tf

VIDEO –

Here is a link to highlights of Hafertepe Jr. winning the ASCS Gulf South Region race at Heart O’Texas Speedway on June 6: http://youtu.be/QWG0RyKXyX8

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Kiebler & Sons Lawn and Landscaping

Kiebler & Sons Lawn and Landscaping is a residential landscaping business based in New Oxford, Pa.

“They are really good friends of ours who have been around for quite a while,” Hafertepe Jr. said. “We’ve always really appreciated their support.”

Hafertepe Jr. would also like to thank Lonestar Speedway, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, 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 –

Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.

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.

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