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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| Iacobitti Clinches Inaugural CASA
Championship With Fourth Feature Win By Glenn Hopper |
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October 4, 2003 Tracy, California Mathematically needing only to take the green flag
to secure a season-long points title in Saturday nights California Asphalt
Sprintcar Association season finale, Santa Clara’s Tony Iacobitti ignored
mathematical facts and stormed to his fourth feature win of the season at
Altamont Raceway Park to decisively clinch his first championship and become the
inaugural champion of CASA. While Iacobitti’s road to victory lane was indeed
paved, the event was not without a few bumps. Fifteen ground-shaking pavement
sprinters roared past Willie William’s green flag with pole sitter Mike
McCreary battling Don Hicks for the lead. But before the second lap could be
completed, Ivan Warden’s father, Paul, driving Ivan’s backup car for the
first time this season, slammed into the turn four wall and overturned bringing
out the red flag. Ivan, in an attempt to check on his father’s condition,
apparently broke a track rule regarding non-emergency personnel approaching an
accident scene and while relieved to find Paul suffered only some bruises and a
lacerated knee that would require a few stitches, Warden was furious to find he
had been disqualified from the event. When Hicks and McCreary resumed their fight for the
lead, Iacobitti, charging from inside row three, had his hands full battling
fellow 3-time feature winner, Bryan Bullard and fast qualifier Nick Rescino Jr.
in his first visit to the big half-mile. As the leaders engaged lapped traffic,
contact was made between Iacobitti’s #31 and Bullard’s #7. Iacobitti, ended
up stalled on the front stretch and Bullard suffered damage that relegated him
to the pits for the remainder of the race. Yellow flags also flew for a
three-car collision involving Kenny Rines, Earle Stanton and Alan Kaiser who was
also making his first run with CASA. Don Hicks had an impressive run end with an
engine failure to bring out another caution. When racing resumed, Iacobitti charged back through
the field to retake the lead. With 25 of 35 laps complete the front pack
contained Iacobitti, Rescino, McCreary, ever-improving Scott Clough, Glenn
Hopper and Marvin Mitchell. Lapped traffic blues resulted in a solo spin by
Rescino on lap 31 but the young son of the legendary Nick Rescino, powered his
way back to finish second among the 7 cars to take the checkers. While not the artistic success of
green-to-checkered flag, nonstop racing that CASA provided for most of the
season, Iacobitti’s race and season-long run to the front was an impressive
accomplishment for the second year, second generation driver. To the victor go
the spoils and the champagne spraying “Yak Attack” number 31 also collected
an additional $500 bonus provided by Kenko Supply Construction Materials for
winning the season finale. Rescino posted fast time and became the 8th member
of CASA’s Inaugural 100 M.P.H. Club. There were no heat races or trophy dashes
as Altamont celebrated the memory of popular late model star Mark Hutto with a
special program that featured extended length feature events. |
