|
Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| Press Release | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Rescino
Victorious on Hot CASA Night at Ukiah |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
7-16-05
– Ukiah, CA...A
hot, 104 degree day led to a hot and somewhat wild night of California Asphalt
Sprintcar Association action at the high banked quarter-mile Ukiah Speedway
where Nick Rescino Jr. returned to his winning ways after a hard fought 75 lap
battle and a brief hiatus from victory lane. “Last year we won so much and now
we’ve had some problems. You kind of start doubting if you can do this,”
grinned Rescino of tonight’s win after a few sub-par events for the #11 team. After
all the CASA drivers, nearly reluctantly, suited up for action on this
sweltering afternoon, rapidly improving rookie of the year candidate Jessica
Helberg laid down the fastest qualifying lap, 12.215 to take fast time honors,
posting her first fast time in a sprint car and becoming only the second rookie
to do so in a CASA event. “The car’s just been getting better,” she said
humbly after her run. The
fast car trophy dash was a quick three lap burst won by Glenn Hopper over
Rescino, Destiney Hays and Helberg, while a very entertaining heat number one
followed with “Super Veteran” Marvin Mitchell holding off 2003 CASA champ
Tony Iacobitti and nearby Cotati, CA resident Ivan Worden for several laps until
Worden slipped past for the win. Iacobitti also passed Mitchell to then
challenge Worden and Mitchell had to settle for third over Joe Hauck and Scott
Clough. The Lightning Sports heat race was also won by a driver from the north
bay area as Santa Rosa’s Trever Cummins jumped out to the early lead and held
off a determined Nick Green, Hays, Hopper, Rescino and Helberg in the second 10
lap preliminary event. When
the sun finally set and the temperature became more moderate, it was time for
the CASA sprinters to turn up the heat again for the 75-lap feature. By virtue
of a six-car inversion, Trever Cummins, fresh off his heat race victory, assumed
the pole position next to fellow rookie Nick Green. As the green flag flew over
the thundering field Cummins took his #17 to the low side looking for the lead
but Green was equally as fast in the high groove and the two battled for a few
laps in side-by-side fashion while the rest of the field hung in a close pack,
each looking to gain the slightest advantage. After a entertaining battle
Cummins emerged as the leader and despite being a little on the loose side, held
off Green until a lap 19 caution for Iacobitti in turn one. As
racing resumed, Green, eager to wrest the lead from Cummins, applied more than
just pressure to the back of the orange #17. Green repeatedly bumped the back of
Cummins and after several laps, Cummins spun into the infield in turn two. As
Cummins was positioned for restarting and the track crew swept some dirt off the
racing surface that had been kicked up as a result of the spin, CASA and track
officials determined Green guilty of a rough driving infraction and sent him to
the rear of the field. Rough driving, a particular issue discussed at the
pre-race drivers meeting, was not going to be tolerated and unfortunately for
the Green team, it meant restarting at the rear of the pack.
With
Cummins’ spin and Green dispatch to the rear, Rescino, after passing Hopper
and Hays in the early going, found his third place standing on the leader board
upgraded to the number one spot. However, as the field was ready to go green
again, Hays stopped just off the edge of the backstretch with a flat right front
tire. Her crew quickly made repairs but her #28 was also moved off the leader
board as she too went to the rear for the restart. When
racing resumed, Rescino inched his way ahead of Hopper who now had Helberg
breathing down his neck. Worden, after displaying his speed in his heat race ran
a solid fourth. As the top runners encountered lapped traffic, Iacobitti began
his charge from his earlier misadventure and was now up to fifth but an
undeterred Green, a still fast Cummins and Hays were heading forward as well.
Well past the midway point of the event, the yellow flag slowed the field again
as Cummins coasted to a stop at the beginning of the front straight and he
needed a tow to the pits, retiring him from the action. Rescino
held fast again on the restart with Hopper still trying hard to close the gap
from second. Helberg ran flawlessly in third while Iacobitti and Green managed
their way ahead of Worden. Hays retired from the fray along with Clough who
suffered a rare tire valve stem problem causing a deflating right front tire.
Both left the track under power allowing racing to continue. And continue it did
as the latter laps of the race clicked off quickly until lap 65 when Helberg’s
excellent run found her flame-painted #4 spun in the turn three infield dirt.
She rejoined the field setting the stage for a ten-lap sprint to the finish. Hopper
pulled all stops trying to overtake Rescino in the closing stages of the race
but Rescino’s strength allowed him to continually inch away, putting a safe
cushion behind him. Green made an attempt on Hopper with a scant few laps
remaining but found Iacobitti slipping past in the low groove while Green
negotiated the high side in his attempt to garner second. As the black and white
checkers waved over Rescino’s dark blue #11 in victory, Hopper hung on for a
hard fought second, Iacobitti in a brilliant come from behind drive secured
third over and equally determined effort of Green, and an excellent fifth place
showing of Worden. Helberg rebounded nicely in the limited amount of laps
remaining for sixth, Joe Hauck ran smoothly for seventh over Mitchell in eighth.
Hays, Cummins and Clough were credited with ninth through eleventh. Next
weekend finds the CASA cars and stars visiting Madera Speedway for the third of
four dates this season on Saturday July 23rd. The “Tire Burning Thunder” of
the California Sprint Cars is eager to return to the immaculate third mile
facility even if the hot valley weather will once again greet the CASA
contingent. Please visit www.casaracing.com for more
information on all CASA activities. 7-16-05
CASA Results QUALIFYING TROPHY
DASH 75
LAP MAIN EVENT POINT STANDINGS 7-16-05
|
