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| Hagen Inches Sheridan in USAC/CRA Season Opener |
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FEBRUARY 3, 2007 - PERRIS, Calif. – Darren Hagen held off Danny
Sheridan by less than a car length – .022 seconds to be exact – to win the
USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series season opener Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway.
Taking the leading at the drop of the green flag, Hagen, of nearby Riverside, Calif., led by more than a half straightaway mideway through the race before encountering slower traffic. Sheridan caught up and tried desperately to get by on the inside before Hagen split the slower traffic in the waning laps. But Sheridan stuck close, weaving through the traffic for his last lap ditch effort. He ducked low in Turn 1 on the final lap, then attempted high as the pair came off Turn 4. Using momentum, it appeared Sheridan, for a moment, had a shot, but his effort failed, and instead the two made contact as they crossed under the checkered flags. The win, which came in Mark Preistley’s No. 7 Roy Miller Freightlines/Sander Engineering Bullet/Mopar, was the first for the team in the series. Josh Ford and Jason York were involved in a violent flip on Lap 3 on the backstretch before coming to rest. Both drivers emerged from their cars under their own power, not seriously injured. Tony Jones, one of the favorites to win the series championship, set the night’s fast time at 16.811 seconds. Mike Spencer, in his first race with the No. 50 Ron Chaffin team, broke a Jacob’s ladder in his heat, and went on to finish 10th. Rickie Gaunt finished third, ahead of Jones and Rip Williams. The series continues next Friday and Saturday at Manzanita Speedway with the inaugural “The Copper on Dirt.” |
