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Murphy Sweeps SCRA Card by Dan Fleischer |
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JUNE 2, 2007 --- Bring out the broom, it was a clean sweep as Peter
Murphy dominated the program during SCRA’s visit to Kings Speedway in Hanford,
CA. Murphy set quick qualifying time (15.600) in his Tom Tarlton owned #21 Tachi
Palace sponsored machine, and then proceeded to win his heat, the Passing
Masters Dash and the curfew shortened 20-lap feature. From the time his 360 c.i.
wingless Sprint car was hauled out of the transporter, Murphy was fast,
including drawing the number one qualifying position. That set the stage for the
entire evening. Starting from the pole via his Dash victory, Murphy led wire-to-wire despite two red and six yellow flags. His margin of victory was 10-car lengths over Rusty Carlile, who was just able to hold off rookie sensation Michael Faccinto, driving in a second Tarlton owned machine, for the runner-up spot. Jeff Gardner finished a strong fourth followed to the line by point leader Davey Pombo. It appeared that the Murphy/Pombo season-long juggernaut would continue as the pair led from their front-row starting positions when the green was displayed, but a Jim Turner flip in turn one brought out the first red. John Niggli was also involved in the incident and he too, was on the hook. The complete restart had Murphy jumping into the lead with Pombo trailing once again. A quick yellow appeared on lap three when Matt Streeter stalled on the front-stretch and Adam Frith-Smith stalled on the back-stretch at the same time. For the third time of the evening, Murphy got a great restart and started pulling away. The field was then slowed again as Pombo made an uncharacteristic error and spun in turn four on lap six. He rejoined the rear of the field. Time for another restart but once again, it was for not, as Kiwi Alexander executed a number of flips in turn one, ending his night. Only a short six laps were in the books when Jace VanderWeerd, who was running a very impressive fifth at the time, spun in turn four. The yellows continued (number four) when John Iturriria spun only to be followed by number five when Adam Frith-Smith and Jerry Wise tangled on lap 12. The final yellow was displayed four laps later when Justyne Hamblin looped in turn four. The 16-year-old youngster started the event in third but encountered handling problems and dropped back to ninth when her mishap occurred. With time running short, Murphy, who obviously had plenty of practice restarting the field, cautiously handled the dry-slick racetrack and raced to his second victory of the season. Faccinto, making only his second start in a Sprint car, had the partisan
crowd on their feet as he quickly moved from his seventh starting position to
fifth by lap three and into the third spot by lap six. He challenged Carlile for
the remained of the race and came up just short of a one-two finish for team
Tarlton. In victory circle, a jubilant Murphy dedicated his win to the late George
Tatnell (Brooke Tatnell’s father) who was an Australian Sprint car champion
many years ago. “George was a great guy,” Murphy stated, “and will be
missed by a lot of people. This win is dedicated to his memory.” Murphy was
also interviewed in the winner’s circle after his incredible win in the Dash,
when he went from sixth to first in one-half lap. Taking the high-line, the wily
veteran passed two cars in turn one, then darted to the inside and passed three
more going down the back-stretch to gain the lead. It was by far, the most
spectacular move of the entire season, a move that astounded the fans, who were
screaming with delight. “I just saw the opportunity and went for it,” the
low-keyed Murphy stated.” RESULTS: QUALIFYING: EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT HEAT #1-10 Laps KAEDING PERFORMANCE/KEIZER WHEELS HEAT HEAT #2-10 Laps SPIN TECH MUFFLERS HEAT HEAT #3-10 Laps RIDDELL ENTERPRISES PASSING MASTERS DASH-6 Laps KEIZER WHEELS, ALTERNATIVE SWITCH-WEAR, BR MOTORSPORTS, MATT & GLASS,
STINGER CHASSIS, WELD WHEELS, RACING OPTICS, AWARDS & SIGNS MAIN-20 Laps POINT STANDINGS: |
