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GAUNT GRABS “SOKOLA SHOOTOUT” By Robert Mayson |
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Perris, Calif…(February 28, 2009) The three-race “How the west was won” swing for USAC National and Lucas Oil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars concluded Saturday night at the Perris Auto Speedway with the 30-lap running of the “Sokola Shootout.” Torrance, California’s Rickie Gaunt withstood heavy pressure for most of the race from Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, Calif., and was able to drive his Nadine Gardner / Black Widow Racing No. 16 Sled to his first career USAC National Spr int win. “I’m old and fat, and when there’s rubber down and I can run off the cushion I like it,” Gaunt proclaimed after his eleventh career win at the PAS. “We struggled during the first two races, even though I felt we were fast at Manzy and at Vegas, we just had some bad luck. We actually struggled a little tonight in our heat and struggled in the B-Main, and everything just came together in the A-Main. I’m just totally pumped over this win.” New Castle, Indiana’s Tracy Hines and Dustin Morgan shared the front row for the feature race with Morgan securing the lead in turn three on the opening lap. Gaunt had moved up one position from his fifth starting spot when Shane Hmiel fl ipped during the second lap. Hmiel was not hurt. David Cardey brought out the final red-flag of the race three laps later after his car tumbled into the second turn. Carey restarted the event and went on to finish 16th. Prior to the restart, third-place Blake Miller dropped to the rear of the field with brake problems. Moments after accepting the green flag for the lap-five restart, Gaunt passed Hines before sliding ahead of Morgan in turn-one. Morgan tried to respond, but Gaunt was able to maintain the lead along the back-straight. With one-third of the race completed, Sweet had his Kasey Kahne Racing No. 9 Maxim up to second-place after starting seventh. Sweet showed Gaunt a wheel for the first time on lap-13 and Gaunt adjusted his racing line accordingly. Using the cushion aggressively, Sweet made several attempts at the lead before a Gaunt miscue exiting turn-two opened the door for Sweet on lap-17. Remarkably, the 1999 Oval Nationals winner quickly responded and took the lead back with a classic turn-three slide job. “Sweet was getting through turns one and two a lot better than I was,” Gaunt later confessed. “I’m not as brave as some of these guys that’ll really bury it in the cushion and come off. I went in there a couple of times and bounced really hard so I tried to stay below the cushion and run smooth. Sweet got a good run and got by me in turn two, but seemed to slow down getting into three, so I slid back by him and didn’t make the same mistake again.” & nbsp; Running mistake-free in the closing laps, Gaunt never gave Sweet another opportunity to challenge for the lead and went on to score a much needed victory for the CRA regulars. Pole-sitter Hines finished third in the Tony Stewart Racing / Chevy No. 21 Maxim, with defending National Champion and fast qualifier Jerry Coons, Jr., Tucson, Ariz., giving the Dynamic, Inc. / Kroger-Tide No. 69 F-5 a fourth-place run. Damion Gardner, Concord, Calif., started tenth before driving his DG Racing / Pace Lighting No. 71 Eagle to a fifth-place finish. 2008 Oval Nationals winner Jesse Hockett earned “Hard-Charger” honors with his 19th to sixth-place drive. |
