|
Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| Press Release |
|
|
|
HANSEN BECOMES 8TH DIFFERENT USAC/CRA WINNER By Robert Mayson |
|
Santa Maria, Calif…(June 13, 2009) Garrett Hansen, Manhattan Beach, Calif.,
started on the front row of Saturday night’s 30-lap Lucas Oil USAC/CRA sprint
car and went on to become the series eighth different winner in as many races
after leading the final 25 laps in the M-M Motorsports / Roy Miller Freightlines
No. 7 Maxim. “I started on the pole and have never had to work that hard to win a race,” Hansen said aft er his fourth career USAC/CRA triumph. “We struggled early in the night and we kind of had to throw the tool box at it. Luckily, we started on the pole and got a win.” Hansen’s win wasn’t without controversy. With the initial start having been red flagged after a John Aden flip, Hansen found himself racing wheel-to-wheel with hometown favorite Danny Sheridan on the subsequent restart. Powering their way through the third corner, contact between the two drivers sent Sheridan flipping violently into the concrete wall. Fortunately, Sheridan and Aden were each able to walk back to the pit area after their accidents. “Me and Danny have been great competitors for as long as I’ve been racing sprint cars and I just feel horrible about the deal, and that they ended up with a wrecked race car and we ended up with a win,” Hansen remorsefully said after the race. “It was just one of those deals where we both ended up going for the same piece of real estate…We were both just racing hard.” Experience prevailed on the following restart when Hall of Fame driver Rip Williams beat Hansen to the green flag after assuming Sheridan’s position on the front row. Williams would lead until a miscue coming down to accept the green flag on a lap-five restart allowed Hansen to make his race winning passing in turn-one. “Rip is a heck of a driver and he jus t made a mistake on a restart and then he pushed up the race track and we were able to diamond off the corner and get by him,” Hansen recalled. “I was amazed because I think it was the first two mistakes that I’ve ever seen him make.” Even though Hansen went on to lead the remainder of the event he was pressured by eventual runner-up finisher Mike Spencer, Temecula, Calif., driving the Ron Chaffin / Grubstake Storage No. 50 Maxim. At one point, it looked like series points leader Blake Miller might have something for the first two cars until Spencer suddenly slowed after making contact with Miller’s teammate Ronnie Gardner on lap-21. After slamming into the back of Spencer’s car, Miller helplessly careened into the infield wall ending his e vening. Miller was not hurt. David Cardey, Riverside, Calif., not only took over Miller’s third position at the end of the race, but also took over the USAC/CRA points lead after a spectacular drive from the eleventh starting position in the Glenn Crossno / ITI Performance No. 38 Viper. Tipton, California’s Danny Faria, Jr. finished fourth thanks to a thrilling outside pass on Williams coming down for the checkered flag. Trying to avoid contact with Faria after exiting turn-four, Williams bounced his way towards the finishing line and was collected by Greg Bragg. Both drivers somehow finished the race sliding across the line, but not before Cory Kruseman, Ventura, Calif., snaked his way past both of them to give his Kruseman Motorsports / Lucas Oil No. 21k Viper fifth-place finish. Matt Mitchell, who won the last USAC/CRA race two weeks ago, claimed “Hard Charger” honors with his 21st to eighth-place run. Richard VanderWeerd was the night’s fastest qualifier and went on to finish ninth in the feature. |
