FORT WORTH – Sam Hafertepe Jr. led from start to finish to win Friday’s ASCS Sprint Car championship at the Texas World Dirt Track Championship at Texas Motor Speedway.
His victory puts him in some elite company when it comes to racing at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Hafertepe Jr.’s win was his second career at TMS and he now joins Seth Bergman, World of Outlaws drivers Danny Lasoski and Steve Kinser, along with ASCS’ Jason Johnson as the only others with a pair of wins at the .4-mile oval.
He took the lead from the inside of row 2 at the start of the race and gradually increased his lead over the first 16 laps. There were a pair of cautions in lap 17 that brought the field closer but they were not match for his car as he went onto comfortably win the race.
“I feel we have the best car out here and we proved it tonight,” he said. “We have put a lot of time into the car over the last few weeks and it paid off for us tonight.”
The Sunnyvale, Texas native didn’t start his dirt track career at TMS off with a bang but he has grown to appreciate the track.
“This is an awesome race track,” he said. “It’s big and it’s fast and I think all the drivers would tell you that. I love racing here. We got a great racetrack here tonight and we were able to take advantage of it.”
Now that he has joined the exclusive multiple winner club, he has a chance to win again on Saturday night as the ASCS
“That would be awesome to win on back-to-back nights,” he said with a smile.
The factory stocks and limited modifies also raced Friday in preparation for their finals on Saturday.
Taylor Carver, who won last fall in his station wagon in the factory stocks, should be the favorite to win again after winning the Factory Stocks A Qualifier. David Phillips won the same race in limited mods action Friday.
All three series will crown division champions Saturday, with hot laps starting at 6 p.m. and racing beginning at 7 p.m. Grandstand tickets for Saturday’s action event is $25 for adults and $10 for children. Fans can save $5 by purchasing their tickets at any participating O’Reilly Auto Parts store. For additional information on the Texas World National Dirt Track Championship, visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com or call the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500.
FINAL RESULTS – ASCS Sprint Car A Feature (20 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[3]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 3. 45X-Johnny Herrera[2]; 4. 2L-Logan Forler[5]; 5. 23-Seth Bergman[9]; 6. 87-Aaron Reutzel[12]; 7. 95-Matt Covington[7]; 8. 17-Josh Baughman[10]; 9. 05-Brad Loyet[15]; 10. 1J-Danny Jennings[1]; 11. 14-Channin Tankersley[8]; 12. 11M-Jason McDougal[13]; 13. 17W-Harli White[22]; 14. 28-Tommy Bryant[14]; 15. 4J-John Carney II[17]; 16. 91-Steven Russell[20]; 17. 14K-Kyle Bellm[21]; 18. 29-Travis Rilat[18]; 19. (DNF) 2C-Wayne Johnson[6]; 20. (DNF) 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek[11]; 21. (DNF) 19-Wes Wofford[16]; 22. (DNF) 84-Brandon Hanks[23]; 23. (DNF) 02-Brandon Long[19] / Number in Brackets is starting position.
Click here for full results from Friday’s racing.
