Saturday night at I-30 Speedway was one for the ages as Blake Hahn shot the gap between Tim Crawley and the wall off the final turn to win the Scrapp Fox Memorial.
Asked about the run, Hahn said, “With about five to go, I could hear Tim working the outside of me, and under the caution, my crew was signaling that I needed to work the top, so I did, and actually let Tim [Crawley] get by me, and that ticked me off so when he started battling hard with J.J. [Hickle], I knew I had to get where they weren’t. The top in one and two, you really had to be careful with, and three and four hadn’t really been that good all night, but that last lap, we were able to make it work. Anytime you can get by Crawley, especially here, you’ve done something.
Leading the final 25′ of the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Week powered by Smiley’s Racing Products A-Feature, the race for the top podium step was a three-car fight as the field went back to green with four laps to run. Chasing J.J. Hickle into the first two turns, Crawley railed the top of the track. Going wheel to wheel with Hickle into the third turn, the No. 63 pushed off the bottom, giving Tim room to turn down and take the point.
Going to the cushion in third, Hahn drove deep through turns one and two.
With momentum building as the trio hit the final two revolutions, Crawley protected the bottom with Hickle and Hahn battling for second. To the runner-up spot as the white flag waved, Hahn again buried the Smiley’s Racing Products No. 52 into the turn one and two cushion. Barreling down the backstretch with the Ronnie Pitts Motorsports No. 1x again going low to the final two turns, Hahn hit the top of the track.
Shooting to the wall of the final turn, Hahn buried the throttle and worked between Crawley and the wall to edge the wily veteran for the win by 0.151-seconds. Contact with Crawley’s right front as they hit the finish line broke the steering, but Tim was able to get the car down the track as the field rolled by.
Greeting Hahn in Victory Lane, Crawley was smiling as he picked Blake up in a bear hug and acted like the two were fighting; then shook hands with the crew before returning to his car.
“I drove my old ass off and did everything I thought I needed to do and go into position and did pretty much all of it I did on the outside. Why the hell I didn’t just run the top, I don’t know. But I would like to see a replay of that. I think I won it,” chuckled Crawley, who came from 11th to second.
From seventh, J.J. Hickle took over the lead on Lap 11 after Derek Hagar and Michael Faccinto tangled racing for the top spot. Holding onto third, the Washington shoe continues to lead the overall Sprint Week standings. Matt Covington rolled from 10th to fourth with Seth Bergman going 13th to fifth.
Moving up from the B-Feature, Harli White was the Tiny’s Truck Repair Hard Charger with a climb from 19th to sixth in the Life of Hope Ministries No. 17w. Going to the back on the Lap 11 incident, Derek Hagar fought back to finish seventh with Jake Bubak in tow. Likewise, having to claw his way back through the field, Michael Faccinto made it to ninth with Colton Heath in tenth.
The highest car count of the week at 54 competitors, the field was broken into six Heat Races with an extra $100 to win each race put up by Tracey Clay at I-30 Speedway, Schure Built Suspension, Griffith Truck and Equipment, Brewer Trucking, and Old School Racin’. Wins went to Howard Moore, Zach Pringle, Seth Bergman, Michael Faccinto, Brad Bowden, and Matt Covington.
The night’s Bush’s Chicken Quick Qualifier, worth $100 plus an extra $100 from Dirty Girlz Apparel, was John Carney II.
Mid-Mo Equipment Dash wins went to Michael Faccinto and Derek Hagar. The D-Feature was topped by Brandon Taylor with the C-Feature going to Kyle Bellm. B-Feature competition went to Harli White.
The Lucas Oil ASCS Sprint Week powered by Smiley’s Racing Products continues Sunday, August 16, at Diamond Park Speedway. Gates open at 4:00 P.M. Hot Laps at 6:00 P.M. Qualifying to follow at 6:30 P.M. (C.T.). Admission is $20 with kids five and under free.
For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2020, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com
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