IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

April 12, 2004 FSCR FASTRUCK Results Auburndale Speedway April 10th by Doug Egger Maybe it was early season jitters; maybe it was unseasonable warm temperatures, or maybe a little of both. The second race of the ASA/FASTRUCK season became a slamfest of major proportions. 36 trucks lined up for a qualifying format that included not only time trials but also 2 semi-mains and a sponsor's provisional to fill out the 28 truck starting field. High track temperatures along with a couple of oil-downs in practice made for slippery conditions during qualifying and forced many series veterans to race their way into the feature. In the first 12 lap semi-main, #18 Wendell Bristol stayed out front and ahead of all the bumping and banging going on back in the field, transferring to the 75 lap Main Event along with #23 Johnny Gazdacko, #50 Danny Anderson and # 2 Danny Glover. In the 2nd semi, #27 Shawn Icely managed to work his way thru the 10 truck field from the rear and lead #78 Graham McCorvey, # 33 Kelly Caudill, and last week's winner #9 Marty Zehr into the Main. # 42 Dustin Skinner (son of NASCAR's Mike Skinner) failed to take the green flag and was awarded a sponsor's provisional, but continuing steering and electrical problems forced the Brighthouse Networks Ford F150 to the trailer, ending it's evening early. The crowded, 28 truck starting field was made even more exciting by a top-10 inversion, with fast-qualifier #20 Shawn Bass drawing the #10 "pill". That put #17 Daniel Sassnet on the pole and gave #25 Gary Foxworth his 2nd front-row start of the season. The action began immediately at the drop of Garry Montague's green flag when #78 Graham McCorvey nearly climbed into #29 Tim Schaffnier's pickup box, badly damaging both trucks and bringing out the 1st of 13 cautions. A separate incident on the same lap wrecked #5 Jimmy Gill's Chevy Silverado, and for the second time in as many weeks, the points leader was forced to the pits for repairs. Fortunately for Gill, 2 more cautions flew before the field could complete the first lap of the scheduled 75 lap feature event, giving his crew enough time to repair the twisted body panels and get him back out on the track without loosing a lap, again, for the second time already this young season. The carnage continued as many competitors ended their nights early with nothing more than twisted and broken metal to show for the effort. Thru it all, #25 Gary Foxworth kept the unsponsored Foxworth Flyer Dodge Ram in the lead at each restart and away from the wreckage. After a spin on lap 44 by #50 Danny Anderson brought out the 13th and final yellow flag, race officials mercifully shortened the race to 50 laps. The final sprint to the checkers saw Foxworth lead # 8 Todd Bontrager and # 93 Jeff Firestine across the finish line, with # 60 Kevin Williams and # 16, defending series champion Tommy King rounding out the top 5. The hard fought victory was not only the 1st win for Foxworth, but also the first FASTRUCK Series win for Dodge. In the FASTKIDS Series, open to youngsters ages 12 to 16, fast qualifier #66 Matt Martin lead arch rival #88 David Pollen Jr. and #07 Josh Crenshaw across the line after a very smooth and nearly mistake-free 25 lap feature. A few of the FASTRUCK adult competitors could take lessons from these talented youngsters. Hopefully, the next event, at New Smyrna, Fl.'s ½ mile high-banks will see fewer problems and more competitive excitement for racers and fans alike. [ED. Note]Foxworth also won A Fastrucks feature at New Smyrna in 2002. Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! news@karnac.org or send a letter to the editor!