![\"\"](\"https:\/\/karnac.com\/flanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/2012-Rookie-of-the-Year-Dillon-Bassett-with-Ms-Kassie-Hughes-395x261.jpg\" "\\"2012")
Rockingham, NC (11\/3\/12) \u2013Clay Rogers dominated \u201cThe Classic 3\u00a0Championship Weekend\u201d presented by Richard Childress Racing Museum on\u00a0Saturday, November 3rd at Rockingham Speedway. \u00a0Rogers qualified runner-up to first time Sunoco Pole winner Dillon\u00a0Bassett. Once the green flag dropped, Rogers jumped out front and led\u00a0from green to checkered. He was awarded Tilton\u2019s Most Laps Led Award.<\/p>\n
During the spring visit to the Rock, Rogers had a strong car, but his loose racecar sent him spinning into the grass on the front stretch. \u00a0Rogers has had tons of success at The Rock and was hoping for some redemption during the weekend. He was at top of the leader board during Thursday\u2019s practice, started on the front row, and performed a flawless race.<\/p>\n
With the five point bonus awarded to the pole winner, Bassett closed\u00a0the gap point leader Travis Swaim had on him for the Championship. Bassett already clenched the 2012 Rookie of the year title and had every possibility of winning the Championship as well. With Bassett\u2019s main focus on charging for the lead, he was aware of the problems Swaim was battling during the race. \u00a0\u201cWhen I saw the 28 having problems, there was a glimpse of hope for the Championship, but that wasn\u2019t our main focus. We wanted to win the race,\u201d says 2012 Rookie of the Year. \u201cWhen you win races, points seem to take care of themselves; coming home 2nd is nothing to hang your head down for!\u201d<\/p>\n
During the first couple of laps, Championship contender Swaim was\u00a0running hot and lost his power steering. His teammate, Mike Skinner\u00a0came down pit road first and the \u00a0team hustled to switch out power\u00a0steering pumps. Swaim was able to get the car back on the track and\u00a0make up some ground. Unfortunately, his car wasn\u2019t in condition to
\nfinish the race. With Bassett finishing second and Swaim’s 24th place\u00a0finish, Swaim won the championship by 18 points. \u00a0\u201cWe knew coming into the race that we needed a solid run to win the\u00a0Championship,\u201d says 2012 Champion Swaim. \u201cWhen we started having the\u00a0problems only a few laps into the race, my guys fought hard to make sure\u00a0I ran every lap I could. They never gave up and their hard work paid\u00a0off.\u201d<\/p>\n
While most of the attention was on the Championship situation, Brodie\u00a0Kostecki, Blake Jones, and Darrell Wallace Jr. had strong runs and\u00a0finished in the top five. Wallace Jr. gained 12 positions, awarding\u00a0him the Holley Performer of the Race Award. \u00a0Before the last restart, Scott Turlington and Cory Joyce were battling\u00a0in the top five. Once the flag went green, Joyce spun his tires and\u00a0Turlington ran into the back of Bassett, making his radiator duck work\u00a0loose. Turlington fell back to 6th and Joyce back to 7th. Jeremy Burns\u00a0finished 8th for his first Rockingham appearance with the UARA-STARS. \u00a0Tim George Jr. claimed the 10th position in the Championship points\u00a0for this 9th place finish, while Brandon Jones rounded out the top\u00a0ten.\u00a0 George and Will Gallaher were tied for for points position prior to the event.\u00a0 In the end George beat out Gallaher by a mere 5 points with Ronnie Bassett Jr and Roger Powell just 10 points behind George.<\/p>\n
Along with the excitement of crowning our season Champion and Rookie\u00a0of the year, the season finale was a four caution race. As a safety\u00a0precaution, Blake Jones was blacked flagged early in the race for\u00a0smoke coming from his car. He fell a lap down, but was the recipient\u00a0of a lucky dog pass. Jones drove from the back to finish 4th.<\/p>\n
During the second caution for debris, some drivers checked up too soon,\u00a0throwing Steve Wallace to the outside wall of turn one. His hit was\u00a0hard enough to take him out of the race. David Garbo Jr. also had a\u00a0hard time a couple laps later when he came off of turn four. The final\u00a0caution fell with less than ten laps to go when Zeke Shell got spun
\naround on the backstretch.<\/p>\n