Sam Hafertepe Jr. won the ASCS stop at Lakeside Thursday (Kameron Moore Photo)
Bryan Hulbert – KANSAS CITY, Kan. (September 8, 2022) Thursday night at Lakeside Speedway was all about Sam Hafertepe, Jr., as the driver of the Hills Racing/Heidbreder Foundation No. 15 dominated the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network.
Leading flag to flag for his third National Tour score of the season, and 61st since 2010, the win makes Hafertepe the first repeat winner with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series in eight tour appearances at the Kansas oval.
“It’s fun to get on big tracks like this where we can get on the wall and race like that,” said Sam, who is third all-time in wins with the National Tour.
“We’re still working on the car. We were trying a left rear shock package tonight that is different from what we normally run, but luckily, we were able to work out front and get the win, but we still have some work to do when we’re not in clean air. We always want to be better, and without Miles [Hill] and everyone who helps us, we couldn’t do this.”
Battling through the opening lap with Matt Covington, the No. 15h found his stride quickly to begin pulling away. Into traffic in the first seven laps, Sam was quick to move on the slower machines as the battle for second began to pick up between Matt Covington and Dylan Westbrook.
Able to work back to silver on the No. 47x, the race for second turned into a three-car battle with the No. 24 of Garet Williamson into the mix. Cat and Mouse through traffic until Lap 20; red lights came on as Westbrook slipped through the cushion in the first turn and flipped violently into the fence. Dylan was able to walk away as the track went under an open red to repair the fence.
Restarting at the last fully completed lap, the green flew with 19 in the books.
Using slower cars in the lineup to his advantage, Hafertepe was quick to run away as the race for second picked up where it left off, but with a new contender as Jason Martin pursued the position.
Unstoppable to a 7.513-second advantage for Hafertepe at the finish, it was Garet Williamson who came out on top of the race for second. Making the pass on Covington on Lap 23, the No. 24 was followed by Jason Martin for his 13th career podium finish. Matt Covington ended up fourth, with Wayne Johnson battling his way to fifth after starting eleventh.
Riley Goodno crossed sixth, with Blake Hahn moving from 12th to seventh. Jake Bubak, after suffering a flat in his Heat that relegated him to 19th on the grid, advanced to eighth, with Chris Martin ninth from 13th. Making a run after the restart, Ryan Bickett improved to 10th from 16th.
The 23-car field broke into a trio of SCE Gaskets Heat Races. Wins went to Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Jason Martin, and Dylan Westbrook. The Driver’s Project overall quick qualifier was Jake Bubak, who set a new ASCS Track Record at 14.560-seconds. The previous record was established on August 2, 2022, by Blake Hahn at 15.023-seconds.
The next event for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network is Saturday, September 10, at Caney Valley Speedway for the Sooner/Shocker Showdown.
Featuring fireworks following the races, the night is co-sanctioned with the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region presented by Smiley's Racing Products and will also include Factory Stocks, Pure Stocks, and USRA Tuners. Pits will be open during the day for teams to pull in. Grandstands open at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and free for kids 12 and under. Pits are $40. Caney Valley Speedway is located at CR 1300 in Caney, Kan. More info on the Speedway can be found at http://www.caneyvalleyspeedway.net or by calling the track at (620) 330-0485.
The 2022 season will mark the 31st year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.
For fans not able to attend, the series can be seen live on two platforms, with RaceOnTexas.com on FloRacing.com featuring National Tour events in tandem. Both are subscription-based sites. FloRacing.com is $20 per month, billed annually at $150 per year. RaceOnTexas.com All Access is $39.99 per month.
For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).
Race Results:
Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour
ASCS Warrior Region
Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, Kan.)
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Car Count: 23
The Driver's Project Group Qualifying
The Drivers Project Qualifying 1 (3 Laps): 1. 27B-Jake Bubak, 14.560[5]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 14.561[6]; 3. 95-Matt Covington, 14.583[3]; 4. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 14.588[1]; 5. 52-Blake Hahn, 14.636[7]; 6. 44-Chris Martin, 14.911[4]; 7. 187-Landon Crawley, 15.187[2]; 8. (DNS) 21-Gunner Ramey, NT
SCE Gaskets Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 36-Jason Martin[4]; 2. 24-Garet Williamson[2]; 3. 22-Riley Goodno[3]; 4. 98P-Miles Paulus[6]; 5. 2-Chase Porter[1]; 6. 17B-Ryan Bickett[7]; 7. 10-Landon Britt[5]; 8. 10P-Dylan Postier[8]
The Drivers Project Qualifying 3 (3 Laps): 1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook, 14.871[4]; 2. 45X-Kyler Johnson, 14.936[2]; 3. 1X-Tim Crawley, 15.085[7]; 4. 55B-Brandon Anderson, 15.279[1]; 5. 53-Joe Beaver, 15.408[5]; 6. 16-Dustin Clark, 15.652[3]; 7. 17F-Chad Frewaldt, 16.494[6]
SCE Gaskets Heat Races (All drivers advance to the A-Feature)
SCE Gaskets Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[3]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 3. 2C-Wayne Johnson[1]; 4. 52-Blake Hahn[5]; 5. 44-Chris Martin[6]; 6. 187-Landon Crawley[7]; 7. 21-Gunner Ramey[8]; 8. 27B-Jake Bubak[4]
SCE Gaskets Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 36-Jason Martin[4]; 2. 24-Garet Williamson[2]; 3. 22-Riley Goodno[3]; 4. 98P-Miles Paulus[6]; 5. 2-Chase Porter[1]; 6. 17B-Ryan Bickett[7]; 7. 10-Landon Britt[5]; 8. 10P-Dylan Postier[8]
SCE Gaskets Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[4]; 2. 55B-Brandon Anderson[1]; 3. 1X-Tim Crawley[2]; 4. 45X-Kyler Johnson[3]; 5. 53-Joe Beaver[5]; 6. 16-Dustin Clark[6]; 7. 17F-Chad Frewaldt[7]
A-Feature
Lucas Oil A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 24-Garet Williamson[5]; 3. 36-Jason Martin[4]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 5. 2C-Wayne Johnson[11]; 6. 22-Riley Goodno[6]; 7. 52-Blake Hahn[12]; 8. 27B-Jake Bubak[19]; 9. 44-Chris Martin[13]; 10. 17B-Ryan Bickett[16]; 11. 98P-Miles Paulus[9]; 12. 1X-Tim Crawley[8]; 13. 45X-Kyler Johnson[10]; 14. 55B-Brandon Anderson[7]; 15. 187-Landon Crawley[15]; 16. 2-Chase Porter[17]; 17. 53-Joe Beaver[14]; 18. 10P-Dylan Postier[22]; 19. 21-Gunner Ramey[23]; 20. 10-Landon Britt[21]; 21. 16-Dustin Clark[18]; 22. 17F-Chad Frewaldt[20]; 23. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[3]
Lap Leader(s): Sam Hafertepe, Jr, 1-25
Hard Charger: Jake Bubak +11
Quick Time: Jake Bubak -14.560-seconds (NTR)
High Point Driver: Jason Martin
Provisional(s): N/A
ASCS Online:
American Sprint Car Series: http://www.ascsracing.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lucasoilascs
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lucasoilascs [@lucasoilascs]
Instagram: LucasOilASCS
Broadcast: RaceOnTexas.com on FloRacing.com
Live-Scoring [Where Applicable]: MRP Live
2022 Race Winners: Wayne Johnson – 4 (3/18 – Devil's Bowl Speedway; 6/18 – Boothill Speedway, 6/25 - I-70 Motorsports Park; 7/23 – I-30 Speedway); Derek Hagar – 3 (3/25 – I-30 Speedway; 6/17 – Texarkana 67 Speedway; 9/5 – Lake Ozark Speedway); Sam Hafertepe, Jr. – 3 (5/29 – Thunderbird Speedway; 8/4 – Knoxville Raceway; 9/8 – Lakeside Speedway); Tim Crawley – 2 (7/22 – Batesville Motor Speedway; 7/26 – Tulsa Speedway); Dylan Westbrook – 2 (5/28 – Lake Ozark Speedway; 7/27 – Caney Valley Speedway); Blake Hahn – 2 (8/2 – Lakeside Speedway, 9/2 – Lake Ozark Speedway); Matt Covington – 2 (7/1 – Boone County Raceway; 7/28 – 81-Speedway); Seth Bergman – 1 (3/19 – Devil's Bowl Speedway); Aaron Reutzel – 2 (3/26 – I-30 Speedway; 8/6 – Knoxville Raceway); Jake Bubak – 1 (7/2 – WaKeeney Speedway); Zach Blurton – 1 (7/3 – WaKeeney Speedway); Gunner Ramey - 1 (7/15 – U.S. 36 Raceway); Brian Brown – 1 (8/5 – Knoxville Raceway);
2022 Driver Points (Top 15): 1. Blake Hahn 2,810; 2. Wayne Johnson 2,748; 3. Tim Crawley 2,684; 4. Matt Covington 2,670; 5. Jason Martin 2,658; 6. Brandon Anderson 2,482; 7. Landon Crawley 2,294; 8. Landon Britt 2,291; 9. Kyler Johnson 2,284; 10. Ryan Bickett 2,186; 11. Dylan Postier 2,095; 12. Garet Williamson 1,993; 13. Dylan Opdahl 1,685; 14. Dylan Westbrook 1,580 15. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1,043
ASCS National Tour Drivers:
1x - Tim Crawley (Benton, AR)**
2c - Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK)**
2d-Dylan Opdahl (Madison, SD) (R)
10 - Landon Britt (Atoka, TN) (R)
10p - Dylan Postier (Stillwater, OK) (R)
17b - Ryan Bickett (Romona, SD)
24 - Garet Williamson (Columbia, MO)
36 - Jason Martin (Liberal, KS) (R)
45x - Kyler Johnson (Quinter, KS) (R)
52 - Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK)**
55b - Brandon Anderson (Glenpool, OK) (R)
95 - Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)
187 - Landon Crawley (Benton, AR) (R)
(R) Signifies Brodix National Rookie
** Signifies past ASCS National Champion.
Sponsors:
The American Sprint Car Series is brought to you by Lucas Oil Products (https://lucasoil.com) and presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network (https://www.mavtv.com). Heat Races are presented by SCE Gaskets (https://www.scegaskets.com), B-Features are sponsored by BMRS (https://www.bmrs.net).
All Champions of the American Sprint Car Series, from National to Regional Tours, will receive a new Superior Steering Wheel (https://superiorsteeringwheel.com). Hard Luck Award provided by Vahlco Wheels.