Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Texan captures elusive main event victory
For the past 16 years, Sam Hafertepe Jr. has been knocking at the door of one of the nation’s most prestigious sprint car events.
On Saturday night, he finally knocked that door down.
Hafertepe took the lead at the halfway point and pulled away for the victory in the 33rd annual Comp Cams Short Track Nationals at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway, becoming the 19th different winner of the event.
The Sunnyvale, Texas, driver made his first STN appearance in 2004 and since then has claimed three preliminary feature victories and finished second in the main event three times (2018, 2017 and 2010).
“This is a race that I’ve been wanting to win for so long. It’s eluded us forever,” Hafertepe said. “It feels like we’ve always had the best car here and just never have been able to get it done.”
It did not come easily. During Friday night’s preliminary action, Hafertepe was collected in a wild crash during his heat race. He and his crew worked overnight to prepare another car. But in his Saturday night heat, Kyle Offill of Tracy, Calif., drove over the front of Hafertepe’s sprint coming to the green flag, causing him to spin.
Forced to the back of the
field for the restart, Hafertepe charged to the front for the victory. He ran third in his qualifier and won the pole dash to secure top starting spot for the 30-lap main event.
In the feature, outside pole sitter Roger Crockett of Medford, Ore., took the lead at the green flag. Hafertepe began pressuring for the top spot by lap 10 and slipped under him for the lead entering turn one on the 15th lap.
Crockett passed for the lead exiting turn two on the 21st
lap, but Hafertepe fended off the challenge.
“I felt like Roger had the car to beat there early, but I knew if lapped traffic got in his way that we would be able to make a run,” Hafertepe said. “Then I almost gave it away and I appreciate Roger for racing me clean.”
Marion’s Derek Hagar, Friday night’s preliminary winner who was making his first STN main event start, passed Crockett late to finish second.
“We were good in three and
four, but we were way too free in one and two,” Hagar said. “It’s tough to pace the race when you don’t know how many laps you’ve ran. We brought it home second. That’s nothing to hang our heads about, but we’re going to get one of these things one day.”
“I felt like Sam and I were equal,” Crockett said. “I just didn’t get the job done in traffic. I lost second because I went for the win there. At least I can go home and sleep well knowing I gave it all I had to get a victory.”
Blake Hahn of Sapulpa,
Okla., who was vying to become the first driver to win the STN main event three years in a row, finished fourth and Dylan Westbrook of Scotland, Ontario, took fifth.
STN rookies Brandon Anderson of Glenpool, Okla., and Devon Borden of Raymond, Wash., finished sixth and seventh, respectively. John Carney III of El Paso, Texas, was eighth after starting 15th. Rounding out the top 10 were Australian Scott Bogucki and Hayden Martin of Olive Branch, Miss.