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Photo by Graph X Designs
Andy Gregg runs with Golden State Challenge Series during double-header weekend
By Gary Thomas
Watsonville, CA – June 2, 2008…Competing with a 410 engine under the hood for the first time in a couple months Placerville’s Andy Gregg brought home a pair of top 10 finishes with the Golden State Challenge Series at two different tracks this past weekend.
On Friday evening Gregg and Guts Racing team made the haul to Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway for the first time since 2004, to help get some laps at the track for the upcoming California Civil War Series event that will take place at the track in September. Gregg’s last visit to the Ocean Speedway came during the same season he was named Rookie of the Year with the Golden State Challenge Series.
The Ocean Speedway featured a 20 car field and Gregg was the very last driver to hit the speedway for timed qualifications. His fastest lap of 11.839 put the Dale Miller Plumbing, Myers & Sons Drywall Maxim ninth quickest in the field. Following qualifying a couple incidents in his heat race left him with a dnf, but with no B-main being ran Gregg lined-up in the 10th position for the 30 lap main event.
Gregg got up into eighth early on after the green flag waved and ran there for much of the race before making a pass of Peter Murphy late in the feature. The 28 year-old then closed in on the sixth place car during the final couple laps, but as he was rounding the final corner, he got loose and lost a couple spots to Murphy and Tommy Tarlton. Gregg got the car straightened out and crossed the finish line in ninth, less than half a car length behind Tarlton.
Then on Saturday it was back to his home track of Placerville Speedway to compete in another round of Golden State Challenge Series competition. Gregg timed in further back than he’s accustomed to and it put him on the front row of his heat race. At the waving of the green he jumped out into the lead and proceeded to hold off super star Tim Kaeding every step of the way to pick up the win aboard the Circle Racing Wheels, Matco Tools No. 16x.
Despite the heat race win though, Gregg was still forced to start back in the 14th position for the 30 lap feature at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds bullring. The Placerville driver duked it out around the 10th position for much of the main event and was able to hold off Andy Forsberg over the final couple laps to tally a 10th place finish. The result marked Gregg’s fourth top 10 in five starts with the Golden State Challenge Series this season.
This Saturday night it will be back to 360 action with another point’s race at the Placerville Speedway. Gregg and the Guts Racing team will go into the event sitting seventh in the track standings and will look to turn the luck around after a few tough outings recently during weekly competition at the high-banked quarter-mile.
Then on June 14 Gregg will head to the historic Calistoga Speedway half-mile for the fifth round of racing with the California Civil War Series. Last August Gregg had his career best night at Calistoga by qualifying ninth fastest and finishing a close second in the main event behind fellow Placerville driver Jimmy Trulli.
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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