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Photo's by Johns Racing Photos
Jason Statler wins Salute to Walt Ross to highlight weekend
By Gary Thomas
Calistoga, CA - May 29, 2007... On a night where he was honored for his 2006 Calistoga Speedway track championship, Los Gatos, CA’s Jason Statler picked up his first win of the season in one of the wildest finishes in recent Golden State Challenge Series history. The former King of California broke a nearly two year winless streak with GSC and did it by winning his very first 410 sprint car main event at the scary fast ½ mile dirt track located on the Napa County Fairgrounds.
The Salute to Walter T Ross was sandwiched between two other Golden State Challenge Series dates during the first three-night GSC weekend in many years. Jason and the team began the Memorial Day weekend with a rescheduled GSC event in Petaluma and it saw Jason earn one of his best qualifying efforts of the season with a fifth place result aboard the Tom Rolfe Trucking, Platinum Powder Coating, Northgate Rock No. 10. "The Big Guy" then scored finishes of fourth in both his heat race and the dash to give himself an outside row two starting spot for the feature.
Hooked up track conditions were the tone for the 30 lap main event as the Petaluma Speedway 3/8 mile had remained tacky all night with cool and chilly temps during the evening hours. Jason battled within the top five for the duration of the race and after 30 laps he brought the DF Rios Construction, Hansen Machine, BR Motorsports No. 10 home in fifth. It was the second top five of the season with GSC for Jason and team and more good stuff looked to be on the horizon as the big two day Calistoga weekend loomed ahead.
The Salute to Walter T Ross at Calistoga Speedway started out a little slow for Jason as he earned the 14th quickest qualifying lap of the night with a lap of 17.482 in the field of 21 sprint cars. He and the Tom Rolfe Trucking team kept at it though and started from the front row in the evening’s second 10 lap heat race. "The Big Guy" jumped out to the lead at the waving of the green flag but he began to feel pressure from former World of Outlaw driver Brandon Wimmer after a few laps. Jason ran his own race and looked very good as he held off Wimmer every step of the way to bring home a heat race win aboard the Pheasant Run Shopping Center, Trimble Motorsports, Yak Graphics, Ringers Gloves Maxim. After the heat races were completed Jason was interviewed by Bill Sessa on the front stretch and was given his 2006 Calistoga Speedway track championship trophy.
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With qualifying 14th it stuck Jason way back in the 14th starting position for the 25 lap Salute to Walter T Ross main event. The air was cool outside for the second night in a row and the track was fast for the feature. Jason was up on the wheel throughout the race and by the time a caution appeared on lap 13, the Tom Rolfe Trucking No. 10 sat in sixth place. The defending Calistoga Speedway track champion continued to move forward and dispatched of Bud Kaeding for fourth just before a caution flew on lap 20.
Sitting in fourth, the final five lap shootout looked like Jason would be in for another solid top five finish, but bringing home the win would be a stretch as three fellow former King of California’s sat in front of him. As the green flag waved Jason settled into his position and as the white flag waved it looked like he would be headed for a fourth place finish, but as soon as that, Dan Simpson spun in turn two and the yellow lights came on to force a green/white/checkered restart.
As racing got back underway the white flag was set to come out and as it did, the three cars in front of Jason were all out of fuel. As Jason went zooming by all three, the motor in the No. 10 machine stumbled as well but he was able to coast across the line and pick up an amazing win. Jason remarked after the race that he wouldn’t have been able to make it another lap. The victory was Jason’s first with the Golden State Challenge Series since June 11 of 2005 and gave a big boost to pick up the first win for the new Tom Rolfe Racing team.
The victory in the Salute to Walter T Ross was remarkably similar to how Jason won his first race at Calistoga Speedway last August when Brent Kaeding ran out of fuel going down the backstretch and Jason went on to power by and claim victory.
Jason and the team came back to Calistoga Speedway on Sunday night for the 24th annual Tribute to Gary Patterson and scored a fifth place finish in the 25 lap feature to cap off a solid weekend of action.
With the short week it will be no time before we’re headed for the track as Friday night we’ll be in for a night of competition at Jason’s home track of Ocean Speedway in Watsonville for another Golden State Challenge Series point race. The following night GSC will be in action at the Placerville Speedway bullring for the final time in 2007. For more info on Jason Statler log onto http://www.statlerracing.com
www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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