Gastineau Handles the Field at Humboldt
By John Rittenoure
HUMBOLDT, Kansas (May 21, 2010) -A good handling car was the key for Whit Gastineau on Friday night as the OCRS made their first ever appearance at Humboldt Speedway. Gastineau came from the outside second row to win his first OCRS feature and become the fourth different winner this season.
"My car was good I could put it anywhere, said Gastineau of his run to the front. " I was going where they weren't. If they were on the top I would go to the bottom, if they were on the bottom I would go on top."
Gastineau figured a good handling car was going to be the key to getting around the tight D shaped oval and the duo of Jamie Passmore and Mike Goodman who were starting on the front row.
"It was pretty dry, I had to tighten the car up to get around the top," said Gastineau. "I knew I would have to move the car around to get by them starting in fourth. I had a couple of fast guys in front of me. I just had to watch their line and go where they didn't.
"It was tricky. I am not use to running tracks this small. But it was fun. I have had three seconds this year and finally get a win."
Gastineau also had to stay out of harms way to have a chance at winning as several restarts for mishaps delayed the finish of the race. Goodman jumped into the early lead with Passmore, Danny Smith and Gastineau right behind when the red flag waved on lap two. Jerrod Wilson caught the wall in turn three and turned over in a mishap involving four cars.
The race restarted and only went a lap when Dean Drake, Jr. spun in turn four to bring out a yellow. After another yellow due to a second spin by Drake Goodman resumed his lead and Gastineau started his charge. The Moore, Oklahoma native drove around Smith for third then shot up high next to the wall and eventually powered past Goodman for the lead after four laps. Gastineau was in command and led to the finish despite three more yellow flags. The front end of Kenneth Walker's car went down after contact with the wall in turn one then Goodman spun sideways in turn four on lap 14.
Goodman faded late in the race before his spin as Passmore got by for second on lap 10. Smith moved into third and Goodman restarted after the yellow to finish fourteenth.
The track was tough on the rookie drivers. In hot laps Eren Pierce caught the wall in turn three and tumbled ending his night. In the second heat Shayla Waddell found the wall and went over ending her night, then Zach Clark saw his potential A feature starting spot fade away with a hard ride in turn one of the dash. Clark climbed the wall flipping hard end over end several times. Fortunately he was not hurt, but was not able to take his starting spot in the A feature.
Jeffrey Newell won the B feature and led Kyle Clark, Casey Wills and Brady Demeree into the A feature.
The next OCRS event is Saturday at Mid-America Speedway in South Coffeyville, Oklahoma.
OCRS Sprints
HEAT 1: 1, Whit Gastineau. 2, Rafe Essary. 3, Jerrod Wilson. 4, Kenneth Walker. 5, Travis Jenkins. 6, Fred Mattox. 7, Kyle Clark. 8, Casey Willis. DNS: Eren Pierce.
HEAT 2: 1, Zach Clark. 2, Jamie Passmore. 3, Danny Smith. 4, Terry Easum. 5, David tephenson. 6, Jeffrey Newell. 7, Matt Caudle. 8, Shayla Waddell.
HEAT 3: 1, Mike Goodman. 2, Tim Kent. 3, Beau Gastineau. 4, Dean Drake, Jr. 5, Johnny Kent. 6, Kacee Frazier. 7, Brady Demeree. 8, Michael Tyre II.
DASH: 1, Mike Goodman. 2, Jamie Passmore. 3, Danny Smith. 4, Whit Gastineau. 5, Rafe Essary. 6, Zach Clark.
B FEATURE: 1, Jeffrey Newell. 2, Kyle Clark. 3, Casey Willis. 4, Brady Demeree. 5, Kacee Frazier. 6, Matt Caudle. 7, Michael Tyre II. DNS: Shayla Waddell, Eren Pierce.
A FEATURE: 1, Whit Gastineau. 2, Jamie Passmore. 3, Danny Smith. 4, Rafe Essary. 5, Tim Kent. 6, Johnny Kent. 7, Jerrod Wilson. 8, Travis Jenkins. 9, Terry Easum. 10, David Stephenson. 11, Beau Gastineau. 12, Fred Mattox. 13, Brady Demeree. 14, Mike Goodman. 15, Kyle Clark. 16, Kacee Frazier. 17, Dean Drake, Jr. 18, Kenneth Walker. 19, Jeffrey Newell. 20, Casey Willis. DNS: Zach Clark.
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