Gastineau passes
Smith for final lap win at Monett
By John Rittenoure
OCRS Staff
Monett, Missouri (June 17, 2012) - The Oil Capital Racing Series made its first visit ever to
Randy Mooneyham’s Monett Speedway on Sunday night and thanks to Whit Gastineau
and Danny Smith, it was a night many of the Show Me state fans won’t soon
forget.
Gastineau and Smith
entertained the fans with their battle for the lead but it was Gastineau who
found just enough traction to pass Smith on the final lap to win his second
OCRS main event of the season. Gastineau started on the pole and led the first
12 laps of the 25-lapper before Smith roared past on lap 13 running up against
the cushion.
“Danny Smith was
really coming on the top,” said Gastineau of losing the lead. “We had been
running the bottom most of the race and I was expecting the rubber (on the
track surface) to come in a little bit. “When you are out leading, you don’t
want to change your line so I did not move up there. Then I saw him and it was
almost too late.”
Smith was working
the high groove to perfection but Gastineau was not about to give up and
remained true to his low line where he found just enough traction to mount a
challenge and take the lead back on the final trip around the 3/8’s mile oval. “He
was up pretty high and I was trying to work a groove underneath him where I
would be able to pass him,” Gastineau said of Smith. “In one and two it was
kind of hard to slide him because you could not come off as good in two so I
knew it was going to have to be in three and four. I just keep working that
groove below him and ended up working out.”
Smith felt it was
better to be in second for most of the race where he could plan his move into
the lead. But that also proved true for Gastineau. “It’s better to be in second
place because you are moving around and can feel where the rubber is at,”
explained Smith. “I had to run my line. I could hear him back there and
thought, I have to watch for the slider, when he slid and stuck in the middle
and got right by. There was nothing I could do about it.
Whit, Katie and Drew Gastineau
enjoy victory lane laurels / Mike Spivey Photo
“I ran the first
half of the race in second and moved around and found the line and was able to
go on by him then later on he was able to return the favor.” Smith would have
liked one more shot at Gastineau but time was running out. “On the last lap it
did not give me a chance to go back at him,” Smith said.
Despite finishing
second Smith enjoyed his battle with Gastineau. “I really enjoy racing with
them,” Smith said of Gastineau. “They are professionals and race clean with me.
We enjoyed it. “I feel like I let
my crew down a little bit because this is Sunday. They work hard for us.”
The victory was a
satisfying ending to what started on a bad note for Gastineau. Saturday night
Gastineau blew an engine during the OCRS feature event at Tri-State Speedway.
Gastineau had to call home, which is five hours near Oklahoma City, and ask his
engine builder to pull an engine from his other car and bring it to Monett
where they swapped engines before the races. “I am getting tired
of these tough weekends,” said Gastineau who had a similar experience early
this year when he crashed a car at Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee and had to
return home to get another one to run the next night at Caney. ”We have a good
car about every night but sometimes you don’t have luck going your way. This is
the motor that has won most of our OCRS races. “I appreciate Larry Messmer and
Larry Allen for bring me that engine this afternoon.”
When the checkered
flag waved it was Gastineau, Smith and points leader Jamie Passmore holding
down third. Fred Mattox backed up his second place finish the night before at
Tri-State with a fourth place finish and Johnny Kent rounded out the top five.
Hotrod Kent (55) and Jammin Jamie (4j) wage battle @ Monett
Speedway / Mike Spivey Photo
Monett
Speedway
Date
of race: 6/17/2012
21 cars
M&W Aluminum Heat:
1, Whit Gastineau (5)
2, Rafe Essary (1) 3, Jamie Passmore (6) 4, Kyle Clark (2)5, Colton Brewer (3) 6, Tim Kent
(4) 7, Rob Hooper (7)
Bob Hurley Auto Family Heat:
1, Johnny Kent (4)
2, Alex Sewell (5) 3, Fred Mattox (7) 4, Casey Wills (6) 5, Jeff Garnett (3) 6, Michael Bookout
(2) 7, Russell Boren (1)
Drive Shafts, Inc.
Heat:
1, Danny Smith (6)
2, Beau Gastineau (4) 3, Harli White (5) 4, Shayla Waddell (2) 5, Zach Beeler
(1) 6, Len Larkin (3) 7, Taylor Huddleston (7)
Pole Dash:
1, Whit Gastineau
(1) 2, Fred Mattox (2) 3, Danny Smith (5) 4, Beau Gastineau (4) 5, Alex Sewell (6)
6, Johnny Kent (3)
OCRS
A Feature:
1, Whit Gastineau (1) 2, Danny Smith (3) 3,
Jamie Passmore (7) 4, Fred Mattox (2) 5, JohnnyKent (6) 6, Harli White (9) 7, Rafe Essary (8) 8, Casey
Wills (10) 9, Tim Kent (15) 10, Alex Sewell (5) 11, Kyle Clark (11) 12, Michael
Bookout (16) 13, Shayla Waddell (12) 14, Zach Beeler (14) 15, Rob Hooper (18)
16, Taylor Huddleston (20), Russell Boren (19) 20, Len Larkin (17)19,
Beau Gastineau (4) 20, Jeff Garnett (13) DNS: Colton Brewer.
AmeriFlex Hose & Accessories Hard Charger: Tim Kent +6
|