Orange County
Top Three: #26 Preston Peltier
(3rd-left),
#25 Ross
Kenseth (1st-center), and #62
Brandon Ward (right)
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With a Little Luck on His
Side
Ross Kenseth Scores
His First
Career PASS
South Series Win
at
Orange County |
Charlotte, NC 4/23/12- Ross
Kenseth proved Saturday
night at the Orange County
Speedway in Rougemont, North
Carolina that in racing
sometimes it’s better to be
lucky than good. Kenseth
scored his first career PASS
South Series win as he
passed Preston Peltier who
experienced a broken left
front lower control arm with
just three laps remaining,
winning the Orange Blossom
Special 150.
Kenseth,
who entered the event fifth
in championship standings,
showed he had a fast car
before the green flag
dropped on the 150 lap race
as he set fast time during
series qualifying earlier in
the day. After the redraw of
the top fastest qualifiers
that took time in the
twenty-six car starting
field Kenseth would be
shuffled back to fifth and
Gray Gaulding was the lucky
driver to lead the field to
green.
Fourteen year
old Gaulding in his #2
Krispy Kreme Toyota wasted
no time settling into the
top position. Just as
swiftly as Gaulding took the
lead, track favorite Jay
Fogleman from nearby Durham,
North Carolina experienced
transmission problems
sending his #4 Bull City
Racecars machine falling to
the rear of the field by lap
ten. Two single car
incidents slowed the field
twice within the first
thirty laps before a two car
wreck involving #26 Tyler
Church and #20 Steve
Legendre sent Church’s car
into the outside wall in
turn one on lap forty-two.
While under caution for
the incident #98 Ryan
Blaney, who was in the third
position at the time, and
Jay Fogleman made contact
slightly damaging the #98
nose while Fogleman was
passing the field for the
lucky dog award. Despite the
damage Blaney’s Carswell
Motorsports team made the
decision to stay out as the
field went back to green.
Just six laps shy of the
halfway point Legendre’s
motor let go just as the car
entered turn one spitting
oil on the racing surface
sending three cars including
that of defending winner #33
Roger Lee Newton into the
outside wall.
The lap
seventy restart was Blaney’s
opportunity to spring to the
lead over Gaulding who ended
the night leading the most
laps in the 150 lap event.
As the race came down to
twenty-five to go #26
Preston Peltier put pressure
on Blaney for the top spot
before passing him with ease
and setting sail away from
the competition. Peltier
opened up a five car length
lead over Kenseth who had
now made his way to second
when sparks began to emerge
from Peltier’s Chevrolet
with just four laps to go.
That was all Kenseth needed
to score his first series
win in just his fourth
series start.
“I feel
bad for Preston (Peltier)
because I’ve lost a few
races just like that, but
that’s racing as they say,”
stated Kenseth in victory
lane. “You can say we lucked
into this one tonight, but
then again Jamie (Rouleau)
and the rest of the guys
gave me a car that was good
enough to be in the position
to win and capitalize on
Preston’s bad luck. I know
we’ve struggled a bit out of
the gate, but I think people
can see things are headed in
the right direction. It just
feels real good to get my
first win here in the PASS
South Series and be back in
victory lane.”
Next
race for the PASS South
Series “Big Boys with Their
Bad Fast Toys” is the
Capital City Clash/Bull Ring
Tough Guy Challenge 125 at
the Wake County Speedway in
Raleigh, North Carolina on
Friday night May 11th. |
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Photos
by Pro Photo
Productions |
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UNOFFICIAL PASS SOUTH SLM
RESULTS
ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL 150 -
APRIL 21st - OCS |
1) #25 - Ross Kenseth
2) #62 - Brandon Ward
3) #26 - Preston Peltier
4) #98 - Ryan Blaney
5) #89 - David Latour
6) #33 - Brandon Jones
7) #1 - Justin Allison
8) #118 - Bradley McCaskille
9) #29 - Landon Cling
10) #12 - Scott Hensley
11) #31 - Kyle Grissom
12) #48 - John Batten
13) #18 - Bill Cantania |
14) #4 - Jay Fogleman
15) #19 - Nate Caruth
16) #67 - Duane Linville
17) #2 - Gray Gaulding
18) #71 - Jimmy Doyle
19) #20 - Steve Legendre
20) #129 - Spencer Davis
21) # 33n - Roger Lee Newton
22) #09 - Randy Gentry
23) #81 - Craig Goess
24) #26c - Tyler Church
25) #101 - Trevor Sanborn
26) #14 - JD Frey |
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Entries Received - OC - 4/21 | |
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