ARCA Trucks: Hahn heats up at New Paris Speedway
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
August 6, 2001
In his second year of ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series competition, Paul Hahn recorded his first career series victory Saturday at New Paris Speedway. Though he ran in second for the majority of the race, the Canton, Michigan native led the first 13 and the last 16 laps of the 100-lap feature to take home the checkered flag.
“It was probably the best thing for Bob Blount in the 77 truck to pass me on lap 13 because I learned the line,” Hahn said. “He’s a local driver here. He taught me a lot, especially how to get through the corners.”
With the bad luck of the full moon above him, Blount broke on lap 84 after earning Cloyes Gear Halfway Leader honors. Hahn passed him coming out of turn two in the Hahn’s Collision-Fox Auto Parts-Eversole & Associates Ford. Hahn had started the feature on the pole after series officials inverted the first six qualifiers, including Jeff Speakman, who took the Old Milwaukee Pole Award, Chad Guinn, Brett Oakley, Robbin Slaughter, Eugene Crase, and Hahn.
“The truck was running great,” Hahn said. “The biggest problem I had all night was just trying to get around lapped traffic. They would move down inside for the leader, then right after the leader got by, they just moved back up and kept racing.”
The Pate Manufacturing-West Park Food Marketing Ford of Johnny Witham of Hamilton, Ohio, finished a close second after qualifying seventh, just out of reach of the inversion.
“The truck got too loose,” Witham said. “I gave it everything I had there at the end but I just didn’t have enough for him. It was an exciting race though. We’re very happy with the finish, after the year that we’ve had, this is great. We’ve had three different races already this year that we didn’t even finish.”
Middletown, Ohio rookie driver Brett Oakley nabbed third place in the MAR-FLEX Products-Tegtmeyer’s Ford, while Columbus, Ohio’s Bill Withers was fourth in the Mannings USA-Hall Electronics Ford. The Spangler Candy Company Dum Dum Pops Chevrolet of Tully Esterline, Pettisville, Ohio, finished at fifth, the last truck on the lead lap.
Current points leader and 2000 ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series champion Robbin Slaughter took a disappointing eight place finish in the Carmen’s Vacuum-Napa Auto Parts Ford after an early spin sent him to the pits. Series standout Chad Guinn finished 18th and 28 laps down after hitting the wall and breaking an axle in the BFI Waste Systems-Coastal Coating Systems-Northland Collision Ford.
The ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series heads south to the blue grass of Kentucky Speedway for a 50-lapper this Friday night, Aug. 10, to make up a rain cancellation from earlier in the season.
Text provided by Wendy Wellman
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