Huffman Wins at Hardeeville

"HUFFMAN'S LUCK CONTINUES AT HARDEEVILLE"
By Randy Claypoole


HARDEEVILLE, S.C. (April 6, 2002) - For the second race in a row, Robert
Huffman, of Claremont, N.C., found lady luck ruling in his favor. In a race
clearly dominated by the Series' defending Champion Cam Strader, Huffman
was in the right place at the right time to score the win. 

Goody's Dash Series, NASCAR Touring teams were impressed with their
inaugural visit to the Hardeeville Motor Speedway. Up until Saturday's
event, Hardeeville was known, to most race teams, as a last/first exit in
South Carolina, depending on which direction you were traveling. But the
circumstances surrounding this event have forever changed that
interpretation. Hardeeville rolled out the red carpet for NASCAR's return
to this region known as the Low country or Coastal Empire. Signs welcoming
the Goody's Dash Series were placed at the city limits. The community was
all a buzz about a NASCAR Touring Series event being held in their town,
and the Goody's Dash Series teams appreciated the attention.

Cam Strader blistered the track with a Bud Pole time of 14.902 seconds. But
in the pre-race draw the top eight drivers shuffled positions. Huffman
ended up drawing the top starting position. "He is so lucky when he draws,"
Strader commented. Huffman just grinned from ear to ear. 

On the initial start Huffman jumped out in front with Justin Hobgood and
Strader nose to tail. By lap 3 they were able to put some distance between
them and the rest of the field. Hobgood made a bid for the lead on lap 5,
but Huffman slammed the door. On lap 9, Strader found a groove very low in
turn four that gave him the edge on Hobgood as they entered the
front-stretch, moving him into second place. As the leaders began to work
lapped traffic Huffman and Strader were able to pull away from Hobgood.
While working lap 16, Strader made that same move off of turn four to take
over the lead. Strader controlled the top spot until lap 123. 

The first of eight cautions came out on lap 18 when Arlene Pittman, Reece
Milton, and Zach Brewer got together in turn one. On lap 27, the second
caution waved as the third place car of Justin Hobgood found a patch of oil
in turn four. Danny Bagwell and Brian Loftin looped their machines in order
to avoid crashing into each other. 

Through the mid-stages of the event, newcomer Jay Godley showed he has the
talent to stay up front. Godley, from Charlotte, NC was making his first
start in the series. 

Following the seventh caution of the night, the green flag waved again on
lap 123. Huffman got the jump on Strader and pulled into the lead. On lap
126, Strader muscled his way back by Huffman. For the next ten laps Huffman
and Strader rubbed sheet metal as they dueled for the top spot. The
exciting action brought the crowd to their feet, leaving no doubt that
NASCAR racing loyalties run deep in the land of Hardeeville. 

The final caution came on lap 148, setting up a green/white/checkered dash
to the finish. Since the Goody's Dash Series events do not end under
caution, this late caution extended the event beyond the scheduled 150
laps. On the final restart, Strader brought the field to the flag. But when
he stepped on the accelerator his machine did not respond. Strader moved
his car out of the racing groove allowing Huffman to dart by on the outside
to take the lead. Jake Hobgood was able to move into second place while
Strader, now back under power, was able to fight his way back to a third
place finish. "It ran out of gas," exclaimed Strader. "I stepped on the gas
and it just burped. Then as I drifted onto the front stretch it picked up
some fuel and I was able to finish." 

Jake Hobgood settled for second place. "I am mad at myself for not cleaning
the tires better before that last restart. I didn't feel that I could have
caught Cam. But, when he ran out of gas, I might have had a shot at Rob had
my tires been cleaner. We missed the set-up. I just could not find the
right way to get around this track. It is an interesting and exciting
track. We need to come back to this place."

Huffman came to victory lane and provided the fans with a shower of smoke
from his Goodyears and then doused everyone with Gatorade from the rooftop
of his White House Apple Juice Toyota Celica. "I can't believe it! My
spotter came over the radio and told me Cam must be out of gas. This was a
fun race tonight. I feel bad for Cam, but I gave him one at Charlotte last
year," said Huffman. 

Other Notes:  

* Chuck Gafrarar started 18th and steadily worked his way to a 7th place
finish to grab the top rookie of the race honors in the MAG CLIP Rookie of
the Year race. 

* 17 of the 23 cars that started the event were running at the end. Of
those making their first appearance in the Goody's Dash Series, only Reece
Milton and Jay Godley were on the sidelines. And that was due to mechanical
problems. Arlene Pittman, Nick Pistone, Kevin Williams, and Charles Turner
were all running at the end. 

* Huffman is now two for two in 2002. He also won the season opener at
Daytona International Speedway in February. 


TOP 20 IN POINTS:
Robert Huffman 360
Jake Hobgood 340
Cam Strader 325
4. David Hutto 284
5. Brian Loftin* 276
6. Chuck Gafrarar* 273
7. Justin Hobgood 270
8. Brandon Ward* 240
9. Gary Moore 237
10. Kelly Sutton* 230
11. Zach Brewer 226
12. Randy Humphrey 215
13. Scott Weaver 212
14. Danny Bagwell 212
15. Mike Watts 203
16. Tim Nichols 188
17. Eric Wilson 165
18. Larry Caudill 142
19. David Heitzhaus 134
20. Greg Goodell 130 
*Mag Clip Rookie of the Year Contender

Gatorade Front Runner Award
As of Race #2 Hardeeville
Driver, Laps Led, Total Points:
1. Justin Hobgood 34, 3
2. Cam Strader 126, 3
3. Robert Huffman 38, 2
4. Larry Caudill 9, 1
5. David Hutto 6, 1
6. Brandon Ward 4, 1
7. Jake Hobgood 4, 1

Mag-Clip Rookie of the Year Award
As of Race #2 Hardeeville
Driver, Points:
1. Brian Loftin 18 
2. Chuck Gafrarar 17
3. Kelly Sutton 13 
4. Brandon Ward 14
5. Arlene Pittman 8
6. Nick Pistone 7
7. James Trout 6
6. Kevin Williams 6 

Log on to NASCARTouring.com/goodysdashseries/


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For More Information Contact: 
Randy Claypoole, NASCAR Public Relations (386)437-1560 or email RcCORE@aol.com