FORTUNA, CA -- After engine problems in the May 12th North State Challenge Series race at Altamont Motorsports Park forced Luke Hall to the sidelines, the Northern California Late Model racer was determined to make the most of his time in between that race and this Saturday’s race at Shasta Raceway Park.
Despite spending countless hours with his team rebuilding the engine in the No. 36 Turnbull Motorsports Chevrolet, Hall focused on some Sportsman Division races at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, Calif., to stay sharp.
Last Saturday, Hall was the sharpest in the field, winning the Sportsman main event and ending a three-race win streak for Barry Barnwell.
Getting to the main was a bit scary for Hall, who got collected in a multi-car pileup in the heat race. Hall fixed the damage in time for the 30-lap feature, and after the first caution flag on lap two, he was able to take the lead and stay on point the rest of the way. Hall built a commanding lead, but Barnwell chipped away at his lead late in the race. With two laps to go, Barnwell was charging but got loose in turn two, and Hall was able to hold him off for the checkered flag.
“I am very happy to pull this win out,” said Hall, who qualified third and finished second in the Trophy Dash. “Our car was fast, and when we got out front, the car handled great, and we were able to maintain a pretty good pace throughout. It got exciting at the end. It feels good to get a win, and hopefully we can use this track time and experience to our advantage with the upcoming North State races.”
Hall returns to Shasta this weekend where he has been fast in past NSCS races but doesn’t have the results to show for it.
“We’ve been fast and qualified well there, but something always seems to happen in the heat race or main event to mess our night up,” Hall said. “We need our luck to change in the North State. A wreck hurt us in the first race and not starting the second race set us back. There aren’t many races left on the schedule to overcome any more setbacks. We’ll be ready. It’s a fun track to race, and I am looking forward to it.”
For more information on the team, visit www.turnbullmotorsports .com and on the North State Challenge Series, log on to www.northstatechallengeseries .com.
| 2007 NSCS schedule |
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| Date Place Notes April 14 Shasta Raceway Park Postponed - weather April 28 Redwood Acres Raceway Fastest Lap; Finished 12th May 12 Altamont Motorsports Park DNS June 9 Shasta Raceway Park June 23 Redwood Acres Raceway July 14 Ukiah Speedway July 28 Douglas County Speedway August 11 Lakeport Speedway September 1 & 2 Ukiah Speedway September 28 Redwood Acres Raceway |
