WRIGHTWOOD, California — When the 2009 ASA Speed Truck Challenge teams arrived at the Verve! Havasu 95 Speedway last Saturday, they all knew a battle was brewing as there were five teams that could win the 2009 Championship and three teams that could win the 2009 Rookie of the Year.
Championship points before the season finale were as follows; in first position at 474 points was #77 Jeremiah Wagner, tied in the second position was #35 Randel King and #71 Joey Licata, Jr, both at 467, fourth place #53 Cole Cabrera at 454 points and #04 Josh Goshen at 408 points and the fifth points position. Cole Cabrera set fast time adding five points with a total of 459 before the green flag waved. Cabrera rolled a three for the invert placing King on the pole for the start but with an ill handling Speed Truck, King’s ride did not last long before Licata took the lead and held for numerous laps until Cabrera took the lead from Licata and never looked back and won the 100 lap feature. The top five in the season finale were #53 Cole Cabrera, #71 Joey Licata, Jr., #16 Donny St. Ours, #46 Chris Birdsong, #3 Dylan Kwasniewski and #77 Jeremiah Wagner.
After an extensive engine tear down by Jim Van Gordon and staff of Van Gordon Racing Engines which included the removal of engine heads and pistons, Van Gordon cleared the top five in points going into the race and Joey Licata, Jr. was named the 2009 ASA Speed Truck Challenge Champion.
The 2009 Championship was the tightest points battle ever and the Top Five came out as follows; Joey Licata, Jr at 525, Jeremiah Wagner at 524, Cole Cabrera at 523, Randel King at 467 and Donny St. Ours at 448. A single position change in the feature event could have seen any of the Top Three drivers taking home the Championship. Better yet, this is the first time in 13 racing seasons of ASA Speed Truck Challenge racing that the Champion won without winning at least one race.
Cole Cabrera earned three points for fast time qualifier in Rookie points and with his win another three points were awarded with now a total of 34 over second place Wagner at 30 and third place Goshen at 26. Cole Cabrera was named 2009 ASA Speed Truck Challenge Rookie of the Year.
The 13th race season for the ASA Speed Truck Challenge was the most competitive ever with the points lead swapping hands numerous times. Over 1000 laps were logged on six different race tracks with an average split in qualifying times at a mere .645 by thirty drivers. This certainly proves parity for the series competitors and with tighter rules for the 2010 season you will see yet another exciting season of Speed Truck racing.
Congratulations to Joey Licata, Jr and his team for winning the 2009 ASA Speed Truck Challenge Championship and Congratulations to Cole Cabrera and his team for winning the 2009 ASA Speed Truck Challenge – Rookie of the Year.
The Verve ASA Speed Truck Challenge…presented by Vemma, is a regional touring series in California, Arizona and Nevada. The mid sized trucks travel to a variety of different size and shaped tracks throughout the Southwest sometimes racing at as many as 10 different race tracks. This philosophy helps the drivers move upwards to the professional ranks. With its long term policy of allowing 14 year olds to participate in their races, the series is a breeding ground for developing future racing talent.
The Speed Trucks are 2,450 pounds, full tube chassis, 108 inch wheelbase, 375 horsepower Van Gordon Racing V-8’s, fired by Mr. Gasket’s - Mallory / ACCEL ignition systems and VP Race Fuel, with 2-speed direct drive transmissions and Speedway Engineering aluminum quick change rear ends on 8-inch Hoosier Racing Tires and Allied Racing Wheels and can reach speeds of 105 MPH at the ½ mile TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale oval and 150 MPH on the 2.1-mile road course at Firebird International Raceway. The Speed Trucks sport exact replica Norris Racing fiberglass bodies in Chevy S-10, Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota and Toyota Tacoma.
ASA Speed Truck Challenge is proud to share its national spotlight with some of the finest companies associated with West Coast and national racing. Its advertising partners include: VEMMA / Verve! “insanely healthy energy,” Bushwacker, Delson Products, DJ Safety, E3 Spark Plugs, EZ-UP Shelters, Hoosier Racing Tires, Mechanix Wear, Mr. Gasket / ACCEL / Mallory Ignitions, TOYOTA and Toyota Racing Development, Allied Racing Wheels, Frank’s Radio Service, King Taco, Motorsports Marketing, Stagger Pro 1000, Oval Research, Purigen 98 and the ION Sports Network.
If you would like to find out more about the ASA Speed Truck Challenge and how your company could be part of the growing excitement across the nation about this dynamic series, contact Jay Rutherford, President at 760-249-1149 / jay@speedtruck.com or go to www.speedtruck.com. Attractive marketing partnership packages are available for your involvement regionally or nationally.
The ASA Racing program is comprised of more than 35 short tracks around the United States, as well as road racing divisions and regional/national touring race series. For more information, call ASA Racing at 386-258-2221 or send an email to info@ASA-Racing.com. For news and information from all the race tracks, road racing divisions and tours involved in the ASA, visit www.asa-racing.com.
ASA™, ASA Racing™ and American Speed Association® are trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. Racing Speed Associates, LLC is not related to nor affiliated with ASA LATE MODEL SERIES, LLC.
