ASA SPEED TRUCK CHALLENGE TO TAKE ON THE CHALLENGING HAVASU 95 SPEEDWAY THIS SATURDAY

Source: Dave Grayson
Date: 04/05/2007

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Arizona -- The ASA Speed Truck Challenge will send their high flying, full sized, racing pick up trucks to take on the often challenging Havasu 95 Speedway, a quarter mile paved oval located in Lake Havasu City-Arizona, this Saturday night April 7th. This event is the third race of the still young 2007 season. However, early indications state that this is going to be one of the most competitive seasons ever in the series history which is now more than a decade old. That's largely due to the fact that the series this year has a unique blend of racing veterans combined with eager youngsters, many of whom are 14 to 16 years old, who are anxious to establish their racing roots in a regional touring series.

That unique blend of driver age is already clearly showing within the series' points standings going into Saturday night's race. Victor Pfluger, on the strength of two very consistent top five finishes in a row, goes into the weekend leading the standings with 122 points.Like the current crop of youngsters in the series, Pfluger is already a racing veteran because he began his driving career at a very early age. He quickly achieved success in the Arizona kart series as well as dwarf cars, late model stock cars, and the ASA Speed Truck Challenge where he's officially on the record books as the youngest driver to ever win a series race. That coveted first win came on a road course when he was 14.

This year the Morristown-Arizona driver of the Parker Farms Dodge Dakota has his sights set on a series championship and is approaching that goal with the same level of focus and dedication that he has displayed in his personal life. At age 16 Pfluger is set to graduate from high school this spring two years ahead of the normal educational schedule. He plans to pursue a career in both automotive engineering and race driving.

But for right now Pfluger has his hands full with a tight points battle and a racing veteran right on his heels who will be looking to make a move towards the points lead in Lake Havasu City this Saturday night. Ontario-California's Jim Putman is second in the standings and only 12 points behind the leader. Putman started 2007 off on a strong note when his Performance Grading Dodge completely dominated the March 3d season opener, in Bylthe-California, and led all 100 laps. He backed that performance up with a top ten finish two weeks later in San Bernardino.

Holding down third and fourth, in the ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series standings, are the team mates from United Nissan Racing.Gilbert-Arizona's Darren Young is the reigning series champion and has already served notice that he's looking for a 2007 repeat. With a top ten and a top five finish, in the first two races of the year, the series veteran goes into Saturday night with 102 points a mere 20 markers out of first. Many series observers are saying it's just a matter of time before Young parks his truck in victory lane where he's been so many times before.

Fourth in the standings is the second United Nissan team driver Bear Rzesnowiecky with 98 points. This highly talented 14 year old driver, from Las Vegas-Nevada, has already raised more than a few eyebrows from racing observers monitoring the ASA Speed Truck Challenge and all of them agree that it's only a matter of time before he scores that first series win. He's another one of those high flying young rookies, on the series' 2007 roster, that is going to be worthy of a lot of attention.

The very same can be said for the two young drivers tied for fifth in standings at 96 points each. Lancaster-California's Austin Murphy, like so many of his fellow Rookie Of The Year candidates, started his career at a very early age, driving mini dwarf cars, and then moved on to impressive success in the Bandelero and Legend car series.He has already shown plenty of signs that he has made a quick adjustment to the faster and heavier ASA Speed Trucks.

That also applies to Riverside-California's Randel King who literally scorched the competition, during the March 17th race in San Bernardino, and led all 100 laps, in his Hype Manufacturing Dodge,and lived up to his knickname "The Rocket." Has it not been for a late in the race flat tire, during the March 3d season opener in Blythe, that deprived him of a top five finish the 14 year old driver would be knocking on the door of the series' points lead.

There are also plenty of other drivers in the ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series who are planning on using saturday night's race to move forward with the 2007 season and the points standings. If you haven't seen this series race before then treat yourself to a ticket and see for yourself that full sized pick up trucks were just made for short track racing and then watch the drivers totally redefine the term tail gate party.

While the ASA Speed Truck Challenge Series' 100 lap feature will be the big race of the evening, the Havasu 95 Speedway will also be serving up plenty of action from its very popular regular racing divisions that packs the stands on any given Saturday night. The fans will be treated to some high flying action from the speedway's Modifieds, Legend, Bandelero and Factory Stock divisions. The spectator gates open at 5 pm with the racing getting underway at 6 pm. Also Friday night, April 6th, the speedway will be hosting a test and tune session for all of the divisions from 6 to 9 pm with free admission to spectators. For complete details dial up the website at www.havasuspeedway.com and www.speedtruck.com.

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