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| ASHTON TAKES FIRST CLASSIC AUTO RACING SERIES WIN AT CHARLOTTE COUNTY | by Dave Westerman
Wayne Ashton put a 2001 season of frustrations and the rest of the field well behind him Saturday night as he dominated the Classic Auto Racing Series 25-lap feature event at Charlotte County Speedway.
The Ft. Pierce veteran, a victim of numerous engine woes during his first full season with the Classics last year, has a new engine program in place and it worked to perfection Saturday evening.
Ashton easily outdistanced the field in his heat race and earned the pole position for the main event. Defending Rookie of the Year Al Hagan of Merritt Island led the way in the other heat.
Ashton quickly pulled away from the field at the drop of the green in his "Flying Pumpkin" five-window '32 Ford Coupe followed by the "Lavender Love Machine" sedan of Bud Spencer and Frank Conrad's "Teal Tornado" sedan.
Hagan was trying to work his way up from seventh on the grid when he lost it on the backstretch on lap two and spun into the inside wall at the entrance to turn three to bring out the first caution of the race. Hagan's car was damaged to badly to continue and left on the hook.
The green was displayed for two more laps before Patrick Sanders looped his coupe in turn four for caution two.
Ashton was hooked up and could easily pull away from the field off turn four on the restarts. Harvey Ewing spun in turn four on lap six, but kept going as the green remained out. A lap later, Jim Rahman passed Conrad for third spot, while point leader Ed Yates was charging into sixth after a heat race incident relegated him to a 14th place start.
Ashton continued to lead rather easily while Rahman began to put the pressure on Spencer for second. Caution was displayed again on lap 11. Conrad got a bit loose out of turn four and E.T. McGhee tried an inside pass, but the two cars bumped sending McGhee hard into the inside wall at the end of the straightaway. McGhee wasn't hurt, but his car was done for the night.
Ashton again pulled out to three car lengths on the restart as Spencer, Rahman and Yates formed a tight battle for second. On lap 16, Keith Roberts' car pushed high in turn two.
As Patrick Sanders tried to dive underneath, the two cars came together. Sanders' car nearly turned over as they slid into the pit entrance knocking one of the barriers off. Oddly enough, the barrier on the other side of the entrance had been knocked askew earlier in the Street Stock feature. Roberts was done for the evening, but Sanders was able to continue.
The race ran the rest of the way under green with Rahman getting by Spencer for second with two laps to go, but by then Ashton was long gone.
Ashton raced to his first Classic Auto Racing Series career win. Ashton moved to the Classic Series last year after racing everything from Late Models to Dwarf Cars in recent years citing the Classics as "affordable" and "a whole lot more fun."
Rahman took second spot in a good drive from his ninth starting spot while Spencer started third and finished third. Yates did the passing job of the night coming from 14th to fourth with Frank Conrad holding on for a fifth place finish.
Mike Albert made his first start at Charlotte County and drove a steady race to finish sixth after gridding tenth. George Hall, Jr. was seventh followed by Simeon Spagnuolo, E.B. Carr and Patrick Sanders, who earned Rookie of the Race honors despite a couple of incidents that relegated him to the back of the pack on the restarts.
The Classic Auto Racing Series now moves to Mike and Jane Cope's Bronson Motor Speedway next Saturday night.
OFFICIAL FINISH - CHARLOTTE COUNTY SPEEDWAY - 3/23/2002:
1) Wayne Ashton, Ft. Pierce #78
2) Jim Rahman, Clermont #5
3) Bud Spencer, Palm Harbor #7
4) Ed Yates, Orlando #74
5) Frank Conrad, Ft. Pierce #11
6) Mike Albert, Winter Springs #24
7) George Hall, Jr., St. Petersburg #32
8) Simeon Spagnuolo, Vero Beach #21
9) E.B. Carr, Okeechobee #90
10) Patrick Sanders, Winter Garden #8
11) Harvey Ewing, Brooksville #17
12) Keith Roberts, Groveland #31
13) David Marsh, Orlando #2
14) E.T. McGhee, Deland #1
15) Al Hagan, Merritt Island #6
16) George Hall III, St. Petersburg #9
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