Who's Gonna be 2012 FASTRAK Southeast/Mideast Champion??
Who's Gonna Be The 2012 FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division Champion?? Title Bout To Be Decided Where It All Started At Cleveland County Friday!!
(Four Oaks,NC) Since April 13th the drivers of the "Nations First & Premier Pro Late Model Series in the Country" have traveled up and down the Southeast/Mideast United States in a battle of wits to see who's gonna carry home that $10,000 Dollars that comes along with the "Pride & Pageantry" of being called CHAMPION!! This Friday night ironically where the 1st points season race of the year was held at Cleveland County Speedway & Motorsports Complex in Lawndale,NC it will be decided "Under the Lights" in the 2nd Annual Bill Hendren Memorial paying $4,000 Dollars to win but the event has also accumulated and excelled almost $50,000 Dollars in Purse Money, Lap Sponsors, Contingencies and Bonuses in a racing spectacle that is in honor and to pay respects every year to truly a great man who stood behind the "FASTRAK Vision" since the beginning as after Friday night will end the 9th consecutive Touring program for the FASTRAK Racing Series!!
There's also other ironic things in the 2012 FASTRAK Championship picture also heading into Friday night's title bout on who's gonna be the victor in the end also.Who's it gonna be this year for the FASTRAK Title in a "Triple Threat Bout" between 3 drivers: Let's Introduce Them Shall We!!
At the 2011 FASTRAK Southeast/Mideast Banquet held in Toccoa,GA while Umberger was the "Man of the Hour" as he accepted his Massive sized Trophy and BIG Wall Check along with the $10 Grand from FASTRAK Founder/CEO Stan Lester. David Smith made a vow being runner-up that in 2012 he's gonna do everything in the "Team's Power" to be the man hoisting that Trophy in 2012 and getting the "Crown" back. Smith in the #11 TNT Chassis is carrying all the momentum going into the 2nd Annual Bill Hendren Memorial Friday night. He was the winner of the 3rd Annual Preston Humphries Memorial race back on Friday April 13th at CCS. Smith also has been the FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division Points Leader since leaving Eldora Speedway in the Chevy Performance FASTRAK Clash. Now he's really got the "Bulls-Eye" on him after winning last weekend's 9th Annual Pro Late Model Nationals at Fred & Susan Brown's Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat,VA which pocketed him a grand total in the 2 day affair $8,000 Dollars!! Finally when not traveling with the FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division he's a regular at the 1/2 mile Lawndale,NC dirt facility coming off 3 victories in a row up there going into the race Friday night. Will it be David Smith to win his 3rd FASTRAK Touring Championship??
"Lightnin" Lee Cooper could be the "sleeper" in the whole deal. First off the facts are facts he knows how to get the FASTRAK Touring Championship. He's won it 3 times before behind the wheel of the #57 Barry Wright from Woodruff,SC. Also he's stayed in the title chase in 2012 by being the "Mr. Consistency" of FASTRAK. Even though Lee Cooper hasn't tasted VP Race Fuels Victory Lane since last year in 2011 winning the 1st Night of the FASTRAK Grand Nationals at Bulls Gap,TN's Volunteer Speedway he's came close many many times and has led the Points a time or two also in this battle for the 2012 FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division title. He though hit a "rough patch" in his racing world last Sunday night in the 9th Annual Pro Late Model Nationals at Wythe Raceway in VA when on the first attempt for the white flag him and a number of other cars we're collected in turn 1 in what many called the worst wreck on the FASTRAK Tour in 2012 and the driver that got the worst of the BIG ONE was Lee Cooper's #57 Barry Wright being completely demolished in the wreckage. Lee Cooper and all the other driver's involved most of all walked away to race another day and that was the important thing. After that Lee Cooper has had to start all over back to "square one" with either having to build himself a new Barry Wright race car in his owned race-shop Excell Racing Solutions or gonna be driving a car for someone else?? We will not know until Friday night at Cleveland County Speedway but after talking with him earlier in the week he's made a sole-um vow one way or another he'll be there also to give it all he's got for the final points battle in 2012. Will the "sleeper" "Lightnin" Lee Cooper be able to capitalize on an opportunity if Smith falls victim to issues and get FASTRAK Touring Title #4??
Brandon Umberger has had a "Roller Coaster" ride in 2012 to say the least would be a understatement. First off being the defending Champion and having a brand new car get demolished in early March at the (Non-Points) FASTRAK Winter Nationals in Toccoa,GA. However the driver & team pulled back out the #54 Barry Wright that got them the Championship last year in 2011 and was finally able to get in VP Race Fuels Victory Lane on Friday night May 11th winning at Beckley Motorsports Park in Prosperity,WV outside Beckley where it was announced to be the "Official Host Track" of the FASTRAK World Championships Oct 4th, 5th & 6th!! Where the Short Racing Team was getting back on the "winning track" it evaporated just as fast as it came when 2 weeks later in Night 1 of the "Memorial Weekend 3 Race Classic" FASTRAK Triple Crown. He got the #54 Barry Wright that got him the title in 2011 in a major incident that sidelined the Virginia native for the rest of race #1 at Cleveland County Speedway where we're racing at Friday night. After that incident and needing to get a quick ride to stay in the hunt of things for the FASTRAK Championship Hunt & the remaining races in the 2012 FASTRAK Triple Crown he found "shelter from the storm" hooking up with the #44w team based out of Falls Mills,VA in John Broce Jr. and it quickly was proven that the he found a new fit with that team. A few weeks later Umberger & Short with mutual respect for each other parted ways and Umberger's new ride has been behind the wheel of the 44w since. After all he's been through he is now trying to rally for the back to back title reign with a NEW race team in Mid-Season 2012. Could Brandon Umberger after the team change and "roller coaster" season he's had in 2012 pull the upset in the last battle??
These 3 Drivers are bottom line the closest in the hunt for the FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division Championship in 2012!! The only question that remains now is: Who Will It Be??
2012 FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division TOP 10 Points
1st #11 David Smith - Inman,SC - 359 pts . Leader (2 wins)
2nd #57 Lee Cooper - Woodruff,SC - 339 pts. -20
3rd #44w Brandon Umberger - Rural Retreat,VA 332 pts. -27 (1 win)
4th #22 Jordan Dill - Landrum,SC - 303 pts. -56
5th #07 Dale Timms - Hodges,SC - 302 pts. -57
6th #15a Barry Arnold - Max Meadows,VA - 229 pts. -130
7th #88 Trent Ivey - Union,SC - 184 pts. -175
8th #77 Brian Connor - Martinez,GA - 151 pts. -208
9th #7 Clinton Cook - Radford,VA - 141 pts. -218
10th #22 Chris Ferguson - Mt. Holly,NC - 118 pts. -241 (2 wins)
After the 2nd Annual Bill Hendern Memorial the next stop is "ALL ABOUT THE MONEY" for the 2012 FASTRAK World Championships October 4th, 5th, 6th at Beckley Motorsports Park in Prosperity,WV!!
Thursday October 4th
OPEN PRACTICE
Friday October 5th
(Friday Night Fights) FASTRAK Black Diamond Format - (2) 40 Lap A-Main Features - $2,000 to WIN Each!!
Saturday October 6th
75 Laps - FASTRAK World Championship - $20,000 Dollars to WIN!!
50 Laps - FASTRAK Weekly World Challenge - $5,000 Dollars to WIN!!
The FASTRAK Racing Series City Chevrolet Touring Divisions would like to thank all of its marketing partners for their great and continuing support. Those 2012 sponsors include: Hoosier Race Tires, VP Racing Fuel, City Chevrolet, Chevrolet Performance Parts, Vicci Apparel, TNT Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, Longhorn Race Cars, RockAuto.com and FK Rod Ends. FASTRAK would also like to welcome Cool Shirt, Five Star Bodies, Hooker Harness, Kooks Custom Headers, R2C Filters, Sisco Fire and Safety and Tiger Rear Ends to our line-up of product sponsors. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Premier Pro Late Model Series in the Country please contact Stan Lester at the FASTRAK Corporate Office at (678) 935-7304 or Series Director Kelley Carlton at (864) 871-1442. Also Visit the FASTRAK Racing Series online at www.fastrakracing.com and be sure to like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter at @FASTRAK_Racing!!
