Huffman Wins Up The Creek Fish Camp & Grill 250
Jefferson, GA (August 13, 2005) - After the Up The Creek Fish
Camp & Grill 250 presented by Tucson at Peach State Speedway, Mark
McFarland stepped from his car and said, "That was the best race I've
ever been a part of."
With those comments, one would think that McFarland won his second race in
row. But that wasn't the case. McFarland finished second to Shane
Huffman in a race that featured 18 lead changes among eight drivers. And
the final lead change took about 20 laps to make.
After jousting for the lead from Lap 229 to 244, Huffman used a slide-job
on Mark McFarland with five laps remaining and held on to win his seventh
race of the season.
"That's the most fun I've had racing in a longtime; that's what
racing is all about," said Huffman, driver of the No. 81 Knight's
Companies Ford. "I got up to second, and I knew Mark had an awesome fast
car. I got into him going down into [Turn] 1. I didn't mean to. I just
got in the corner too hard. I backed off and got in behind him, and we
both settled down. I bounced it off the wall a few times trying to catch
him, and, finally, he bounced off the wall real hard and lost some
momentum. I drove real hard down into Turn 1, slid under him and cleared
him."
Once Huffman cleared McFarland, the JR Motorsports driver tried a
cross-over move, but was unable to get back in the gas in time.
"Racing with Shane and banging on him was a lot of fun," said
McFarland, driver of the No. 32 WINFUEL Chevy. "I just made one mistake
coming off [Turn] 4, and that's what cost us the race. I thought I was
going to be able to turn back under him, but the car wasn't good on the
bottom. We're not going to let that get us down. We're going to go to
Bristol next with a new car and try to get them there."
Though Huffman pulled away from McFarland by 1.6 seconds over the final
four laps, McFarland's night of swapping paint wasn't finished.
After leading several times during the middle stages of the race, Michael
Ritch, driver of the No. 28 Jackaroo Ford, was closing on the lead duo in
the waning stages. Ritch tried the high side of McFarland, but the gap
closed and Ritch finished third.
"I'm glad there wasn't anymore room on the high side. If there would
have been more asphalt, we'd both been in trouble," said Ritch.
"[McFarland] was doing what he was supposed to. I thought the race was
ours or Huffman's. I just didn't have time to get up there.
"It was an awesome race," added Ritch. "Everybody in the top 10 hit
the wall. We all drove the last 50 laps like we were qualifying. We were
just driving our guts out."
Ritch also drove hard for much of the first half of the event.
After starting fourth, the High Point, N.C., driver used the high line to
track down race-leader Jody Lavender on Lap 35. Ritch would lead four
times on the night. But after pitting on Lap 198, Ritch would line up 10th
for the final 50-lap sprint.
"Our pit strategy just got us a little too far back," said Ritch, who
led a race-high 75 laps. "When we had that long caution, it just ruined
our chances at winning the race."
Like Ritch, Jody Lavender, driver of the No. 84 Heritage Bank Ford, was in
contention for much of the night. After leading three times for 30 laps
during the first half of the event, Lavender battled McFarland for the
lead late in the running, but dropped to fourth at the finish.
"For most of the race, I thought we had something for those guys,"
said Lavender. "I don't know if we got beat on tire strategy or what.
We just weren't good enough at the end of the race. We had a good night,
though. We qualified second, led some laps and finished fourth."
Lavender's good night jumped him two positions in points to fifth in the
standings.
Clay Rogers, driver of the No. 44 Johnny's Suzuki/Baird Transport Ford,
led three laps in the early stages of the event, but the defending Pro Cup
champ could only muster a fifth-place finish.
Matt Carter, Bobby Gill, Shane Wallace, Daniel Johnson and Andrew Rogers
completed the top 10.
Rogers, driver of the No. 18 Termidor Ford, picked up $1,000 for winning
the Miller Lite Rookie of the Race Award.
Rogers' third top-10 finish of the season couldn't have come at a
better time. Rookie point leader Chase Pistone dropped from the race on
Lap 123 with mechanical failure.
"I'm pretty good friends with all the rookies, and I don't wish bad
luck on anyone," said Rogers. "But at this point in the season, if
something mechanical happens to them, I'm all for it. I thought we had a
top-five car at the beginning, but I got into Jay Fogleman and it messed
the front end. I battled a tight car the rest of the night."
Wayne Willard and Daniel Johnson split the Mr. Gasket Hard Charger Award.
Johnson finished ninth after starting 21st, while Willard finished 12th
after starting 24th.
The Up The Creek Fish Camp & Grill 250 was slowed nine times for 57
laps of caution.
Up The Creek Fish Camp & Grill 250
Pole Prowess
Mark McFarland, driver of the No. 32 WINFUEL Chevy, picked up his
series-leading fifth Advance Auto Parts Pole Award of the season in the Up
the Creek Fish Camp & Grill 250 at Peach State Speedway. McFarland up
five laps short of taking home Tucson Win from the Pole Award as well.
McFarland's only win of the season came when he qualified fourth.
Rookie's Bunched
With Chase Pistone, the rookie point leader, and Michael Faulk, who
entered the race second in rookie points, having problems in the Up the
Creek Fish Camp & Grill 250 at Peach State Speedway, the Southern
Division Miller Lite Rookie of the Year race tightened considerably.
Wayne Willard, driver of the No. 01 Bowen Family Homes Chevy, finished
12th and jumped to second in the rookie points, just 25 behind Pistone.
With his 10th-place finish, Andrew Rogers closed to within 65 points of
Pistone.
Michael Faulk, driver of the No. 53 LiftOff Ford, is just 29 points behind
Pistone.
Dual Chargers
Wayne Willard not only closed the gap in the rookie race, he split the Mr.
Gasket Hard Charger Award with Daniel Johnson for advancing 12 spots
during the night.
Johnson finished ninth in the Up the Creek Fish Camp & Grill 250 at
Peach State Speedway, giving him two top-10 finishes in a row.
"We didn't have a top-five car, but we got what we had out of the
car," said Johnson, driver of the No. 56 Atlanta Check Cashers Pontiac.
"We got another top 10 and picked up a little in points, so it was a
good night overall."
Smiling Ritch
Michael Ritch, driver of the No. 28 Jackaroo Ford, has had little to smile
about in recent races after seeing strong runs thwarted by mechanical
failures. But in the Up the Creek Fish Camp & Grill 250 at Peach State
Speedway, Ritch avoided the gremlins, picked up the Greased Lightning
Blast the Pack Award and finished a season-high third.
"I have to thank Jackaroo, Nu-go, CJR and Admiral Benbow for their
support this season," said Ritch. "We're getting closer to getting a
win for them."
Use The Force
With 10 BFGoodrich Tires g-Force radials at their disposal, Pro Cup
drivers used a myriad of strategies during the Up the Creek Fish Camp
& Grill 250 at Peach State Speedway.
Most drivers opted to take four tires on the first stop and two more with
50 laps to go. Shane Huffman used a three-and-three strategy to win the
race, but he wasn't sure if that was the way to go.
"I ran the entire race on the left front," said Huffman. "The car
wouldn't turn at the end of the race. I won, but I'm not sure if
I'll use that strategy again."