Michael
Pope Scores First-Career GAS Victory at Peach State
Young
Racer Avoids Carnage & Holds Off Former Champ For First GAS
Triumph
When
a driver thinks about his first win, he or she always hopes for a
story book ending. From beating former champions, holding
off a hungry pack of drivers in a green-white-checkered finish, or
steering clear when drivers ahead of him tangle late in the race,
all kinds of visions go through the minds of racers while
scripting their first race win.
If
those thoughts passed through Michael Pope's mind, then his
first-career Georgia Asphalt Series victory went just as he
imagined. The 18-year-old Dublin, GA native held off
two-time series champion Fredrick Moore over a pair of final
restarts and avoided the wrecking leaders late in the race to
score the first GAS victory of his career.
"I
didn't know when this day would come," said Pope in victory
lane. "I love it. I drove my heart out tonight and we
finally got one."
Pope
inherited the lead on lap 97 when leaders Bubba Pollard and
Russell Fleeman got together coming of the second turn.
Pope, who was running third at the time, shot between the two as
the leaders spun. Fleeman slid out of the lead, while
Pollard backed his car into the infield fence, nearly rolling
over.
Pope
had to take evasive action to avoid the spinning leaders –
evasive action that won him the race.
"All
I saw was (Russell) Fleeman get loose and he got up into Bubba
(Pollard) and they both went spinning," added Pope.
"Bubba went down the track and Fleeman went up the track and
there was a little hole in the middle that I was able to get
through. I got lucky."
Pollard
had a full-straightaway lead on Fleeman when the caution came out
on lap 96.
The
wreck on the following restart marks the third-straight race in
which Pollard has crashed while running with the leaders in the
closing laps.
"It's
just hard," said Pollard. "What kills me is that the last
three races we should have won and nobody knows it. I had
a half-a-track lead of them and the caution came out.
Nobody remembers who is winning on the last lap; just who won
and that kills me the most."
Series
point leader Russell Fleeman, who was trying for three GAS
victories in a row, was apologetic for his role in the
crash that also took out top-five runners Jimmy Garmon and
Ronnie Sanders.
"It
was one of those deals," said Fleeman. "I wanted it bad.
He (Pollard) wanted it bad. It's just one of those
racing deals. We'll just have to pack up and start over.
I went over and spoke to him. I apologized; told him I
tried to stay off him and it was one of them deals. I
would never do anything like that on purpose. I try to be
a better driver then that."
With
the two former Peachstate winners wrecked, Michael Pope looked
to have it won when he got away clean on the ensuing restart
after the Fleeman/Pollard melee. Just when Pope
thought he had the win sewn up, the yellow quickly flew for a
tangle between Spence Maggard and Billy Chancy.
The
final green-white-checkered restart was where Pope had to earn
his dues. When the green flag waved, Pope spun the tires
on his number-44 machine, giving Moore a chance to steal the
win. Moore pulled even with Pope in turn one and the two
raced side-by-side into the white flag lap. That's when
Pope pulled ahead off the second turn and sailed home for the
win that locks him into the field for the World Crown 300 Pro
Late Model all-star event at Peachstate in November.
"I
was thinking, ‘why did I do that?'" said Pope of spinning
the tires on the restart. "As good of a car that we had,
I almost lost it for us. But I was able to manhandle the
car and drive the heck out it to get the win."
"I
though I had him when he spun the tires," said Moore. "He
got a good run on the inside. I was sliding, he was
sliding. The tires were gone at that point.
Everybody looks at him like a kid, but this is his second year
in the series and he's a veteran just like the rest of us."
Michael
Phelps had a career-best third-place finish, while Wes Burton
finished fourth. Joey Senter rounded out the top five.
The
Georgia Asphalt series returns to action on September 1st at
Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA.
For
more information on the Georgia Asphalt Series, contact Matt
Kentfield at (704) 788-2134 x 5 and visit
www.georgiaasphaltseries.com.
