Road Runner

      

             2006 STRL 

 

         Bud Shootout

 

                 

               

     

 

 

 

        2006  STRL

      Bud Shootout

             AWARDS   

      _________________

      Bud Pole Award 

      Dave Matson (#09)

 

      

        Race Winner

             Trophy  

    Andrew Lewis (#038)

 

    

    Halfway Leader

             Award           

       Dave Matson (#09)

 

      

    

        Hard Charger

             Award           

        Chris Hughson (#84)    

       ( from 27th to 6th)

 

    

 Goody's Headache

             Award

        Larry Stone (#6)

  

  

 Cadillac Excellence

   In Driving Awards    

        David Gibson (#74)

 

   

       Chris Hughson (#84)    

 

     Ryche Devine (#4)

 

       Jeff Butler (#11)

 

           

 
Last race event news:

 

 

  

   GUN-SLINGING LEWIS LAST

 

 ONE STANDING AT SHOOTOUT;

 

   WINS 2006 BUD SHOOTOUT

          

 

 

                                      Check the race results here:    Results

_____________________________________________________________

 

        2006 STRL Bud Shootout News:

 

      Non-2005 pole winning entrant Andrew Lewis (#038) strutted his super-speedway talents at the 2006 STRL Bud Shootout and drove from a 8th row starting position to a fantastic win in the opening special event of the 2006 STRL season.   Now, Lewis (#038) won't have to worry about qualifying for the event next year as the win gives him an automatic starting birth in future STRL Bud Shootouts.

      Lewis (#038) drove steadily from the 16th position to the lead in 10 laps of exciting side by side STRL action until a 13 car pile occurred at the tri-oval to bring out the first of 3 caution flags for the 50 lap event.  During the race, Lewis (#038) made a couple of yellow flag pit-stops forcing himself to have to work back through the field several times en route to the front.  On the white flag lap, Lewis (#038) once again found himself ahead of the wreck and found himself at the front of the pack when the caution flag flew giving him the win.   Now in his third year of STRL racing, the 21 year old driver from Washington joins Jeremy Wiedeman (#03, the 2003 winner),  Jeff Bison (#49, the 2004 winner), and Jeff Christianson (#47) as the 4 automatic entries in future STRL Bud Shootouts.  His experience and patience visibly helped propel this young gun to a solid victory amongst a very strong Shootout field.

       The intensely exciting event pleased track officials, most drivers, and most fans.  Obvious mistakes by several drivers dashed many fans aspirations of their drivers making it to Victory Lane but that unfortunately is part of restrictor plate racing.   It was great to see STRL drivers all back getting down to business for another season along with former members Jeff Bison (#49) and Steve Rousseau (#165) returning to STRL for the special event. 

     

 

Andrew Lewis (#038) takes the checkered flag as both the yellow and the  checkered flag fly to win the 2006 STRL Bud Shootout.

 

           Race reporter Skyler Maul, caught up with the winner, Jeff Christianson (#47),  in Victory Lane after the race:

 

 

          "I started around 16th and quickly began to move my way up.  I learned early on I had a good car for the track. The speed I had coming off the corners when I ran high was incredible.   I was lucky enough to find a few seams in the packs and make my way up to the front early.  That helped keep me out of trouble, which is about 80% of what restrictor plate racing is all about.

           Rode around for the most part up until about 5 to go when things started getting dicey!  Me and Horace (Brooks, #28) were running the high groove together at that time and he started getting hungry and jumped on the low side and took the lead.  I thought I was toast at that point.  He and Matson started battling on the low side and that allowed me to run up to the high side and get along side 'em.  I cleared Horace with about 2 to go and he jumped up to the high groove to give me the help I needed to pass Matson (#09) for the lead. Without Horace moving high to help me out I'd have finished probably 3rd at best.  Big thanks to Horace (Brooks, #28), we were pretty lethal up on the high groove!
        The race as a blast and everyone I raced around drove cleanly and respectfully. Let's all be around for the finish next week. This track is just too awesome to watch from the pits!"

                                              

                                             --Andrew Lewis (#038)

 

        

       Road Runner teams continue to practice through the next week to ready themselves for the 2006 Tribute Cup Champion-ship opener, the 4th annual Dale Earnhardt Memorial 90.    

 

 

Photo Gallery:

  

Twenty-seven cars line up on the starting grid to start the 2006 STRL Bud Shootout.  Dave Matson (#09) would win the pole position  by edging out Jeff Sykes (#15).

You could feel the energy in the stands as the 27-car field headed for the green flag and the 2006 STRL racing season was about to begin.
RPMs begin to build as the field head toward Turn 1 on Lap 1 led by Dave Matson (#09).
Jason Bowlin (#1) in the 11th spot heads to the pits on Lap 1 to serve a Black flag for a qualifying infraction.  Andrew Lewis (#038) rides in 15th place.
On Lap 3, the field remains two by two for at least 6 rows.
With the push from Steve Rousseau (#165), 2005 Tribute Cup Rookie of the Year Keith McLain (#88) takes the top spot as they complete the 3rd lap.
On Lap 6, the first to complete their mandatory green flag pit stop are teammates David Gibson (#74) and Danny Sanchez (#44).
On Lap 7, Dave Matson (#09) leads but Joe Lamberti (#51) and Andrew Lewis (#038) apply heavy pressure.
The battle for 12th place on Lap 9 has previous race winners Jeff Bison (#49, 2004 winner) and Jeff Christianson (#47, 2005 winner) going door to door.
Andrew Lewis (#038) snags the lead at the stripe to start Lap 10 with a helpful push by 2005 Tribute Cup Champion Steve Stiely (#55).
After scraping the wall out of Turn 4 on Lap 10, 2nd place Steve Stiely (#55) gets turned around by Steve Rousseau (#165) who was right on Stiely's bumper and had no where to go.  Stiely (#55) would careen across the track and collect Keith McLain (#88) to start things off for the first caution.
Cars have no where to go and ultimately 13 cars would be involved in the scary Big Juan of Lap 10. 
Larry Stone (#6) and Jeff Christianson (#47) would get fantastic air and tear a 60-foot stretch of fencing down on the front straight.  Christianson (#47) would be treated for concussion in the infield care facility while Stone (#6) had to be extracted from his Goodwrench #6 with the Jaws of Life and airlifted to the Halifax Hospital with life-threatening injuries. 
Dave Matson (#09) leads the Lap 14 restart with 7 less cars from the previous green flag lap.
On Lap 18, Joe Lamberti (#8) and Horace Brooks (#28) go a lap down to the leader after completing their green flag pitstops.
From Jeff Butler's (#11) 5th place car cockpit, Jeremy Wiedeman (#03), Andrew Lewis (#038), and Rick Hubler (#53) go three wide racing for 2nd on Lap 20.
On Lap 21, STRL founder Bill Hull (#12) blows in 7th place. 
On Lap 21, Andrew Lewis (#038) heads to the pits for his mandatory green flag pit-stop giving the lead to Rick Hubler (#53).  Steve Rousseau (#165) runs in second.
A 3-wide for the lead on Lap 23 appears involving Steve Rousseau (#165) , Horace Brooks (#28), and Rick Hubler (#53) who is still gaining speed after completing his green flag pit stop.
Twelfth through fourteenth work together on Lap 27 to try to catch back up with the lead group.  Ryche Devine (#4), Terry Riggins (#68), and Jeff Butler (#11) try and stay in a straight line.
The second caution of the day would fly on Lap 29 as Dave Matson (#29) would run too high above the white line through Turn 1 and make contact with fourth place Joe Lamberti (#8).
The Lap 29 wreck would take out 3 more strong drivers contending for the win:  Joe Lamberti (#8), Jeremy Wiedeman (#03), and Steve Rousseau (#165).
On Lap 34, lappers Michael Spivey (#7) and Rob Decker (#21) get too close and spin each other into the infield at the tri-oval helping to not bring out another caution.
Heading for 10 laps to go, Andrew Lewis (#038) leads the field as the Top 11 are all together once again.
On Lap 40, Jason Bowlin (#1) catches a piece of the apron and veers up and tags Jeff Butler's (#11) car but both would gain control and no caution would fly.  Four cars would lose the draft as the leader would pull away though.
On Lap 48, Horace Brooks (#28) gets a push to the front as the excitement really begins to mount.
With the white flag flying high, Horace Brooks (#28) gets spun as the low line runs a bit high through Turn 1-2 to bring out a third and final caution to end the race. 
Andrew Lewis (#038) sits well in front at the moment the caution light came on locking the final positions and became the 2006 STRL Bud Shootout winner.

 

Official Results of the 2006 STRL Bud Shootout  -Click here