|
Photo Gallery: All-Star Qualifier
______________________________
|
_____________________________________ |
 |
Fifteen cars qualified for
the All-Star Qualifying race in an effort to finish in the Top 3 and
advance on to the 2006 All-Star Challenge. Veteran Jeff Sykes
(#15) won the pole for the last chance race. |
|
GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! |
 |
 |
On Lap 7, the first caution flies as Michael Spivey (#7) loops it with
Jeff Christianson (#47) narrowly missing him low. |
|
On Lap 14, rookie Christopher Hughson (#84)
leads as Anthony Wendover (#26) passes Jason Bowlin (#1) for 2nd. |
 |
 |
Anthony Wendover (#26) would pass Christopher
Hughson (#84) two laps later on Lap 16 for the lead. |
|
On Lap 30 in the battle for the third and last advancement position,
Jeff Sykes (#15) passes Jeff Christianson (#47) for 3rd while Tom
Emasie (#41) watches closely behind. |
 |
 |
Three laps later on Lap 33, Tom Emasie's
(#41) powerplant would go up in smoke while running in 5th place. |
|
Indiana's Matt Fields (#06) and Kentucky's
Jeff Sykes (#15) scramble to avoid the spinning Jeff Christianson
(#47) leaving pit road. |
 |
 |
On Lap 38, Matt Fields (#06) clips the left rear of Jeff Christianson
(#47) and Christianson's #47 ALL-STAR USAF Thunderbird Chevrolet
nearly takes flight. |
|
With only 9 laps to go, race leader Anthony
Wendover (#26) decides to pit for fresh rubber but Christopher Hughson
(#84) and Jeff Sykes (#15) in second and third stay out. |
 |
 |
With his fresher tires, Anthony Wendover (#26) tags 4th place Jason
Bowlin (#1) from behind sending him toward the wall on Lap 55. |
|
Christopher Hughson (#84) leads the restart
for a one-lap shootout on Lap 60. |
 |
 |
With a tremendous run on the outside, Anthony Wendover (#26) would be
able to get above Matt Fields (#06) going into Turn 3 but then would
get a bump from below as Fields 9#06) would drift up in the groove.
Mike Horton (#37) gets a front row seat for this incident which would
propel the South Carolina driver into the ALL-STAR CHALLENGE as the
3rd and last advancer. |
|
Christopher Hughson (#84) takes the checkered flag to win the All Star
Qualifier. Joining Hughson (#84) advancing into the All Star
Challenge were Jeff Sykes (#15), and Mike Horton (#37). |
 |
|
___________________________________________________________________
Photo Gallery: All-Star Segment 1
____________________________________________________________________ |
 |
Sixteen cars patiently await the command to start engines prior to the
start of Segment 1 of the 2006 STRL ALL-STAR CHALLENGE. Jeremy
Wiedeman (#03) won the pole earlier in the week.
Qualifying used a special qualifying scheme which included 2 laps and
a 4-tire pit-stop. |
|
On Lap 4, the top 3 led by Jeremy Wiedeman
(#03) pull away from the main pack. |
 |
 |
Veteran Steven Flinn (#81) steals the lead from Jeremy Wiedeman (#03)
on Lap 5 while Bill Hull (#12) takes a look on the low side of
Wiedeman (#03) also. |
|
On Lap 10, Bill Hull (#12) inherits the lead
as leader Steven Flinn (#81) prepares to enter the pits for his
mandatory green flag 4 tire pit stop. |
 |
 |
It wasn't picture perfect but Steven Flinn
(#81) keeps all his fenders straight and doesn't trip off the radar
gun while entering the pits. |
|
On Lap 14, 7th through 9th pit. Dave
Matson (#09) would loop it and collect teammate David Gibson (#74) in
the process. |
 |
 |
Keith McLain (#88) goes upside down on Lap 17
as he would get into Arizona's Steve Stiely (#55) who had trouble
navigating a pitting car in Turn 4. The day's first caution
would fly. |
|
On Lap 22, Tennessee's Horace Brooks (#28)
leads the restart with 5 cars yet to make their green flag stop. |
 |
 |
A 3-way battle for 4th on Lap 27 would
include Steven Flinn (#81), Jeff Leung (#24), and Joe Lamberti (#8). |
|
On Lap 31, morale is down for a damaged David
Gibson (#74) in 15th place who was running 3 laps down. Here he
gets passed by Jeff Sykes (#15) who runs a lap ahead of Gibson (#74).
Only 9 laps remain in the event where only 13 will advance. |
 |
 |
On Lap 33, the damaged Rick Hubler (#11)
blows up while running in 11th place. |
|
On Lap 34, lapper Dave Matson (#09) goes
through the spin-cycle in Turn 3 just ahead of second-place Jeremy
Wiedeman (#03) and third place Steven Flinn (#81). Caution #2
would fly. |
 |
 |
Race leader Steve Stiely (#55) gets trapped
without making the mandatory green-flag pitstop between Laps 5
and 35. The untimely caution led to Stiely's (#55)
disqualification in the event. |
|
A great battle for 4th place on the
white-flag lap had Bill Hull (#12), Horace Brooks (#28) and Danny
Sanchez (#44) duking it out in their special ALL-STAR paintschemes. |
 |
 |
Jeremy Wiedeman (#03) takes the checkered
flag to win the first segment. |
|
_________________________________________________________________
Photo Gallery: All-Star Segment 2
________________________________________________________ |
 |
After a random draw to determine the number of cars to
invert for Segment 2, the Top 6 advancing cars were inverted putting
Oklahoma's Danny Sanchez (#44) on the pole for Segment #2.
Sanchez (#44) was the defending 2005 STRL ALL-STAR CHALLENGE Champion. |
|
On Lap 1, California's Jeff Leung (#24) beats
Danny Sanchez (#44) into Turn 1 for the lead. |
 |
 |
On Lap 12, Jeremy Wiedeman (#03) passes Danny
Sanchez (#44) for 3rd place. |
|
Bill Hull (#12) who was running in 5th place,
gets a love tap from Horace Brooks (#28) behind sending Hull (#12) for
an anxious ride through the infield on Lap 25. |
 |
|
With Bill Hull (#12) sliding through the
infield, 6th place Horace Brooks (#28) lost track of Joe Lamberti (#8)
making a run on his outside and the two would collect the wall.
Eventually, Andrew Lewis (#038) would get entangled in the Lap 25
mess. |
 |
 |
Jeff Sykes (#15) occupies the "bubble spot"
in 8th place on the Lap 29 restart. With 11 laps to go, Jeff
Leung (#24) continues to lead the race. |
|
On Lap 37, Jeremy Wiedeman (#03) passes
Steven Flinn (#81) for 2nd. |
 |
 |
With the white flag flying, Jeremy Wiedeman
(#03) gets enough run on leader Jeff Leung (#24) to pull right up next
to Leung (#24) in Turn 1. |
|
Joe Lamberti's (#8) Smokin Grafix Chevrolet
would blow the motor on the last Lap to end the race under caution. |
 |
 |
Jeff Leung (#24) took home the Segment 2 win! |
|
________________________________________________________________________
Photo Gallery: All-Star Segment 3
______________________________________________________________ |
 |
After a quick rest period between sessions,
eight drivers return to their cars to start the final 20 lap race.
Drivers lined up on the starting grid according to their Segment 2
finishing order. Jeff Leung (#24) and Jeremy Wiedeman (#03) made
up the finale's front row. |
|
Going to the green flag, the 2002 STRL
"Winston" Champion, Jeremy Wiedeman (#03) spins the tires and bangs
the wall slightly, bottling up the outside lane as they head to Turn 1. |
 |
 |
The early Lap 1 frenzy heading toward Turn 1
caused Bill Hull (#12) to break loose and collect Jeff Sykes (#15) in
Turn 2. Both drivers would collect themselves and continue on. |
|
Later on Lap 7, Steven Flinn (#81) powers up
next to leader Jeff Leung (#24) and the show was on. The two
drivers drove their guts out going back and forth for the next 5 laps. |
 |
 |
Truly a fantastic bit of racing between
Steven Flinn (#81) and Jeff Leung (#24) that had fans going wild until
Lap 9! |
 |
Both Jeff Leung (#24) and Steven Flinn (#81)
would break loose simultaneously out of Turn 2 while fighting for the
lead. |
 |
The two would each overcorrect and scissors
together narrowly missing each other with Leung (#24) in front. |
 |
Third place David Gibson (#74) quickly raises
his staff and commands the Red Sea to part allowing himself safe
passage through the sliding cars of Jeff Leung (#24) and Steven Flinn
(#81). |
 |
Fourth place Jeremy Wiedeman (#03) and fifth
place Chris Hughson (#84) didn't fare as well as Jeff Leung (#24)
would careen off the outside wall into them both creating some damage. |
|
One Lap later on Lap 10, David Gibson (#74)
found himself with a 0.7 second lead over second place Jeremy Wiedeman
(#03). |
 |
 |
Patience and determination would allow Bill
Hull (#12) to pass the damaged Chris Hughson (#84) for 4th place. |
|
On Lap 15, Danny Sanchez (#44) would pass the
damaged Jeremy Wiedeman (#03) for the 2ns spot with 5 to go. |
 |
 |
The spectators could see the fist of David
Gibson (#74) sticking out the window all the way around the track on
the white flag lap as Gibson (#74) knew that is was going to be his
day. |
|
David Gibson (#74) takes the checkered flag
to become the 2006 STRL ALL-STAR CHALLENGE Champion in an incredibly
exciting event. What a day! |
 |
|
Official Results :
All-Star Qualifier
All-Star Segment 1
All-Star Segment 2
All-Star Segment 3
|
