CASA GRANDE, Ariz. -- Veteran racer Gene Freeman returned to full time action at Central Arizona Raceway this season and he posted his first $350 super stock feature win of the year on Saturday night despite a rough driving incident that got his brother Brad Whitfield penalized. Freeman ran second in his heat and took the checkered flag first in the main event despite being roughed up by Whitfield. Whitfield came across the finish line in 2nd, but was pushed back to 4th as a penalty for the incident. Heat winner Buji Lacy was advanced into the $250 second and female racer Crystal Reynolds enjoyed her best ever CAR finish with a $150 third. Steven Ashcraft was disqualified from a fourth place finish for running a beadlock on his left rear wheel. E J Jones won his second straight pure stock feature and
$200. Jody Henderson bounced back from a tough 13th place finish at Manzanita on Friday night with a second ahead of Josh Crabtree and double division racer Tommy Hussak III. The night’s racing was sponsored by Reva’s Western Wear.

Sixteen super stocks were divided into a pair of heat races. Lacy outraced Freeman and Whitfield in heat 1 as Hussak ran fourth. Having moved back into the super stock ranks, former dirt late model racer Mike Tahtinen won heat 2 ahead of Mike Brigner and Ashcraft. Dominic Askren joined CAR action with a fourth. With the penalties against Freeman and Ashcraft, the final feature rundown had Freeman in the winner’s circle for the first time in 2006 ahead of Lacy, C Reynolds, Whitfield, Troy Thompson, Marco Robles, Hussak, Tim Harris, Shawn Bennett, 2005 champion Perry Mallery and Lyle Askren Jr. Thompson is a Show Low regular, but skipped a special Pro Stock race there to give CAR another try.

The pure stocks drew 18 cars and Ricky Cook won the opening heat race over Hussak, Jason Harvil and Dwayne Sutton. Young rookie racer Garrett Funk got his first CAR win in heat 2 ahead of hard chargers Jones, Henderson and Crabtree. Jones was chased across the finish line in the 17 car feature by Henderson, Crabtree, Hussak, Michael Sutton Jr, Cook, Chris Tipton, D Sutton, Tucson’s Boomer Lupkes and Harvil. Art Morrow was a feature scratch.

Memorial Day weekend will see two big nights of racing as Jones Pontiac, Buick and GMC in Casa Grande will present the Barnett Harley Davidson Touring Series for the dirt modifieds. Remember that all the other Barnett tracks go dark for the dirt modifieds on the tour nights in 2006 so all of the stars from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas will be gathered here for a pair of $1000 to win shows on Saturday May 27 and Sunday May 28. It is the beginning of a busy two weekends for the Barnett tour teams as they have the two night Fiesta Days race at Aztec Speedway in northern New Mexico on June 2-3. The super stocks will join the dirt modifieds both nights of the holiday weekend and the first June race on June 3 will see the return of the Southwest Dirt Late Models. The pure stocks and dwarf cars will join that show.

RESULTS

Pure Stock
Heat 1-Ricky Cook, Tommy Hussak III, Jason Harvel, Dwayne Sutton.
Heat 2-Garrett Funk, E J Jones, Jody Henderson, Josh Crabtree.
Main-Jones, Henderson, Crabtree, Hussak, Michael Sutton Jr, Cook, Chris Tipton, Dwayne Sutton, Boomer Lupkes, Harvil, Robert Culbertson, Steve Long, Dingus Morrow, Funk, Rich Ornelas, Derek Archer, Terry Churchwell.

Super Stock
Heat 1-Buji Lacy, Gene Freeman, Brad Whitfield, Tommy Hussak III.
Heat 2-Mike Tahtinen, Mike Brigner, Steven Ashcraft, Dominic Askren.
Main-Freeman, Lacy, Crystal Reynolds, Whitfield, Troy Thompson, Marco Robles, Hussak, Tim Harris, Shawn Bennett, Perry Mallery, Lyle Askren Jr, D Askren, Tommy Reynolds, Brigner, Tahtinen.