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Wright Rules O'Reilly ASCoT Opener at East Bay
TAMPA, Fla. (January 25, 2007) – East Bay Raceway Park's Ninth Annual "King
of the 360's" Nationals kicked off Thursday night with three-time and defending
O'Reilly American Sprint Cars on Tour National champion Gary Wright of Hooks,
TX, shunning the notion of retirement by wiring the field in the 25-lap preliminary
main event.
After a pair of false starts, Wright outgunned polesitter Nick Smith for the lead at
the drop of the green and led the distance in the non-stop affair aboard the
Wesmar-powered Richwood Construction No. 9 Maxim.
"It was tough working traffic those last few laps, I wasn't real sure where to go so
," Wright commented after his 107th career ASCS National Tour O'Reilly
American Sprint Cars on Tour feature win.
Working heavy lapped traffic in the final rounds, Wright took the checkered flag
with a pair of lapped cars between himself and another former ASCS National
champion, Wayne Johnson. Johnson held off defending "King of the 360's" race
winner Terry McCarl by a narrow margin, with Smith nipping at their heels in
fourth.
Tim Shaffer rounded out the top five, with Davie Franek, Jr., Doug Emery, Greg
Wilson, Steve Poirier and Pat Cannon completing the top ten.
A total of 73 cars competed in the opening night of East Bay Raceway Park's
31st Annual Winter Nationals. Friday night's "King of the 360's" Nationals
preliminary action gets under way with heat races at 7:30 p.m.
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