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Sam’s first Governors Cup comes up short
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Sam with Danielle - a keen fan
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Sam’s first Governors cup was set to be a great race. Pit stop practice was held the week before, and the team was ready for the race. Practice took place on a chilly Friday night, and the cold air was not helping anyone. The big day finally arrived and Sam was raring to get going, with Baker-Long Construction on board as a new sponsor.
Qualifying went well, as Sam was the last car to Qualify. He set a 17.392, putting him in the 4th spot. Tech then followed and all was well. Next was just a matter of waiting for the race.
Once everything was set and the on-track autograph and photo-op session was over, they got into their cars, ready for the race to begin. At the drop of the green flag, Sam had to stay put on the outside for a while until he was able to get in the bottom groove for single file racing. He settled down well and was just playing a patient waiting game. A few faster cars overtook him, but pit strategy was going to be the name of the game. Most of the leaders pitted on lap 75, but Sam stayed out. Coming off turn 4 on lap 93, Sam got loose and the car spun out from under him. He did a complete 360 and straightened back up without hitting anything. This was the time for Sam to pit. He took 2 right side tires and gas. He went back out in 5th place, maintaining his position and holding on well.
A caution came out on lap 187. With only 7 laps to go till the end, Sam tried to pull away but found out he was out of gas. Turns out the car still had its old 17-gallon tank from its days as a limited late model—not the normal 22-gallon tank.
Sam’s first Governors Cup had a very disappointing end to what was set to be a great run for him. He was extremely upset, while at the same time the pit team blamed themselves as they felt they had let Sam down. Sam would like to thank all of his fans and friends for coming out to watch him run, all of the pit crew, who really did a great job, and his special friends the Baker family for their support in sponsoring the car.
The next step is installing a bigger gas tank in the car before the next race. Sam will be starting his new Super Late Model season at Speedfest in Lakeland, January 24-26.
More news to follow on Sam and his next visit to North Carolina.
OFFICIAL RESULTS NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY NOVEMBER 17, 2007
42ND ANNUAL GOVERNOR'S CUP 2007
1. #92 Jeff Choquette, Loxatachee
2. #26 Travis Cope, Bronson
3. # 36 Tim Russell, Longwood
4. #84 Wayne Anderson, Wildwood
5. #59 Dwayne Dempsey, St. Petesburg
6. #88 Justin Larson, Safety Harbor
7. #4x Ricky Carmichael, Tallahassee
8. #2 Patrick Conrad, Clermont
9. #64 Joe Winchell, Dade City
10. #12 Corey Freed, Orlando
11. #80 Brian Finney, Merritt Island
12. #40 Brock Burns, Winter Haven
13. #74 Jay Middleton, Gainesville
14. #73 Sam Watts, Winter Springs
15. #22 Dusty Cornelius, Cocoa
16. #4 Blake Lehr, Orlando
17. #1 Fain Skinner, Live Oak
18. #58 John Coffman, Live Oak
19. # 61 Jimmy Cope, Pinellas Park
20. #00 Robert Yoho, Pinellas Park
21. #9 Kurt Jett, Orange Park
22. #5x Jerry Artuso, Sault Ste Marie
23. #39 Ryan Sieg, Tucker, GA
24. #14 Travis Towell, Sanford
25. #30 Ricky Moxley, West Palm Beach
26. #75 Martin Pierce, Huntsville, AL
27. #7 Vince Keeler, Sebastian
28. #11 David Rogers, Orlando
29. #60 Richard Douglas, Christmas
30. #07 Jeff Scofield, Plant City
31. #78 BJ McLeod, Watchula
32. 56 Chris Staggs, Clermont DNS
33. 5 Dustin Skinner, Port Orange DNS
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