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After completing only one lap #66 Bob Heffer had mechanical problems which sidelined him for the remainder of the race. Bob was the 2001 champion, and once again qualified on the pole for the feature race. Mechanical problems were not just a problem for the 66, as several of the fast, front running cars experienced difficulties. Early leader #1 Mike Dionne suffered a flat tire while running second. #82 Tony dies also had a flat tire, while leading. After running as high as third place #59 Rick Galuschuck also encountered tire problems late in the race. Running in second position, #17 Corey Schmidt broke a hub, and was forced to retire. On lap 45, while racing in the fifth position, #21 Nathan Kupczynski suffered an engine failure.
The eventual race winner, #24 Les Hillacre, drove a smooth, consistently fast race, avoiding trouble, as did the third place finisher, #80 Clint white. The second place car, #16 Dwight Brost, rode around for the first half the race, and then ran a strong second half, passing for second on lap forty eight. By simply finishing on the lead lap #51 Devon Brown assured himself of a fourth place finish, as there were only four cars that finished all fifty laps. Brown credits his crew, Ryan and Travis Davis and Beth Thomson, for getting a tire changed, after being involved in a multiple car incident, which caused the only caution period of the race. #22 Chris Douglas also ran a strong race, getting lapped very late in the race, on lap 46, but still beating 4 cars finishing on the same lap, for the fifth position.
The Wheatbelt Stockcar Racing Assoc. would like to thank all their sponsors through the year, all of the race day workers, as well as all the participants, and especially our fans. Thank you for braving the weather to enjoy our sport.
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