CONCORD, North Carolina -- "It ain't over til it's over." - one saying that has more tradition in the sport than TASCOR itself - once again proved true Saturday when David Topie, driving Fischer Racing's No. 5 Wrangler Chevrolet Impala SS moved to the inside of defending eDimensional All-Star Race champion James Krahula to take the lead and win the event.
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| © 2008 TASCOR Media |
| With one and a half laps to go, David Topie got to the inside of James Krahula, took the lead and never looked back. |
It was Topie's first win in the All-Star event and it came after he already won the second of overall four segments of the race. His career first win in a non-points event gave him a record setting check of $1,031,539 as he returned to victory lane for the first time since a win at Bristol earlier this season.
"Man. This was some awesome racing right there, oh my gosh (laughing)," an exhausted but still very much pumped up David Topie said in victory lane, trying to catch his breath.
"This race, you know. This is pretty special. Everybody races real hard and you still gotta take care of your stuff. I knew we had something for the 1 (James Krahula, No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) but early on Ben (Fischer, No. 18 Mirage Boats Chevrolet) looked like the car to beat until that unfortunate wreck with him, where he lost it I think," Topie added.
"Our Wrangler Chevy was fast. I mean, really bad bad fast. We were so loose down there in one and two, it was crazy I tell you. But you really gotta give credit to that Wrangler Chevy team down on pit road. They've given me fast pit stops all night, it was awesome. I have to thank all those guys at Fischer Racing. We did it! Yeah!"
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| © 2008 TASCOR Media |
| On lap 8, Ricardo Pino hit the slow car of Normunds Sarma head on, as Sarma was suffering from a cut tire. |
Topie beat James Krahula, who led a race-high 50 laps, by only .410 seconds to the finish line before celebrating one of his career's biggest wins with a series of wild donuts, putting the entire front stretch in a huge cloud of smoke.
Just prior to that, Krahula led the field away from the race's final restart with David Topie right in his tow. Coming out of turn two, Topie had more momentum on his side and dived down low to Krahula's inside on the back stretch. The two cars were coming to turn three side by side, almost touching.
Krahula saw himself forced to open up the bottom in turn three and four and by the time the two came out of turn four back to the start/finish line, Topie had the lead and never let go of it again coming to the checkers.
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| © 2008 TASCOR Media |
| James Krahula, Ben Fischer and David Topie were the drivers out front all night, dominating the eDimensional All-Star Race II. |
Behind Krahula, John Stanley who was subbing for Tom Splain in the No. 23 Sirius Satellite Radio Ford Fusion of NEPA Motorsports, wound up third.
A caution flag came out with six laps to go and put the field up for a restart with two laps to go. Third place runner Ben Fischer pitted for four fresh tires and a track bar adjustment, hoping not to start too far in the back and get a chance at the lead again. But Fischer didn't get going on the restart and never played a role in the outcome of the finish. He wound up seventh.
Stanley heritaged third place from Fischer when Fischer pitted under the final caution flag and later said. "I got going really good on that last restart. Had the 5 and 1 touched, I'd have been there to take advantage of that and win it all. But I'm happy with third and proud to have driven the Sirius Satellite Radio Ford Fusion today," Stanley finished.
Fischer Racing's Richard Cragg was fourth followed by John Higman Jr. in the best Toyota of the race. Jean Costa and Ben Fischer followed in sixth and seventh.
Behind the two, it was Ricardo Pino, eDimensional Showdown winner Normunds Sarma and Robert Hampton from eighth through tenth. Sarma was involved in a wreck on lap eight, when he hit the outside wall, cutting a tire. Pino's car shot out of turn four and right into the rear of Sarma's No. 6 Allstate Ford Fusion, triggering a heavy crash.
Mark Agee and Voffka Bykoff, who made the eDimensional All-Star Race II based on the eDimensional All-Star Race II Fan Vote, failed to finish the race and were out early.
As the prize for his eDimensional All-Star Race II victory, David Topie will receive a highly coveted AudioFX Force Feedback Headset at the value of $50, sponsored by eDimensional. The headset is the best on the market for gaming and music, especially extreme high and low frequence sounds, as it comes along with a unique force feedback engine that makes any gaming or music listening experience as real as it gets.
Next week, points racing will give its return at Lowe's Motor Speedway with the Coca-Cola 350. Last year, Ben Fischer captured his first career win there and will try to defend this. The race goes green shortly after 9 am ET on Saturday.
