Sunday, August 7, 2022

SHORT TRACK: Samet Ozkan picks up 10th career last-place finish in caution free race at Charlotte; becomes 14th driver to trail double digit races



Samet Ozkan picked up the 1st last place finish of his SCRL Short Track Division career in Tuesday's Season 1 Race 2 at the Charlotte Speedway when his #12 Dodge Boys Dodge completed all 15 laps under power.


The finish came in his 2nd career start. In the SCRL Short Track Division, it's the 1st for car #12 and the 2nd for running at the finish. Across all the series in the SCRL, it's the 10th for the #12 and the 330th for running at the finish.

Entering the SCRL's newest series, Ozkan is a veteran in the SCRL, having been competing for several years in multiple series and has picked up six career total wins, but has yet to win a championship and Ozkan was looking to change that by competing full time in the SCRL's newest series. Ozkan's first race in the brand new series would start off well, qualifying 3rd and remained in the Top 5 all race long before finishing 5th in the last round at Dayton.

In qualifying at the race's second event of the season at the half mile at Charlotte, Bussy Beavers would win her first career series pole, posting a time of 15.897 seconds. Ozkan would fair decent around the half mile short track, posting a time of 16.172 seconds, 0.275 seconds behind Beavers's pole, which placed him 7th on the starting lineup. Starting last in the race was the #57 Dew Drop Inn Ford of Chase Miller, who was one of three drivers, the other two being Joshua Miller and Amber Mayhew, who didn't post a time in qualifying, with Chase being placed in the final spot in the lineup.

On race night, Chase would remain in the final spot for the first turn before knocking the #98 Discount Tire Chevrolet of Amber Mayhew back to last and would trail for the first lap before Amber would pass the #1 Hawaiian Tropic Chevrolet of Zane McClure, with McClure trailing for the next two laps before knocking the #2 Dayvaults Ford of Hale Hyatt into last on Lap 4. Hyatt's stay in the final spot would be brief as she would knock Ozkan back to last one lap later on Lap 5. Ozkan would struggle to gain any spots over the next ten laps, falling more than ten seconds behind the race leaders when the checkered flag waved.

The remaining Bottom Five were; 21st was the aforementioned #2 of Hale Hyatt, 20th was Dayton last-place finisher the #17 Carling Dodge of Rebecca Zeal, 19th was the #9 Coors Ford of Bailey Leigh and 18th was the #58 Designs Mods Racing Dodge of Joshua Miller.

SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #12 had finished last as well at Charlotte.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
22) #12-Samet Ozkan / 15 laps / running
21) #2-Hale Hyatt / 15 laps / running
20) #17-Rebecca Zeal / 15 laps / running
19) #9-Bailey Leigh / 15 laps / running
18) #58-Joshua Miller / 15 laps / running

SCRL LASTCAR SHORT TRACK DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP


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