Stephen Nasse led wire-to-wire to score the victory in Saturday night’s CARS Super Late Model Tour race at Orange County Speedway but had to fend off a fierce challenge from Dalton Sargeant to score the win.
Nasse qualified on the pole and led the field to the green flag after the start of the race was delayed nearly two hours because of rain. Once the race went green, everybody was able to beat the heat and humidity while Nasse beat the rest of the field.
“What a feeling,” Nasse said. “I was just talking to one of my crew guys, Jerrick Johnson, about how I’ve never got so worn out in a racecar or football or anything. I was throwing up after practice and after the race. I felt fine crossing the start finish line, yelling and screaming. Right when I quit talking, it was coming up and I was in trouble.”
The heat took its toll on Nasse physically, but attrition took its toll on nearly everybody else. The race itself was one of the most physical races in CARS Tour history featuring a series of accidents and numerous caution flags. Quin Houff, Tate Fogleman, Preston Peltier, Cole Timm, Clay Jones, Matt Craig and Raphael Lessard were some of the higher profile names involved in some of the carnage.
The closing laps saw a classic duel between Nasse and Sargeant, who flew in on Saturday morning after competing in an ARCA race in Pennsylvania on Friday. Sargeant closed up to Nasse and challenged the veteran from Pinellas Park, Florida for the lead and the win but Nasse held him off at the line.
“I was just hoping, every lap that went by that he kept trying to get to my inside, just please let this kid wear out his stuff,” Nasse explained. “Give me some breathing room. I know these boys, they’re in way better shape than I am. 250 pounds, it’s a hot race. This heat, it takes a toll on your body. I knew Dalton was in good shape so I was just hoping he would wear his car out a little bit.
“I knew my car wasn’t going away so I wouldn’t have an excuse at the end of the race if I let him get by me.”
The win was Nasse’s first career CARS Super Late Model Tour victory.
“It’s the toughest series I’ve ever been a part of,” Nasse remarked. “I don’t even go to the Southern Super Series or any of those anymore. This is it. CARS Tour or nothing. They have the best competition in the country and I’ll stay with them.”
Nasse was once a rising star in racing but a bout with pneumonia and multiple hospitalizations slowed him, and his career, down. Nasse had not won a race since scoring three wins in the 2014 World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway.
Sargeant finished in second while rookie Tanner Thorson finished in third in his first career CARS Tour start racing for David Gilliland Racing. Lucas Jones, who walked away from a terrifying looking crash last spring at Orange County, came home in fourth while Trevor Noles rounded out the top-five.
Unofficial Results
- Stephen Nasse
- Dalton Sargeant
- Tanner Thorson
- Lucas Jones
- Trevor Noles
- AJ Frank
- Brandon Setzer
- Tyler Ankrum
- Jody Measmer
- Spencer Davis
- Raphael Lessard
- Chandler Smith
- Matt Craig
- Clay Jones
- Cole Timm
- Vinnie Miller
- Tyler Church
- Tate Fogleman
- Preston Peltier
- Tanner Berryhill
- Quin Houff
- Wade Day
- Jeff Batten
