Casey Roderick took home the World Series of Asphalt Racing Super Late Model championship with a sixth place finish on Saturday night at New Smyrna Speedway. Photo: Anthony Campi Racing/Facebook
William Sawalich won the Super Late Model battle in the World Series of Asphalt at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, but Casey Roderick won the war.
Despite having to watch Sawalich take his second win of the week after dealing with brake issues for most of the night, Roderick still managed to salvage a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s Orange Blossom 100, earning him a title in his first attempt at the prestigious event.
The frustration of his brake issue was at the forefront of Roderick’s mind immediately after race, but he did come away with a sense of pride knowing he will always be remembered as a World Series of Asphalt champion.
“I feel good, but I’m disappointed in our finish,” the Lawrenceville, Georgia native said. “A brake line or something came loose on the right rear. It just went to the floor, so I did the best I could to get in the corner, but I’m proud of these guys. They did an awesome job all week, but it sucks we didn’t have anything to show for it tonight.”
From the moment they arrived at New Smyrna, the cars Anthony Campi supplied to Roderick and Katie Hettinger proved to be two of the fastest at the facility.
Along with Hettinger earning a Pro Late Model victory on Thursday evening, Roderick earned five poles across seven Super Late Model features before taking consecutive victories on Wednesday and Thursday.
William Byron matched Roderick’s win total by winning on Monday and taking the Clyde Hart Memorial 100 the following night, while Sawalich bookended the Super Late Model division with trips to victory lane.
A blown engine for Sawalich in the Clyde Hart Memorial 100 hindered him from making a significant run at Roderick for a World Series of Asphalt title, but he was more than satisfied to celebrate another win with the organization.
“I can’t thank the Donnie Wilson crew enough for giving me a great car,” Sawalich said. “I’m super happy for all of them, and there’s no better way to cap off (the week) with (another win).”
Sawalich had to earn his victory by going up against one of the best Super Late Model drivers in Senoia, Georgia’s Bubba Pollard.
After Pollard took the lead on a restart, Sawalich patiently bided his time behind the veteran until he made his move with just over 10 laps remaining. Once he cleared Pollard, Sawalich drove away from the field to add another win to his growing resume.
“That was a game of patience,” Sawalich said about his battle with Pollard. “I had to analyze what my car had versus what (Pollard’s) had. I capitalized on his weakness and got him with my strong points.”
With the World Series of Asphalt now complete, Sawalich is turning his attention toward his ARCA commitments, where he is scheduled to run 20 races across the three divisions.
For Roderick, the World Series of Asphalt gave him and Campi a perfect game plan for the rest of their 2023 season. He is confident the brake issues that hindered them on Saturday will be rectified and that they will continue to build off the momentum from their World Series of Asphalt title.
“I knew coming into (this week) we had a shot (at the World Series of Asphalt),” Roderick said. “We were strong in every race and had a chance to win. We’ve just got to keep digging and go into these other races by doing the same thing we did this week.”
Gabe Sommers finished in third, with Brad May in fourth and Connor Mosack fifth.
In other action, Bill Burba won the Florida Modified finale, Brennon Pletcher took the victory in the Pro Trucks feature, Sean Bass won the Mod Mini feature, Paul Koci won the Super Stock race, and Noah Partlow won the Bomber B feature.
New Smyrna Speedway – New Smyrna Beach, FL
World Series Of Asphalt Racing – February 18, 2023
Super Late Models
1. 2-William Sawalich
2. 26-Bubba Pollard
3. 15-Gabe Sommers
4. 9-Brad May
5. 28-Connor Mosack
6. 18-Casey Roderick
7. 22-Giovanni Ruggiero
8. 29-Austin Teras
9. 28D-TJ Duke
10. 23-Billy VanMeter
11. 112-Steve Weaver
12. 08-Nicholas Naugle
13. 51-Stephen Nasse
14. 76-James Lynch
15. 58-John Coffman
16. 17-Trenton Henick
17. 9T-Patrick Thomas
18. 18S-Brandon Short
19. 22X-Nick White
Trucks
1. 92-Brennon Pletcher
2. 25-Taylor Watson
3. 5-Richard Griffis
4. 27-Kenneth Canales
5. 59-Becca Monopoli
6. 56-Darryl Rudd
7. 36-Chad Chastain
8. 07-Maria Martins
9. 52-Chris Peludat
10. 14-Richard Rick Martin
11. 22C-Cody Coffman
12. 88-Wilson Martins, Jr.
13. 12-Noah Blake
14. 6-Tony Bromley
15. 77-Daniel Bromley
16. 24-Dalton Smith
17. 16-Dylan LeBeau
Bomber B
1. 23-Frank Button
2. K9-Chuck Rush
3. 66-Rick Gaither
4. 6D-Daniel Bromley
5. 44-Shane Sutorus
6. 6-Tony Bromley
7. 01-Tim Nichols
8. 50-Chuck Brewer
9. 93K-Ryan Kowolski
10. 66S-Chase Symons
DQ: 33-Noah Partlow
Florida Modifieds
1. 26-Bill Burba
2. 1W-Wayne Parker
3. 15-Tim Moore
4. 33-Shain Held
5. 4-Michael Mark
6. 16-Brian Gayton
7. 4B-Alan Bruns
8. 46-Cody Stickler
Mod Minis
1. 112-Sean Bass
2. 8-Dylan Reynolds
3. 78-David Russell
4. 22-John DeGeorge
5. V3-Rex Chistensen
6. 29-Aaron Jackson
7. 17-Brad Blanton
8. 95-Ernie Winton
9. 21-Todd Latour
10. 6-Mark Broat
11. 115-Tyler Simpson
12. 19-Shane Sutorus
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.