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PFLUGER’S SPEED TRUCK CHAMPIONSHIP CLENCHED IN A TRIPLE CROWN NIGHT -
Becoming the Youngest Champion in Speed Truck History
Under the hot Arizona desert this past Saturday there was a shootout brewing between
points leader Darren Young and sixteen year old Victor Pfluger. The two ASA Speed Truck
drivers have been the class of the field all year and heading into the final battle the
veteran Young held only a two point lead. Both drivers and their teams knew anything could
happen during the race, and until the checkered flag drops their fates had not been
sealed. The championship could come down to the last race, possibly last lap, maybe even
the last corner.
In this Speed Truck battle and be likened to the biblical struggle of David and Goliath;
Victor Pfluger as David making his stand against Darren Young as Goliath. Young has years
of experience, two Speed Truck Championships already on his resume and drives for a
well-funded race team. Victor, only 16 years old, with just 2 seasons on the Speed Truck
circuit, runs on a shoestring budget yet has proven that the underdog can be the winner.
There were two scenarios that would need to unfold for Pfluger to win the championship.
First, Victor needed to have a top qualifying time and the luck of the draw to start
within one spot of Young. And second, Victor would need to win the race.
Here’s how the night went down:
Qualifying:
Victor qualified on the pole. Darren, second. Step one: done!
After a week of non-stop preparation Victor’s trucks were ready for race day. Crew
chief Chuck Lahorgue, Victor and the team had spent the night before making last minute
changes to the truck to match the conditions of the track. Saturday morning Victor did a
short session to scuff the tires and clicked off some very impressive lap times. All the
hard work had paid off and Victor set Fast Time with a blistering 15.725 second lap –
just edging out Young’s best time.
The Trophy Dash:
The next step was the Trophy Dash. By virtue of his qualifying time Victor was on the pole
and Young to his right. With a glimpse of things to come Victor pulled to the lead from
the drop of the green flag and dominated till the checkered flew. With the proverbial roll
of the dice Victor is slated for front row outside – right next to Young. This is
huge! The drivers who have been the fighting for this championship all year long are
starting on the front row together. This is going to be exciting!
The Main Event:
The crowd knew that the battle was on. The two drivers at the front of the 18 truck pack
had been praised earlier in the week by the series director, Jay Rutherford. “I am
particularly proud of both of these drivers,” commented Rutherford. “I really
couldn’t pick a winner at this point. I always hate to see the season come to an end,
but this final 2007 race at Havasu 95 Speedway will be one for the record books. I wish
them both the best in this ‘Duel in the Desert.’”
As the green flag dropped Young powered to the lead position with Pfluger tucked in close
to his rear bumper. The first 44 circuits saw Darren leading and Victor glued to his tail
pull away from the field. After two yellows and a red flag full stop the restart on lap 45
saw Young go into turn one hard, Pfluger turned under Darren to make the pass when
Young’s teammate Bear Rzesnowiecky turned under Victor making it a 3 wide charge
coming off the corner. In an instant Young’s truck slowed dramatically and pulled off
the track with a cut tire and Victor’s truck flew past looking like it had been shot
out of a cannon. From there Victor never looked back. Despite two valiant charges through
the field, even making it up to the 5th spot, Young’s evening and championship
contention ended with a collision while gunning for the 4th spot. Victor cruised to the
win and entered the history book as the youngest ASA Speed Truck champion in the series
history.
After the Race:
After saluting the fans, Victor climbed from his truck with his helmet still on, raised
his arms and celebrated with his team, family and sponsors who had gathered on the front
stretch. “I can’t believe we won this race, it is amazing!” Shouted
Pfluger. I want to thank Jim Parker from Parker Farms for all his help and for coming out
to see this race. He has supported us all year long, we couldn’t have done any of
this without him.” Victor went on to thank Chuck Lahorgue, “I can’t thank
Chuck enough for sticking with us through the past two years. This win and the
championship is a testament to his expertise with these trucks. I also want to thank Lou
Martin with Pimp Hammer who came down from Vegas for this event. I would also like to
thank Diane at the Hampton Inn at Lake Havasu for making my crew comfortable this weekend.
Of course I owe everything to my Mom, Dad who have supported my dream and have sacrificed
so much to get me here tonight. I don’t want to leave anyone out ! – Big
“thank you’s” to Brad Peterson, Matt Wolfe, Bud Harvey and everybody who
had helped through the years: including Copperstate Tire, Alpinestars, Maxima racing oil,
NGK spark plugs, Mondello, the great people at Ranchero de los Caballeros, and Mothers
Wax. This is just amazing. It has not sunk in yet but it will in a few days. This is cool!
I can‘t believe we won this race.”
This was a spectacular season for the young driver. Strong, consistent showings
overshadowed early season unfounded controversy and a couple of rough nights of racing.
However, among the most admirable notes for the year was the fact that all three of
Victor’s feature events were “Triple Crown” nights – in which he took
Fast Time honors, the Trophy Dash win and the Feature Event wins.
When you’re on, you’re on!
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