PAIGE, Texas (Oct. 13, 2023) — Cameron Starry is used to going fast, and often runs in two classes. Doing double duty is paying off this weekend, as he looked strong in both when officials kicked off their annual OctoberFAST program on Friday evening at Cotton Bowl Speedway.
Starry, of Corpus Christi, won both of his Factory Stock Heats and added one in IMCA Stock Cars for good measure. Two rounds of Heats were run for all six divisions on hand (30 total), with B Mains and of course the A Mains on tap for Saturday night.
Other Heat winners (passing points were awarded to set the field for tonight's races) in Factory Stock include Donald Cain Jr., Olon Holder IV, Allen Torres, Johnny Torres and the red-hot Dalton Faulkner. Heats winners in I-Stock (along with Starry) include Chris Florio, David Lege Jr. and Mason Doherty.
In Street Stock qualifying, longtime Cotton Bowl regular Darrell Rhodes, Brandon Spreen, ageless veteran Wade White and Brandon Hood all won their respective Heats. Spreen won the points title this year, while White and Hood are regulars at Waco's Heart O' Texas Speedway.
In IMCA Southern SportMod action, newly-crowned points champion Heath Stewart, South Texas hotshoe Marcus Mikulencak, Waco's Brandon Geurin, along with South Texas racers Cody Beddoe, Joe Aramendia and Jared Maupin all powered to Heat race wins.
Sport Compacts were also in action on Friday, with San Antonio's Ryker Hernandez setting the pace. The son of I-37 Speedway flagman and veteran racer Jeremy Hernandez won both of his Heats, while Kayla Pouncey and Donald Lewis won the other two. Hernandez just won the SportMod title at I-37.
The mighty ground-pounding IMCA Modifieds were also in action on Friday evening. Newly-crowned points champion (and newly married) Chris Morris and Steven Whiteaker Jr. won their Heats in Rd. 1, while Garrett Gregory and former points champion Hardy Henderson won Heats in Round 2.
Friday night's program drew an impressive 125 entries spread across six divisions. Led by the ever-popular Factory Stocks with 38 and SportMods with 30, there was no shortage of talent in Mary Ann Naumann's expansive pit area. Fans were treated to plenty of battles all evening.
OctoberFAST is the opening round for the newly-announced South Texas Championship Series. Along with this event at Cotton Bowl, the STCS includes the DTK Memorial at I-37, The Clash at Texana Raceway Park and The Shootout at South Texas Race Ranch.
A significant point fund has been established for Factory Stock and SportMod teams as incentive to run all four events. The DTK Memorial pays tribute to three men; The Clash has become a premier event for promoter Owen Pittman; and The Shootout has been a marquee event for many years.
You can replay all of the action from Friday night's OctoberFAST qualifying program at Cotton Bowl Speedway with a subscription at RaceOnTexas.com. With over 400 events on the Live steaming schedule this year, it's home to some of the best short track content in the country.
When you sign up today for All Access, choose your favorite or hometown track, and start enjoying great content while supporting your local track even when you can't attend in person.
By Phil Whipple, RaceOnTexas.com Staff Writer
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