Concord, NC — Sam Hafertepe Jr. made a very tough decision last summer to drop off the World of Outlaws tour and re-group his team and racing effort with an eye towards 2010 and beyond. That all paid off as he had a very strong and consistent second half of the season and he looks to use that momentum as he returns to full-time competition with the World of Outlaws this coming season beginning at Volusia Speedway Park in the 39^th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, February 5-7.

After an off-season of hard work at the shop in Texas, Hafertepe and the Plumbfast Racing Team as ready to hit the road for the 70-pus race campaign that awaits the World of Outlaws in 2010.

“We’re really excited,” said Hafertepe. “We have a lot of things going here and we are way ahead of schedule compared to where we were last year. Last year we thought we were prepared going into Florida and every year it seems like we feel like we are prepared and this year I really think we are prepared. I know say that every year, but this year with the experience that we have from the last few years, we have gained a lot of knowledge.”

Hafertepe looks to use his experience in the DIRTcar Nationals to get off to a strong start and make up for some bad luck he suffered last year at the half-mile. He finished fifth on the second night of the three-day lid lifter in 2007 to score his best-career finish at Volusia. Hafertepe has four career Top-10 finishes at the track dating back to 2006 including a couple with the All Star Circuit of Champions, who will again be competing in the event this year on February 3-4, two events that Hafertepe plans to take part in.

“It’s a tough event right out of the gate,” he said when asked about the DIRTcar Nationals. “The competition level is exactly the same as the Knoxville Nationals or Kings Royal. Going down there you have a lot of good cars and every night is like a really big race.”

Bad luck befell Hafertepe last year at Volusia, as he lost three engines during the course of the week in Florida. This season armed with an arsenal of Charlie Fisher powerplants and Maxim cars, the 24-year old is confident in his equipment and the entire team he has assembled.

“You are racing so many days in a row that you have to have everything prepared,” shared the native of Sunnyvale, Texas. “You have to have everything prepared for that place like you have everything prepared for your whole season. Anything can happen any night, so you have to be prepared like you are racing an entire season in that week or so down there.”

Coming out of the box strong in Florida often sets the tone for the rest of the season and Hafertepe and his team are looking to start on the right foot in the Sunshine State and carry that momentum through the rest of the always grueling World of Outlaws campaign.

“It’s very important how you start the year at Volusia,” he said. “The past few years we have had some strong runs down there. Last year we had a strong run and blew a motor up. We have never been consistent there. The first time down there, I thought we were going to win the Outlaws race and we ran fifth, but we weren’t consistent every night. If you go down there and are a Top-10 car each night, that gets your season going well. That’s been our problem the last few years is that we had a slow start and never really were able to catch back up.”

Hafertepe and his team made a chassis change near the midpoint of last season and also changed engine suppliers as they looked for that right combination. That paid off as the team picked up 21 Top-10 finishes over the final four months of the season beginning with a very strong third-place run in the Kings Royals at Eldora Speedway where Hafertepe was battling Dale Blaney and Donny Schatz for the lead. Hafertepe would pick up his first win of 2009 two starts later with the IRA (Interstate Racing Association) in Wisconsin.

“We started to find the right combination,” he shared of the midseason turn around last year. “We switched everything at one time, which sometimes that is something that is very hard to do, but it really worked out well for us. I was really comfortable with what we had and it allowed me to perform at my fullest and show everyone that we were for real. Coming into this year, I’m not changing anything in our program and feel like I don’t have to. We’ve had strong runs at all of the big races and have been one of the best cars at the big races. That tells me that we are on the right track and now it’s all about fine tuning.”

Hafertepe matched his career-best finish with the World of Outlaws on two occasions last year, first finishing in the runner-up spot at Virginia Motor Speedway in May, which marked the second consecutive year he finished second at the half-mile. He also finished second again at Lone Star Speedway later in the season during the inaugural WoO Fest in late October.

“We just have to be consistent,” said Hafertepe when asked what it will take to get that first World of Outlaws win. “That’s what we lacked at the beginning of last year and the year before that. We were never consistent. Toward the end of last year we were really consistent and put ourselves in the right places to win. To win races it takes experience. Sometimes people get lucky and win one, but we unfortunately haven’t had that opportunity. If we put ourselves in the right places, the win will take care of itself.”

Hafertepe will again get to compete in his home state of Texas at Lone Star Speedway, a track that his family owns and operates. After a full week of rain prior to the fall race at the half-mile last fall, Hafertepe made countless laps on the track in the tractor and again in the water truck on racing day preparing the surface for a full night of action. In addition to that half-mile, he is excited to visit a number of the other historic half-miles on the circuit, where he would like nothing more than to contend for wins.

“I always look forward to racing there, but I also am really looking forward to going to every track that we have done well at in the past,” he said. “Those are places I think we have an advantage at because we have done well and have confidence at. We’ve been running very well at the prestigious tracks like Knoxville, Eldora and Williams Grove. When we go to those places we feel like we are on top of the world and that we have a shot to win just like everyone else.”

Hafertepe is very excited about the crew he has in place for 2010, with Daryl Turford back for his second straight year with the team, in addition to welcoming back Michael Schure, who has worked with the young Texan in the past. Hafertepe will continue to serve as his own crew chief this coming season.

“We really feel like we have a good team this year,” he said. “In the past Mike and I have meshed pretty well. With him back now, I think everything will gel pretty well. I feel very positive about these guys. I’ve matured a lot as an owner/driver and a crew chief and give our guys some leeway and that seems to help our team. Everything is going to go pretty good this year with having the same guys around on a consistent basis. Hopefully we won’t make any big changes during the year and it will be a positive season.”

After turning the proverbial corner in the middle of 2009, Hafertepe has high hopes for this season with the World of Outlaws. After finishing 19^th in points during his rookie year of 2007, he jumped to 11^th in 2008 and ended up 12^th last season running a portion of the schedule.

“Realistically we definitely want to get some wins, but that’s not the top priority on our list,” explained Hafertepe. “We want to be strong every night. We don’t want to have DNF’s and nights where things break on the car and nights like that. We want to steer clear of that stuff and have solid Top-10 and Top-Five finishes. The wins will take care of themselves if we are doing that.”

The 2010 World of Outlaws season kicks off with the 39^th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park February 5-7. To purchase tickets online visit: http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 386-985-4402. Each ticket purchased is also a free fan pit pass.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder's Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder’s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company