August 5 -- The NASCAR late model twin 50 lap features were full of action Saturday night as point leader Mike Duncan won the first race after tangling with race long leader Dan Holtz on lap 48. Track championship rival Holtz hit the wall hard and had to borrow a car for the second 50 lapper. Using a borrowed car, fast timer Rick Grissom won the second 50 lapper with former track champion Kevin Vernon second in both races. Vernon was driving for Tom Hamilton. Duncan ran third in the second race and stretched his point lead to 35 points over Holtz. The street stock 25 lapper had a wild finish as Tony Alvarez and Mike White tangled coming off the final corner. Alvarez spun and point leader White won for the fifth time. Alvarez, who shares his car with Mike Riale, was going for a clean sweep as he set fast time and won the dash. Point leader Michelle Kelley won for the third time in four races in the Women's class and she added dash honors.
Running the Mesa Marin Spec Engine, Grissom posted fast time for the 12 late models at 18.840. Rex Calderwood was the only other car in the 18's at 18.975. Duncan ran a 19.018 and Kevin Small a 19.098. R Calderwood won the dash ahead of Small and Brian Branson. Holtz was sixth fast and led the first 47 laps of the first 50 lapper. Duncan went underneath Vernon to take third on lap 38 and he also used an inside move to take second from Shawn Calderwood on lap 45. Duncan went low in turn 3 on lap 48 in his attempt to pass Holtz. They made contact and Holtz spun into the wall. Duncan led the two remaining rounds to win over Vernon, Jeff Latimer, Grissom, Small and S Calderwood. Jeremy Salamacha loaned his Ford to Holtz for the second 50 lapper and Rex Calderwood scratched from that second race. The top six finishers from the first race were inverted at the front for the second 50 lapper. Grissom took the lead on lap 7 and paced the final 44 laps to gain his first ever win. Holtz and Duncan again made contact in the second race with Holtz again coming out on the short end. Vernon ran second over Duncan, S Calderwood, third ranked Branson and Small. While Duncan holds a 35 point lead over Holtz, Branson is 76 points back of Holtz and 82 ahead of Small.
For the street stocks, Alvarez ran a 22.985 qualifying lap compared to the 23.330 of Bill Tucker and the 23.386 of point leader White. Alvarez, White and Tucker ran 1-2-3 in the dash. J R Garcia took the B Main ahead of Mark Tenhet and Josh Horn. The 25 lap main had to be restarted when Robert Faihtinger and Tim Bales tangled. On lap 2, John Avila hit the wall. White had led from the start with Alvarez content to run second. On the last lap, Alvarez made his first aggressive move with an inside run in turn 3. In turn 4, Alvarez had moved a fender ahead. They got tangled up racing to the checkered flag and Alvarez spun with White winning. Alvarez recovered to finish second ahead of Tucker, Lloyd Wren Jr, Horn and Women's Division racer Dawn Sevenich. White's point lead is 48 over Alvarez and Tenhet has moved 9 points ahead of Wren in their third place duel.
Kelley took the lead on a lap 3 restart as she won the Women's Division main over Carl Jordan, Jerry Ellis and Sevenich. They also finished in that order in the dash and Kelley's point lead is 7 over Jordan and 12 ahead of Sevenich. In the Campus Motorsports action, Valley Christian High won for the fifth time in six races with Nathan Essman wheeling the winning entry as he took the lead on lap 10 of the 15 lapper. Adam Otten from Centennial High was second in the 8 car race. In the 911 Race for Youth action, the Bakersfield Fire Department won for the first time as Todd Payne gained the win ahead of Richard Watson from the Parks and Recreation Department. Greg Stoffel from California Highway Patrol was third ahead of Bill Ware from the Bakersfield Police.
Summary Street Stock Fast Time-Tony Alvarez 22.985 Dash-Alvarez, Mike White, Bill Tucker. B Main-J R Garcia, Mark Tenhet, Josh Horn, Robert Faihtinger, Tim Bales, John Avila, Ron Rogers. A Main-White, Alvarez, Tucker, Lloyd Wren Jr, Horn, Dawn Sevenich, Rogers, Garcia, Tenhet, Avila. Late Model Fast Time-Rick Grissom 18.840 Dash-Rex Calderwood, Kevin Small, Rick Grissom. 1st Main-Mike Duncan, Kevin Vernon, Jeff Latimer, Grissom, Small, Shawn Calderwood, Dan Holtz, R Calderwood, Rodney Peacher, Brian Branson, Jeremy Salamacha, Kristi Schmitt. 2nd Main-Grissom, Vernon, Duncan, S Calderwood, Branson, Small, Latimer, Holtz, Schmitt, Peacher.
