NOEL MCCORMACK JR. WINS A FIERY MODIFIED MAIN

UKIAH, California – The next “King of the Hill Challenge Series” event was held at the Ukiah Speedway last Saturday. The pleasant breezy weather bought in 70 race cars in five classes.

The Airport Auto Brokers Late Model events were almost completely dominated by Forrest Kuecker of Lucerne who won the main event, trophy dash, and the heat race. Jeremy Hopkins of Lakeport set the fast time of 12.967s.

Avoiding a last-lap fiery crash, Noel McCormack Jr. of Lakeport won his first Modified main event of the season and set the fast time of 13.242s.

Andy Vander Veer of Santa Rosa had to make his way through the pack twice to win the Bonus Bomber main event. He also set the fast time of 14.860s and won his heat race.

The Bomber main event only had two yellows, but was full of spins, three-wide racing, a green-white-checker shootout, and disqualifications. When the smoke had cleared, Anthony McCoy of Redwood Valley brought home the checkered flag for the first time this season. Ron Duke Sr. of Redwood Valley set the fast time of 15.708s.

Late Models

The Late Model main event started with a field of eight cars led by Charlie Collins and Sean Caturegli. Collins took the early lead as Forrest Kuecker and Jeremy Hopkins made their way past David Furia and John Dalerio.

In lap 5, Caturegli passed Collins for the lead and, three laps later, Kuecker passed Collins for second and Hopkins made it past Furia.

As Michael Swaney was being lapped in lap 12, Hopkins took third from Collins. For seven laps, Dalerio tried to make his way past Furia for fifth until a yellow was thrown in lap 21 to put Furia back one position for blocking.

Caturegli and Kuecker led the restart. Dalerio got the jump on Collins to move up and battle Hopkins for third. In lap 13, Dalerio broke and Hopkins spun of the backstretch for a caution. Dalerio had to retire to the pits and Hopkins restarted from the back in front of Mike Bourbon and Swaney.

Caturegli and Kuecker again led the restart, but this time Kuecker got the advantage from the outside and took the lead. Furia jumped ahead of Collins for third. Hopkins took up the battle with Collins for fourth.

At the finish it was Kuecker followed by Caturegli, Furia, Hopkins, and Collins.

Modifieds

Gary Lowblad and Jeremy Nowlin led the 18 Modifieds to the start of their main event. They ran side-by-side for six laps until a mid-pack tangle caused a yellow and sent Drew Foster, and Clay Caturegli to visit the pits.

Nowlin and Lowblad restarted the field but a frontstretch spin by Codi Barba brought things to a halt again. Barba, Thomas Wright, and Scott Feil were sent to the back while Bob Strauss had to visit the pits with mechanical problems.

Nowlin and Lowblad led the restart again but Rick Pardini broke a tie-rod and spun into the turn four infield. Pardini, Feil, and Strauss all retired to the pits.

Nowlin and Lowblad started them up again in front of Scott Sabol inside of Derrick Crayford. Crayford and Rick Rose made contact causing Crayford to fish-tail wildly through turns one and two, but he recovered dropping into fifth.

Sabol and Rose passed Lowblad on the outside and Sabol started an outside challenge on Nowlin for the lead. Crayford caught back up to the front three as Lowblad was shuffled back by Noel McCormack Jr., Jim Sozzoni, and Richie Potts.

In lap 11 as Sabol dug for the lead, he broke loose causing Rose and Crayford to go three-wide to avoid him. Sabol recovered and dropped into fifth behind McCormack.

For 10 laps Nowlin stretched his lead while McCormack slowly weaved past Rose, Crayford, and Sabol until, in lap 21, he caught Nowlin and took the lead on the backstretch.

As McCormack drove away from Nowlin and Rose, Crayford and Sabol fought for fourth, Terry McIntire finally broke out from tenth to make his way past Sozzoni for seventh behind Potts. In lap 24, Bret Barney and Drew Foster made contact at the back of the pack spinning Barney in turn four for a caution.

McCormack and Nowlin led the field to the restart. Nowlin bobbled outside of Rose causing Crayford to dodge wide and fall back outside Sabol and then McIntire before he could recover in sixth.

With four laps to go, Crayford lit the after-burners on the outside to pass McIntire and Sabol, and then challenge Rose for third. In the final lap, contact between Crayford and Rose sent Rose into the outside backstretch dirt and back into Crayford in turn three, spinning them both in front of the pack and sending them over the berm off the track. There was a burst of fire, but it quickly doused itself and everyone was all right.

The yellow was thrown but, since this was the last lap, racers had to make it to the finish line for their positions. McCormack claimed the checkers followed by Nowlin. Both Sabol and McIntire were caught up in the spin allowing Wright to finish third, Potts fourth, and Caturegli fifth. Potts won the trophy dash, and Mark Marek, Nowlin, and Crayford the heat races.

Bonus Bombers

The Bonus Bomber 13 car pack was led to the main event start by Galdino Guevara and David Jones. Guevara immediately let the field pass him as Jones took the lead ahead of Jerry Crapo. Gary Collins quickly made his way up from sixth to third but was blocked by the slower front-runners.

In lap seven, Crapo and then Jones were finally shuffled back and Collins took the lead. Andy Vander Veer, caught behind Crapo and Jones, was passed by Eric Johnson, Jared Martin, and Todd Armstrong for second through fourth. Armstrong suddenly lost power and exited to the pits.

Collins and Johnson fought for the lead ahead of Martin and Vander Veer, as Robert Loucks and Bill Binns made their way past Jones and Crapo into fifth and sixth. In lap 16, Johnson had just nosed into the lead when Loucks spun in turn one bringing out the first caution.

Johnson and Collins restarted the field, but Martin stalled out on the backstretch for another caution.

Johnson and Collins led the restart again. Johnson took the inside lead and Vander Veer followed into second. Binns passed Collins for third leaving him to the predations of Bill Mucci and Loucks. However, in lap 22 the action was halted when Loucks lost a tire.

Johnson and Vander Veer led them to the green and Vander Veer took the outside lead. Binns kept third from Collins as Mucci battled Keith Nelson and Jarred Martin. In the last lap as cars were being lapped, Collins and Martin lost tremendous ground.

Vander Veer finished first, followed by Johnson, Binns, Mucci, and Jones. Martin won the trophy dash and Crapo his heat race.

Bombers

A full field of 18 Bombers were led to the start by Mike Bray and Eric Williamson. Andy Norton and Keven Brackett transferred in from the B-Main. Bray took the lead as Tim Buzzard passed Williamson for second, and Robert Byers and Shawn Kennedy battled for fourth.

In lap four, Eric Hernandez in seventh spun behind Jimmy Sorrels and collected Derrick Crayford and Jon Waner for the first of only two cautions. Crayford visited the pits with a flat.

Bray and Buzzard led the restart and Bray took the inside lead. Buzzard was passed on the inside by Williamson and Kennedy. Byers got very loose outside Anthony McCoy and pushed Sorrels back outside of Ron Duke Sr. in eighth.

McCoy galloped on the outside past Buzzard, Kennedy, and Williamson to challenge Bray. George Abella, Duke, Manya Tenney, and Shelby Helm were trying to follow. In lap 15, McCoy swung outside Bray and finished the pass on the backstretch. Abella and Duke made it past Williamson and Kennedy while Tenney and Helm battled side-by-side in front of Jon Waner.

Duke powered up the outside past Abella and Bray. As Tenney passed Kennedy, Kennedy got wicked loose on the backstretch. Waner and Helm went three-wide to avoid him as he wobbled through turns three and four before he finally recovered.

In lap 20, Abella followed Duke outside of Bray for third as Tenney continued past Williamson for fifth. Waner passed Williamson for sixth but, before Helm could follow, Randy Portlock swung outside to pass them both and then Helm followed.

Duke was steadily reeling in McCoy's lead, but they were also about to lap and were slowed by Brackett and Byers. Duke got a nose inside of McCoy and shot out in first and to the outside of Brackett. The leaders threaded past Brackett and Byers as Tenney swung outside of Bray for fourth when Hernandez spun in turn one for a caution.

Byers elected to go to the back rather than restart in his lapped position with the leaders. Duke and McCoy brought them to the green flag for the green-white-checker two lap shootout in front of Abella inside the lapped Brackett, Bray inside Tenney, Waner inside Portlock, and Helm inside Williamson.

McCoy nosed out in front through turns one and two, but Duke powered back on the backstretch followed by Abella. The lapped Brackett slowed the outside line and pushed Tenney and Portlock back behind Bray, Waner, and Helm.

McCoy tried to hold on, but finally fell in behind Duke. Duke crossed the line first, followed by McCoy, Abella, Bray, and Waner. However, both Duke and Bray were disqualified in post-race technical inspection. This placed McCoy in first, followed by Abella, Waner, Helm, and Portlock. Abella won the trophy dash, and Norton, Bray, and Crayford the heat races.

Coming Up

The “King of the Hill Challenge Series” continues this Saturday night August 11 at the Lakeport Speedway with the Late Models, Modifieds, Mini-Stocks, Bonus Bombers, and Bombers.

Racing returns to the Ukiah Speedway Labor Day Weekend September 1 & 2 with the Red Fox 125 featuring the North State Challenge Series Late Models, the Legends Cars of the Pacific, and the next “King of the Hill Challenge Series” event with the Modifieds, Bonus Bombers, and Bombers.