Second yr driver Zack Beard driving the Power Up Concrete Pumping #77 brought the main event field to the green flag, with his heart pumping, since it was his first time being in that position. Second generation driver, son of Cameron Beard, had listened to head referee, Peggy Holbrook’s words of advice, to hold your line going into turn one with the thunder coming behind you.
Zack’s car bogged at the start, and he drove with the words of advice, and the freight train rushed by with out an incident.
Dakota Albright driving his ART/Kawasaki #35jr jumped into the lead going into turn one, and long forgot his misfortune from Placerville, as he pulled away from the field on the newly enlarged and up graded Antioch surface. Dakota was celebrating his recent graduation from Turlock High, as he raced with the hammer down.
Fourth starting, Jason Sneep, driving the Lonnie Lopez #11x, Bailey/Suzuki, also forgot his air time at Placerville, and blasted into the lead on 3, with Albright staying on his bumper, followed by fifth starting Glass.
The new changes in the racing surface provided the racers with several different lines of racing not the same old one groove racing. All the drivers were searching as the race progressed.
Sneep pulled away from the field and it looked like he would prevail easily. Chris Glass driving the Red Hawk Casino #9 had other ideas, as he kept Sneep in site and worked the whole speedway surface to catch Sneep. His efforts cashed in on lap 13 as he got around Sneep and held on for the win. Glass told me after the race that his ART/Suzuki just got faster lap after lap, and the thrill of victory came his way.
Albright drove the best race of his short 3yr career to finish third, followed by Paulson, Corso, R. Hoover, Manning, Nunes, Soto, Holbrook, J Hoover, Rogers, Beard, Buffa.
Notes
Cory Green driving his Green Motorsports ART/Honda pulled off the track before the green flag, of the main event, with a fuel relay switch problem, after a strong second place finish in the heat race.
Brian Corso #10 driving his ART/ Kawasaki experienced fuel pump problems in his heat race, and had to do a lot of wrenching to make the main.
Doug Nunes #1 experienced a clutch failure at the end of the main, after breezing to a first heat win.
Tim Manning #21 from Rescue, came from shifter kart experience, and is a rookie this season in the Lite division. His consistent finishes have him a surprising 5th place in the season point’s standings. Consistency is paying off.
Heat races were won by #1 Nunes and #11x Sneep
Main Finish: Glass, Sneep, Albright, Paulson, Corso, R Hoover, Manning, Nunes, Soto, Holbrook, J Hoover, Rogers, Beard
Heat #1: Nunes, Paulson, Holbrook, Beard, Soto, Manning, R Hoover, J Hoover
Heat #2: Sneep, Green, Glass, Albright, Rogers, Buffa
Lite Interest:
Midget Lite drivers were interviewed in the pits by Pro-Motion Video prior to racing. Steve Hazelton conducted the interviews and Dennis Parker was the camera man, capturing the insight of driver’s history’s and more. Interviews will continue through out the season, with questions changing, to give the fans and sponsors and inside look at the BCRA Midget Lite Division.
John Meyers, announcer and manager of Antioch Speedway, allowed me to join him in the announcer’s booth, and call the Lite races. I look forward to returning to Antioch on July 25th to join him in the booth again.
Next race June 13th at Marysville Speedway
