SAN BERNARDINO, California — M.K. Kanke, the reigning champion of the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series, waited his way to a victory Saturday night at Orange Show Speedway.
Kanke, of Frazier Park, Ca., spent the majority of the 135 laps in the Citizens Business Bank 135 stalking leader Jacob Gomes, a series rookie from Manteca, Ca. Gomes, who took the lead from pole-sitter Josh Combs, of Sacramento, on lap 32 and had no trouble maintaining a lead from that point until the final yellow flag waved on lap 128 because of oil on the track.
Gomes had been able to pull away slightly on previous restarts. But when the green flag waved this time he pulled his Chevrolet to the inside of the track, reportedly with a broken axle, and Kanke roared into the lead ahead of Derek Thorn, of Bakersfield, and veteran Jim Pettit II, a past series champion.
They finished the 135 laps that way, the two pursuers doing their best to out-drag Kanke to the finish. But Kanke’s Sims Trucking/RPM Chevrolet flashed under the checkered flag 0.362 of a second ahead of Thorn, who had won the season opener at Roseville, Ca., March 27.
Gomes, who pulled off the track on lap 130 and came right back on, finished 13th in the 23-car field.
The win was worth $4,000 to Kanke, who now has 23 wins in Southwest Tour competition.
It was the first time since 1997 that the series had visited the ASA Member Track.
Yucapa (Ca.) High senior Robby Hornsby Jr. won his second Team Too Pony Stock main event in as many starts, taking the lead midway through the 35-lap race and beating Charles Price, of Fullerton (Ca.), to the finish by 1.1 seconds after a rash of yellow flags. Darren Amidon, of Santee (Ca.) won for the third time in four starts in the Budweiser Legends feature and Kevin Cook, of Riverside (Ca.), won the 35-lap race in the Stock Car USA class.
Kyle Cline, of Apple Valley (Ca.), won the 25-lap debut of the Dwarf Cars, which like the Legends Cars are 5/8 scale model replicas of 1928-1948 American production cars, but with the full racing suspension systems the Legends lack.
| SPEARS SRL SOUTHWEST TOUR (135 laps) |
|---|
| 1. M.K. Kanke, Frazier Park, Chevrolet; 2. Derek Thorn, Bakersfield, Chevrolet; 3. Jim Pettit II, Prunedale, Ca., Chevrolet; 4. Ryan Foster, Redding, Chevrolet; 5. Thomas Martin, Auburn, Ca., Chevrolet; 6. Kyle Cattanach, Redding, Chevrolet; 7. Jason Gilbert, Pleasanton, Ca., Chevrolet; 8. Rex Lockwood, Victorville, Chevrolet; 9. Keith Spangler, Chatsworth, Chevrolet; 10. Eric Richardson, Bakersfield, Cheverolet; 11. Joe Farre’, Henderson, Nev., Chevrolet; 12. Eddie Secord, Oak Hills, Chevrolet; 13. Jacon Gomes, Manteca, Ca., Chevrolet; 14. David Mantooth, Cotati, Ca., Chevrolet; 15. Jared Vorse, Olympia, Wash., Chevrolet; 16. Greg Voigt, Goleta, Ca., Chevrolet; 17. Brennan Newberry, Bakersfield, Chevrolet; 18. Josh Combs, Sacramento, Ford; 19. Auggie Vidovich, Lakeside, Chevrolet; 20. Ross Strmiska, Manteca, Ca., Chevrolet; 21. Kevin Callahan, Bakersfield, Chevrolet; 22. Jonathan Gomez, Twin Falls, Ida., Chevrolet; 23. Carlos Vieira, Livingston, Ca., Chevrolet; Margin of victory – 0.362 seconds. Average speed – 27.456 mph. Leading qualifier – Thorn, 12.719 seconds. |
| TEAM TOO PONY STOCKS (35 laps) |
| 1. Robby Hornsby Jr., Yucaipa, Ford Pinto; 2. Charles Price, Fullerton, Pinto; 3. Adrianne Murlin, Corona, Pinto; 4. Jeremy Perez, Chino, Pinto; 5. Roger Gates, Beaumont, Pinto; 6. Kevin Meador, San Bernardino, Pinto; 7. Larry Hile, Redlands, Pinto; 8. Jeff Imbriani, San Bernardino, Pinto; 9. Bud Smith, Orange, Pinto; 10. Eddie Collins, Desert Hot Springs, Pinto; 11. Spencer Samaro, San Bernardino, Pinto; 12. Joe Van Sant, San Bernardino, Pinto; 13. Lucas McCray, Corona, Pinto; 14. Jack Hughes, Beaumont, Pinto; 15. Evan McCray, Riverside, Pinto; 16. Darrell Kelsoe, San Bernardino, Pinto; 17. Josh Hodges, Adelanto, Pinto. Margin of victory – 1.105seconds. Average speed – 17.720 mph. Trophy Dash winner -- Perez. Leading qualifier – Murlin, 14.637 seconds. |
| STOCK CARS USA (35 laps) |
| 1. Kevin Cook, Riverside, Chevrolet Malibu; 2. David Foster, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 3. Mark Fletchall, Riverside, Chevrolet Chevelle; 4. Donny Rudd, Riverside, Malibu; 5. Allen Hevy, Yucca Valley, Chevrolet Nova; 6. Shaun Estes, Riverside, Monte Carlo; 7. Scott Groom, Anaheim Hills, Nova; 8. Steven Clark, Riverside, Monte Carlo; 9. Mark Miller, San Bernardino, Cadillac El Dorado/Chevrolet Margin of victory – 0.362 seconds. Average speed – 32.714 mph. Trophy dash winner – Cook . Leading qualifier – Foster, 15.247 seconds. |
| BUDWEISER LEGENDS CARS (35 laps) |
| 1. Darren Amidon, Santee, ’34 Ford/Yamaha; 2. Davin Mack, Las Vegas, ’37 Ford/Yamaha; 3. Caleb Kanke, Granada Hills, ’34 Ford/Yamaha; 4. Riley Sawyers, Gilbert, Ariz., ’34 Chevrolet/Yamaha; 5. Matt Hicks, Lakeside, ’34 Ford/Yamaha; 6. Austin Reed, Bakersfield; 7. Ryan O’Connor, Vista, ’37 Ford/Yamaha; 8. Chris Clyne, Las Vegas, ’37 Chevrolet/Yamaha; 9. Derek Lacey, Costa Mesa, ’34 Ford/Yamaha; 10. Brad Delpino, Garden Grove, Ford/Yamaha; 11. Chancellor Tiscareno, Menifee, ‘37Chevrolet/Yamaha; 12. Devin Newberry, Bakersfield. Margin of victory – 0.762 seconds. Average speed – 19.615 mph. Trophy Dash winner – Amidon. Leading qualifier – Hicks, 14.701 seconds. |
| DWARFS (25 laps) |
| 1. Kyle Cline, Apple Valley, ’39 Chevrolet/Kawasaki; 2. David Quigley, La Mirada; ’34 Ford truck/Kawasaki; 3. John Alonso, Tustin, ’34 Ford/Kawasaki; 4. Chris Sullivan; 5. Mike Shively, Hesperia, ’34 Ford/Kawasaki; 6. Tom Major, Oceanside, ’38 Ford/Suzuki; 7. Ron Prather, Highland, ’34 Ford/Kawasaki. Margin of victory – 7.16 seconds. Average speed – 43.368 mph. Trophy Dash winner -- Cline. Leading qualifier – Cline, 13.688 seconds. |
