Despite the frustration of a late race caution, a spin out in the middle of that caution flag and getting moved from first to second Devlin Autry dug his heels into the asphalt and passed David Mayhew on the final lap to win the Crystal Pools 50 NASCAR Late Model race at Bakersfield’s Mesa Marin Raceway. It was Autry’s second win of the year. The July 22nd event was part of the raceway’s new “Thursday Night Thunder” Program.
Gene Fife and Autry were on the front row and led the starters under the initial green flag. Fife held the lead for two circuits, around Mesa Marin’s half mile high banks, before Autry took the point and began what appeared to be total domination of the race.
That lead was temporarily eradicated on lap ten when the first of two yellow flags flew into the air. That yellow was due to a three car tangle between Ray Maroquin, Michael Burrow and Josh Horn in turn two. When the race resumed Mayhew moved into second and began chasing Autry. By the half way point of the race the two leaders had amassed a half lap lead over the remainder of the field. Despite Mayhew’s efforts, it appeared to be Autry’s night as he repeatedly held a three to five car length lead over his nearest competitor.
But the special thing about auto racing is the fact that it’s never over until the final checkered waves into the air. Autry’s height of frustration landed on lap 41 when Maroquin spun in turn three after being tapped by Lloyd Wren JR. The shame of the situation lied in the fact that Maroquin, who was involved in the first caution flag on lap ten, had raced his way from the rear of the field to the top five when he found himself in the middle of another racing deal.
The yellow flag came out instantly following the lap 41 incident. Autry drove his Chevrolet into turn three and had to swing up to the high side of the track to avoid contact with a lapped car and found himself doing a 360 degree spin precariously close to the turn four wall. What happened next left a lot of racing observers perplexed. It was thought by many that Autry would be reinstated as the race leader because his spin occurred after the yellow flag was out and the field was, seemingly, frozen back to the previously completed green flag lap. But officials did not quite see it that way and placed Mayhew into the lead for the restart.
Autry made things right again with an outside pass, on the white flag lap, coming out of turn one to claim his rightful place in victory lane. Mayhew had to settle for second with Fife third while Jeff Smith and Eric Richardson rounded out the top five.
In victory lane Autry said it was a pretty exciting finish adding “David Mayhew ran us really clean and I’ve got to thank him for that. I think we put on a heck of a show for the fans here and I’m just glad everything turned out alright.” Commenting on being sent back to second following his yellow flag spin Autry said “I wasn’t real happy over that. I was real surprised because I remembered that during our first race of the year they put a guy ahead of me that did the same thing I did. I wasn’t real pleased with the decision but we just pulled the belts tight, grabbed a couple of gears and we ended up getting him.
In Street Stock action Greg Puskarich took the lead from Wayne Park on lap four and never looked backed and won the Crystal Pools 30 lap main event. It marked Puskarich’s third win of the year. David Hutchins JR was second while Paul Ebersbacher, “Shooter” Shane Thomas and Jason Devries rounded out the top five.
This race was remarkably clean, with only one yellow flag in the 30 laps, and featured a lot of close quarter racing action for position. This was especially surprising in light of the fact that, on the very first lap of the race, the street stockers came into turn three four wide and no one believed that they made it back to the start-finish line without a major wreck occurring.
In victory lane a very happy Puskarich said he was very happy to get his third win of the year considering he was driving a borrowed back up car. Explaining that he said “we had motor problems last Saturday so we had to borrow this car. It was our first time in it today and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Jeff Smith, and his brother Howie, got the car ready for us. We got here at five o’clock this afternoon, got into it and here we are. “ Commenting on the late race charge from Hutchins, Puskarich said “ Dave is always tough but we race each other clean. I gave him room, he gave me room and it was a lot of fun.”
