In an incredibly fast field that saw 12 drivers break the existing Tri-State track record, Billy Binns of Upper Lake proved to be the fastest of them all, and when it was all over Binns not only claimed the new record of 11.812 seconds, but took the lead away from series points leader Kyle Cattanach of Redding on lap 56 and drove the remaining distance for the $1500 win in the 5th Annual Robinson Rancheria Bingo & Casino North State Challenge. It was Binn's fourth victory in the North State Challenge series.
Coming into this 12th event on the North State Tour, the track record on Lakeport's one-quarter mile oval belonged to Oregon's Mike Sackett at 12.120. Junior Roddy was first to clock in under this time with his 12.117 and the times continued to fall as the competitors took to the track. Danny Bishop turned 12.065, Mike Doss clocked 12.044 and John Dalerio had a 12.004. Turning laps in the 11 second bracket included C.J. Bawden at 11.998, Josh Bews at 11.979, Jimmy Stillman at 11.909, Jeremy Hopkins at 11.893, Mic Moulton at 11.884, Bill Ward with a 11.870, Cattanach at 11.840 and Binns.
Ward powered by Mic Moulton to win the trophy dash.
The 75 lap feature saw a six car invert with Upper Lake's Jimmy Stillman and Lakeport's Jeremy Hopkins in the front row. Stillman lead the first round with Hopkins hanging on in the outside lane. Hopkins was out in front on lap two, just before the yellow flew when Mike Bourbon hit the wall coming out of turn four.
The single file restart gave Hopkins the edge where he lead Stillman, Cattanach, Ward and Binns. Hopkins drove a smooth groove, avoiding slower cars as the lapping process began on lap 10. Binns pulled along side of Ward on 11, trapping him behind Hank Hilton's lapped car, and took over the fourth slot. Meanwhile Cattanach was trying to poke his nose under Stillman, but with no success. He then took his #59 to the high side, pulled along side of Stillman and assumed the runner-up spot on lap 17.
Three rounds later the race was slowed when Kevin Estep and Junior Roddy came together and stalled on the front stretch. On the restart, Hopkins drove in too hard and slapped the front-stretch wall, popping a tire in the process. Hopkins limped to the pits, leaving Cattanach in the lead. Stillman also had a tire go flat, pitted and returned to action before the green fell again.
The restart saw Binns tight on Cattanach's bumper with Ward in third, Mic Moulton in fourth and Josh Bews in fifth. The pack ran nose-to-tail the next seven laps. As the cars were coming to the line on lap 37, Estep spun in front the the crowd and the field scattered right and left to miss Estep's lime green #5K. Lap 38 saw Rod McCombs overheat and stall in the track-entrance gate to slow the action for the fifth time. McCombs pitted and then came back on the track on lap 49, 13 laps down.
Cattanach, Binns, Ward, Moulton and Bews continued to blister the track in single-file format, but on lap 55, Cattanach's tires started to go away and he pushed high. To compensate, his car darted down onto the berm, and it was all Binns needed to pull along side of the leader and make his challenge. Binns gunned his car past Cattanach on the 56th circuit and never looked back.
Two more cautions plagued the event, one on lap 66 for debris on the track, and the other on 70 for a confrontation involving Mike Doss, John Dalerio and Roddy.
The final five rounds saw Cattanach slowing, and on the white flag lap Ward swapped places with Cattanach. The checkered flag flew for Binns with Ward second, Cattanach third, Moulton fourth and Bews fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Bowden, Roddy, Dalerio, Stillman and Bishop. Binns accepted the four-foot tall trophy from Scott Sirois, general manager of the Robinson Rancheria Bingo & Casino.
“You put the pressure on me when you wrote in the newspaper that I planned on owing the track record and winning the race,” Binns told speedway manager Nadine Strauss after the event. “I had no choice but to do it. I had to live up to my promises.”
Binns trailed Cattanach by 18 points going into the North State series action at Lakeport. According to series promoter Blair Aiken, there should now be only one or two points separating the two contenders. Points standings should be available from series coordinator Virginia Wasmund by Sunday night.
A-Main - Bill Binns, Bill Ward, Kyle Cattanach, Mic Moulton, Josh Bews, Christopher Bawden, JR Roddy, John Daleria, Jim Stillman, Jr., Danny Bishop, Mike Doss, Rod McCombs, Kevin Estep, Brad Wasmund, Jeremy Hopkins, Hank Hilton, Mike Bourbon.
Trophy Dash - Bill Ward, Mic Moulton, Kyle Cattanach, Bill Binns.
Time Trials – Bill Binns (11.812 NTR), Kyle Cattanach (11.840), Bill Ward (11.870), Mic Moulton (11.884), Jeremy Hopkins (11.893), Jimmy Stillman (11.909)
