In a non-stop race that took less than eight minutes to run, Shawn Bertram of Clearlake drove to his first modified victory at the Lakeport Speedway Sunday night after leader Chuck Pruett broke a rear end with only six laps to go. Bertram was credited as the winner of the 23rd annual Lakeport Challenge in the second day of the Memorial Day double header on Lake County's one-quarter mile paved oval.
Dale Preston of Kelseyville racked up win number five in the mini stock division, and Jeremy Nowlin of Kelseyville passed Chuck Pruett in lapped traffic on the 27th lap of the Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa bomber 30 lapper to lay claim to his first season victory on the 2000 season.
Eighteen cars took the green flag in the modified feature with Pruett and Bertram sharing the front row. After a four lap battle, Pruett pulled ahead of Bertram and Randy Houston and Richie Potts were racing for the third and fourth spots. Terry McIntire swapped places with Potts at the mid point in the race as the leaders were slowed by lapped traffic.
Pruett's reign ended prematurely as his rear end broke and he was forced to retire his #21 modified into the infield. This left the way wide open for Bertram where he drove the distance to the checkers for the win. Houston finished a strong second with McIntire third, Rick Rose fourth and Thomas Wright fifth.
Rookie driver Pat Hinchcliff set fast time of 12.672, Rose captured the dash and heat wins went to Pruett, Houston and Ben Phillips
The mini stock feature began with Glenn Koeppel leading the way for nineteen laps with Andrew Snider a close second. Preston worked his way through traffic and passed Koeppel for the lead on the 20th round. Koeppel got caught behind a slower car on 21 allowing Snider, Kelly Gray, Dusty Barton and Peter Unruh to gain position. The non-stop event saw Preston the winner with Snider second, Gray third, Rod Gard fourth and Unruh fifth.
Kevin Barba set fast time, Dusty Barton was the dash winner and heat races went to Koeppel and Gard.
Twenty-six bombers timed in and 18 started their main event with Wayne Bates out in front for the first half of the race. Bates lost control on lap 16 and spun in front of the pack. With no where to go, Lex Burger slammed into Bates and Chuck Maves was collected as well. Chuck Pruett took over the lead with Nowlin in second, Sean Sweeney third and Kevin Minassian fourth. Sweeney developed an engine smoke and was black flagged on lap 24.
Once again it was not going to be Pruett's night as Nowlin snuck by when Pruett got caught in lapped traffic. Nowlin drove out in front the final four laps to his first season victory followed by Pruett, Minassian, Don Baker and Chuck Egger. Pruett posted fast time, Cassie Sterrett, George Abella and John Barker won the heat races and Chuck Maves took home trophy dash honors. Bill Peters won the "B" main.
Racing resumes at the Lakeport Speedway this Saturday night with the Airport Auto Brokers Late Models and the NCI-4 modifieds joining the NCRA modifieds, mini stocks and bombers.
MODIFIEDS
Fast Time: Pat Hinchcliff, 12.672
Trophy Dash: Rick Rose, David Furia, Hinchcliff, Gary Lowblad
Heat 1: Chuck Pruett, John Tredway, Shawn Bertram, Erv Pettenger, Mark Marek, Don Miller, Gary Gossner, Freedom Hawthorne
Heat 2: Randy Houston, Terry McIntire, Richie Potts, Chuck Smithhart, Danny Bishop, Jim Whaley
Heat 3: Ben Phillips, Rose, Furia, Lowblad, Thomas Wright
Main Event: Bertram, Houston, McIntire, Rose, Wright, Phillips, Potts, Bishop, Whaley, Lowblad, Hinchcliff, Marek, Smithhart, Tredway, Pettenger, Pruett, Miller, Hawthorne
MINI STOCKS
Fast Time: Kevin Barba , 13.827
Trophy Dash: Dusty Barton, Kelly Gray, Barba, Peter Unruh
Heat 1: Glenn Koeppel, Andrew Snider, Tom Burger, John Gregory, J.J. Offenbach, Lesley Scatena Heat 2: Rod Gard, Barba, Unruh, Barton, Ericka Scatena, Gray, Dale Preston
Main Event: Preston, Snider, Gray, Gard, Unruh, Koeppel, Barton, Barba, Offenbach, Gregory, L. Scatena, Burger, E. Scatena
BOMBERS
Fast Time: Chuck Pruett, 14.849
Trophy Dash: Chuck Maves, Nowlin, Don Baker, Pruett
Heat 1: Cassie Sterrett, Charles Beck, Richard Hadley, John Hawthorne, Bill Peters, Clark Miller, Carl Whitaker, Jason Mincey
Heat 2: George Abella, R.J. Randall, Michael Bishop, Wayne Bates, Arlene Pruett, Darrin Knight, Ruben Serrano, Kevin Minassian, Lex Burger
Heat 3: John Barker, Mark Maines, Sean Sweeney, Chuck Egger, Nowlin, Maves, Kevin Waycik, Don Baker, C. Pruett
Semi Main: Peters, Hadley, Randall, Bishop, Sterrett, Miller, Hawthorne, Mincey, Beck, Abella, Whitaker, A. Pruett
Main Event: Nowliln, Pruett, Minassian, Baker, Egger, Maines, Bishop, Knight, Barker, Waycik, Randall, Peters, Hadley, Sweeney, Bates, Burger, Maves, Serrano
