InsideGroove - Race Report

COX WINS $750 SPECIAL AT BAKERSFIELD, GOATCHER NEW POINT LEADER

Bakersfield, CA --

Track co-champion Buck Cox led the final 17 laps to win the 30 lap special for the dirt modifieds Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park. Bakersfield is an IMCA sanctioned track, but they aren't allowed to run a point race on the weekend of the SuperNationals in Boone, Iowa. The victory paid $750 to Cox. They opened up the rules and invited cars from other tracks to attend. The 19 car turnout included 6 Ventura cars, a pair from Watsonville and Chowchilla regular Charles Paul. Ventura regulars claimed the 2-3-4 slots as Bill Waltman ran second over Daman Redman and Chris Tonoli.

The American Stock track championship duel took an unexpected turn when point leader Chett Reeves was suspended for the remainder of the season for his actions at the track sponsor pizza parlor after the Sept 1 race. The father-son team of Perry VanScoy and Jeremiah VanScoy appeared to have a 1-2 finish in this week's race, but P VanScoy failed the postrace vacuum test and the win was awarded to son Jeremiah. It was not only his first win, but also his first top five finish. Joe Goatcher emerged with the point lead after his second place finish ahead of newcomer Don Mead.

The 19 dirt modifieds were split into three qualifying heat races. Jeff Miller won the first from his outside front row start as Paul ran second over NASCAR's Todd Souza, who was in the Eric Jacobsen backup car. Gary Dutton also used the favored outside front row start to win heat 2 over back row starter Cox. Jacobsen came from last starting and easily drove his Joe Carr chassis to a win in heat 3 over pole starter Kathy Pierson and Redman. The lineup for the 30 lap feature was straightup off the heat finishes and that put heat winners Miller, Dutton and Jacobsen in the front with all 19 cars surviving to start.

Dutton led the opening lap with Jacobsen into second. Jacobsen drove underneath Dutton for the lead on lap 2 and caught the rear of the field so fast that he ran into the back of Lin Deines on lap 4 and stalled with a broken front end. Because the cars were throwing dirt clods into the stands, a wheel packing effort high in the groove allowed Jacobsen to make repairs and rejoin the race on the lead lap. Dutton led Miller and Cox until Cox took over second on lap 6. Jacobsen's hasty repairs failed on lap 8 as he again stalled with a broken front end. Teammate Souza also fell out. Paul was running fourth with Waltman in fifth. Redman passed Waltman for fifth and Cox took the lead from Dutton on lap 14. Miller pitted after hitting the wall for a lap 15 yellow flag. Paul was penalized to the rear in this incident. Dutton fell off the pace and was in the pits by lap 18. Waltman inherited second ahead of Redman, Gary Curtis and Tonoli. Curtis stalled for the final caution flag on lap 28. Cox won ahead of Waltman, Redman, Tonoli, Mike Scott and Paul, the final lead lap car. The top ten was rounded out by Pierson, Jim Deines, Jeff Graham and Lin Deines. Graham is a Ventura Raceway pony stock racer making his modified debut.

The 24 American Stocks were divided into three heat races with wins going to P VanScoy, J VanScoy and Goatcher. A 12 lap B Main was won by Warren Smith over Clyde Benson and David Wolford. The father-son VanScoy team shared the front row for the start and the race had two red flags in the first 3 laps. Track championship contender Bunny Howell flipped on lap 1 for the first red flag. W Smith got into the turn 1 exit gate and flipped hard for the lap 3 red, but neither driver was hurt. P VanScoy took an early lead over Mark Hogue and J VanScoy. The hood flew off the Robert Smith car for a lap 9 yellow and Hogue fell out with P VanScoy leading J VanScoy, Goatcher, Mead and Bart Wilburn. The final 11 laps were run without a caution and the VanScoy family were celebrating their 1-2 finish when winner P VanScoy failed the post race vacuum test. That handed the win to his son J VanScoy. Goatcher ran second over Mead, Walt Farris III, Toren Loveless, Amy Hedden and Ricky Spicer. Goatcher carries a 34 point lead over Spicer into the Sept 15th finale with R Smith another 11 points back. Howell is 58 points back and Mike Lee fell 70 points behind the point leader when he lost a lap with a flat in the B Main and failed to transfer into the A Main.

Summary American Stock Heat 1-Perry VanScoy, Walt Farris, Toren Loveless, Robert Smith, Warren Smith. Heat 2-Jeremiah VanScoy, Mark Hogue, Roy DeGeer, Chad Hackleberry, Bunny Howell. Heat 3-Joe Goatcher, Don Mead, Ricky Spicer, Bart Wilburn, Johnny Morales. B Main-W Smith, Clyde Benson, David Wolford, Howell, Craig Houk, Mark Gallindo, Amy Hedden, Danny Gott, Christy Carl, Morales, Mike Lee. A Main-J VanScoy, Goatcher, Mead, Farris, Loveless, Hedden, Spicer, DeGeer, Gott, Carl, Wilburn, R Smith, Wolford, Houk, Hogue, Benson, Hackleberry, Morales, Gallindo, W Smith, Howell. Dirt Modified Heat 1-Jeff Miller, Charles Paul, Todd Souza, Mike Scott, Jeff Graham. Heat 2-Gary Dutton, Buck Cox, Bill Waltman, Troy Morris Jr, Jim Deines. Heat 3-Eric Jacobsen, Kathy Pierson, Daman Redman, Chris Tonoli, Bryan Terry. Main-Cox, Waltman, Redman, Tonoli, Scott, Paul, Pierson, J Deines, Graham, Lin Deines, Terry, Gary Curtis, Kenny Farris, Dutton, Miller, Morris, Souza, Jacobsen, Bill Gates.

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