InsideGroove - Race Report

OFFICIALS NULLIFY WELCH PASS TO HAND BELL SUPER STREET STOCK WIN

Bakersfield, CA --

Brady Bell emerged with the 25 lap super street stock feature win Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park when Lonnie Welchs last lap pass of him was ruled to be rough driving by the track officials. Welch was only penalized back to a 2nd place finish ahead of Joe Wilson Jr. Mike Lee keeps his race car in Bakersfield, but makes the trip from his Pittsburg job to race each week and he was rewarded with a win in the 20 lap hobby stock feature this week. He was a wire to wire winner from his outside front row starting spot. Young Larry Hood passed Bruce Johnson on lap 17 to finish second and Johnson faded to a 5th place run as Brian Puckett and rookie Robby Sawyer rounded out the top 4 finishers.

There were 14 super street stock entries although both returning racers Larry Wise and Tom Manzella were unable to race in the heat action. Manzella did tag the feature, but Glen Hughes broke a motor in his heat and scratched. Defending track champion K Noland Jr won heat 1 from the pole with Bill Little second. Steve Cargill also won heat 2 from the pole with Welch coming from 4th to finish second. The pill draw came up with a six car inversion for the 25 lap A Main with the third place heat finishers on the front row and the heat winners in row 3. Raymond Noland started on the pole and led 17 laps. Cargill took second from Mike Bulley on lap 2. Fifth starter Welch was up to third on lap 5. K Noland Jr began to pressure Welch on the inside for third and he gained that spot on lap 10 with Bell also getting by for fourth. David Childress lost a lap in the pits and Ed Barrett pitted his badly smoking mount. Bell got by K Noland Jr for third on lap 15. Jerry Crowley was limping to the pits with his broken car, so leader R Noland had to move down on the front stretch to avoid contact. Runnerup Cargill got into the side of R Noland and R Noland ended up spinning out of the lead. Cargill was sent to the rear in a rough driving call and R Noland was towed off the track. Bell raced into the lead on the restart over Welch and Mike Bulley. Welch made an inside run at leader Bell on the last lap. Welch pushed Bell high in turn 3 and beat Bell to the checkered flag. The track officials called Welchs move too aggressive and penalized him back to a 2nd place finish behind Bell. Joe Wilson Jr came from 10th to finish 3rd ahead of K Noland Jr, Cargill, Bulley and Crowley.

There were 22 hobby stocks. Teenaged L Hood came from 4th to win heat 1 over Puckett and front row starter Laura Farris. Lee won heat 2 from an outside front row start with his Race Prep prepared car. Johnson won heat 3 from the pole. The track now uses a 12 car inversion for the feature race in this class and point leader Sidney Payne had a flat in his heat and started dead last in the 22 car feature. Point runnerup MLissa Manzella started 12th, Hood 8th and Puckett 10th. David Hayder and Lee shared the front row for the 20 lapper.

Lee led all 20 laps with four caution flags slowing the action. Johnson settled into second over Hayder and Farris. Manzella blew a right rear on lap 2, changed it quickly and returned only to blow another right rear tire. The team elected to park their car for the night. Farris gained third on lap 6 and Hayder broke an axle for a lap 10 yellow flag. Farris stalled with a right front flat tire. Tom Klamorick was now third and he was challenging second place Johnson when he suffered a right rear flat and had to pit. Johnson suffered a left front flat tire and had to slow his pace, dropping to a fifth place finish. Hood gained third with the Klamorick problem and second when Johnson slowed. Lee won ahead of Hood, Puckett, rookie Robby Sawyer from 9th starting, Johnson, Lou Wolfe and veteran racer George Scott.

Summary Hobby Stock Heat 1-Larry Hood, Brian Puckett, Laura Farris, Tom Klamorick, Chad Huffmon. Heat 2-Mike Lee, Lou Wolfe, MLissa Manzella, David Hayder, Steve Cimental. Heat 3-Bruce Johnson, Jeff Barrett, Robby Sawyer, Eric Cimental, George Scott. Main-Lee, Hood, Puckett, Sawyer Johnson, Wolfe, Scott, S Cimental, John Fenton, Barrett, E Cimental, Sidney Payne, Klamorick, Farris, Ivan Crawford, Chett Reeves, Zach Forester, Matt Slitter, Hayder, David Wolford, Manzella, Huffmon. Super Street Stock Heat 1-Karl Noland Jr, Bill Little, Mike Bulley, Jerry Crowley, Brady Bell. Heat 2-Steve Cargill, Lonnie Welch, Ed Barrett, Raymond Noland, David Childress. Main-Bell, Welch, Joe Wilson Jr, K Noland Jr, Cargill, Bulley, Crowley, Little, Barrett, Tom Manzella, R Noland, D Childress.

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