InsideGroove - Race Report

MILLER AND LAST MINUTE SUB SELVIDGE WIN AT BAKERSFIELD

Bakersfield, CA -- Making a mid season move up the point standings with his Warrior Chassis, former dirt late model racer Jeff Miller won his third 20 lap IMCA Modified main event Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park. Miller took the lead from Phil Cook on a lap 10 restart and Cook ran second the rest of the way as rookie Lee Walker ran third and point leader Rick Childress placed fourth. When Jason Selvidge broke his Mesa Marin Raceway late model in practice Saturday afternoon, he called across town and asked Dave Bauer if he could drive his Super Street Stock that night and Bauer agreed. Selvidge won his heat race at the dirt track and then paced the final 13 laps to win the 25 lap feature with Raymond Noland breaking out of his recent slump by driving the borrowed Marlon Scruggs car to a second. After starting 11th, Bruce Johnson made his winning pass with an inside move on Jeff Barrett on lap 17 to capture the 20 lap hobby stock feature and Barrett ended up being disqualified from 2nd for having too much engine compression. That gave second to teenager Larry Hood ahead of Tom Klamorick and returning racer Roger Brewer.

The IMCA Modifieds had a 17 car turnout and used a three heat format. Mike Corwin won heat 1 from 4th starting with back row starter Gary Dutton second. Cook won heat 2 from the pole as fellow front row starter Jim Deines ran second. Miller had a perfect night as he won heat 3 from an outside front row start with Walker second. Doug Robinson was the only feature scratch with J Deines and Cook sharing the front row as Walker and Miller started in row 2. Cook took an early lead over Miller and J Deines as Bryan Terry pitted. Walker took third from J Deines on lap 4 and Corwin was fourth a lap later. When fifth place Bradley Pounds spun for a lap 7 yellow, Dutton got collected and Troy Morris Jr had to pit. A final yellow fell on lap 9 when Steve Morrison crashed into the rear of Pounds and both spun with Lin Deines also collected. Miller took the lead from Cook on the restart and Billy Griffin climbed to fourth before fading. Childress and state point leader Lee Jensen got by Griffin on lap 15. Miller led the final 11 laps for the win with Cook a season best second over Walker and Childress. Jensen was awarded fifth in a photo finish with Corwin as Pounds came back for 7th over Griffin and J Deines. Childress holds a solid 31 point lead over Jensen with L Deines another 11 points back. Corwin is fourth, five behind L Deines and just one point ahead of Dutton. Miller had climbed into 7th, 56 points back of the point leader.

There were 12 super street stocks with Selvidge making a quick dash across town in time to race the Bauer car in the heat race. Debuting the car that he purchased from Santa Maria Speedway ace Joey Claborn, Joe Wilson Jr won heat 1 with Karl Noland Jr second over Jeff Heusdens. Fourth starter Selvidge won heat 2 with back row starter R Noland second over Tom Manzella. Bill Little was a feature scratch as he crashed hard into the back fence in the heat action. The 25 lap feature was restarted when pole starter Larry Wise spun with a flat tire. R Noland led the first lap over Manzella and Selvidge with Darrell Hood spinning for a caution flag. Point leader Brady Bell tried working the outside in his third place duel with Selvidge, but lost a spot to Heusdens, who was again in the Glen Hughes car. Both Selvidge and Heusdens got by Manzella for the 2-3 slots on lap 6 and Wise pitted. Debris forced a lap 9 yellow flag and Karl Noland Jr took third from Heusdens before Heusdens spun. The spinning Heusdens collected Ed Barrett and forced the final yellow flag on lap 10. Selvidge began to make an outside groove challenge of leader R Noland and he made his winning pass on lap 13. Wilson and Hood both passed Bell for the 4-5 slots behind K Noland Jr. R Noland made several inside runs at leader Selvidge over the final 10 laps, but could never pull off the pass. Selvidge won with R Noland second over K Noland Jr, Wilson, Bell, Hood, Manzella and Jerry Crowley. Bell ended the night with a 21 point lead on lap K Noland Jr with Wilson 122 points out of the point lead in third. Little is ranked fourth ahead of R Noland.

The 19 hobby stocks were split into three heat races with Johnson coming from fifth starting to win heat 1 over Klamorick and John Fenton. Matt Sliter won heat 2 from the pole with fellow front row starter Laura Farris second. Robert Sanders won heat 3 from fourth as back row starter Brian Puckett ran second. Chett Reeves and Sliter had the front row assignments for their 20 lap feature. Fourth starting L Farris led the first lap over Reeves with J Barrett getting around Fenton for third on lap 4. Robby Sawyer was up to fourth when Ron Saillman spun for a lap 6 yellow flag. Sawyer passed Reeves for second on the restart and Barrett was third at a lap 8 yellow when Sanders and David Hayder tangled. Barrett took second from rookie Sawyer on the restart and Johnson was third a lap later. Barrett made an outside pass on L Farris for the lead on lap 12 with Johnson into second. Fenton broke an axle for a lap 13 yellow and Sawyer pitted. L Hood took third from L Farris on lap 16 and Johnson made his winning pass inside Barrett on lap 17. L Farris stalled for the final yellow flag on lap 18. Johnson led Barrett over those final 4 laps for the win with Barrett losing second in the post race tech inspection. That gave Hood second ahead of rookie Klamorick, returning Brewer, Steve Cimental, point leader M'Lissa Manzella and L Farris. The fast closing Hood is now just 14 points back of Manzella in the track title fight as Johnson climbed into a tie with Puckett for third, 35 points out of the lead. Lou Wolfe is just 4 points ahead of Mike Lee in their duel for fifth.

Summary Hobby Stock Heat 1-Bruce Johnson, Tom Klamorick, John Fenton, Lou Wolfe, M'Lissa Manzella. Heat 2-Matt Sliter, Laura Farris, Mike Lee, Robby Sawyer, Larry Hood. Heat 3-Robert Sanders, Brian Puckett, Jeff Barrett, Chett Reeves, Dave Hayder. Main-Johnson, Hood, Klamorick, Roger Brewer, Steve Cimental, Manzella, L Farris, Frank Farris, Puckett, Wolfe, Lee, Fenton, Ron Saillman, Sanders, Hayder, Reeves, Sawyer, Sliter. Super Street Stock Heat 1-Joe Wilson Jr, Karl Noland Jr, Jeff Heusdens, Ed Barrett, Brady Bell. Heat 2-Jason Selvidge, Raymond Noland, Tom Manzella, Larry Wise, Jerry Crowley. Main-Selvidge, R Noland, K Noland Jr, Wilson, Bell, Darrell Hood, Manzella, Crowley, Barrett, Heusdens, Wise. IMCA Modified Heat 1-Mike Corwin, Gary Dutton, Rick Childress, Doug Robinson. Heat 2-Phil Cook, Jim Deines, Lin Deines, Troy Morris, Bryan Terry. Heat 3-Jeff Miller, Lee Walker, Bradley Pounds, Lee Jensen, Bill Gates. Main-Miller, Cook, Walker, Childress, Jensen, Corwin, Pounds, Billy Griffin, J Deines, Gates, Steve Morrison, L Deines, Mike Scott, Morris, Dutton, Terry.

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