InsideGroove - Race Report

TWO WINS IN TWO TRIPS FOR A J KIRKPATRICK

Bakersfield, CA -- A J Kirkpatrick made it two wins in two trips to Bakersfield Speedway in 2002 as he drove to a $1,000 win in the special 50 lap dirt modified feature Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park. The former Watsonville Speedway track regular would really like to sell his Fegers Chassis modified and purchase a dirt late model. His heat win placed him on the pole for the 50 lapper and he led all but four laps. Friday night Chowchilla winner Charles Paul lost oil pressure on the final lap and lost his second place finish to Hanford regular Bryan Burnes. James Hammons led the final 13 laps to win his first 20 lap super street stock feature for 2002 and third place finisher Brady Bell wrapped up the point title when point runnerup Karl Noland Jr announced that his 2002 season had ended at the previous race. Rookie Zach Forester emerged with his first 20 lap hobby stock feature win after apparent winner Tom Klamorick came up 40 pounds light at the postrace weighin. Larry Hood moved up to second and Bruce Johnson improved his point lead with a 3rd. Hood moved into second in points as M'Lissa Manzella crashed on lap 6. The American Stocks were down to a season low 15 cars as several top runners have been moved out of the class. When Richie McGowan was disqualified for exceeding the division compression limit, the win moved to cousin Donnie McGowan, his first win. Perry VanScoy ran second over point leader Roy DeGeer Sr.

The dirt modified special drew a 16 car field, but Darrell Hood's car remained on the trailer as D Hood was too sick to compete. Paul beat Burnes in heat 1 and Kirkpatrick outran Mike Corwin in heat 2. The feature lineup was straightup off the finishes of the heat action and Buck Cox scratched in the Tom Gregory car. Gary Dutton pitted on the first lap as Kirkpatrick raced into the lead over Paul and Corwin. Jeff Miller stalled twice in the first four laps to end his race and Troy Morris Jr had to pit with a flat tire. Mike Scott suffered a flat right rear tire as Burnes took third from Corwin on lap 12. Paul nosed ahead of Kirkpatrick on lap 18, but Kirkpatrick regained the spot on lap 22 as Paul slowed with a flat tire. As Paul ducked into the pits, fourth place Sidney Payne spun for a yellow flag and the track called this the midrace work break, allowing Paul to remain lead lap. When the second half restarted, Kirkpatrick led Burnes, Darren Smothermon and track champion Rick Childress. Paul quickly moved back to 4th and he passed Smothermon for third on lap 33 as Ventura regular Daman Redman lost an engine. That was the final caution and Kirkpatrick won with Burnes getting by the faltering Paul on the final lap. Smothermon returned to action with a 4th ahead of Payne, Childress, Corwin and Phil Cook.

The super street stock field was down to ten cars and Tom Manzella broke in hot laps. Raymond Noland beat Hammons in heat 1 and Bell won heat 2 with Bill Little second. Pole starter Ed Barrett led the first 7 laps of the 20 lap feature before he stalled. The feature had an 8 car inversion and Bell broke into the top 5 on lap 4. Hammons was the new leader on lap 8 ahead of Royce Patterson and Bell. They ran in that order to the checkered flag with Little having to pit twice with flat tires. Noland ran fourth over Mike Allen and Joe Wilson Jr. There were 24 hobby stocks and Steve Cimental beat Lou Wolfe in heat 1. Forester won heat 2 with M Manzella second. Klamorick outran Hood and Mike Lee in heat 3. They elected to start all 24 cars in the 20 lap feature. Previous week winner Robby Sawyer stalled on the first lap as veteran George Scott led two laps. Klamorick took over on lap 3 and Forester second on lap 5. M Manzella saw his season title hopes evaporate when she broke an axle and hit the wall on lap 6. Johnson grabbed third from Scott on the restart and Wolfe moved into fourth. David Hayder caught fire for a lap 10 red flag and Ross Spillman hit the wall for a lap 12 yellow flag. Brian Puckett raced into fourth, but he had to pit with a flat tire. Klamorick led the final 18 laps, but was too light at weighin and Forester won ahead of Hood, Johnson, Lee, Wolfe, Jake Brush and Sawyer.

Craig Houk beat Jason Loth in the first American Stock heat race and R McGowan came from fifth to win heat 2 over Mark Hogue. Houk broke an axle on the second lap of the feature and visitor Doug Thornhill was blackflagged with heavy smoke. Houk had led the first lap, but R McGowan took over on lap 2. D McGowan settled into second over Perry VanScoy. This class ran it's final 19 laps without a yellow flag and Amy Hedden pitted her smoking mount on lap 7. Point runnerup Robert Smith gained fourth on lap 10 and DeGeer Sr was fifth a lap later. R McGowan led 19 laps, but his mount was found to have too much engine compression and cousin D McGowan gained the official win in front of Van Scoy, DeGeer Sr, Smith, DeGeer Jr and Loth.

Summary American Stock Heat 1-Craig Houk, Jason Loth, Perry VanScoy, Donnie McGowan, Robert Smith. Heat 2-Richie McGowan, Mark Hogue, Robby Truesdale, Mike Bennett, Roy DeGeer Jr. Main-D McGowan, VanScoy, Roy DeGeer Sr, Smith, DeGeer Jr, Loth, Bennett, Truesdale, Christy Carl, Steve McKinley, Amy Hedden, Hogue, Doug Thornhill, Houk. Hobby Stock Heat 1-Steve Cimental, Lou Wolfe, Brian Puckett, Bruce Johnson, Jeremiah VanScoy. Heat 2-Zach Forester, M'Lissa Manzella, Robby Sawyer, Chad Henry, Chett Reeves. Heat 3-Tom Klamorick, Larry Hood, Mike Lee, George Scott, Dave Hayder. Main-Forester, Hood, Johnson, Lee, Wolfe, Jake Brush, Sawyer, Eric Cimental, S Cimental, Randy Schweitzer, Ron Schmidt, Hayder, Kathy Irwin, Ricky Spicer, VanScoy, Puckett, John Fenton, Ross Spillman, Scott, Henry, Manzella, Reeves, Robert Sanders. Super Street Stock Heat 1-Raymond Noland, James Hammons, Mike Allen, Jerry Crowley. Heat 2-Brady Bell, Bill Little, Royce Patterson, Ed Barrett, Joe Wilson Jr. Main-Hammons, Patterson, Bell, Noland, Allen, Wilson, Little, Crowley, Barrett. Dirt Modified Heat 1-Charles Paul, Bryan Burnes, Sidney Payne, Darren Smothermon, Rick Childress. Heat 2-A J Kirkpatrick, Mike Corwin, Jeff Miller, Troy Morris Jr, Daman Redman. Main-Kirkpatrick, Burnes, Paul, Smothermon, Payne, Childress, Corwin, Phil Cook, Morris, Redman, Lee Walker, Mike Scott, Miller, Gary Dutton.

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