InsideGroove - Race Report

SMOTHERMON AND REED OPEN BAKERSFIELD WITH WINS

Oildale, CA -- Former track champion and car builder Steve Smothermon from Porterville took full advantage of his pole position as he paced all 25 laps to win the season opening IMCA Modified main event at Bakersfield Speedway Park Saturday night. It was the first night of action under new owners Scott and Randy Schweitzer, who purchased the facility during the winter. Forced to restart in the rear after a first lap incident, Gary Dutton drove through the field to run second ahead of an impressive effort by Merced visitor Bill Saltzman. Lloyd Reed turned an outside front row assignment into a 20 lap feature win in the Super Street Stock main event. Petaluma Speedway champion Mitch Machado visited with a 2nd place run from 8th starting as Bill Little ran third. After an impressive rookie season, Zach Forester led all 20 laps to win the hobby stock A Main in front of Richie McGowan. Steve Johnson lost a third place finish when he was found with too much engine compression in the post race tech area. In a division with almost all new racers, veteran Mark Hogue led all 20 laps to win the American Stock feature. Second place runner Steve McKinley was disqualified for an illegal carburetor and that moved Tyler Bandy into second ahead of the lapped car of Johnny McKinley.

The IMCA Modifieds had the night’s biggest turnout with a 30 car field. The night ended in hot laps for both visitor Doug Thornton and Rodney Jennings. Jeff Miller suffered heavy damage in a heat race crash and Merced visitor Bob Williamson Sr trailered after the heat action. Heat wins went to Saltzman, returning racer Jason Selvidge, Dutton and Salinas long tow A J Kirkpatrick. The top 3 from each heat advanced and they were joined by four transfers from each of two 10 lap B Mains. Phil Cook scratched from the A Main after a second place heat run. Track champion Rick Childress passed Ventura regular Daman Redman on the last lap to win the first B Main and Ventura female racer Kathy Pierson led all the way in the second with David Childress making his division debut with a second. Contact racing on the initial start of the 25 lap A Main saw Selvidge destroy his car in a series of front stretch flips with the race also over for Kirkpatrick, Mike Corwin and Chris Tonoli. No one was injured. Smothermon led Chris Mendenhall for 2 laps before Brad Pounds took over second. Mendenhall pitted his smoking car from third on lap 7 to move Dutton into third ahead of the new D&M Performance Chassis of former California State Champion Bill Saltzman. Buck Cox stalled for a lap 10 yellow and rookie Brady Bell, the 2002 Super Street Champion, spun on the restart. Pounds’ attempts to make an inside groove run at leader Smothermon allowed Dutton to take over second on lap 19. Pounds pitted his new mount with Saltzman into third ahead of Pierson and Redman. The final 14 laps were run without a yellow flag and the top 9 finished lead lap as Smothermon won with Dutton second ahead of Saltzman, Pierson, Redman, Jeff Graham, D Childress, Mike Scott and Cox.

The 12 Super Streets were divided into a pair of heat races. Darrell Hood won the first from an outside front row start with Keith Heaslet second. Machado turned an outside front row start into a win in heat 2 as Royce Patterson came from the third row to second. Lonnie Welch had engine problems in the heat race to leave an 11 car feature. John Romero and Reed drew the front row and Reed raced into the lead over Ed Barrett and Little. Tim Bewley stalled for a lap 2 yellow and Steve Cargill joined him in the pits. Just after loing fourth to Machado, Bauer pitted on lap 5 with Machado also getting by Little for third. D Hood had just moved into fifth when his smoking car burst into flames for a lap 7 yellow. Heaslet took fourth from Little on the restart and he got around Machado on the outside for third on lap 10. The fierce duel between Heaslet and Machado continued until Heaslet spun for a lap 13 yellow flag. Second place Barrett lost an engine for a lap 17 yellow flag with Romero also stalled with a broken front end. Reed continued to set the pace for the win with Machado advancing to a second ahead of Little, Patterson and the lapped car of Heaslet.

The hobby stocks spread 26 cars over four heat races. Second year racer Robbie Sawyer, Forester, Lou Wolfe and Mike Lee all won heat races. Clyde Benson broke an axle at the start of the B Main where Eric Olson led all 12 laps to win ahead of newcomer Mike Wilson and David West. The 20 lap feature had 21 starters with the scratch of Jeremy Valov. Forester took a quick lead in the 20 lapper ahead of defending champion Bruce Johnson. Johnson broke an axle on lap 2 with brother Steve Johnson into second. Sawyer gained third, but lost the spot to Lee on lap 6. Lee fell out, but Sawyer only briefly retook third before getting passed by McGowan. Some contact racing sent Sawyer spinning and he was hit by Wolfe, Ricky Spicer and Wilson. The angry Sawyer jumped from his car and confronted newcomer Robert Davis. His actions dropped Sawyer to a last place finish. The final 11 laps were run without a caution with Eric Cimental and Olson into the 4-5 slots. Lee had to pit with a flat tire and McGowan got around S Johnson on the last lap to take second behind winner Forester. S Johnson was dropped to last for failing the engine compression test. This gave third to E Cimental ahead of Olson, 20th starter Charles Paul and Tom Klamorick. Paul was driving the car that wife Rachel races in Chowchilla.

There were 11 American Stocks and heat wins went to newcomer Conrad Feliks and Hogue. The scratch of Craig Houk left a ten car feature. Hogue drew outside front row and beat Johnny Morales on the start. S McKinley settled into third with Bandy fourth. Feliks pitted from fifth to hand that spot to J McKinley on lap 13. Bill Whaley spun for a lap 17 yellow flag. Hogue continued to set the pace and he lapped everyone but runnerup S McKinley and Bandy. The illegal carburetor led to S McKinley’s DQ moving Bandy into second ahead of J McKinley, Whaley and Robbie Truesdale.

Summary American Stock Heat 1-Conrad Feliks, Rose Tyack, Tyler Bandy, Steve McKinley, Bill Whaley. Heat 2-Mark Hogue, Craig Houk, Don Mead, Johnny McKinley, Robbie Truesdale. Main-Hogue, Bandy, J McKinley, Whaley, Truesdale, Johnny Morales, Feliks, Mead, Tyack. Hobby Stock Heat 1-Robbie Sawyer, Richie McGowan, Bruce Johnson, Eric Olson, Wes Scott. Heat 2-Zach Forester, Roger Brewer, Ricky Spicer, Bob Brown, David West. Heat 3-Lou Wolfe, Steve Johnson, Eric Cimental, Ricky Ward, Jeremy Valov. Heat 4-Mike Lee, Tom Klamorick, Steve Cimental, Clyde Benson, Charles Paul. B Main-Olson, Mike Wilson, West, Ward, John Fenton, David Hayder, Brown, Paul, Valov, Robert Davis. A Main-Forester, McGowan, E Cimental, Olson, Paul, Klamorick, West, Spicer, Wilson, Hayder, Brewer, Wolfe, Lee, Fenton, Ward, Brown, Davis, S Cimental, B Johnson, Sawyer. Super Street Stock Heat 1-Darrell Hood, Keith Heaslet, Steve Cargill, Lloyd Reed, Dave Bauer. Heat 2-Mitch Machado, Royce Patterson, Ed Barrett, Tim Bewley, Bill Little. Main-Reed, Machado, Little, Patterson, Heaslet, Bauer, John Romero, Barrett, Hood, Cargill, Bewley. IMCA Modified Heat 1-Bill Saltzman, Brady Bell, Brad Pounds, Steve Morrison, Rick Childress. Heat 2-Jason Selvidge, Steve Smothermon, Buck Cox, Daman Redman, Chett Reeves. Heat 3-Gary Dutton, Mike Corwin, Chris Mendenhall, Joe Porche, David Childress. Heat 4-A J Kirkpatrick, Phil Cook, Jeff Graham, Kathy Pierson, Jeff Miller. 1st B Main-R Childress, Redman, Chris Tonoli, Larry Hood, Wes Richardson, Reeves, Morrison, Doug Thompson. 2nd B Main-Pierson, D Childress, Kennith Cleveland, Mike Scott, Lynn Anderson, Porche. A Main-Smothermon, Dutton, Saltzman, Pierson, Redman, Graham, D Childress, Scott, Cox, Cleveland, Hood, Bell, Pounds, R Childress, Mendenhall, Selvidge, Kirkpatrick, Corwin, Tonoli.

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