InsideGroove - Race Report

BRAD POUNDS AND LONNIE WELCH WIN AT OILDALE

Oildale, CA -- Shaking off the bad luck of the first two races of the season, teenager Brad Pounds raced his new Xtreme Chassis to victory in the 25 lap IMCA Modified feature Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park. The Extreme Chassis was developed during the offseason by the partnership of Scott Pounds, Brad's father and Terry Henry. Pounds came from 6th starting to take the lead on lap 11 and he fought off a late race challenge from Porterville car builder Steve Smothermon for the win. S Smothermon came out of the night with a one point lead in the track point race as incoming point leader Gary Dutton ran fifth. The IMCA Modifieds had an outstanding 30 car turnout. The super street stock class also had their third winner in three races with Lonnie Welch pacing the final 8 laps to win that 20 lapper. Welch picked off a Hanford feature win in March and he had a clean sweep tonight with wins in the dash and his heat also. Dave Bauer closed to within two points of point leader Lloyd Reed with a second. Reed ran third. The hobby stock feature had a checkered-red finish as a big flip by Morgan Wigger Jr forced the lap 18 finish. Mike Lee, who travels from the Bay Area community of Pittsburg to race a regular schedule here, had just passed Lou Wolfe to gain that win. Wolfe had led from the start and he placed second. Teenaged rookie Tyler Bandy became the first double feature winner of 2003 at the track when he won the 20 lap American Stock main to stretch his early season point lead. A special five car Lady American Stock feature closed the night and Kari Haislip paced the final four laps for the win after Diana McClintock pitted from the lead with a broken fuel pump.

Rick Childress won the dash that opened the night for the IMCA Modifieds and the 30 car field raced in four heat races with the top 3 in each advancing into the A Main. Top Merced Speedway runners Bob Williamson Sr and Bill Saltzman towed their D&M Performance mounts south after their home track rained out. Williamson won the first heat from third starting with Pounds second. Chris Mendenhall took heat 2 from an outside front row start and 4th starter Saltzman ran second. Ventura female racer Kathy Pierson again impressed as she charged from sixth to win heat 3 ahead of rookie Brady Bell. Another division rookie, David Childress won heat 4 from 4th starting ahead of pole starter Mike Corwin. A pair of ten lap B Mains transferred four cars each into the 20 car A Main grid. R Childress won the first in wire to wire fashion ahead of Mike Hood, Mike Scott and Jeff Miller. Hanford regular Bryan Burnes won the second after taking the lead from Doug Thompson on lap 4. Teenager Larry Hood was second ahead of Thompson and Darren Smothermon with top runner Jason Selvidge missing a transfer in fifth. Recent Ventura winner Joe Porche also missed with a 6th. A pair of #1’s shared the front row for the 25 lapper as Steve Morrison and Corwin started up front. Corwin led three laps before Williamson drove by on the outside for the top spot. Pounds climbed from sixth to third in 3 laps. Fifth place Morrison spun for a lap 6 yellow and Corwin was back out front of Pounds and Williamson. Both Williamson and Mendenhall passed Pounds on the restart and Williamson then tried an inside pass on leader Corwin. Pounds was back in third on lap 10 and he grabbed the lead by getting by both Williamson and Corwin before a lap 12 caution for a stalled Darren Smothermon. Williamson retook second from Corwin on lap 19 with S Smothermon into fourth ahead of D Childress. When debris forced another yellow on the restart, both Williamson and Corwin had to pit to change flat tires. Pounds and S Smothermon dueled for the win over the final 6 rounds with Pounds winning ahead of the new point leader. D Childress impressed in just his third modified start as he edged his older brother R Childress for third. Dutton ran fifth ahead of Bell, Saltzman, Scott and Burnes.

The super street stock field grew to 15 cars, but Friday night Chowchilla dirt modified winner Charles Paul had engine woes in hot laps end his night. Paul was third driver in three races in the Marlon Scruggs car. Bauer beat Keith Heaslet in heat 1 with Welch outracing Reed in heat 2. Darrell Hood won heat 3 ahead of Steve Cargill. Welch had also won the dash honors. The feature had a dozen starters as both Tim Bewley and Ed Barrett broke motors in the heat action. Cargill’s low point average put him on the pole for the 20 lapper and he paced the first 12 laps. D Hood settled into second ahead of Welch with Heaslet into fourth on lap 4. Santa Maria visitor Toby Randolph pitted before a lap 11 caution tightened the action. Hood fell from contention with Welch now challenging leader Cargill. Welch took the lead from Cargill on lap 13 with an inside run. Cargill was in the pits on lap 16 as Welch raced to the win ahead of Bauer, Reed, returning racer Brian Criswell, Santa Maria visitor Billy Simkins and Heaslet. Reed holds a two point lead over Bauer and a 14 point lead on Welch.

Zach Forster won the hobby stock dash and the 20 car field was split into three heat races. Clyde Benson had to be transported to the hospital for observation after flipping in the first heat that was won by Richie McGowan ahead of Roger Brewer. Mike Wilson won heat 2 ahead of Robert Sanders. Outside front row starter Robby Sawyer won heat 3 in front of Chad Johnson. Outside front row starter Wolfe took an early lead in the feature as several incidents in the first couple laps shuffled the standings with 8th starter Brewer climbing into second ahead of 5th starter Kathy Irwin. Eric Olson and Forster passed Irwin for the 3-4 slots on lap 7. On lap 10, Brewer fell to fifth when Olson, Forster and Johnson all drove by. Sawyer stalled for a lap 11 caution. McGowan was blackflagged in the closing rounds and Lee made a late charge. Lee took fourth from Johnson on lap 14, third from Olson on lap 15 and second from Forster on lap 16. Lee then passed race long leader Wolfe before the race ended early as the lapped car of Wiggers flipped on the front stretch, damaging the flagstand area. With the 11 o’clock curfew fast approaching, the rade was called complete to allow time for the Lady American Stock race. Lee won ahead of Wolfe, Forster, Johnson, Olson, Brewer, Tom Klamorick and Irwin. With second place point racer David West absent, McGowan now holds a six point lead over the trio of Klamorick, Forster and Lee.

The American Stocks had 15 cars with a crewman filling in for the absent second place point racer Craig Houk. Mark Hogue won the dash and then captured the first heat ahead of Don Mead. Pole starter Jessie Bowles won heat 2 with girl friend Christine Carl second. Outside front row starter Bowles paced the first 8 laps of their 20 lap main event. Bandy leaped from fifth to 2nd on the first lap and passed Bowles on lap 9. Carl settled into third ahead of the 2003 debut for Amy Hedden. A fire sidelined Hedden on a lap 15 yellow flag. Leader Bandy began to smoke in the final two laps, but hung on for his second straight win with Bowles second ahead of Hogue, Steve McKinley, Rose Tyack, Carl and David Gipson. Bandy emerged with a 32 point lead on Hogue and 34 ahead of Tyack.

The Mac Tools super dirt late models return for their second 2003 event on April 19 and they will be joined by the IMCA Modifieds and American Stocks on the annual Easter Egg Hunt night.

Dash

Mark Hogue, Christine Carl, Jesse Bowles

Heat 1

Hogue, Don Mead, Shawn Kinnard, Johnny McKinley, Conrad Feliks

Heat 2

Bowles, Carl, Tyler Bandy, David Gipson, Amy Hedden

Main

Bandy, Bowles, Hogue, Steve McKinley, Rose Tyack, Carl, Gipson, Johnny Morales, Diana McClintock, Robbie Truesdale, J McKinley, Hedden, Mead, Feliks, Kinnard

Dash

Zach Forster, Mike Lee, Roger Brewer

Heat 1

Richie McGowan, Brewer, Forster, Kathy Irwin, Bobby Riggs

Heat 2

Mike Wilson, Robert Sanders, Tom Klamorick, Wes Scott, Eric Olson

Heat 3

Robby Sawyer, Chad Johnson, Lou Wolfe, Jeremy Valov, Lee

Main

Lee, Wolfe, Forster, Johnson, Olson, Brewer, Klamorick, Irwin, Sanders, Riggs, Steve Cimental, McGowan, Morgan Wiggers Jr, Sawyer, Scott, Wilson, Geoff Menees, Valov

Dash

Lonnie Welch, Lloyd Reed, Dave Bauer

Heat 1

Bauer, Keith Heaslet, Mike Allen, John Romero, Tim Bewley

Heat 2

Welch, Reed, Toby Randolph, Bill Little, Ed Barrett

Heat 3

Darrell Hood, Steve Cargill, Billy Simkins, Brian Criswell

Main

Welch, Bauer, Reed, Criswell, Simkins, Heaslet, Romero, Allen, Hood, Cargill, Randolph, Little

Dash

Rick Childress, Steve Smothermon, Gary Dutton

Heat 1

Bob Williamson Sr, Brad Pounds, Dutton, R Childress, Mike Hood

Heat 2

Chris Mendenhall, Bill Saltzman, Buck Cox, Mike Scott, Lynn Anderson

Heat 3

Kathy Pierson, Brady Bell, Steve Morrison, Doug Thompson, Bryan Burnes

Heat 4

David Childress, Mike Corwin, S Smothermon, Joe Porche, Phil Cook

1st B Main

R Childress, M Hood, Scott, Jeff Miller, Tommy Gregory, Anderson, Damon Redman, Jon Schlundt

2nd B Main

Burnes, Larry Hood, Thompson, Darren Smothermon, Jason Selvidge, Porche, Bryan Terry, Cook

A Main

Pounds, S Smothermon, D Childress, R Childress, Dutton, Bell, Saltzman, Scott, Burnes, L Hood, Williamson, Corwin, Thompson, Pierson, Morrison, Mendenhall, Cox, Miller, M Hood, D Smothermon

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