JEFF MILLER WIRE TO WIRE FOR FIRST 2003 WIN

IMCA Modifieds, Super Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and American Stocks

By: Gary Jacob Where: Oildale, CA On: 05/17/2003

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Oildale, CA -- Moving on to the pole when Kenneth Cleveland spun to force a restart, former track champion Jeff Miller broke out of his tough luck 2003 season with a wire to wire 25 lap IMCA Modified feature win Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park. Gary Dutton ran second ahead of teenager Larry Hood and tough luck nights for point leaders Steve Smothermon and Brad Pounds tightened the point standings. L Hood ended the night just one point back of Smothermon and just one ahead of Dutton in the title fight. Keith Heaslet got the first feature win for his new super street stock as he paced all 25 rounds from an outside front row start. The win snapped a three race winning streak for Darrell Hood as D Hood settled for third behind Lonnie Welch. D Hood did emerge as the new point leader with a two point lead on both Lloyd Reed and Welch. Only a part time racer in 2003, defending track champion Bruce Johnson returned to action by leading the final 16 laps to win the 25 lap hobby stock main event. Zach Forster ran second ahead of Steve Johnson. Driving one of the rental cars, Matt Peternal took the lead from Amy Hedden on lap 10 and won the 20 lap American Stock feature in just his second race night. Mark Hogue ran second ahead of Jesse Bowles. Point leader Tyler Bandy had a tough night and Hogue emerged as the new point leader with a four point advantage on Bandy.

The IMCA Modifieds had a 23 car turnout that they divided into three qualifying heat races. Joe Porche won the first from an outside front row start with Phil Cook coming from last to nip David Childress for second. Seventh starter B Pounds won heat 2 ahead of pole starter Cleveland. Outside front row starter J Miller won heat 3 ahead of Doug Thompson. L Hood beat fellow front row starter Dutton in the dash. Lynn Anderson was a main event scratch to leave 22 starters. Cleveland and Ventura regular Porche shared the front row ahead of Miller and Thompson. Cleveland spun to force a restart and Miller led from the pole on the next attempt. Thompson gained second on lap 2, but lost the spot to Dutton on lap 4. Pounds lost laps making repairs from an early tangle and Smothermon lost an engine on lap 6. Porche and Cook tangled for a lap 8 yellow flag and L Hood took fourth from Mike Scott on the restart. L Hood raced into third on lap 13 and Thompson’s good run ended with motor woes on lap 16. This moved Scott into fourth ahead of defending track champion Rick Childress. The final 17 laps were run without a caution with Miller winning ahead of Dutton, L Hood, Scott, R Childress, 22nd starter Buck Cox, D Childress and Steve Morrison. Pounds dropped to fifth in points, two behind R Childress and still just 7 behind point leader Smothermon.

The super street stock field was down to a season low 7 cars. Outside front row starter Reed beat Royce Patterson in the dash. Heaslet won the heat race from an outside front row start with Bill Little second. Little and Heaslet again shared the front row for the 25 lap feature and Heaslet raced into the lead over fourth starter Welch and Little. Flat tires sidelined both Reed and Little early with D Hood up to third ahead of Dave Bauer. Patterson spun for a lap 10 yellow and both flat tire victims returned. Reed suffered a second place and Patterson was blackflagged for spinning Bauer out of fourth on lap 20. Heaslet won ahead of Welch, D Hood and Bauer. The two flats cost Reed the point lead with D Hood the new point leader by just two points over both Welch and Reed. Bauer is 14 points out of first in fourth place.

The hobby stocks drew a 22 car field and outside front row starter Robert Sanders outdueled point leader Richie McGowan to win the dash. Heat winners were Lou Wolfe, Chad Johnson and B Johnson. Wes Scott and Roger Brewer both broke to leave a 20 car grid for their 25 lap feature. Outside front row starter Mike Wilson paced the first 9 laps with B Johnson into second on lap 3. C Johnson took third from Dave Hayder on lap 7. B Johnson was trying an outside pass on leader Wilson when Wilson blew a right front tire on lap 10. B Johnson was the new leader over Mike Lee and Zach Forster. Debris forced the second and final yellow flag on lap 13. McGowan gained third on lap 15, but lost the spot back to Forster on lap 20. Lee slowed late in the race and dropped to a 7th place finish as B Johnson won ahead of Forster, S Johnson, McGowan, Devan Jones, Wolfe, Lee and Jeremiah VanScoy. McGowan saw his point lead cut to 12 points by Forster with Lee climbing into third place, 30 behind the point leader.

The 14 American Stocks were divided into two heat races. Don Mead beat Mark Hogue in the dash. Hogue came from 4th to win the first heat ahead of Jesse Bowles. Outside front row starter Mead got his second win on the night in heat 2 ahead of Rose Tyack. Bandy spun to force a restart in the 20 lap feature. Amy Hedden paced the first 9 laps from her outside front row starter with M Peternal coming from 9th starting to second in just 3 laps. M Peternal took the lead from Hedden on lap 10 and Bowles raced into second. Hogue took second from Bowles on lap 14, but could only chase M Peternal to the win. Bowles ran third ahead of Hedden, Randy Schweitzer, newcomer Stanley Peternal and Mead. Bandy was 11th and fell four points back of Hogue with Tyack standing third, 20 points back of Hogue.

Dash

Don Mead, Mark Hogue, Amy Hedden

Heat 1

Hogue, Jesse Bowles, Christine Carl, Lance McGowan, Tyler Bandy

Heat 2

Mead, Rose Tyack, Johnny McKinnley, Randy Schweitzer, Ken Patterson

Main

Matt Peternal, Hogue, Bowles, Hedden, Schweitzer, Stanley Peternal, Mead, Tyack, J McKinley, McGowan, Bandy, Carl, Patterson, Steve McKinley

Dash

Robert Sanders, Richie McGowan, Steven Johnson

Heat 1

Lou Wolfe, Eric Olson, McGowan, Dave Hayder, Steve Cimental

Heat 2

Chad Johnson, Tom Klamorick, Steven Johnson, Mike Wilson, Chris Taylor

Heat 3

Bruce Johnson, Mike Lee, Zach Forster, David West, Devan Jones

Main

B Johnson, Forster, S Johnson, McGowan, Jones, Wolfe, Lee, Jeremiah VanScoy, West, Taylor, Hayder, S Cimental, C Johnson, Olson, Klamorick, Wilson, Robbie Sawyer, Jeremy Valov, Jacky Wood, Sanders

Dash

Lloyd Reed, Royce Patterson, Keith Heaslet

Heat

Heaslet, Bill Little, Darrell Hood, Dave Bauer, Lonnie Welch

Main

Heaslet, Welch, Hood, Bauer, Little, Reed, Patterson

Dash

Larry Hood, Gary Dutton, Jeff Miller

Heat 1

Joe Porche, Phil Cook, David Childress, L Hood, Jim Deines

Heat 2

Brad Pounds, Kenneth Cleveland, Dutton, Mike Scott, Tommy Gregory

Heat 3

Miller, Doug Thompson, Rick Childress, Steve Smothermon, Mike Hood

Main

Miller, Dutton, L Hood, Scott, R Childress, Buck Cox, D Childress, Steve Morrison, Chris Mendenhall, J Deines, M Hood, Cleveland, Brady Bell, Porche, Lin Deines, Pounds, Thompson, Cook, Smothermon, Mike Corwin, Gregory, Chett Reeves

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