InsideGroove - Race Report

FIRST OPEN OUTLAW FEATURE WIN FOR KYLE HIRST

Chico, CA -- Having dominated his other divisions as he quickly moved up the outlaw kart racing ladder, Kyle Hirst outdueled Pete Johnston and Ryan Kaplan to win his first Open Outlaw A Main Saturday night at Cycleland Speedway. Johnston had problems with his wing falling down and actually had to race a few laps with one hand holding the wing up. Fast timer Justin Reinolds won the Open Intermediate main event with Anthony Orgain in second. Kayla Thain saw her two race winning streak snapped, but she managed a third place finish. Subbing for Michelle Argetsinger who was in Costa Rica on vacation, former division dominator Matt DiBenedetto won the 125 Intermediate main event. Interestingly, DiBenedetto’s heat race win put him on the pole for the feature after he knocked himself out of the dash by timing Brian Southers kart in sixth fast. Southers missed time trials to play in a championship baseball game. Fellow front row starter Dillon Aldred ran second ahead of Thomas Bruckenstein. Cole Peard from Quincy continued his complete domination of the Pro Box Stock action with fast time and wins in the dash and feature. Derek LaRocca had his best run with a second ahead of Tyler Reddick. Brad Patchen also turned a front row start into a win in the Box Stock A Main as dash winner Derek Copeland ran second ahead of fast timer Aaron Bundy. Katina Baker beat heat winner Mallorie McGahan in the Beginner Box Stock main event.

With a QRC All Star Tour event coming up on June 21, the open outlaw class drew 50 entries and long tow Brandon Aldred from Oakley paced time trials with his 11.283 qualifying run. Tyler McCain had an 11.321 and Red Bluff champion Brian McCain ran a 11.327. Johnston was fourth quick at 11.350. The six fastest karts race in the dash for their main event starting order, but the revised Cycleland procedure now puts 8 of the heat race karts in front of them in the 20 lap A Main. Johnston took dash honors ahead of B McCain and Tyler McCain. Busy with his new very successful USAC Ford Focus Midget runs, Ryan Kaplan made a rare return to outlaw kart action and earned the pole for the main event with his win in heat 1 over R C Smith. Hirst had timed in 12th quick and he won heat 2 over Tyler Spath. Daniel Becker and Josh Hughes ran 1-2 in heat 3 and David Fowler outdueled Robbie Whitchurch in heat 4. The top 3 in each heat advance and four transfers from the B Main complete a 22 kart A Main grid. Michael Tarter won the B Main over Michael Helwig, Quintin Crye and Jaime Becker. J Becker came from the back to claim that last transfer after finishing 3rd in the C Main. She then came from 22nd starting in the A Main to finish a solid 6th. Jacob Spath beat Jimmy Pettit and J Becker in the C Main and Dannie Ferro beat Brandon Mansfield in the D Main. In the A Main, a first lap crash forced B McCain to restart in the rear. Hirst drove to the win with 9th starter Johnston overcoming his wing problems to place second. Kaplan salvaged a third ahead of 14th starter Clint York, Whitchurch and 22nd starting J Becker. B McCain charged back to 8th behind Hughes. R C Smith and fast timer B Aldred rounded out the top ten.

Justin Reinolds paced the 19 Open Intermediate karts in time trials with his 11.510 qualifying run. Orgain ran a 11.585 and Thain posted a 11.594. Sixth quick Adam Main won the dash ahead of Richard Bailey and Reyna Krueger. The two heat races were won by Glenn Parman and Austin Kerns. After they ran 5th and 4th in the dash, Reinolds and Orgain had to drive through the field to place 1-2 in the feature. Thain ran third ahead of Tyler Ritcheson, Taylor Simas, Brett Miller, Bailey and Austin Kerns. Nevada’s Mackena Bell was the quickest of the 31 125 entries with an 11.456 qualifying run. Bradley Terrell ran a 11.540 and Michael Forslund an 11.582. Kyle Larson was fourth quick ahead of QRC All Star Tour dominator Rudger Worley. Not chasing any point titles in 2003, DiBenedetto is a highly sought after substitute driver. Wheeling his own kart, he was collecting points for the vacationing Argetsinger, but Southers needed a time trial driver due to his baseball commitment. When DiBenedetto timed the Southers kart in sixth quick, it knocked himself out of the dash field. After playing a key role in his team’s championship baseball win, Southers arrived in time to race the dash which he won ahead of Larson and Worley. DiBenedetto beat Alan Ambers in heat 1 to earn the pole for the A Main. Dillon Aldred outraced Nic Mathews in heat 2 and Bruckenstein beat Klint Simpson in heat 3. Nic Helwig won the B Main ahead of Cody Ambers, Dillon Silverman and Amanda Reinolds. The front three finishers in the A Main started 1-2-3 with DiBenedetto winning ahead of Aldred and Bruckenstein. Larson ran fourth ahead of Worley, Bell, Tom Purcell, Terrell and Cody Miller. Southers was riding in fifth when his carburetor fell off late in the race. Thursday night Colusa Fair winner Derek O’Bannon was 10th in the feature.

Peard was nearly a half-second faster than second quick in the Pro Box Stock action as he ran a 12.620 lap compared to the 13.061 effort of Reddick. LaRocca was third quick ahead of Zachary Pina. Peard beat Pina and Reddick in the dash. The lone heat race went to Cashlyn Mack ahead of Kari Lanier. Peard charged to another feature win ahead of LaRocca, Reddick, K Lanier, Jacob Miller, Alex Elder and Pina. The Box Stocks had another huge turnout. Bundy was the quickest of the 34 karts with his 12.776 run. Jake Cartwright was the only other kart in the 12’s with his 12.825 run. Cameron Bartlett and Tyler Seavey ranked 3rd and 4th and Kyle Larson subbed for Brenden Lewis in the 5th slot. Sixth quick Copeland won the dash from the pole with Larson second ahead of Cartwright. Chase Hill beat Leana Kenyon in heat 1 and Patchen earned his outside front row starting assignment for the A Main by winning heat 2 over Colusa Fair winner Kenny Allen. Jon Phillips made a rare Cycleland appearance and won heat 3 in front of Casey McClain. This class limits their A Main to 18 karts so the six dash karts, nine heat race transfers and 3 drivers from the B Main make up that lineup. Jake Morgan won the B Main ahead of Jordan Miller and Matt Killion. Tristan Miller and Tyler Reddick were 1-2 in the C Main. Patchen was the A Main winner ahead of Copeland, Bundy, Hill, Larson, Phillips, McClain, Kenyon and Bartlett. There were 8 Beginner Box Stocks. McGahan won the heat race over Baker and Logan Seavey. Baker then beat McGahan in the main event with Seavey third ahead of Ben Phillips Jr, Lexi Porter, Tyler Pina, Riley Peacock and Taylor Pina.

Heat

Mallorie McGahan, Katina Baker, Logan Seavey, Ben Phillips Jr, Lexi Porter

Main

Baker, McGahan, Seavey, Phillips, Porter, Tyler Pina, Riley Peacock, Taylor Pina

Fast Time

Aaron Bundy 12.776

Dash

Derek Copeland, Kyle Larson, Jake Cartwright

Heat 1

Chase Hill, Leana Kenyon, Dustin Jenkins, Jake Morgan, Matt Killion

Heat 2

Brad Patchen, Kenny Allen, Kellcy Bell, Brad Coupe, Sean Martin

Heat 3

Jon Phillips, Casey McClain, Garrett Peacock, Dalton Worley, Jordan Miller

C Main

Tristan Miller, Tyler Reddick, Trevor Tennison, Braedon Enos, Max Adams, Kevin Coupe, Jennifer Purcell, Tucker Larue, Wesley Dougherty, Riley King

B Main

Morgan, J Miller, Killion, Cyle Allison, Tennison, Reddick, Johnny Terry, B Coupe, Jordan St Clair, Maartin

A Main

Patchen, Copeland, Bundy, Hill, Larson, Phillips, McClain, Kenyon, Cameron Bartlett, Tyler Seavey, Cartwright, Jenkins, Bell, Morgan, Peacock, Allen, J Miller, Killion

Fast Time

Cole Peard 12.620

Dash

Peard, Zachary Pina, Tyler Reddick

Heat

Cashlyn Mack, Kari Lanier, Jennifer Purcell, Alex Elder, Jake Costello

Main

Peard, Derek LaRocca, Reddick, K Lanier, Jacob Miller, Elder, Pina, Costello, Mack, Purcell, Billy Lanier

Fast Time

Mackena Bell 11.456

Dash

Brian Southers, Kyle Larson, Rudger Worley

Heat 1

Matt DiBenedetto, Alan Ambers, Christopher Phillips, Jonny Lentz, Nic Helwig

Heat 2

Dillon Aldred, Nic Mathews, Tom Purcell, Shane Theis, Mason Moore

Heat 3

Thomas Bruckenstein, Klint Simpson, Derek O’Bannon, Cody Miller, Cody Ambers

B Main

Helwig, C Ambers, Dillon Silverman, Amanda Reinolds, Adam Main, M Moore, Ryan McDaniel, Al Varricchio, Derek Copeland, Sean Sheppard

A Main

DiBenedetto, Aldred, Bruckenstein, Larson, Worley, Bell, Purcell, Bradley Terrell, C Miller, O’Bannon, Mathews, Michael Forslund, A Ambers, Phillips, C Ambers, Lentz, Southers, Helwig, Silverman, Theis, Simpson, Reinolds

Fast Time

Justin Reinolds 11.510

Dash

Adam Main, Richard Bailey, Reyna Krueger

Heat 1

Glenn Parman, Garet Morton, Brett Miller, Tyler Ritcheson, Tyler Reiswig

Heat 2

Austin Kerns, David Wilson, Taylor Simas, A J Kerns, David Maples

Main

Reinolds, Anthony Orgain, Kayla Thain, Ritcheson, Simas, Miller, Bailey, Austin Kerns, Krueger, Maples, A J Kerns, Main, Morton, Wilson, Parman, Reiswig, Mitchell Weber, Sean Roll, Will Clark

Fast Time

Brandon Aldred 11.283

Dash

Pete Johnston, Brian McCain, Tyler McCain

Heat 1

Ryan Kaplan, R C Smith, Shawn Amos, David Tarter, Michael Helwig

Heat 2

Kyle Hirst, Tyler Spath, Beau Perkins, Michael Tarter, Danica Herman

Heat 3

Daniel Bekcer, Josh Hughes, Brian Eady, Cody Smith, Rob Ritcheson

Heat 4

David Fowler, Robbie Whitchurch, Brian Boswell, Quintin Crye, Jim Mathews

D Main

Dannie Ferro, Brandon Mansfield, Pete Austin, Kayla Amos, Carl Burquist, Jed Burquist, Chad Ferro, Chris Smith, Andy Orgain

C Main

Jacob Spath, Jimmy Pettit, Jaime Becker, Troy Combs, C Burquist, Kirk Simpson, Joe Weststeyn, D Ferro, Brad Jones, Brett Woods

B Main

M Tarter, Helwig, Crye, J Becker, Mathews, Ritcheson, Richard Weststeyn, Pettit, Combs, David James, D Tarter

A Main

Hirst, Johnston, Kaplan, Clint York, Whitchurch, J Becker, Hughes, B McCain, R Smith, Aldred, Crye, Helwig, Boswell, Perkins, Eady, Fowler, T Spath, Amos, D Becker, M Tarter, T McCain, Chad Widener