InsideGroove - Race Report

SAWYER NETS CLEAN SWEEP WITH LATE RACE PASS

Oildale, CA -- Building his point lead to 8 points over Lloyd Reed, Darrell Hood passed Steve Noland on the last lap and won his 6th 25 lap super street stock main event of 2004 Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park. S Noland ran second and Reed was third. The NMRA TQ Midget feature was also decided on the final round as Mike Lambert bobbled coming off turn 4 for the final time and Dennis Hart drove by for the win in one of the two Greg Edenholm cars. Lambert ran second with Scott Hansen third in the other Edenholm owned mount. Having earlier won both the dash and his heat race, teenaged Robby Sawyer made his winning pass on Mike Wilson on lap 23 of the 25 lap hobby stock feature. It was Sawyers fifth win and Wilsons second place run gives him a win and two seconds in the last three races. The official order for the hobby stock race was held up as the track agreed to take Jeremiah VanScoys engine apart after he barely failed the engine compression test following a third place run. American Stock point leader Mark Hogue made it 7 wins this season as he led the final 13 rounds of their 20 lapper. Amy Hedden ran second ahead of Christine Carl.

The 9 super street stocks were divided into a pair of heat races. D Hood won the first from 4th starting with S Noland second. Reed beat Dave Bauer in heat 2. Earlier, Bauer had won the dash from 2nd starting as Reed ran second. The feature action found S Noland and Bill Little on the front row. Randy Schweitzer pitted before the green flag. Coming off a strong run at Chowchilla on Monday night, Bauer raced into the lead from 4th starting and Little settled into second. Hood briefly took third from Lonnie Welch on lap 5, but gave it back on the next lap. Ed Barrett pitted with a flat tire and Welch grabbed second from Little on lap 11. Hood was third a lap later and Hood passed Welch for second on lap 13. Hood tried to make an outside run on leader Bauer, but couldnt finish a pass. Hood then tried the bottom in his attempt for first on laps 19-20, but that only succeeded in dropping him back to third behind leader Bauer and Welch. Bauer, Hood, Welch and Reed all tangled for a lap 20 yellow flag. On the restart, S Noland led Little and Hood. Little spun and was hit head on by Bauer. Hood raced into second ahead of Reed and the final lap saw Hood drive underneath leader S Noland in turn 3. There was a little contact and Hood emerged with both the lead and the win. S Noland ran second ahead of Reed, Bauer, newcomer George Olmsted and Little. Hoods point lead is 8 over Reed, 24 in front of Welch and 36 ahead of Bauer.

The hobby stocks had a 21 car turnout, but only 15 survived to start their 25 lap feature. Sawyer won the dash from the pole with Mike Lee second. Sawyer started in the back of heat 1 and won with Lee again second. The red hot Wilson won heat 2 from an outside front row start as sixth starting point leader Richie McGowan was second. Chad Johnson won heat 3 from 4th as Curtis Dietzsch returned to action with a second. Both Eric Olson and Michael Johnson had transmission problems and they were joined as feature scratches by Wes Scott, Eric Cimental, Randy Jordan and Brady Bell. Roger Brewer and Wilson shared the front row for the 25 lapper and Wilson took a quick lead over Perry VanScoy. Clyde Benson had a flat and MLissa Manzella joined him in the pits early in the race. Sawyer and C Johnson both passed P VanScoy for the 2-3 slots on lap 5, but C Johnson was then sidelined with a flat tire. P VanScoy broke an axle riding in third for a lap 9 yellow flag. Lee was now third and J VanScoy took fourth from Ricky Spicer on lap 11. Sawyer pulled alongside leader Wilson at the midway mark, but couldnt finish a pass. J VanScoy took third from Lee on lap 18 and Sawyer was again alongside Wilson on lap 22. Sawyer made his winning pass on lap 23. Wilson ran second. Pending the completion of the inspection on J VanScoy, he stands third ahead of Lee, Tom Klamorick, McGowan, Spicer and David West.

The NMRA TQ brought an 11 car field to the 1/3 mile clay oval. Walt Johnson beat Kenny Wiley in heat 1 after starting third. Hansen won heat 2 from the pole as third starting Hart ran second ahead of back row starter Lambert. Outside front row starter Michael Bliffen flipped before getting the green flag in the 20 lap feature and Kevin Mybenga pitted to leave 9 cars in action. Lambert moved up onto the front row with the Bliffen flip and he raced into the elad over Hart and Hansen. Johnson tried to pass Ron Wade on the inside for fourth and Hansen grabbed second from Hart on lap 12. Hart regained second from Hansen on lap 16 and was in the right place when Lambert bobbled on the final lap. Hart drove by for the win with Lambert second ahead of Hansen, Wade, Johnson, Wiley, Steve Parke and Chuck West. Wiley was the final lead lap finisher as the race ran without a caution after its rocky start.

There were 9 American Stocks in action, but two of the non-rented rental cars were added at the rear of the feature lineup. Jesse Bowles won the dash from the pole with Hedden second ahead of Hogue. Hogue came from 4th to win heat 1 as Hedden ran second. Carl won heat 2 from an outside front row start and boy friend Bowles was second. Conrad Feliks and Rose Tyack shared the front row for the main event and Feliks led Tyack for the first 7 laps. Hogue ran fourth behind Hedden until lap 6. After taking third from Hedden, Hogue passed both Feliks and Tyack for the lead on lap 8. Tyack grabbed second a lap later and Hedden was third on lap 10. Hedden and Carl both passed Tyack for the 2-3 slots on lap 12. Debris forced the only yellow flag on lap 16. Tyack dropped out while fourth on lap 18 as Hogue won ahead of Hedden, Carl and newcomer James Cecil, a crewman for the Scott Pounds teams. Craig Houk drove one of the added cars to fifth, but they were left off the official finish. Bowles and Lisa Hudnall trailed Houk. Hogues point lead is 74 over Tyack and 112 over Bowles. Carl is just 8 points back of Bowles and Steve McKinley holds down fifth.

Summary American Stock Dash-Jesse Bowles, Amy Hedden, Mark Hogue. Heat 1-Hogue, Hedden, Rose Tyack, Johnny McKinley, Conrad Feliks. Heat 2-Christine Carl, Bowles, James Cecil, Lisa Hudnall, Steve McKinley. Main-Hogue, Hedden, Carl, Cecil, Bowles, Hudnall, Tyack, S McKinley, J McKinley, Mike McInnerney, Feliks. Hobby Stock Dash-Robby Sawyer, Mike Lee, Mike Wilson. Heat 1-Sawyer, Mike Lee, MLissa Manzella, Perry VanScoy, Clyde Benson. Heat 2-Wilson, Richie McGowan, Rick Spicer, Tom Klamorick, David West. Heat 3-Chad Johnson, Curtis Deitzsch, Roger Brewer, Brady Bell. Main-Sawyer, Wilson, Jeremiah VanScoy, Lee, Klamorick, McGowan, Spicer, West, Brewer, Steve Cimental, Benson, Dietzsch, C Johnson, P VanScoy, Manzella. Super Street Stock Dash-Dave Bauer, Lloyd Reed, Bill Little. Heat 1-Darrell Hood, Steve Noland, Lonnie Welch, Ed Barrett. Heat 2-Reed, Bauer, Little, George Olmsted, Randy Schweitzer. Main-Hood, Noland, Reed, Bauer, Olmsted, Little, Welch, Barrett, Schweitzer. TQ Midget Heat 1-Walt Johnson, Kenny Wiley, Ron Wade, Chuck West, Kevin Mybenga. Heat 2-Scott Hansen, Dennis Hart, Steve Lambert, Michael Bliffen, Steve Parke. Main-Hart, Lambert, Hansen, Wade, Johnson, Wiley, Parke, West, West Evans, Bliffen, Wybenga.
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