InsideGroove - Race Report

ANTONETTI, HOOD AND JOHNSON OPEN BAKERSFIELD WITH WINS

Oildale, CA -- A frequent winner when he makes the long tow south from Santa Cruz to race, Joe Antonetti pushed his Harris Chassis from 7th starting to the lead in 15 laps and won the 25 lap IMCA Modified main event as Bakersfield Speedway Park opened their 2004 season Saturday night. A great field of 30 IMCA Modifieds was on hand and Sidney Payne capped an impressive opening night with a second place run ahead of David Childress and returning racer Lee Jensen. Despite running out of brakes in the last half of the race, track champion Darrell Hood won the 25 lap super street stock main event in wire to wire fashion from the pole. Santa Maria visitor Willy Oathout blew a tire after coming from 9th to 2nd and veteran Glen Hughes finished second ahead of Lloyd Reed. Having scrambled to get his car together in the three days leading up to the race, former track champion Bruce Johnson led the final 16 laps to win the 25 lap hobby stock main event. Track champion Richie McGowan made a late race pass on Clyde Benson to finish second. Having reworked his car from last year, Conrad Feliks ran second in his American Stock heat race, then led the final 13 laps to win their 20 lap feature. Raw newcomer Jason Bannister crossed the finish line in second, but didn't know to report to the tech area after the checkered flag and penalized back to a last place finish. Christine Carl gained second ahead of Johnny McKinley.

With the large turnout of IMCA Modifieds, the four heat format advanced just the top 3 finishers in each heat into the front half of the 22 car A Main grid. Two B Mains determined the final ten starters. Outside front row starter Payne won heat 1 ahead of fellow front row starter D Childress. Brady Bell won heat 2 from the pole as defending track champion Larry Hood came from fifth to place second. Again shooting for a California State championship, traveler Bill Saltzman from Merced won heat 3 from an outside front row start as pole starter Troy Morris Jr ran second. Jeff Miller came from 4th to take heat 4 ahead of outside front row starter Kathy Pierson. Jason Selvidge led all 10 laps to win the first B Main ahead of Buck Cox and Merced star Bob Williamson Sr. Antonetti travelmate Andy Obertello won heat 4 ahead of Mike Hood and Chris Tonoli.

Because it was opening night, the 12 heat race transfers drew for their starting order with Jensen and Payne drawing the front row ahead of Pierson and D Childress. The decision to take Larry Hood's racing operation off the road has allowed Jensen to return to driving as he crewchiefed the well traveled run to the Western Rookie of the Year honors for L Hood in 2003. Payne raced into a quick lead with both D Childress and Pierson passing Jensen for the 2-3 slots on lap 2. Obertello, Cox and Selvidge all fell out very early. Antonetti came from 7th to 4th in just 4 laps and Wes Richardson spun for a lap 5 yellow flag. On the restart, Mt Shasta long tow Lenny Toolanen spun and got hit by Rick Childress and Steve Morrison. Pierson was now second and Antonetti took third from D Childress on this restart. L Hood was also flying as he raced into fourth on lap 8 only to give the spot back to D Childress on lap 12. Richardson was out for causing two yellows when he spun on lap 13. Antonetti had driven around Pierson for second on lap 12 and he rode an inside line to take the lead from Payne on lap 15. Once in front, Antonetti switched to the extreme outside line to charge to the checkered flag. Williamson was up to third and Pierson had to pit from 4th with a flat tire when Morris goet into the fence hard for a lap 17 yellow flag. Third place duelers Williamson and L Hood tangled for a final yellow flag on lap 19. Antonetti charged to the win ahead of Payne, D Childress, Jensen, Saltzman, R Childress, Tonoli and Williamson.

The track was worried about how many super street stocks that they would have this season, but three rookies and visitors from Santa Maria, Ventura and Imperial grew the field to 14 cars for the opener. Up from the hobby stocks, rookie Robby Sawyer won heat 1 over rookie Jeremiah VanScoy, who is chasing rookie of the year honors in the Keith Heaslet car. Santa Maria's Kenny Kirkpatrick won heat 2 from the pole with Hughes second. Outside front row starter Royce Patterson won heat 3 in a photo finish decision with Oathout. With both Ed Barrett and James Cornelius scratching from the feature, the fully inverted feature started 12 cars. Hood took a quick lead from the pole as fellow front row starter Toby Randolph settled into second. A rookie at the high speed Imperial track, Cory Hemphill was out on lap 3. Rookie Zach Forster had taken second from Randolph before a fire on the Randolph car forced a lap 5 red flag. On the restart, Ventura veteran Wayne Heurung hit the wall and rolled for another red flag. Forster's race was over and VanScoy settled into second with 9th starting Oathout into third on lap 8. Fourth place Patterson hit the fence for a lap 11 yellow and pitted with a flat with Hughes now up to 4th. Oathout raced a low line around VanScoy for second on lap 14 only to blow a tire before he could finish another lap. Hughes then drove underneath VanScoy for second on lap 20 and last starter Lloyd Reed gained third on lap 21. A badly smoking Sawyer pitted on lap 22. The brakeless Hood stayed out front for the win as only five cars saw the checkered flag with Hughes second ahead of Reed, VanScoy and Kirkpatrick.

There were 19 hobby stocks divided into three heat races. R McGowan won heat 1 from 4th with Devan Jones in second. Eric Cimental came from fifth to win heat 2 and Bryan Terry ran second ahead of Rick Spicer. B Johnson had a perfect night as he won heat 3 from third starting as back row starter Steve McGowan was second. The main event had two scratches as Chad Johnson lost a motor in his heat race and Bobby Besser hit the wall in his. After four yellows in the first 9 laps, the final 16 laps were run with just a single yellow flag. Outside front row starter Benson led the first 9 laps. B Johnson settled into second ahead of R McGowan and Jones. Steven Johnson spun for a lap 3 yellow and Rachel Paul hit the wall in her attempt to miss him. Eric Olson stalled with a right front flat for a lap 9 yellow flag. On this restart, the veteran B Johnson grabbed the lead from Benson. M'Lissa Manzaella took fourth from Cimental on lap 11 and S Johnson gained fifth. The only caution flag of the second half of the race found Troy Thomas in the wall on lap 18. Matt Wankum had to pit his overheating car. Rick Spicer made a late charge taking 4th from Manzella on lap 22. B Johnson won ahead of R McGowan, Benson, Spicer, S Johnson, S McGowan and Manzella.

There were 16 American Stocks. Outside front row starter Wayne Dotson won heat 1 over back row starter Carl. Steve McKinley also won his heat from #2 starting as pole starter Feliks ran second. James Cecil won the third heat from the pole ahead of Jesse Bowles. Bowles had to be pushed to the pits when he stalled before the green flag in the main event. Feliks started outside front row and led 4 laps before Michael Johnson took over. Feliks regained the lead for good on lap 8 and Carl grabbed second from Bannister on lap 10. A flat tire put S McKinley in the pits on lap 11 and Robert Swearengen caught fire for a lap 12 red flag. M Johnson pitted from 2nd. Dotson raced into second on the restart, but blew a tire on lap 16. This allowed Bannister to chase Feliks to the checkered flag. Bannister didn't report to tech, but was dropped to last instead of being DQ'd. This allowed Carl to finish second ahead of J McKinley, Sam Henry and S McKinley.

March 13 will be a big show for the track as the California Clash dirt late models will be racing 40 laps for $3000 to win. The NCMA spec sprints will make their first Bakersfield visit and the CDCRA dwarf cars will race along with the American Stocks. The late models even have a practice day and BBQ on Friday.

Summary American Stock Heat 1-Wayne Dotson, Christine Carl, Johnny McKinley, Roxie Johnson, Sam Henry. Heat 2-Steve McKinley, Conrad Feliks, Chris Martin, Jason Bannister, Robert Swearengen. Heat 3-James Cecil, Jesse Bowles, Michael Johnson, Adam Watkins, Tayler Spicer. Main-Feliks, Carl, J McKinley, Henry, S McKinley, R Johnson, Martin, Mike Boyd, Cecil, Dotson, Watkins, M Johnson, Swearengen, Spicer, Bowles, Bannister. Hobby Stock Heat 1-Richie McGowan, Devan Jones, M'Lissa Manzella, Eric Olson, Rachel Paul. Heat 2-Eric Cimental, Bryan Terry, Rick Spicer, Clyde Benson, Troy Thomas. Heat 3-Bruce Johnson, Steve McGowan, Jacky Wood, Chad Johnson, Rod Brown. Main-B Johnson, R McGowan, Benson, Spicer, Steven Johnson, S McGowan, Manzella, Eric McGough, Matt Wankum, Thomas, Wood, Cimental, Olson, Jones, Terry, Brown, Paul. Super Street Stock Heat 1-Robby Sawyer, Jeremiah VanScoy, Zach Forster, Ed Barrett. Heat 2-Kenny Kirkpatrick, Glen Hughes, Wayne Heurung, Cory Hemphill. Heat 3-Royce Patterson, Willy Oathout, Toby Randolph, Darrell Hood. Main-Hood, Hughes, Lloyd Reed, VanScoy, Kirkpatrick, Sawyer, Oathout, Patterson, Heurung, Forster, Randolph, Hemphill. IMCA Modified Heat 1-Sidney Payne, David Childress, Lee Jensen, Chett Reeves, Bob Williamson Sr. Heat 2-Brady Bell, Larry Hood, Rick Childress, Jason Selvidge, Buck Cox. Heat 3-Bill Saltzman, Troy Morris Jr, Joe Antonetti, Mike Hood, Chris Tonoli. Heat 4-Jeff Miller, Kathy Pierson, Lenny Toolanen, Johnnie Baptista, Andy Obertello. 1st B Main-Selvidge, Cox, Williamson, Mike Scott, Steve Morrison, Nick Sylvester, Marvin Leist, Robert Sanders, Reeves. 2nd B Main-Obertello, M Hood, Tonoli, Wes Richardson, Lin Deines, Jim Deines, Baptista. A Main-Antonetti, Payne, D Childress, Jensen, Saltzman, R Childress, Tonoli, Williamson, Scott, L Hood, Toolanen, Miller, L Deines, Morrison, Pierson, Morris, Richardson, M Hood, Obertello, Cox, Selvidge, Bell.
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