InsideGroove - Race Report

BENNETT'S FIRST CAREER WIN IN DIRT TRACK NATIONALS

San Jose, CA --

Leading just the final lap after passing race long leader Scott Pounds, Joel Bennett from Oregon made his first career dirt late model feature win a big one as he collected $2,500 for his 30 lap A Main win Saturday night during the Dirt Track Nationals at San Jose Speedway. Bennett's Flintstone Flyer chassis uses a Clements engine and is sponsored by Synergin Racing Oil. He is in his second season of racing dirt late models. Friday night winner Pounds led the first 28 laps, but was being pressured by both Bennett and John Silva as they started lap 29. Bennett was atop Pounds, so Pounds had to enter turn 1 different than normal and Silva hooked the infield berm and spun down low. John Duty had also spun at start-finish, so the officials responded with a checkered-yellow finish on lap 29. Bennett beat Pounds to the checkered flag for the rich win. Despite his second place run, Pounds was excited over how competitive his point race spec head motor was on the weekend as he won $1,600 in the Chris Sivesind owned GRT. C Main winner Greg Walters came from row 13 to win $1,100 with his third place finish as Western All Stars champion Bill Pearson rebounded from a pair of pit stops to collect $800 for fourth. Randy Claborn also came from the rear for his $700 fifth.

When Billy Griffin did not return for Saturday's action, the 26 car A Main grid included the 19 heat transfers from Friday night, five transfers from the B Main and two from the C Main. Pounds and Pearson shared the front row after their 1-2 finish on Friday night and Pounds raced into the lead over Pearson and Scott Kuster. On the first lap, Mark Grill slowed dramatically and was rear-ended by late model rookie Doug Jeffers. On lap 3, Santa Maria champion Devin Crockett spun out of fourth and was hit by Buck Cox. Claborn took third from Kuster on the restart as Nevada's Malen Gonzalez dropped out. Kuster retook third on lap 8 as Dave Byrd took fifth from John Lowrey. Ron Bartels dropped out and dash winner Richard Papenhausen was limping on a left rear flat tire when he was drilled by Pearson at the start-finish line for a lap 15 yellow flag. Pearson had to restart in the rear after getting sent to the pits to remove loose body parts. Pounds and Kuster were now 1-2 with Byrd and Bennett trading third. Byrd spun on lap 19 and attempted to drive through the spin, but t-boned York and York spun into the infield where he was hit hard by Lowrey. Pearson again restarted in the rear after pitting and second place Kuster had to start over after he pitted with a flat left front tire. Pounds now led Bennett with back of the pack starters Silva and Walters now in contention. Papenhausen returned, but lost a motor for a lap 27 yellow flag. Pounds moved higher on the track to protect his lead from Bennett, giving Silva an opening down low. Bennett's presence didn't allow Pounds to throw his car into the turn 1 corner as normal and Silva's bid ended as he spun in the turn 1 infield. Bennett had a better line and beat Pounds off turn 2. With Oregon's John Duty spun at start-finish, the drivers were racing to a checkered yellow finish and Bennett beat Pounds to the win. Walters ran third ahead of Pearson, Claborn, Cox, Oregon's Jeremy Shank, Kuster, Oregon's Ron Brewster and Petaluma champion Ed Sans.

Papenhausen completed the major repairs from the Friday night damage to his Larry Shaw Chassis and won the heat winners' dash ahead of Claborn and Kuster. Jerry York led the first 9 laps of the 15 lap B Main, but was having problems with his brakes and he spun wildily into the turn 4 infield on lap 10. He recovered in third without a caution flag. He quickly retook second from Dave Stutts and passed Byrd to retake the lead on lap 13. York won ahead of Byrd, Stutts, Brewster and Sans as Chad Reichenbach just missed a transfer in the B J Pearson mount. Oregon's Rick Kudna hit the front wall on lap 2. After a crash in his Friday night heat, Walters won the C Main ahead of Petaluma ace Rod Arnold, Brewster and Shawn DeForest.

Summary Dash-Richard Papenhausen, Randy Claborn, Scott Kuster. C Main-Greg Walters, Rod Arnold, Ron Brewster, Shawn DeForest, Gary Faw, Mike Castellon, Curtis Haumont, Eric Kruse, Todd Perkins. B Main-Jerry York, Dave Byrd, Dave Stutts, Brewster, Ed Sans, Chad Reichenbach, Rick Coffey, Ted Zebroski, Bill Hall, Richard Mueller, Scott Bartels. A Main-Joel Bennett, Scott Pounds, Walters, Bill Pearson, Claborn, Buck Cox, Jeremy Shank, Kuster, Brewster, Sans, John Silva, Stutts, Mark Grill, Devin Crockett, Mike DeLucca, Arnold, Doug Jeffers, Charlie Marrs, Frank Sossie, John Duty, Byrd, Papenhausen, John Lowrey, York, Ron Bartels, Malen Gonzalez.

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