InsideGroove - Race Report

HIGH GROOVE FORSBERG COMES FROM REAR FOR HANFORD WIN

Hanford, CA --

After he had drawn a large 12 car inversion as the fast time qualifier, Auburn's Andy Forsberg was involved in a 9 car tangle at the start of the 30 lap Golden State Challenge Series feature at Kings Speedway on Saturday night. That forced him to restart even deeper in the field, but his rim riding effort paid off as he put on a passing exhibition that netted him his first GSC win in the Family Auto Service special owned by Florie Filipich. The victory left Northern California's busiest sprint car racer just 38 points behind point leader Jason Statler entering two nights of racing at Calistoga on Memorial Day weekend. In addition to his GSC efforts for Filipich, Forsberg wheels his family car on Friday nights at Chico along with selected 360 and unwinged shows. Forsberg was chased across the finish line by previous week Rebel Cup winner Ricci Faria, point leader Statler, Australia's Trevor Green and Friday night Chico winner Blake Robertson. The multi-car incident at the start included a flip for Tim Kaeding, who spent the last month racing with the World of Outlaws after three early season GSC wins. A rookie with the Bandit Sprint Cars in 2004, Jimmy Reeves returned his dirt modified roots and won the IMCA Modified feature in the Chad Patterson car. Reeves came from tenth for that win and Merced's Paul Stone emerged as the new point leader following his drive from 8th to 2nd. Incoming point leader and defending track champion Bryan Burnes broke an engine in his heat and was sidelined from the feature action, following 3 points back of Stone. Claudine Contente climbed to within one point of third with her third place finish. The Hot Stock action had a season high 15 entries and Bakersfield Speedway co point leader Robby Sawyer made it two wins in two appearances at the 3/8 mile clay oval by winning the 20 lapper from 4th starting. Digging his car out of mothballs to tune up for the upcoming California State Street Stock Championship Series, Rich Denman ran second ahead of Santa Maria invader Kenny Kirkpatrick.

The winged 410 sprint car action had 27 entries and the first car to time in, Forsberg ended up with quick time with his 13.547 run. Brent Kaeding ran a 13.557 and Tim Kaeding returned with his 13.567 run in the Beef Packers mount. Steve Kent was fourth quick at 13.612 and Wayne Williams ran a 13.620. The top 8 was rounded out by Brian Coelho, Sean Becker and young Kyle Hirst in his Kings Speedway debut. The field was split into four invert 6, take four heat races. Statler came from 4th to win the first heat ahead of track regular Jeff Delte from Petaluma, who started on the pole. Forsberg and Williams transferred with 3rd and 4th place runs. Outside front row starter Kevin Pylant won heat 2 ahead of pole starter Shain Matthews and Tommy Tarlton. Fresh off his Chico win, Robertson came from third to win heat 3 ahead of sixth starting T Kaeding and Becker. Mike Faria captured heat 4 from an outside front row start with Green second in the Morrie Williams mount as he continues to fill in for the injured Dennis Moore Jr. R Faria and Hirst were 3-4 in this event. Six transfer spots were available in the B Main and Coelho got that win ahead of Kent, Mike Benson, Garrett Ishii, Craig Stidham and Jason York. Mike Quigley was also placed in the A Main grid when Benson scratched. Fast timer Forsberg had drawn the big 12 car inversion and that placed 18th quick Pylant on the pole with Green alongside. Pylant has two May wins in Calistoga and Fernley NV both from pole starts. Robertson and R Faria shared row 2 with B Kaeding and Forsberg buried in the sixth row. The 9 car incident on the start saw T Kaeding flip and damaged numerous cars including feature winner Forsberg who realigned at the rear of the cars able to continue. Forsberg then put on a passing clinic as he raced his way to the front of the field for the exciting win. R Faria ran second ahead of Statler, Green, Robertson, Tarlton, Stidham, Matthews, Williams and M Faria. Pylant led early in the race only to be sidelined with a broken front end on lap 13. Statler stands 38 points in front of Forsberg, 60 ahead of Robertson, 75 ahead of Becker and 81 in front of Pylant as they travel to Calistoga for May 29 and May 30 races.

The IMCA Modifieds were added to the date to make up for an early season rainout and a season low 15 cars appeared. Joe Chapman beat Burnes and Gerard Felipe in heat 1, but Burnes broken motor ended his night. Reeves jumped into the Patterson mount and won heat 2 from the rear ahead of Mark Hamblin and Stone. Jory Rothenflud joined Burnes as a main event scratch and Reeves again showed his strength by charging from 10th starting to gain the feature win ahead of 8th starter Stone and 6th starter Contente. Billy Wilker ran fourth ahead of Jon Schlundt, Ed Nichols, William Woodbridge and Jim Reed as Bobby Burks was disqualified from his feature placing. Stone came out of the night with a 3 point lead on Burnes, 25 ahead of Hamblin and 26 in front of Contente. Steve Smothermon ran 10th in the Donnie Range car and dropped 43 points back of Stone and just 2 points behind fifth ranked Wilker.

The 15 car Hot Stock turnout included four Bakersfield cars on a dark night for their division there, Santa Maria's Kirkpatrick and the return of former track champions Denman and Rick Tarr. Ron D'Artenay won heat 1 over Kirkpatrick and two Bakersfield rookies Sawyer and Zach Forster. Tarr outraced new point leader Rodney Sullivan, Paul Pelletier and Denman in heat 2. Kevin Barnes jumped into the LaCrisha Brown car for the feature action. The teenaged son of a former dirt late model racer Kelly Sawyer, R Sawyer won the 20 lapper from 4th starting ahead of sixth starter Denman, 7th starting Kirkpatrick, third starter Sullivan and Forster. Tarr was sixth ahead of Bill Little, Tony Contente and Debbie Taylor. With D'Artenay buried in 14th and Pelletier 12th, rookie Sullivan emerged with an 11 point lead on D'Artenay and 13 ahead of T Contente. New track regular Taylor, who tows all the way from Novato, is 17 points out of first and 4 ahead of Pelletier.

Kings is dark on Memorial Day weekend and returns to action on June 5, but the street stocks will be busy opening the four race California State Street Stock Championship Series with events at Santa Maria on May 29 and Merced on May 30. The series races in June at Antioch and closes at Kings during the annual County Fair on July 10.

Summary Hot Stock Heat 1-Ron D'Artenay, Kenny Kirkpatrick, Robby Sawyer, Zach Forster, Michael Redding. Heat 2-Rick Tarr, Rodney Sullivan, Paul Pelletier, Rich Denman, Darren Hopkins. Main-Sawyer, Denman, Kirkpatrick, Sullivan, Forster, Tarr, Bill Little, Tony Contente, Debbie Taylor, Hopkins, Redding, Pelletier, Kevin Barnes, D'Artenay, Kristian Reynolds. IMCA Modified Heat 1-Joe Chapman, Bryan Burnes, Gerard Felipe, Claudine Contente, Jon Schlundt. Heat 2-Jimmy Reeves, Mark Hamblin, Paul Stone, Bobby Burks, Billy Wilker. Main-Reeves, Stone, Contente, Wilker, Schlundt, Ed Nichols, William Woodbridge, Jim Reed, Felipe, Steve Smothermon, Hamblin, Chapman. Winged 410 Sprint Car Fast Time-Andy Forsberg 13.547 Heat 1-Jason Statler, Jeff Delte, Forsberg, Wayne Williams, Craig Stidham. Heat 2-Kevin Pylant, Shain Matthews, Tommy Tarlton, Brent Kaeding, Brian Coelho. Heat 3-Blake Robertson, Tim Kaeding, Sean Becker, David Key, Mike Benson. Heat 4-Mike Faria, Trevor Green, Ricci Faria, Kyle Hirst, Mike Quigley. B Main-Coelho, Steve Kent, Benson, Garrett Ishii, Stidham, Jason York, Quigley, Jon Maiwald, Jim Skinner, Doug Moles. A Main-Forsberg, R Faria, Statler, Green, Robertson, Tarlton, Stidham, Matthews, Williams, M Faria, Coelho, Pylant, Becker, Quigley, B Kaeding, Hirst, Kent, York, T Kaeding, Ishii, Key, Delte.

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