InsideGroove - Race Report

LARGE SURPRISES WITH BAKERSFIELD STREET STOCK OPEN WIN

Bakersfield, CA --

After filling in for Ricky Sanders at Watsonville's $5,000 to win street stock open comp because it conflicted with Sanders' wedding, Bobby Large asked if he could use the car for the Budweiser Western Dirt Track Nationals at Bakersfield and the veteran racer drove it to a $1,200 win in Saturday night's 40 lap open comp street stock feature. Large broke the motor running second at Watsonville so they had to find a powerplant for Bakersfield, but Phil Priddy loaned them his motor. Large won from the pole and was quick to thank Sanders for the loan of the car and crewmen Bob Alaga and John Orozco. Large lost a plug wire on lap 31, but the lack of horsepower didn't hurt on the dry slick, 1/3 mile clay oval. Prior to the Watsonville race, the last time that Large raced was this race in October, 1995 with his late model. James Hammons challenged Large hard for the win in the closing laps, but settled for a $600 second and B Main winner Lonnie Welch was a $400 third as Friday night hobby stock feature winner Keith Heaslet impressed by driving his hobby stock running street stock tires to a $300 fourth ahead of Jim Harker.

The open comp street stock portion of the weekend drew a 42 car field and Randy Hensley blistered the 1/3 mile clay oval with a 14.974 qualifying lap as he over 3/4 of a second faster than second fast Brady Bell, who turned a 15.754 lap. Don Moshier, Ed Perry and Jason Selvidge were also in the 15's, but Perry lost his quicker lap when he timed out of order. The cars were split into four qualifying heats with an invert 6, take three format. When he was credited with his slower lap, Perry sat on the pole for the first heat and won ahead of Larry Childress and Billy Simkins. Heat two saw Glen Hughes the winner as Rick Wilkinson had a flat tire leading. Bell and Hammons also transferred. Steve Dietrich won the third heat ahead of Selvidge and Darrell Hughes. Darrell Hood won heat four ahead of Large and Dave Franey as Mitch Enos lost his brakes in the closing laps and faded to fourth. After posting fast time, Hensley missed the call for his heat, but was allowed to tag another heat where he dropped a drive line. The 12 transfers from the heat action were slated to run a 20 lap qualifier main on Friday paying $200 to win, but the program ran late and that event was cancelled.

Instead, the invert 8 lineup for that race was used for the 40 lap A Main, putting Large and Hammons on the front row, Simkins and Hood in row 2, Franey and Selvidge in row 3 with Larry Childress and Bell in row 4. The all-star field ripped off 20 laps before the first caution flag in the 40 lapper. Large raced into the lead over Hammons and Hood. Track champion Kevin Collier had missed Friday night to attend a function with his daughter, but advanced through the C and B Mains. He blew a right rear tire on lap 6 as Hood got around Hammons for second. Hood took the lead from Large on lap 8. Rick Childress dropped out as he overheated. Large regained the lead when Hood got out of shape on lap 19. Brandon Cortner hit the wall in turn 4 for a lap 20 yellow with Large leading Hood, Hammons, Selvidge and Bell. Hughes had to pit with a flat and he raced out of the pits right into the lead pack taking the green flag. L Childress nearly flipped as he drove up on the wheel of Hughes, but raced his way into fourth. Hood spun on lap 24 with L Childress into second. On the restart, L Childress' right rear tire went flat and he fell from contention as Bell moved up to challenge Hammons for second. Bell gained second on lap 30, but lost an engine on the next round for a yellow flag. Moshier had started 14th after running second in the B Main, but he took second from Hammons on the restart. Moshier was challenging Large for the lead when he drove into the turn 4 wall, flew high in the air and landed on the hood of Hammons' mount. Moshier was unhurt, but done for the night while Hammons drove through the incident to maintain second. Despite losing a plug wire over those final 10 laps, Large commanded each restart and won ahead of Hammons, Welch, Heaslet and Harker. Heaslet started 19th and Harker 17th.

Royce Patterson led the first 10 laps of the 20 lap B Main before breaking. Welch led the rest of the way with Moshier second ahead of R Childress, Collier and Harker. Chris Messmer blew early to trigger a tangle that eliminated C Main winner Danny Baldridge Jr. Dave King Jr was running third with just four laps to go when he blew and only seven cars finished the transfer 10 event as Mike Allen, John Harville, Brandon Cortner and Rob Geurin were late crash victims. Baldridge had left the track on Friday when the tech team told him his new Camaro was illegal, but he returned to tag the C Main on Saturday night and he won that 20 lapper ahead of Harker, Collier and Jerry Horlacher. Hensley also ran the C Main and climbed as high as fourth before a broken oil line took him out.

Summary Fast Time-Randy Hensley 14.974 Heat 1-Ed Perry, Larry Childress, Billy Simkins, Jim Harker, Dave King Jr. Heat 2-Glen Hughes, Brady Bell, James Hammons, Royce Patterson, Lonnie Welch. Heat 3-Steve Dietrich, Jason Selvidge, Darrell Hughes, Don Moshier, Rob Geurin. Heat 4-Darrell Hood, Bobby Large, Dave Franey, Mitch Enos, Brandon Cortner. C Main-Danny Baldridge Jr, Harker, Kevin Collier, Jerry Horlacher, Mike Meazell, Mike Allen, Dan McArthur, Eric Jacobsen, Al Henderson, Randy Hensley. B Main-Welch, Moshier, Rick Childress, Collier, Harker, Charlie Dowdy, Keith Heaslet, Cortner, Geurin, Allen, John Harville, Enos. A Main-Large, Hammons, Welch, Heaslet, Harker, Dietrich, L Childress, Selvidge, Perry, Hughes, Harville, Dowdy, Simkins, Cortner, Moshier, Hughes, Bell, Franey, Collier, Hood, R Childress.

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