InsideGroove - Race Report

SAWYER EXPANDS POINT LEAD WITH THIRD WIN

Oildale, CA -- Brady Bell led the final 17 laps to win a time shortened 20 lap IMCA Modified main event at Bakersfield Speedway Park on Saturday night. Only 8 of the 16 starters survived to see the checkered flag and Sidney Payne cut defending division champion Larry Hood's point lead down to 11 points with a 2nd place finish ahead of Marvin Leist. Only three cars finished on the lead lap with L Hood a lap down in fifth. Using an inside run around fellow talented rookie Zach Forster on lap 24, Robby Sawyer became the first three feature winner in the super street stocks in 2004 in their 25 lap feature and emerged with a 15 point lead over another rookie Jeremiah VanScoy in their track title fight. VanScoy overheated on lap 16 and Forster ran second ahead of Karl Noland Jr. Bruce Johnson took the lead from Tyler Bandy on lap 10 and won the 20 lap hobby stock main event as Bandy ran second ahead of Rick Spicer. The American Stocks only managed to get 14 laps completed in their main event before the 11 o'clock curfew and red hot Michael Johnson paced the final 5 laps for the win. Chris Martin was second ahead of Jesse Bowles. Runaway point leader Jimmy Mason won his third 15 lap mini stock feature with dash winner Lulu Strub second ahead of Richard Graves.

The IMCA Modifieds split 16 cars into three heat races and Payne won the first over Steve Morrison. Lonnie Welch and Mike Hood were 1-2 in heat 2 and Jeff Miller came from 4th to win heat 3 over Bell. Miller then outraced front row starters Payne and Bell for the dash honors. The destruction derby like feature had five yellows and a red in the first four laps. Chett Reeves led the first lap and Nick Sylvester was in front for two before Bell took over on lap 4. Miller stalled in the early action, L Hood lost a lap making repairs and David Childress got into the fence. Gary Dutton dropped out early in the Payne team car. A long green flag period followed with Bell leading Sylvester, Payne, M Hood and Leist. Sylvester threw out his driveline for a lap 16 yellow and M Hood broke a rear end for the last caution on lap 18. Bell won with only Payne and Leist on the lead lap as Lonnie Welch placed fourth ahead of L Hood, Jim Deines and Morrison. Miller was the 8th car running at the checkered flag. L Hood's point lead is now 8 over uncle M Hood with Payne another 3 points back in third. Mike Scott missed the race as Morrison climbed into fifth in points behind Miller. The super street stocks split 9 cars into a pair of heat races. VanScoy won the first ahead of Wayne Heurung while Sawyer and Forster were 1-2 in heat 2. Sawyer took the dash ahead of VanScoy and Sawyer finished off his clean sweep by winning the 25 lap feature with his late move around Forster. Glen Hughes and Forster had the front row for the feature and Forster took a quick lead over Hughes and Randy Schweitzer. Hughes was hard into the fence on lap 6 and he pitted without a yellow flag. Schweitzer gained second ahead of K Noland Jr. Sawyer broke into the top five as he raced into fourth on lap 11. Sawyer passed K Noland Jr for third on lap 13. VanScoy pitted his overheated car on lap 16 and Sawyer made an inside move on Schweitzer for second on lap 19. There appeared to be no hope of catching leader Forster, but Sawyer was flying and he quickly cut the 1/4 lap lead down to nothing. Sawyer drove around Forster on the outside on lap 24 for the win. Forster ran second ahead of K Noland Jr, 2003 champion Darrell Hood and Steve Noland as Heurung also finished lead lap. Schweitzer fell out after losing second to Sawyer. Forster climbed past Heurung into third in points, 52 behind Sawyer and just 5 ahead of Heurung.

The 19 hobby stocks were split into three heat races and point leader Richie McGowan won the first over B Johnson. Third starter Steven Johnson beat Spicer in heat 2 and Brian Puckett turned an outside front row start into a win in heat 3 over Tom Klamorick. S Johnson and R McGowan were 1-2 in the dash. Outside front row starter Shane LeBlanc led the first lap of the 20 lap feature with third starting Bandy taking over on lap 2. B Johnson settled into second over M'Lissa Manzella. S Johnson pitted from fourth on a lap 4 yellow flag and he returned to stall for a lap 6 yellow flag. After Devan Jones had broken for a lap 8 yellow, B Johnson began an inside challenge at leader Bandy. B Johnson made his pass stick on lap 10 and R McGowan followed him into second. Manzella was riding fourth over Spicer. A right rear flat took over female ace Manzella and McGowan stalled for a lap 16 yellow flag. B Johnson got his third win of 2004 ahead of Bandy, Spicer, Ron Schmidt, Matt Wankum and Klamorick. The American Stocks split 23 cars into four heat races. James Cecil, fifth starting M Johnson, Bowles and Martin got the heat wins and M Johnson added the dash. M Johnson's perfect night saw him pace the final five laps of the curfew shortened 14 lap main event. The race had 22 starters and pole starter Wayne Dotson led the first 9 laps. M Johnson raced into third on lap 5 with a move around Roxie Johnson and he took second from Jason Bannister a lap later. Jim Coker lost a wheel for a lap 7 yellow and Lisa Hudnall was hard into the fence for a lap 9 yellow. Dotson pitted from the lead and M Johnson paced those final five rounds with Martin taking second from R Johnson on lap 12. Bannister spun and Bowles climbed up to finish third behind winner M Johnson and Martin. Adam Watkins was fourth ahead of first time racer Rick Childress Jr and Cecil. Lloyd Reed Jr was 7th ahead of R Johnson and Mike Armitage. The mini stocks had a season high ten cars, but Bob Coply could never keep his running long enough to race. Earl Farris beat Scott Kerley in heat 1 and Ventura regular Strub beat Mason in heat 2. It was Strub and Mason again 1-2 in the dash. Mason lined up sixth for the 8 car feature and had the lead on the first lap. Strub grabbed second from Graves on lap 3 and chased Mason to the all green win. Earl Farris had an early flat tire and Graves ran third ahead of Jerry Mayall and Eric Farris. Tina McGowan was also unable to race after hot laps. Only the top three finished on the lead lap. Mason holds a 179 point lead over Earl Farris.

Bakersfield Speedway Park has elected to be dark on June 26th with the cross town paved track Mesa Marin Raceway running it's annual Kevin Harvick night.

Summary Mini Stock Dash-Lulu Strub, Jimmy Mason, Earl Farris. Heat 1-Earl Farris, Scott Kearley, Eric Farris. Heat 2-Strub, Mason, Richard Graves, Jerry Mayall. Main-Mason, Strub, Graves, Mayall, Eric Farris, Anthony Miller, Kerley, Earl Farris. American Stock Dash-Michael Johnson, James Cecil, Chris Martin. Heat 1-Cecil, Johnny McKinley, Jason Bannister, Lloyd Reed Jr, Mike Boyd. Heat 2-M Johnson, Roxie Johnson, Christine Carl, Don Kuhns, Rick Childress Jr. Heat 3-Jesse Bowles, Wayne Dotson, Steve McKinley, Mike Armitage, Adam Watkins. Heat 4-Martin, Sam Henry, Erin Devilbiss, Lisa Hudnall. Main-M Johnson, Martin, Bowles, Watkins, R Childress Jr, Cecil, Reed, R Johnson, Armitage, Carl, Michelle Childress, Henry, Bannister, S McKinley, Conrad Feliks, Hudnall, Dotson, Kuhns, Boyd, Devilbiss, Jim Coker, J McKinley. Hobby Stock Dash-Steven Johnson, Richie McGowan, Bruce Johnson. Heat 1-R McGowan, B Johnson, Tyler Bandy, Roger Brewer, Clyde Benson. Heat 2-S Johnson, Ricky Spicer, M'Lissa Manzella, Bryan Terry, Matt Wankum. Heat 3-Brian Puckett, Tom Klamorick, Shane LeBlanc, Ron Schmidt, Sean Minor. Main-B Johnson, Bandy, Spicer, Schmidt, Wankum, Klamorick, Eric Cimental, Benson, Amy Hedden, Brewer, Terry, David West, Manzella, Puckett, R McGowan, LeBlanc, Devan Jones, S Johnson, Minor. Super Street Stock Dash-Robby Sawyer, Jeremiah VanScoy, Zach Forster. Heat 1-VanScoy, Wayne Heurung, Steve Noland, Glen Hughes. Heat 2-Sawyer, Forster, Darrell Hood, Randy Schweitzer, Karl Noland Jr. Main-Sawyer, Forster, K Noland Jr, Hood, S Noland, Heurung, Schweitzer, VanScoy, Hughes. IMCA Modified Dash-Jeff Miller, Marvin Leist, Brady Bell. Heat 1-Sidney Payne, Steve Morrison, Nick Sylvester, Gray Dutton, Leist. Heat 2-Lonnie Welch, Mike Hood, David Childress, Jimmy Irwin, Lin Deines. Heat 3-Miller, Bell, Larry Hood, Chett Reeves, Jim Deines. Main-Bell, Payne, Leist, Welch, L Hood, J Deines, Morrison, Miller, M Hood, Sylvester, Jimmy Goldsmith, D Childress, Irwin, L Deines, Reeves, Dutton.

InsideGroove Latest Reports | InsideGroove Archives
About InsideGroove