InsideGroove - Race Report

LAST LAP PASS NETS $800 FOR THOMAS, TWO STRAIGHT FOR WEAVER

Chowchilla, CA -- When Bakersfield rookie Zach Forster suffered transmission problems on the final lap while leading, Atwater's Darren Thomas was able to get around him for the $800 win in the crash shortened 20 lap super street stock main as the Chowchilla Speedway Freedom Series staged round 2 of the three holiday date action on Friday night. For the second straight race, the super street race was ugly as a restart, 8 yellow flags and two reds slowed the action. Thomas had his car completely reworked over the winter by Coalinga's Paul Pelletier and stands second behind Rich Denman in the California State Street Stock Championship Series going into that finale at Hanford on July 10. Forster, one of the many talented young rookies in Bakersfield, had taken the lead with an inside move on Darrell Hughes in turn 1 on a lap 15 restart. Contact left Hughes in the pits with a flat tire, but he battled back to finish 7th. Forster managed to salvage a $400 second ahead of Johnny Cardoza who won $250. Defending series champion Chris Messmer was a $150 fourth and moved into the series point lead, 4 points ahead of Cardoza. Bakersfield point leader Robby Sawyer was sent to the rear of the 21 car following a first lap spin, but battled forward to a $100 fifth. Denman won the Freedom Series opener on Memorial Day, but missed round 2 as he had not completed repairs from a rough night at Antioch. The hobby stock 25 lapper was completely dominated by Chowchilla point leader Marshall Weaver as he grabbed the lead from Bakersfield teenager Mike Wilson on lap 2. Birthday racer Weaver also won the series opener back on Memorial Day and each win was worth $500. He holds just a six point lead in the series point battle as Jimmy Brewer came from last in a borrowed car to a $100 third behind race runnerup Richie McGowan. McGowan, the 2003 Bakersfield champion and current point leader, won $250 for second. Brewer blew a head gasket on his own car taking third in the heat action. He had loaded up and was sitting in the grandstands when Carl Tatum came over and offered to go home and get his car if Brewer would drive it in the 25 lap feature. Wilson finished fourth in the feature and is a point challenger, just 12 points behind Weaver.

Because Messmer had perfect attendance at both Watsonville Speedway and the Freedom Series during his racing career, both tracks worked out a plan where he could race at both places on the same night. Chowchilla staged the super street stock feature before the dirt modified heat races, arranged for a plane and hustled Messmer to the Merced airport after his 4th place run. Watsonville made the super stocks the final race on their holiday card and Ray Martin agreed to let Messmer race his car at that track. The 21 cars were split into three qualifying heat races with Sawyer winning heat 1 from third starting with a late pass around outside front row starter Messmer. Forster spun and got hit by Keith Heaslet. Antioch's Jamie Reynolds ran third. Evan Craig impressed with his win from an outside front row start in heat 2, but he retired early in the feature run. Sixteen year old rookie Steven Hannah was second despite a bad smoking problem ahead of Jeremiah VanScoy. Outside front row starter Hughes won heat 3 ahead of fourth starter Roy Hart Jr and sixth starting Mitch Machado. The heat winners were up front for the start of the scheduled 25 lap feature.

Pole starter Sawyer jumped the initial start, then spun in turn 2 before the teams got the red and yellow light signal that it was a restart. Sawyer, a six time winner at three tracks in his rookie super street stock season, was forced to restart in the rear. The first three laps saw three yellow flags and a red. Hannah's badly smoking car was blackflagged and Hughes paced the first two laps. On a restart, VanScoy turned Hughes in turn 1 with Hart also involved. Hughes was placed back in the lead with VanScoy pitting. A tangle between Steve Peyla, Joe Fisher, Joe Carter and Debbie Taylor on the restart forced a red flag. The race never went more than three laps between caution flags and both Cardoza and Thomas got around Messmer on lap 3. The race went to single file restarts on lap 4. Thomas was second from lap 3 to lap 5, then Cardoza from lap 6 to lap 8. Thomas regained the spot on lap 9 and the flying Forster took fifth from Hart at the same time. Fisher was eliminated in a tangle with Taylor and George Lefler Sr on lap 11

Forster took fourth from Messmer on lap 10 and passed both Thomas and Cardoza as they raced to a lap 14 yellow flag. On this restart, Forster drove underneath Hughes for the lead on the very wet bottom of turn 1. There was some contact and Hughes stalled with a flat left rear tire. Sawyer briefly took fourth from Messmer on lap 17, but Messmer got the spot back a lap later. The two lap shootout for the win was set up when Hannah spun and got hit hard by Denise McCown and Lefler for a lap 18 red flag. Forster appeared to have the win at the white flag, but his transmission failed in turn 2 and he couldn't accelerate down the backstretch. There was some contact racing between Forster and Thomas before Thomas got by for the win. Forster salvaged second ahead of Cardoza, Messmer, Sawyer, Machado, Hughes, Hart, Reynolds and Red Williams. Messmer's point lead is 4 over Cardoza and a big 22 points over both Taylor and Hart.

The hobby stocks also split 21 cars into three heat races. After McGowan spun leading the first heat, he battled back to lose by just a half-car to Wilson. Chowchilla rookie Scott Whitley came from 7th to win heat 2 after first time Bakersfield visitor Sean Minor spun leading. Wayne Hall inherited the lead and he threw a wheel before he could finish a lap in front. Shane Hausmann was second ahead of Steve Montgomery. Third starter Weaver won heat 3 ahead of Tom Klamorick and Brewer. On the last lap of his heat, Brewer's temperature sky rocketed and he elected to park his car. When he trailered over to the grandstand side to watch the remainder of the night, veteran racer Carl Tatum offered to go home and get his car. The car arrived with a couple flat tires, but the Brewer car got it race ready in time for Jimmy to get a couple hot laps before the feature action. Hall and Rachel Paul were both feature scratches. This 25 lapper ran with five yellow flags and a red. It was also straightup with the heat winners in front and Brewer lined last in the borrowed car. Wilson paced the first lap, but pushed high in turn 2 on lap 2 and Weaver, McGowan and Terry DeCarlo Jr all got by. After getting lapped when he spun on lap 3, Antioch's Ronnie Jones climbed the front wall and flipped for a red flag on lap 4. Whitley moved around DeCarlo for third on the restart and Wilson passed DeCarlo for fourth on lap 8. Bakersfield's Eric Cimental fell out on lap 16 and Mark White lost laps making repairs. Whitley blew a tire for a lap 18 yellow flag. The flying Brewer was now fifth and he made a strong move on the restart to claim third behind leaders Weaver and McGowan. DeCarlo spun out of fourth and got hit by Montgomery. The final laps saw more flat tires for Shane Hausmann, Whitley and DeCarlo. Debris forced a yellow flag with just 3 laps to run, but Weaver had the field covered as he pulled away from McGowan and Brewer on the single file restart. Weaver won ahead of McGowan, Brewer, Wilson, Randall Davis, Montgomery, Roy Stephens, Foster Leedy and Hausmann.

The final round of the three race series will race on Labor Day Monday and the top three in points for all classes will get point checks beyond their race winnings.

Summary Hobby Stock Heat 1-Mike Wilson, Richie McGowan, Terry DeCarlo Jr, Randall Davis, Bob Bennett. Heat 2-Scott Whitley, Shane Hausmann, Steve Montgomery, Foster Leedy, Wayne Hall. Heat 3-Marshall Weaver, Tom Klamorick, Jimmy Brewer, Eric Cimental, Ron McCaul. Main-Weaver, McGowan, Brewer, Wilson, Davis, Montgomery, Roy Stephens, Leedy, Hausmann, Mike Giles, Whitley, DeCarlo, McCaul, Mark White, Klamorick, Sean Minor, Cimental, Bennett, Ronnie Jones. Super Street Stock Heat 1-Robby Sawyer, Chris Messmer, Jamie Reynolds, Darren Thomas, Red Williams. Heat 2-Evan Craig, Steven Hannah, Jeremiah VanScoy, Steve Peyla, George Lefler Sr. Heat 3-Darrell Hughes, Roy Hart Jr, Mitch Machado, Johnny Cardoza, Joe Carter. Main-Thomas, Zach Forster, Cardoza, Messmer, Sawyer, Machado, Hughes, Hart, Reynolds, Williams, Debbie Taylor, Willie Livingston, Carter, Denise McCown, Lefler Sr, Hannah, Peyla, Joe Fisher, Keith Heaslet, VanScoy, Craig.

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