InsideGroove - Race Report

BELL LEADS FINAL 3 LAPS, SAWYER WINS FIFTH

Oildale, CA -- Leading the final 3 laps in a side by side duel with Mike Hood, Brady Bell joined Jeff Miller as a three time winner in the IMCA Modifieds at Bakersfield Speedway Park Saturday night. Miller appeared to be headed to win number four, but he had to pit with a flat tire while leading on a lap 22 yellow flag in the 25 lap event. Jimmy Irwin got his best ever IMCA Modified finish with a third and track point leader Larry Hood ran fourth. L Hood had his engine claimed by Jim Deines and he agreed to sell. The timing of an early race yellow flag allowed super street stock point leader Robby Sawyer to score his fifth local win of 2004. Sawyer has 8 overall wins in his rookie season in the super street stocks. Sawyer had just raced into second when his hood flew up in his face on lap 4 of the 25 lap feature. Bill Little spun to force a yellow flag on lap 5 and the track removes body parts for the teams so Sawyer stopped and had his hood removed remaining in second. Sawyer waged a fierce duel with Charles Paul for the top spot until he took command on lap 20. Paul ran second ahead of Zach Forster, the final lead lap finisher. Sawyer improved his point lead to 33 points over Jeremiah VanScoy and 55 points over Forster as rookie drivers hold down the top 3 point positions. Gaining the lead when pacesetter Roger Brewer broke an axle on lap 3, recent high school graduate Mike Wilson got his second straight 25 lap hobby stock feature win. Second ranked Rick Spicer finished 2nd ahead of Steven Johnson and Devan Jones. Wilson thanked his father, former Pro Mod star Joe Wilson Jr, for his setup help on the VanScoy family owned car.

The 22 car IMCA Modified turnout included Merced Speedway regulars Bill Saltzman and Aaron Barnell. California State point leader Saltzman was coming off a Friday night win at Watsonville. Miller won the first heat over Irwin and Nick Sylvester. Ventura Raceway regular Wes Richardson visited and won heat 2 over Robert Sanders. L Hood caused an accident that damaged the cars of J Deines and Mike Scott. Scott had to go and get the Chris Mendenhall car to race in the feature action. M Hood came from sixth to win heat 3 over brother Darrell Hood and Lonnie Welch. Richardson turned an outside front row start into a dash win over Miller and Irwin. Sanders and D Hood shared the front row for the 22 car grid for the 25 lap feature. D Hood led the first 5 laps with third place Sanders stalling on a first lap caution for Marvin Leist and Jimmy Goldsmith. Irwin and Welch ran 2-3 on the restart and D Hood spun after he had los thte lead to Irwin on lap 6. The spinning D Hood was hit by Richardson. When action resumed, Irwin led Welch, Miller and Sylvester. Miller nosed ahead of Welch on lap 9, but Welch got him back a lap later. When Barnell spun for a lap 10 yellow, Lee Jensen was penalized to the rear. Welch took the lead from Irwin on lap 14 and M Hood was now fourth ahead of Bell. Miller passed Irwin for second on lap 16 and took the lead from Welch on lap 17. Bell raced into fourth on the restart after a stalled Lin Deines forced a lap 17 yellow flag. Tenth starter Bell leaped from 4th to 2nd on lap 21 and the yellow fell on lap 22 for a spin by Steve Morrison. Miller had to pit from the lead with a flat tire and the final 3 laps saw Bell riding a high line in his side by side duel with M Hood for the top spot. On the final lap, Bell pulled slightly ahead and M Hood was on his rear nerf at the checkered flag. Irwin ran third ahead of L Hood, Welch, Sidney Payne, Sylvester, Saltzman and David Childress. L Hood's point lead is only 4 points over Payne and 11 points over M Hood. Miller has fallen 34 points out of the lead with his 15th place run tonight. Bell is 6th in points behind Morrison.

The super street stock count was down to ten cars. Outside front row starter Forster won heat 1 over Sawyer. Paul also started outside front row in his heat 2 victor4y over VanScoy. Forster beat fellow front row starter Paul in the dash. Karl Noland Jr and John Romero had the front row for the 25 lap feature with Paul lined up 5th and point leader Sawyer 9th. Noland led the opening lap, but had to pit with a flat tire on lap 2. Wayne Heurung paced two laps before Paul took over on lap 4. Sawyer saw his hood fly up into his face on lap 4, but he still managed to get around Heurung for second before the Bill Little spin forced the second yellow flag on lap 5. Bakersfield allows their infield workers to remove loose body parts from the cars so Sawyer stopped and got his hood removed, remaining in second behind Paul. The team cars of VanScoy and Keith Heaslet both pitted on a lap 8 yellow flag and Forster took third from Heurung on lap 10. VanScoy raced back to fourth on lap 13. Sawyer pulled alongside leader Paul on lap 16 with Paul riding a high line. A Paul bobble in turn 3 on lap 20 gave Sawyer the opening he needed as he raced around Paul for the top spot.. Sawyer was three car lengths in front of Paul at the checkered flag. Forster ran thid with VanScoy a lap down in fourth ahead of Romero and Heurung. In his first full season at the 1/3 mile clay oval, Heurung is fourth in points, 24 behind Forster.

The hobby stocks split 20 cars into three heat races. Top runners M'Lissa Manzella and Bruce Johnson both missed the event after suffering heavy damage on the previous weekend. Spicer won heat 1 over returning racer Brian Criswell and pole starter Tom Klamorick won heat 2 over Billy Danner. Steven Johnson came from third to capture heat 3 ahead of David West. S Johnson also won the dash, coming from third to beat outside front row starter Klamorick. Sean Minor was a feature scratch to leave a 19 car lineup with Brewer and Criswell on the front row. Criswell had to pit with a flat tire as Brewer paced the first two laps. Wilson started third, took second on the first lap and had passed Brewer for the lead when Brewer broke an axle for a lap 3 yellow flag. Danner raced into second on the restart with 9th starter Spicer into third. Spicer was able to take second from Danner on lap 16 and Eric Olson was third a lap later. The field ran the final 22 laps without a yellow flag. Clyde Benson gained fourth on lap 20 with Jones right behind him. With Wilson holding a solid lead over Spicer, S Johnson made a late charge gaining third on lap 24. Wilson won ahead of Spicer, S Johnson, Jones, point leading Richie McGowan, Danner, Klamorick and Matt Wankum. Benson was the final lead lap finisher. McGowan's point lead is only 23 over Spicer with S Johnson another 22 points back in third.

Summary Hobby Stock Dash-Steven Johnson, Tom Klamorick, Eric Olson. Heat 1-Rick Spicer, Brian Criswell, Clyde Benson, Dustin Schweitzer, Amy Hedden. Heat 2-Klamorick, Billy Danner, Roger Brewer, Mike Wilson, Matt Wankum. Heat 3-S Johnson, David West, Olson, Sean Minor, Geoff Menees. Main-Wilson, Spicer, S Johnson, Devan Jones, Richie McGowan, Danner, Klamorick, Wankum, Benson, Menees, Hedden, West, Rachel Paul, Lou Wolfe, Eric McGough, Olson, Schweitzer, Criswell, Brewer. Super Street Stock Dash-Zach Forster, Charles Paul, Robby Sawyer. Heat 1-Forster, Sawyer, Wayne Heurung, Keith Heaslet, Bill Little. Heat 2-Paul, Jeremiah VanScoy, Karl Noland Jr, John Romero. Main-Sawyer, Paul, Forster, VanScoy, Romero, Heurung, Noland, Heaslet, George Olmsted, Little. IMCA Modified Dash-Wes Richardson, Jeff Miller, Jimmy Irwin. Heat 1-Miller, Irwin, Nick Sylvester, Sidney Payne, Chett Reeves. Heat 2-Richardson, Robert Sanders, Steve Morrison, Jim Deines, Mike Scott. Heat 3-Mike Hood, Darrell Hood, Lonnie Welch, Bill Saltzman, Brady Bell. Main-Bell, M Hood, Irwin, L Hood, Welch, Payne, Sylvester, Saltzman, David Childress, Scott, Aaron Barnell, Morrison, Lin Deines, J Deines, Miller, Lee Jensen, Richardson, D Hood, Reeves, Sanders, Jimmy Goldsmith, Marvin Leist.

InsideGroove Latest Reports | InsideGroove Archives
About InsideGroove