InsideGroove - Race Report

DAVE BYRD WINS FIRST DIRT START OF 2004

Oildale, CA -- Making his first start on dirt in 2004 and wanting to get some track time on a brand new GRT dirt modified for the Bob Foote team, Dave Byrd paced the final 21 laps to win the 25 lap unsanctioned dirt modified feature at Bakersfield Speedway Park on Saturday night. Byrd has been busy chasing both the Stockton 99 Speedway track title and NASCAR regional honors on the pavement in 2004, but Stockton goes dark on Nextel Cup TV nights and Byrd's practice runs at the 1/3 mile clay oval produced a feature win. Lonnie Welch and the unsanctioned event also drew a return by Portervile's Charles Paul who ran third. Only four of the seven super street stocks survived to start their 15 lap feature and Bill Little got his first feature win despite right rear tire that went flat in victory lane. Lloyd Reed Sr ran second. The hobby stock win was decided in tech as fourth place finisher Rick Spicer put up the $500 to have winner Eric Olson's engine torn down. Olson refused the teardown and was disqualified, but Olson's car owner Richie McGowan put up another $500 to have Spicer's engine torn down. When Spicer was found legal at 2 AM, he pocketed $400 of his $500 and $400 of McGowan's $500. The track keeps $100 out of each $500 to limit how often this occurs. The Olson disqualification gave Billy Irwin his first win of 2004 and moved Matt Wankum and Spicer up to the 2-3 slots. Point leader Richie McGowan ran fourth. James Cecil led just the final two laps to win the 20 lap American Stock main as both he and Mike Armitage passed leader Jason Bannister on lap 19. It was Cecil's third win and point leader Michael Johnson ran fourth behind Bannister to improve his point advantage to 15 points over Sam Henry with just one point race remaining.

The track was worried about what kind of dirt modified field that they would draw since the event could not be IMCA Sanctioned due to the Boone SuperNationals. They drew 15 cars including the debut of the new Byrd car. The Byrd car had never turned a lap prior to hot laps and the team finished building it in the Oildale pits. Steve Morrison won heat 1 over Steve Smothermon and it was Mike Hood also turning an outside front row start into a win in heat 2 over last starter Paul, who has a new dirt modified for 2004. The feature lineup was a 9 car inversion off the heat race results, putting Robert Sanders and Welch in the front row ahead of Byrd and Nick Sylvester. Sylvester was coming off a strong showing in the Santa Maria Labor Day Sunday race. Top runner Jeff Miller was a feature scratch. Welch took a quick lead over Sylvester and Byrd. Paul came from 6th to 4th on lap 1 and the race was redflagged on lap 3 when contact between M Hood and Smothermon sent Smothermon flipping more than three times. He was unhurt. Byrd drove around Sylvester on the outside for second on the restart and then darted underneath Welch for the lead on lap 5. Sylvester spun out of third for a lap 9 yellow and both Marvin Leist and Jimmy Goldsmith pitted. Paul was now third ahead of Reeves and a stalled Darrell Hood forced a lap 11 yellow. The final caution came on lap 23 when fifth place M Hood broke. Byrd stayed out front for 21 laps for the win in front of Welch, Paul, Chett Reeves, Morrison and Mike Scott.

There were 7 super street stocks for the heat action as second ranked point racer Jeremiah VanScoy elected to race in the Merced Speedway Salute to 9-11 special. Coming off his $1000 win at Santa Maria on Sunday night and headed to Lubbock TX for a $5000 to win show next weekend, point leader Robby Sawyer broke a motor on lap 1 of the heat action to end his night. Reed won the heat race over Little and Darren Hopkins. Little let Brady Bell wheel his super street in the Santa Maria race. Karl Noland Jr scratched from the main and George Olmsted pitted on the pace lap to leave four cars to race the 15 laps. Little led Reed for all 15 rounds with Hopkins taking third from Zach Forster on lap 6. Forster moved to second in points, 46 behind teammate Sawyer.

The track split 21 hobby stocks into three heat races. McGowan, Eric Cimental and Chad Johnson got the heat wins and it was third starter C Johnson getting the dash win over fourth starting Spicer. American Stock racer Christine Carl again drove the Ron Schmidt car in the heat action with Schmidt taking over for the feature. C Johnson, Geoff Menees, Olson and Jackie Wood started in the front of the feature grid. Menees had to pit with a flat as C Johnson paced the first four laps. Olson settled into second over Irwin. Newcomer Joe Baker hit the wall hard for a lap 2 yellow. Wankum gained fourth on lap 4 and Olson took the lead from C Johnson on lap 5. Spicer broke into the top five on lap 9 and second place C Johnson spun on lap 11 to move Irwin into second over Wankum. Track title hopeful Steven Johnson had to pit with a flat tire on lap 13. Tom Klamorick stalled for a lap 17 yellow. Olson stayed out front to the checkered flag, but he refused to tear down since he is not in the point chase. McGowan responded by forcing Spicer to tear down his engine, but it was found legal and he moved up to third in the finish and gained $300 in the process. Irwin gained the win ahead of Wankum, Spicer, McGowan, Lou Wolfe, Schmidt and C Johnson. McGowan's point lead is 43 over S Johnson going into the Sept 25th point finale. Spicer is another 23 points back in third.

Despite their heavy schedule, the $100 to win American Stocks have produced outstanding car counts and 23 cars raced in the heat action tonight. All three heats were won by the outside front row starter, Johny McKinley, Steve McKinley and Cecil. J McKinley then won the dash from the pole over Cecil. Walt Farris III and Bannister shared the front row for the 20 lap main event. Farris led 8 laps before hitting the wall headon for a red flag. Mike Armitage moved to second on lap 2, but had to pit with a flat tire on lap 4 and Bannister briefly retook second before giving it up to Chris Martin on lap 6. A tap from Matt Morris sent Rick Childress Jr spinning and Christine Carl's point hopes took a blow with a lap 6 broken axle. Second place Martin pitted on the red flag for the Farris crash and Bannister found himself leading Michelle Childress and Jesse Bowles. Bowles got second on lap 12, but was passed by Cecil a lap later. Armitage worked his way back to third on lap 16 and both Cecil and Armitage passed Bannister's Dodge on lap 19. Cecil got the win over Armitage, Bannister, point leader Michael Johnson, M Childress, Henry and Bowles. M Johnson is only 15 points up on Henry and 63 in front of Martin with Carl another 21 points back in fourth. Bannister moved to sixth, one point ahead of Mike Boyd and five in front of M Childress.

On Sept 18, the VRA unwinged 360 sprint cars return along with the VRA Dwarf Cars and NMRA TQ Midgets and the mini stocks. It will be the final 2004 point race for the mini stocks.

Summary American Stock Dash-Johny McKinley, James Cecil, Chris Martin. Heat 1-J McKinley, Michelle Childress, Michael Johnson, Jason Bannister, Christine Carl. Heat 2-Steve McKinley, Walt Farris III, Roxie Johnson, Mike Armitage, Jesse Bowles. Heat 3-Cecil, Martin, Matt Morris, Mike Boyd, Wade Meinke. Main-Cecil, Armitage, Bannister, M Johnson, Childress, Sam Henry, Bowles, Morris, Adam Watkins, Jackie Wood, Meinke, Boyd, Rick Childress Jr, Robby Thompson, J McKinley, R Johnson, Lisa Hudnall, S McKinley, Martin, Farris, Carl, Conrad Feliks. Hobby Stock Dash-Chad Johnson, Rick Spicer, Richie McGowan. Heat 1-McGowan, Steven Johnson, Eric Olson, Cliff Partain, Lou Wolfe. Heat 2-Eric Cimental, Billy Irwin, Clyde Benson, Christine Carl, Tom Klamorick. Heat 3-C Johnson, Spicer, Matt Wankum, Geoff Menees, Rachel Paul. Main-Irwin, Wankum, Spicer, McGowan, Wolfe, Ron Schmidt, C Johnson, Cimental, Klamorick, S Johnson, Chris Taylor, Bobby Besser, Benson, Partain, Menees, Shane LeBlanc. Super Street Stock Heat-Lloyd Reed Sr, Bill Little, Darren Hopkins, Karl Noland Jr, Zach Forster. Main-Little, Reed, Hopkins, Forster. Dirt Modified Heat 1-Steve Morrison, Steve Smothermon, Jeff Miller, Dave Byrd, Robert Sanders. Heat 2-Mike Hood, Charles Paul, Nick Sylvester, Lonnie Welch, Chett Reeves. Main-Byrd, Welch, Paul, Reeves, Morrison, Mike Scott, Sylvester, David Childress, Marvin Leist, Darrell Hood, M Hood, Jimmy Goldsmith, Smothermon, Sanders.

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