See Also ODD TWIST PUTS JOHN SILVA ON POLE 10/08/2004 TRACK CHAMPION MCGOWAN LEADS FINAL 27 LAPS FOR $1000 10/08/2004 ELEVENTH WIN WORTH $1500 FOR ROBBY SAWYER 10/09/2004 WILD FINISH AS PAUL COLLECTS $2000 10/09/2004

Oildale, CA --

After he talked his family team out of loading up the car when he crashed in the final practice session, Richard Papenhausen from Chico managed to pace all 100 laps Saturday night from his outside front row starting spot to score a $5000 win in the Budweiser West Coast 100 Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway Park. Papenhausen was never threatened as he built a huge lead in the first 50 lap segment, then did the same in the final 50 laps after the fuel break. It was his first dirt late model win since the Hanford October race in 2000, but the team did increase their commitment to dirt late models by bypassing several richer dirt modified races to run the entire CarQuest Western Xtreme Dirt Car schedule, finishing 4th in points. They recently discovered a problem that was causing their oil pressure problems, but had to work sleepless nights during the week to repair heavy damage at the late September Petaluma race. Papenhausen earned the outside pole assignment with a second behind John Silva in the Friday night’s 12 lap preliminary feature, but heavily damaged the car when he got into the back fence in the final hot lap session just prior to the 40 lap features for the super street stocks and dirt modifieds. Papenhausen’s Rocket Chassis carried their 410 ci open motor by Ed Nereaux and used Goodyear tires. His car is crewed and financed by father John Papenhausen, uncle Dave Papenhausen and cousin Mike Papenhausen. While Papenhausen ran unchallenged, the duel for second was intense for all 100 laps. Silva held it for the first 37 laps, but Dave Byrd showed his versatility again by putting the Rick Fringer Warrior into second on lap 38. He briefly gave the spot up to Mike Collins from lap 72 through lap 83, but retook it on lap 84 and finished in the $2500 runnerup slot. That helped ease some of the pain of losing an engine in his dirt modified leading that race on lap 4. This weekend was Byrd’s first in a dirt late model in 2004 as he filled in for Billy Griffin after Griffin injuried his back in a hard time trial crash on Friday. Griffin was on hand to watch the Saturday night action. Collins settled for a $2000 third and California Clash champion Steve Drake rallied from 8th with six laps to go to finish in the $1500 fourth slot. Eric Jacobsen won $1250 for fifth and Oregon champion Rob Mayea was a $1000 sixth. Silva dropped from 5th to 7th in the final laps, but won $900 and a last lap spin relegated fast timer Bobby Hogge IV to an $800 8th, the final lead lap finisher.

A J Kirkpatrick scratched from the 100 lapper after breaking an engine in the 12 lap qualifier on Friday night and Doug Thompson was a Saturday addition. Oregon’s Randy Boyd broke in Saturday hot laps to end his weekend. There were 14 starters in the 20 lap B Main that added the final 11 cars to the 100 lap grid. After his failure to scale following a Friday night heat win, Drake responded by taking the lead from 6th to just 8 laps and winning the 20 lapper handily over Bart Reid, Collins, Roger Lorenzini Jr and Willamette Speedway point runnerup Trevor Glaser. Buck Cox had paced the first 7 laps before Drake took command with his Rocket. Robbie Witwer ran sxith ahead of Oregon long tows Bob Boyd and Mark Carrell with Dino Napier 9th ahead of Scott Bartels and Cox. Oregon dirt late model newcomer Justin Dittman spun for a lap 5 yellow and was hit hard by Donnie McGowan to the end the night for both and Thompson broke on lap 18.

The A Main field ran an incredibly clean 100 lapper with the yellow flag falling on lap 37. The midrace fuel break was called at the second yellow on lap 49 and there was a lap 51 yellow. They then raced until lap 94 when Carrell threw a wheel for the final slowdown. Papenhausen had the favored outside front row starting spot, but he could take his car anywhere on the dirt slick 1/3 mile clay oval. He grabbed a quick lead over Silva and Hogge with Jacobsen taking fourth from Dick Shepherd on lap 2. Shepherd and Byrd trading fifth and Larry Childress was lapped when he spun on the backstretch on lap 12. The quick pace set by Papenhausen put top runner Bob Boyd a lap down on lap 15. Jacobsen grabbed third from Hogge on lap 18 as Hogge began to experience oil pressure problems. By lap 25, Papenhausen had built his lead to ¼ lap and Byrd was now fourth ahead of Hogge, Shepherd, 12th starter Drake and Mayea. Byrd moved in to challenge Jacobsen for third and he claimed that spot just before Scott Bartels spun in turn 2 for the first yellow flag on lap 37. Glaser’s car suffered damage in a minor tangle while under the yellow flag. The track was putting the leader in front by himself, then double filing the field behind him but Papenhausen had several lapped cars to cushion him from the second place duelers. Byrd grabbed second from Silva on this restart and 14th starter Collins broke into the top five. Both Ron Bartels and Dana Nelson had just went down a lap to Papenhausen when Buck Cox spun for a lap 49 yellow flag. The track elected to do the midrace fuel stop here with Papenhausen leading Byrd, Silva, Jaocbsen, Collins, Mayea, Hogge, Drake, Glaser and Shepherd, the final lead lap car. The Hogge team did discover an oil leak, but he continued in the race with a conservative approach. Both Lorenzini and Carrell returned after pitting in the late stages of the first 50 laps.

The second 50 got off to a rough start as some contact racing sent Shepherd spinning in turn 1. Lorenzini got into the wall hard trying to avoid contact, then crashed into Shepherd and the night was over for both. Cox retired a couple laps later and Papenhausen was now leading Byrd, Collins, Silva and Jacobsen. By lap 64, Papenhausen was again a half-lap in front with the lapped car cushion. Both Collins and Silva were putting pressure on Byrd for second. Jacobsen soon made it a four way duel for the slot and the flying Papenhausen put Glaser a lap down on lap 70. Collins got underneath Byrd in the lapped traffic for second on lap 72 and Jacobsen shuffled Silva back to fifth. Mayea was now sixth ahead of Hogge and Drake. Byrd regained second with an inside move on Collins on lap 84 and quickly pulled away from him, but never threatened to close on leader Papenhausen. Carrell threw his left rear wheel for that final yellow flag on lap 94. Again, Papenhausen had several rows of lapped cars to cushion him from second place. The final six laps were still all Papenhausen as he finished with four lapped cars between himself and runnerup Byrd. Collins ran third and Drake made a furious final lap charge to fourth. Jacobsen was fifth, Mayea 6th and Silva dropped to 7th ahead of Hogge. Robbie Witwer was very strong in the final 50 laps to gain a 9th and he was joined one lap down by Glaser and R Bartels. Bill Bartels, Dino Napier, Bart Reid, Larry Childress and B Boyd were all two laps down at the checkered flag.

Summary B Main-Steve Drake, Bart Reid, Mike Collins, Roger Lorenzini Jr, Trevor Glaser, Robbie Witwer, Bob Boyd, Mark Carrell, Dino Napier, Scott Bartels, Buck Cox, Doug Thompson, Donnie McGowan, Justin Dittman. A Main-Richard Papenhausen, Dave Byrd, Collins, Steve Drake, Eric Jacobsen, Rob Mayea, John Silva, Bobby Hogge IV, Witwer, Glaser, Ron Bartels, Bill Bartels, Napier, Dana Nelson, Reid, Larry Childress, B Boyd, S Bartels, Carrell, Cox, Dick Shepherd, Lorenzini Jr.
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