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By: Gary Jacob Where: Chowchilla, CA On: 10/01/2005 |
Chowchilla, CA -- It only took a return to Chowchilla Speedway to get Tim Balding back on a winning track as the coastal based track champion drove to wins in both his heat race and the feature as Chowchilla closed it’s 2005 point season. Balding collected $500 for the win as he had to fend off tough challengers in a 21 car turnout. Heat winner Vance Beltran ran a $250 second ahead of Bay Area visitor Bert Elworthy, heat winner Paul Stone and Jimmy Reeves. Elworthy won $150 and Stone $125. The super street stocks also had a good turnout and Darren Thomas continued his late season success with wins in his heat and the feature. Shane Hausmann ran second in the feature, but fell short in his bid to overtake Steven Hannah for the track title. Hannah ran third. Thomas won $250 and Hausmann $100. Gary Tucker actually led the super street stock standings going into the final night and won his heat, but was the first car to retire from the 13 car feature. The fourth title contender Red Williams was racing a borrowed hobby stock and finished 12th. Another driver from the coast, Steve Montgomery was the hobby stock feature winner ahead of Marc Key and Terry DeCarlo Jr. Kevin Pettitt finished off his track championship season in 8th. The super fours, mini fours and modified fours were all combined for their feature action. Robbie Loquaci won both the heat and feature for the mini fours with track champion Russ Myers in second in the main event. Newcomer Ed Heeney was the super four winner over Kristy Myers and Danny Luukkenon was the only entry in the modified fours. Luukkenon also made his dirt modified debut on the night. There was no limited late model feature as track champion Levi Peterson scratched from the feature after Dennis Clay had won the heat race. They were the only two cars to appear.
The dirt modifieds split their 21 car field into three heat races. Stone won heat 1 over Elworthy and Chris Shannon. Balding outraced Dave Graves and Matt Costa in heat 2 and Beltran won heat 3 in front of track point runnerup Ray Mayer and Monty Tomlinson Jr. Long tow Danny Lauer was a feature scratch and Balding raced to that win in front of Beltran, Elworthy, Stone, Reeves, Graves, Tomlinson, Kirk Sargent, newcomer Adam Silveira, Luukkenon, Mayer and a rare Chowchilla appearance for strong runner Brian Cass. Chris Shannon was 15th and Tim Cecil made his racing debut in 18th. He is the son of the late Mike Cecil and grandson of Jerry Cecil. The super street stocks split 13 cars into a pair of heat races. Thomas had a perfect night as he won heat 1 over Hannah and Williams, who put his tires on the M Key hobby stock to race. Tucker outraced Roy Hart Jr and rookie Matt Jelen in heat 2. Thomas added the feature win in front of Hausmann, Hannah, Rodney Orozco, Joe Fisher, Nick Sagmiller, Hart, Jelen and Watsonville Speedway regular Tony Oliveira. There were 14 hobby stocks and Chad Buttrey won heat 1 ahead of Mike Stockton and Montgomery. DeCarlo outraced Bob Bennett and Pettitt in heat 2. Ted Bosch was a feature scratch. Montgomery was the main event winner in front of M Key, DeCarlo, Stockton, Les Wasson, Scott Whitley, Buttrey, Pettitt, Cliff Daniels and Coalinga long tow Michael Redding.
There were four mini fours and Loquaci beat Travis Myers in the heat race. Loquaci added a feature win ahead of champion R Myers, T Myers and James Donaldson. Donaldson had cars for both classes, so his super four sat idle when they decided to combine the classes for the feature. K Myers won the super four heat over Heeney and Cody Meyers. Heeney beat K Myers and Meyers in the feature. Luukkenon raced his modified four.
Chowchilla Speedway has a big month of October. On Oct 8, the Eve of Destruction night has a destruction derby, enduro and figure 8. On Oct 21-22, the wingless 360 sprints, midget lites, SORA, dwarf cars, mini fours and super fours have their big year end show and the Dirt Track Shootout runs on Oct 27-30. The dirt modifieds race for $3000 to win, the super street stocks $2000 to win and the hobby stocks $800 to win. On Sunday, there will be an added last chance day of racing where the top 3 finishers from Saturday night are not eligible to race. The dirt modifieds race for $600 to win, the super street stocks $500 and the hobby stocks $300.
Summary Super Four Heat-Kristy Myers, Ed Heeney, Cody Meyers, James Donaldson. Main-Heeney, K Myers, Meyers. Mini Four Heat-Robbie Loquaci, Travis Myers, Russ Myers, James Donaldson. Main-Loquaci, R Myers, T Myers, Donaldson. Hobby Stock Heat 1-Chad Buttrey, Mike Stockton, Steve Montgomery, Cliff Daniels, Ted Bosch. Heat 2-Terry DeCarlo Jr, Bob Bennett, Kevin Pettitt, Scott Whitley, Les Wasson. Main-Montgomery, Marc Key, DeCarlo, Stockton, Wasson, Whitley, Buttrey, Pettitt, Daniels, Michael Redding, Tricia Krickenberg, Bennett, Jeff Moss. Super Street Stock Heat 1-Darren Thomas, Steven Hannah, Red Williams, Shane Hausmann, Rodney Orozco. Heat 2-Gary Tucker, Roy Hart Jr, Matt Jelen, Larry Folkner, Joe Fisher. Main-Thomas, Hausmann, Hannah, Orozco, Fisher, Nick Sagmiller, Stuart Livingston, Hart, Jelen, Tony Oliveira, Folkner, Williams, Tucker. Dirt Modified Heat 1-Paul Stone, Bert Elworthy, Chris Shannon, Joe Gonella Jr, Kraig Rawls. Heat 2-Tim Balding, Dave Graves, Matt Costa, Adam Silveira, Kirk Sargent. Heat 3-Vance Beltran, Ray Mayer, Monty Tomlinson Jr, Jim DiGiovanni, Danny Lauer. Main-Balding, Beltran, Elworthy, Stone, Jimmy Reeves, Graves, Tomlinson, Sargent, Silveira, Danny Luukkenon, Mayer, Brian Cass, Rawls, John Dawson Jr, Shannon, Gonella, DiGiovanni, Tim Cecil, Costa, Ray Lasswell.