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Hanford, CA....May 18.....Making
his first start of the 2002 season, defending Bandit Sprint Car champion Jerome
Warmerdam won the 28 lap crash shortened feature race for the unwinged 360
sprint cars Saturday night at Kings Speedway. Warmerdam worked his way from 8th
starting to the lead in 8 laps, but was chased down by young Aaron Altaffer.
Altaffer passed Warmerdam on the outside on lap 27 and they made contact in turn
2. Altaffer ended up with a flat tire and Warmerdam took a wild ride off the
track racing around the large scoreboard area. Warmerdam maintained his lead and
Altaffer was forced to restart in the rear after pitting. Another tangle ended
the race on lap 28 with Warmerdam winning over visitor Terry Schank Jr and Bobby
Elliott. A former top ranked IMCA Modified racer at the track, Wayne Coffman was
given a chance to drive the Keith Heaslet Hot Stock and he led the final 15 laps
post the 20 lap win with Rick Tarr second. Claudine Contente used a late race
pass around brother J T Contente to retake the track point lead.
The Bandit sprint cars had a 24
car turnout and Dale Cross easily set fast time honors with his 15.755 lap.
Richard Harvey Jr posted a 16.068 effort with John Burnett just nipping
Warmerdam for the 3rd fast mark, 16.185 to 16.195. Davey Pombo Jr was fifth fast
at 16.206. They used a four heat format with the field completed inverted in
each. Schank won the first heat over Cross and Matt Day. A J Burgin won heat 2
over Santa Maria ace Jimmy Thompson and Darren Simas. Elliott drove the Warren
Dorathy car to a win in heat 3 over Altaffer and returning racer Brian Schuler.
Warmerdam won the fourth heat over Dick Stevens and Wade Griest. The track is
willing to start 24 cars in the main events so no B Main was needed. The ten
fastest of the heat transfers were inverted at the front of the grid putting
Stevens and Altaffer on the front row with Thompson, Warmerdam, Harvey and Cross
in the 4th and 5th rows. Point leader Gene Manhire crashed in his heat race and
had to start deep in the pack.
Stevens led early over Greg
Keegan and Altaffer. The first yellow came on lap 1 as Jason Yount and Dave
Knott tangled. Harvey and Warmerdam moved into the top 5 on lap 3 and Altaffer
took second from Keegan on lap 4. Altaffer grabbed the lead from Stevens on lap
5 and Warmerdam took third from Keegan on lap 6. Pombo stalled for the next
caution flag on lap 6 and a spin by Schuler forced lap 7 yellow with
Griest dropping out. On the lap 8 restart, Warmerdam took the lead from Altaffer
and Thompson broke into the top 5. Thompson took fourth from Harvey on lap 9 and
he passed Stevens for third on lap 10. Dave Knott and Day both dropped out as
Harvey, Jeff Fiscus and Cross battled for fifth. Cross and Elliott both passed
Stevens on lap 18 for the 4-5 slots. After a long string of green flag laps,
Simas spun for a lap 21 yellow flag. On the restart, Cross ran into third place
Thompson and Thompson took a wild series of flips in turn 1. Thompson was
unhurt, but his race was over. On the restart, Warmerdam led Altaffer, Cross,
Elliott and Schank. Altaffer, a graduate of the area modified midget tracks,
found that the middle line was faster in turns 3 and 4 and he nosed ahead of
Warmerdam as they finished lap 27. In turn 2, Warmerdam made contact with
Altaffer leaving Altaffer with a flat left front tire. Warmerdam then flew
wildily off the top of the track and he raced behind the scoreboard area to
maintain his forward momentum. Warmerdam was placed in the front for the restart
with Altaffer having to restart in the rear after pitting for a new tire. Schank
had an impressive lap 28 as he advanced into second, but he slipped too high in
both turn 2 and turn 3 on the next round. As Warmerdam was ready to receive the
white flag, Fiscus and Cross tangled in turn 4 and the yellow flag fell instead.
During the caution, the officials elected to call the race complete and
reverting to the last scored lap moved Schank back to a 2nd place finish behind
Warmerdam. Elliott ended up with third ahead of Burgin and the three car team of
Manhire, Harvey and Stevens. Burnett ran 8th ahead of Yount and Keegan.
There were 10 cars ready to
race in the Hot Stocks, but Dave Bush's night ended in hot laps. C Contente won
heat 1 in a photo finish with Tarr after a crowd entertaining side by side duel.
Coffman ran third. Paul Pelletier won heat 2 over Tony Contente and incoming
point leader J T Contente. The 20 lap feature had to be restarted after T
Contente spun and was hit by Pelletier. Pelletier restarted his damaged car in
the rear minus his hood after pitting. J T Contente took the lead on lap 1 over
C Contente and Tarr with Tarr into second on lap 2. Coffman was 4th on lap 2,
but charged into second on lap 4 as Tarr got out of shape. Coffman used an
inside pass to take the lead from J Contente on lap 6 and the second yellow flag
came on lap 9 as T Contente and Bill Little tangled. On the restart, Tarr took
second from J Contente and was challenging Coffman. Tarr got too high in turn 3
on lap 12. He maintained second, but lost ground to leader Coffman. C Contente
started the night just one point back of her brother in the track title fight
and she passed him on lap 18 to take over third. David Woodbridge broke on the
final lap as Coffman won over Tarr, C Contente, J Contente, Ron D'Artenay Jr and
Pelletier.
Summary
Hot Stocks
Heat 1-Claudine Contente, Rick Tarr,
Wayne Coffman, Ron D'Artenay Jr.
Heat 2-Paul Pelletier, Tony Contente, J T Contente, Bill Little, David
Woodbridge.
Main-Coffman, Tarr, C Contente, J Contente, D'Artenay, Pelletier, Woodbridge, T
Contente, Little.
Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Fast Time-Dale Cross 15.755
Heat 1-Terry Schank Jr, Cross, Matt Day, Greg Keegan, Davey Pombo Jr.
Heat 2-A J Burgin, Jimmy Thompson, Darren Simas, Richard Harvey Jr, Dave Knott.
Heat 3-Bobby Elliott, Aaron Altaffer, Brian Schuler, Jeff Fiscus, John
Burnett.
Heat 4-Jerome Warmerdam, Dick Stevens, Wade Griest, Steve DeMott, Jason
Yount.
Main-Warmerdam, Schank, Elliott, Burgin, Gene Manhire, Harvey, Stevens, Burnett,
Yount, Keegan, DeMott, Bobby Davis Jr, Altaffer, Cross, Fiscus, Schuler, Simas,
Sherman May, Jonathan Logan, Thompson, Knott, Day, Griest, Pombo.
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