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Hanford, CA...May 17.......Fast
timer Jerome Warmerdam outdueled coastal racer Greg Porte and point leader Aaron
Altaffer to win the 30 lap Bandit unwinged 360 sprint car feature Saturday night
at Kings Speedway. With his third place finish, Altaffer took the point lead
from Davey Pombo Jr, who had won the first of the four completed 2003 events.
Coming off a weekend where he ran first in Bakersfield and second at Chowchilla,
red hot former track champion Jimmy Reeves put Okie Phelan's IMCA Modified in
the winner's circle in their 25 lap feature. Paul Stone gained a little ground
on point leader Bryan Burnes with a 2nd ahead of Chad Patterson. Burnes ran
fourth and emerged with a 12 point lead on Bobby Smith, 13 in front of Stone.
Part of the Coalinga Connection, Ron D'Artenay used his first 20 lap Hot Stock
feature win of 2003 to cut James Cornelius' point lead to just 3 points.
Porterville's Cornelius ran fourth behind Roy Hart Jr and Rich Denman.
The Bandit sprint cars had a 25
car turnout, but hot laps was the end of the night for both recent Santa Maria
winner Danny Sheridan and long tow Terry Schank Jr. Warmerdam paced time trials
on the 3/8 mile clay oval with a quick 15.778 lap. Car builder Richard Harvey Jr
was the only other driver to break into the 15's with his 15.931 lap and John
Burnett clicked off a 16.030 lap. San Luis Obispo's Porte was fourth at 16.052
and Altaffer collected a 16.117 lap. Dwarf car graduate Mike Broome is chasing
rookie of the year honors with the Bandit series and the Bakersfield racer won
heat 1 ahead of Altaffer and Warmerdam. Harvey won heat 2 ahead of Bobby Elliott
and D Pombo Jr. Jeff Fiscus won heat 3 ahead of Derrick Hearron and Jason
Montgomery. It was Porte on top in heat 4 as Matt Day ran second ahead of Brad
Evett. The main event had 23 starters and A J Burgin's tough luck season
continued with a last place finish. Josh Davis and Hearron also had early race
problems as Warmerdam raced to the win ahead of Porte, Altaffer, Burnett,
Broome, Fiscus, Evett, Elliott, Rick Gifford and Harvey. D Pombo Jr ran 18th and
dropped five points back of Altaffer in the point title fight. Burnett is just
18 points out of the lead in the rain plagued early season action.
The IMCA Modifieds have been
rained out three times in their first 7 scheduled Kings Speedway races. The 20
car turnout included Watsonville Speedway regular Dave Soito Jr. In a new car in
2003, Chad Patterson won the first heat ahead of Lonnie Lacy Jr and Lee
Phillips. Merced rookie Michael Beltran won heat 2 with A J Wright second ahead
of Reeves. In a duel between Merced area long tows, Rodney Freitas won heat 3
ahead of Stone. Both Billy Wilker and Tom Stidham were main event scratches to
leave 18 starters. Reeves continued his red hot May with a feature win ahead of
Stone, Patterson, Burnes, Freitas, Smith, Gerard Felipe, Ed Nichols, Eddie
Stewart and Soito. Burnes came out of the night with a 12 point lead on Smith,
who is chasing points at Kings Speedway for the first time. Stone is one more
point back in third, 8 ahead of Reeves and 11 in front of Freitas.
The Hot Stock field
dropped to ten cars and D'Artenay enjoyed a perfect night as he won the first
heat ahead of Cornelius and Dos Palos based Hart. Having recently moved to
Coalinga, Rich Denman won heat 2 ahead of Johnny Cardoza and J T Contente. In
the main event, it was D'Artenay on top of Hart, Denman, Cornelius, Cardoza,
first time 2003 racer Eddie Dale, Tony Contente and David Woodbridge. J T
Contente ran 10th and dropped to fourth in points as Cornelius paces D'Artenay
by 3 points and Hart by 8. J T Contente dropped 12 points out of first.
As usual, Kings Speedway
will be dark for Memorial Day weekend, but the Hot Stocks will be busy as the
first two legs of the four race, four track California State Street Stock
Championship Series will be run at Santa Maria on May 24 and Merced on May 25.
Summary
Hot Stocks
Heat 1-Ron D'Artenay, James Cornelius, Roy Hart Jr, Tony Contente, David
Woodbridge.
Heat 2-Rich Denman, Johnny Cardoza, J T Contente, Paul Pelletier, Eddie Dale.
Main-D'Artenay, Hart, Denman, Cornelius, Cardoza, Dale, T Contente, Woodbridge,
Pelletier, J T Contente.
IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1-Chad Patterson, Lonnie Lacy Jr, Lee Phillips, Claudine Contente, Eddie
Stewart.
Heat 2-Michael Beltran, A J Wright, Jimmy Reeves, Bryan Burnes, Billy Wilker.
Heat 3-Rodney Freitas, Paul Stone, Joe Chapman, Gerard Felipe, Jim Reed.
Main-Reeves, Stone, Patterson, Burnes, Freitas, Bobby Smith, Felipe, Ed Nichols,
Stewart, Dave Soito Jr, William Woodbridge, Wright, Beltran, Reed, Lacy,
Phillips, Contente, Chapman.
Bandit Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Fast Time-Jerome Warmerdam 15.775
Heat 1-Mike Broome, Aaron Altaffer, Warmerdam, Dave Knott, Evan Suggs.
Heat 2-Richard Harvey Jr, Bobby Elliott, Davey Pombo Jr, A J Burgin, Rick
Gifford.
Heat 3-Jeff Fiscus, Derrick Hearron, Jason Montgomery, John Burnett, Jonathan
Logan.
Heat 4-Greg Porte, Matt Day, Brad Evett, Josh Davis, Aaron Chaney.
Main-Warmerdam, Porte, Altaffer, Burnett, Broome, Fiscus, Evett, Elliott,
Gifford, Harvey, Day, Montgomery, Knott, Larry Dietz, Chaney, Logan, Albert
Pombo, D Pombo Jr, Suggs, Nick Sylvester, Hearron, Davis, Burgin.
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