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Oildale, CA.....June
7.......Continuing his outstanding season in the Oakdale based Sala machine,
Robby Flock was able to muscle his way underneath Steve Paden in turn 3 of the
final lap to win the 30 lap USAC Western States Midget feature at Bakersfield
Speedway on Saturday night. Flock had paced the first 24 laps before series
point leader Paden got by. Paden then set the pace until the final lap move by
the veteran Flock. Paden ran second and still maintains a huge point lead. Wally
Pankratz was third ahead of Garrett Hansen. Paden was troubled in those closing
rounds with an intermittent electrical problem. After making an incredible run
from 16th starting to the lead in just 4 laps at the start of the 20 lap USAC
Ford Focus Midget feature, fast timer Josh Lakatos had to withstand a furious
challenge from 16 year old rookie Ryan Kaplan to win. Kaplan had actually
retaken the lead in the closing rounds only to have a caution flag nullify his
move. Kaplan ran second ahead of Bobby Michnovich and Chris Rahe. Chad Johnson
paced the final 18 laps to win the 25 lap hobby stock main event. It was his
first win of the 2003 season and Eric Cimental used a last lap pass to take
second from defending division champion Bruce Johnson. Richie McGowan ran sixth
to maintain his narrow point lead over Zach Forster and Mike Lee.
The USAC midgets brought
a 16 car field and Josh Wise paced time trials with his 13.662 lap. Rick Hendrix
ran a 13.765 and Paden a 13.885. Alex Harris trailered after time trials. Flock
settled for fourth with his 14.128 run. Paden charged from fifth starting to win
the first heat race ahead of fellow third row starter Garrett Hansen. Flock
showed his strength by coming from 8th starting to win heat 2 ahead of fifth
starter Jimmy Christian and Darren Hillberg. The 30 lap feature had the usual
six car USAC inversion putting Jerome Rodela and Hansen on the front row ahead
of Flock, Paden, Hendrix and Wise. A tangle between Hendrix and Christian forced
a restart with the race over for both Hendrix and Hillberg. Third starter Flock
took an early lead over Rodela and Paden. Fifth place Hansen spun for a lap 5
yellow and Dallen McKenney stalled to end his race. Pankratz took third from
Paden on lap 6 and gained second from the faltering Rodela on lap 8. Rodela
limped to the pits on lap 9 with Christian charging up to fourth on lap 11.
Paden used an outside pass in turn 4 on lap 12 to retake second from Pankratz.
Pankratz briefly regained second on lap 15, but lost it back to Paden a lap
later. Paden was working the outside groove in his attempt to wrestle the lead
from Flock when fast timer Wise spun to bring out a lap 23 yellow flag. Paden
then drove underneath Flock for the lead on the 1/3 mile clay oval on lap 25.
Christian lost fifth back to Bobby Boone on lap 26 and then spun to force a
final caution flag. Paden stayed out front in the Farrier entry until the final
lap when Flock charged under him in turn 3. There was some contact and Flock
emerged with the win. Paden ran second ahead of Pankratz, Hansen, Boone, Amy
Maris and Michael Simpson as only seven cars saw the checkered flag. Next action
for the USAC Western States Midgets is July 3-4 on the big mile track in
Fountain Colorado.
Lakatos was the quickest of the
20 Ford Focus entries with a 14.572 qualifying run. Young Bradley Galedrige took
second with his 14.646 run and former Lightning Sprint star Chris Rahe clicked
off a 14.724 lap. Another graduate of the Lightning Sprints, Ashley Walker, was
fourth at 14.871. The entire 20 car field was seperated by less than one second
in the timed runs. Third starter Eric Pace won the first heat with pole starter
Steve Davis second. Galedrige charged from 7th to capture heat 2 ahead of pole
starter James Miller Jr. Rahe outdueled fellow back row starter Kaplan to
win heat 3. Because he dropped out of his heat race, Lakatos wasn't in the six
car inversion for the 20 lap feature. He lined up 16th as Bobby McGowan and
Kaplan shared the front row ahead of Michnovich, Walker, Rahe and Galedrige.
Outside front row starter Kaplan paced the first 3 laps. Lakatos went from 16th
to 3rd in just 2 laps. Lakatos passed McGowan for second on lap 3 and took the
lead from Kaplan on lap 4. The first caution fell on lap 5 for a Bobby Owens
spin. Michnovich traded fourth with Galedrige for several laps before also
getting by McGowan for third on lap 9. Galedrige and Rahe both got by McGowan on
lap 10 for the 4-5 slots. In the long green flag period, Lakatos built a ten car
length lead before Kaplan reeled him back in. Kaplan went low in turn 4 on lap
17 to retake the lead only to have a caution wipe that lap out. On the restart,
Lakatos changed his line to protect his advantage and he drove to the win ahead
of Kaplan, Michnovich, Rahe and Galedrige. McGowan ran sixth ahead of E Pace,
Bakersfield's own Davis and Danny Stratton with point leader Todd Hunsaker in
10th. In the Ford Focus South standings, Hunsaker is 32 points ahead of Lakatos
and 99 ahead of McGowan. Next action is a special Thursday night, June 19 show
at Madera Speedway with the SRL Super Modifieds and USAC sprint cars. Recent
Winston Cup winner Tony Stewart will race in a couple classes that night.
The hobby stocks split 21
cars into three heat races. Devan Jones won heat 1 from third starting ahead of
fifth starter E Cimental. B Johnson showed his strength by winning heat 2 from
sixth starting over third starter C Johnson. Last week's feature winner Robby
Sawyer won heat 3 from the outside front row with sixth starter McGowan second.
McGowan had earlier won the dash from the pole ahead of last starter Sawyer.
Zach Forster and Steven Johnson both hit the wall in their heat action, but
second ranked Forster moved into the Robert Sanders car for the 25 lap feature.
Eric Standridge was a feature scratch with a broken engine. The hobby stocks
raced the 25 lap feature with just three yellow flags. Outside front row starter
David Hayder led the first 7 laps. C Johnson started sixth, was third in two
laps, took second from Sawyer on lap 4 and the lead from Hayder on lap 8. Fifth
starter Jones followed C Johnson through the pack and grabbed second on lap 9.
Jones had a problem and Hayder retook second on lap 13. Geoff Menees spun for a
lap 13 yellow and B Johnson raced into second on the restart. E Cimental gained
third on lap 15. Hayder stalled for a lap 16 yellow flag with dirt modified star
Charles Paul up to fifth in the car usually wheeled by wife Rachel Paul. On the
restart, both Paul and Sawyer shuffled Jones back out of the top five. Paul
broke an axle for the final yellow flag on lap 23 and a smoking Tom Klamorick
pitted. C Johnson stayed out front for the win with E Cimental passing B Johnson
on the last lap for second. B Johnson was third ahead of Lee, Sawyer, McGowan,
Eric Olson and Lou Wolfe. The ambulance had to transport Wolfe to the hospital
when he suffered a possible heart attack in the pits after the racing ended.
McGowan's point lead is 14 over Forster and 20 ahead of Lee. Klamorick and Wolfe
round out the top five.
Summary
Hobby Stocks
Dash-Richie McGowan, Robby Sawyer, Chad Johnson.
Heat 1-Devan Jones, Eric Cimental, Steve Cimental, Robert Sanders, Zach Forster.
Heat 2-Bruce Johnson, C Johnson, Mike Wilson, Tom Klamorick, Charles Paul.
Heat 3-Sawyer, McGowan, David Hayder, Eric Olson, Mike Lee.
Main-C Johnson, E Cimental, B Johnson, Lee, Sawyer, McGowan, Olson, Lou Wolfe,
Forster, Roger Brewer, S Cimental, Wilson, Jones, Klamorick, Paul, Geoff Menees,
David West, Hayder.
Ford Focus Midgets
Fast Time-Josh Lakatos 14.572
Heat 1-Eric Pace, Steve Davis, Todd Hunsaker, Brett Engstrom, Ashley Walker.
Heat 2-Bradley Galedrige, James Miller Jr, Bobby Michnovich, Bobby McGowan, Jeff
Gregory.
Heat 3-Chris Rahe, Ryan Kaplan, Bobby Owens, Garrett Boyden, Steven Graves.
Main-Lakatos, Kaplan, Michnovich, Rahe, Galedrige, McGowan, E Pace, Davis, Danny
Stratton, Hunsaker, Graves, Alan Budnik, Owens, Engstrom, Walker, J R Williams,
Ryan Pace, Gregory, Boyden, Miller.
Midgets
Fast Time-Josh Wise 13.662
Heat 1-Steve Paden, Garrett Hansen, Wally Pankratz, Dallen McKenney, Wise.
Heat 2-Robby Flock, Jimmy Christian, Darren Hillberg, Jerome Rodela, Rick
Hendrix. Main-Flock, Paden, Pankratz, Hansen, Bobby Boone, Amy Maris, Michael
Simpson, Christian, Wise, Robert Simpson, Rodela, McKenney, Van Knill, Hendrix,
Hillberg.
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