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Hanford, CA....Sept 20......Having
earlier set fast time, Roger Crockett outdueled Chico champion Blake Robertson
to take the lead and fought off a late challenge from Ronnie Day to win Saturday
night's 30 lap Rebel Cup winged 360 sprint car feature at Kings Speedway. After
a successful quarter midget and outlaw kart career, the son of Placerville
legend Brian Crockett relocated to Oregon to get his sprint car career started
before he reached the age of 16 and has done much of his racing in the Pacific
Northwest ever since. Pole starter Andy Ferris ran third ahead of point leader
Tim Worth. In the Bandit unwinged 360 sprint car action, pole starter Richard
Harvey Jr raced his Kittle Plumbing entry to the 25 lap win and feature runnerup
Greg Porte from San Luis Obispo will carry just a 2 point lead over third place
finisher Aaron Altaffer into the Oct 4th Bandit season finale at Santa Maria
Speedway. Car builder Harvey is also a player in the series title fight as his
4th feature win left him jmust 23 points behind Porte. Having raced a Bandit
sprint car for the first time the previous weekend, Joe Chapman from San Jose
turned a pole start into his first IMCA Modified feature win of 2003. New track
regular Jason Selvidge ran second and Billy Wilker had his best run of 2003 in
third. With rivals Rodney Freitas, Paul Stone and Jimmy Reeves all finishing
outside the top 9, Bryan Burnes drive from 12th to 4th nearly wrapped up the
track championship. Burnes carries a 17 point lead on Freitas and 19 point
advantage over Stone into the Sept 27th point finale for the IMCA Modifieds.
The Rebel winged 360
sprint cars had a 23 car turnout, but top runner Tommy Tarlton broke in hot laps
to end his night. Wheeling the Paul Silva owned #57 car that he occasionally
appears in, Crockett set fast time honors with a 13.931 lap on the 3/8 mile clay
oval. Ricci Faria ran a 14.002 and Robertson ranked third at 14.132. Mike Faria
and Ferris rounded out the quick five. The field was divided into three heat
races. Lawrence Edlund beat Mark Barroso in the first, Monty Ferreira won heat 2
over double division racer Davey Pombo Jr and Kurt Nelson outraced Stan Yockey
in heat 3. Tarlton was the only feature scratch and R Faria fell out of the
inversion with a sixth in his heat race. The four car inversion put Ferris and M
Faria in the front row ahead of Robertson and Crockett with R Faria relegated to
16th starting slot. Crockett raced around Robertson to claim the top spot and
then fought off the challenges of 6th starter Day for the win. Ferris salvaged a
third ahead of fifth starter Worth, R Faria, Garrett Ishii, Edlund, Nelson and
Barroso. Robertson ran 14th and M Faria 17th. Coalinga ace Worth carries a 77
point lead over Ferris into the Sept 27th season finale in Hanford. Barroso is
just a single point behind Ferris and 45 ahead of R Faria. Edlund and Jerry
Pelayo round out the top six in points.
The 20 car Bandit unwinged 360
sprint cars had two unusual first timers. When Madera Speedway cancelled the
super modified portion of their Harvest Classic, Troy Regier and Jim Birges both
found Bandit rides for this night. Altaffer paced the 20 cars in time trials
with a 15.895 lap as Gene Manhire ran a 15.990. A J Burgin was third at 16.048
and Porte ran a 16.163. John Burnett rounded out the top five. Again a three
heat format and Porte won the opening heat race over Aaron Chaney and Altaffer.
Josh Davis won heat 2 over Burnett and Manhire. Harvey captured heat 3 ahead of
Brad Evett and Burgin. Davey Pombo Jr was the only main event scratch and a six
car inversion gave Harvey the pole. Harvey turned his pole start into a 25 lap
win ahead of Porte, Altaffer, Petaluma long tow Norm Johns, Jonathan Logan,
Evett, Jason Montgomery, Rusty Carlile and Regier. Birges finished 19th. Burgin
is fourth in points, but 57 behind Porte and just 11 ahead of Pombo Jr.
The IMCA Modifieds split their
20 cars into three heat races. William Woodbridge outraced Reeves in heat 1 and
Selvidge raced his D&M Performance Chassis to a win in heat 2 over Lonnie
Lacy Jr and Burnes. Wilker was a highly successful street stock racer who tried
the pavement super modifieds before settling back into the IMCA Modifieds this
year. He won heat 3 ahead of Bobby Smith and Chapman. Chapman shared the front
row for the feature with Woodbridge and he raced to the win ahead of third
starter Selvidge and 4th starter Wilker. Burnes made plenty of passes as he
climbed from 12th to his 4th place finish ahead of Woodbridge, Ed Nichols,
Claudine Contente, Dave Soito Jr and Eddie Stewart. Freitas was 10th, Reeves
13th and Stone 15th as Tom Stidham again scratched from the feature action.
Fifth ranked Smith is 23 points back of Reeves.
Summary
IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1-William Woodbridge, Jimmy Reeves, Rodney Freitas, Todd Hermosillo.
Heat 2-Jason Selvidge, Lonnie Lacy Jr, Bryan Burnes, Dave Soito Jr, Jim
Reed.
Heat 3-Billy Wilker, Bobby Smith, Joe Chapman, Paul Stone, Claudine Contente.
Main-Chapman, Selvidge, Wilker, Burnes, Woodbridge, Ed Nichols, Contente, Soito
Jr, Eddie Stewart, Freitas, Smith, Lacy, Reeves, Lee Phillips, Stone, Hermosillo,
Jon Schlundt, Larry Howland, Reed.
Bandit Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Fast Time-Aaron Altaffer
15.895
Heat 1-Greg Porte, Aaron Chaney, Altaffer, Jason Montgomery, Matt Day.
Heat 2-Josh Davis, John Burnett, Gene Manhire, Norm Johns, Jake Ford.
Heat 3-Richard Harvey Jr, Brad Evett, A J Burgin, Jonathan Logan, Davey Pombo
Jr. Main-Harvey, Porte, Altaffer, Johns, Logan, Evett, Montgomery, Rusty Carlile,
Troy Regier, Burnett, Chaney, Day, Ford, Manhire, Davis, Jason May, Jeff Fiscus,
Burgin, Jim Birges.
Rebel Winged 360 Sprint Car
Fast Time-Roger Crockett 13.931
Heat 1-Lawrence Edlund, Mark Barroso, Luke Bebereia, Crockett, Mike Faria.
Heat 2-Monty Ferriera, Davey Pombo Jr, Garrett Ishii, Ronnie Day, Andy
Ferris.
Heat 3-Kurt Nelson, Stan Yockey, Blake Robertson, Erik Folger, Tim Worth.
Main-Crockett, Day, Ferris, Worth, Ricci Faria, Ishii, Edlund, Nelson, Barroso,
Folger, Gary Caldwell, Todd Miller, Jerry Pelayo, Robertson, Ferriera, Bebereia,
M Faria, Pombo Jr, Brad LeDuc, Kirk Sargent, Rick Williams, Yockey.
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