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Chowchilla, CA....March 27.....Having been disappointed two weeks earlier when the team towed all the way to Bakersfield for the season opener for the NCMA sprint cars only to find a rear suspension flaw that forced them to park the car, David Goodwill won Saturday night's 20 lap feature at Chowchilla Speedway from third starting. A third place heat result had earned him the second row assignment in the 8 car inversion and he was chased to the win by a pair of seasoned veterans. Altamont winner Ed Amador came from fifth to finish 2nd and Gary Koster joined the NCMA action for the first time in 2004 with a drive from 7th to place third. The track has been very encouraged by the car counts in the super street stock class as 16 cars were on hand this week. Usually limiting his racing to the open comp specials, Bay Area based Rick Watterworth enjoyed a near clean sweep with wins in his heat and the feature combined with a second behind Syd Finn in the dash. Finn was second in the feature race and Jack VanHoff ran third. Marshall Weaver had a similar near perfect night in the hobby stocks, but won the dash and feature while settling for second in the heat action. Carl Tatum and Jeff Whatley placed 2-3 in the main event. Ron German from Atascadero raced to wins in both the heat and feature for the super fours and fast improving Jimmy Myers enjoyed his best night ever in the mini fours. Jimmy Myers ran second to Matt Myers in the dash, but beat Matt in the heat and then won the main event ahead of Patrick Kelly and Nick Sagmiller. M Myers was disqualified from his feature finish in the post race tech area.
NCMA was making it's 2004 debut at Chowchilla after racing in Bakersfield and on the pavement at Altamont. The 13 car turnout was a season high and was split into a pair of heat races. Keith Shipherd beat another ageless driver Doug Gandy in heat 1 and Koster outdueled Amador in heat 2. Gandy won the dash honors ahead of Shipherd and Amador. The inversion pill for the 20 lap feature came up an 8, putting the 4th place heat finishers in front at the start. Third starter Goodwill posted the feature win with fellow inside row starters Amador and Koster finishing 2-3. Shipherd started 8th and settled for a 4th ahead of Jim Janssen, pole starter Burt Siverling, Jimmy Lavell and Rob Hammond.
The 16 car street stock field lost Roger Dory in hot laps and the remaining cars were divided into two heat races. Watterworth outraced Finn and Steven Hannah in heat 1 and VanHoff won heat 2 ahead of Joe Carter and female star Darcie Odgers. Finn edged out Watterworth in the dash, but the main event went to Watterworth. Finn ran second ahead of VanHoff, back of the pack starter George Lefler Sr, figure 8 ace Keith Trusso, Odgers, Willie Livingston and Hannah. There were 19 hobby stocks but the early action took it's toll. The year is starting out just like 2003 did for 2002 track champion Jimmy Brewer has again trailered after the heat race. Heat winners were Antioch long tow Bob Ackerman, Whatley and Shane Hausmann. Kevin Pettitt was second in his heat, but had to scratch for the remainder of the night and problems in the dash also put Mark White on the trailer for the 16 car main event. Weaver beat Hausmann in the dash. Weaver gained the main event win ahead of Tatum, Whatley, Dan Stephens, Ackerman, Jeff Christensen, Ralph Davis and rookie Scott Whitley.
The super fours had four cars after a one car turnout the previous race. German beat Scott Bowen in the heat race while 2003 track champion Dudley Reed ran second in the feature race ahead of Darren Reed and Bowen. The mini fours had a 10 car turnout. Jimmy Myers beat Matt Myers in heat 1 and Kelly won heat 2 ahead of Mike Klein. Klein broke his axle in the dash and was done for the night. M Myers won the dash ahead of Jimmy Myers. The disqualification of M Myers in the main event left 8 cars in their feature finish with Jimmy Myers winning ahead of Kelly, 16 year old rookie Nick Sagmiller, Steve Wenzel, Jeremy Myers, Mark Clay, Kristy Myers and Chris McKellar.
April 3 will see the season debuts for the figure 8 and lady hobby stock classes. The show will be headlined by the limited late models, super street stocks and hobby stocks.
Summary
Mini Four
Dash-Matt Myers, Jimmy Myers, Patrick Kelly.
Heat 1-Jimmy Myers, M Myers, Jeremy Myers, Nick Sagmiller.
Heat 2-Kelly, Mike Klein, Mark Clay, Steve Wenzel, Chris McKellar.
Main-Jimmy Myers, Kelly, Sagmiller, Wenzel, Jeremy Myers, Clay, Kristy Myers, McKellar.
Super Four
Heat-Ron German, Scott Bowen, Dudley Reed, Darren Reed.
Main-German, Dudley Reed, Bowen, Darren Reed.
Hobby Stock
Dash-Marshall Weaver, Shane Hausmann, Bob Ackerman.
Heat 1-Ackerman, Mark White, Thomas McAbee, Carl Tatum, Charles Balderston.
Heat 2-Jeff Whatley, Weaver, Scott Whitley, Ralph Davis, Dan Stephens.
Heat 3-Hausmann, Kevin Pettitt, Jeff Christensen, Rick McDaniel, Cindy Layton.
Main-Weaver, Tatum, Whatley, Stephens, Ackerman, Christensen, Davis, Whitley, Hausmann, Mike Germant, Jimmy McLean, McDaniel, McAbee, Rick Pettitt, Balderston, Layton.
Super Street Stock
Dash-Syd Finn, Rick Watterworth, Jack VanHoff.
Heat 1-Watterworth, Finn, Steven Hannah, Keith Trusso, Evan Craig.
Heat 2-VanHoff, Joe Carter, Darcie Odgers, Anthony Giuliani, Willie Livingston.
Main-Watterworth, Finn, VanHoff, George Lefler Sr, Trusso, Odgers, Livingston, Hannah, Joe Fisher, Steven Peyla, Craig, Giuliani, Carter, Tatum, Ray McCann.
NCMA Sprint Car
Dash-Doug Gandy, Keith Shipherd, Ed Amador.
Heat 1-Shipherd, Gandy, Jim Janssen, Jimmy Lavell, Russ Wullenwaber.
Heat 2-Gary Koster, Ed Amador, David Goodwill, Burt Siverling, George Terry.
Main-Goodwill, Amador, Koster, Shipherd, Janssen, Siverling, Lavell, Rob Hammond, Wullenwaber, Michael Zarevich, Gandy, Terry, Dale Mehalas.
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