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Hanford, CA....May 15......Struggling
through a tough season, Ricci Faria showed his strength by timing in 4th fast
Saturday night at Kings Speedway but only managed a fifth place heat run. In the
30 lap feature for the Rebel Cup winged 360 sprint cars, R Faria had his car
working again as he won ahead of Tommy Tarlton, previous week winner Ronnie Day,
Tim Worth and second quick Garrett Ishii. The unwinged 360
Bandit cars were back at at the 3/8 mile clay oval for the first time in several
weeks and Northern California invader Rick Williams charged to the feature win
after earlier easily setting fast time. Usual winged star Peter Murphy followed
R Williams across the finish line, but was disqualified in post race tech. That
moved young rookie Chad Boespflug up to second ahead of recent Santa Maria
winner A J Burgin. The versatile Steven Williams from Merced is making the
Bandit Sprints his 2004 season class and he ran fourth ahead of veteran Gene
Manhire. Point leader and defending champion Bryan Burnes was the IMCA Modified
winner, but only added a single point to his point advantage as closest rival
Paul Stone ran second ahead of Jason Selvidge and Marcus Aue. When a broken
water main made the track lighting system unusable at Merced Speedway, that
track cancelled their Saturday night card and several of the California State
point challengers made a hurried tow south to Kings Speedway only to arrive too
late to race.
Andy Ferris
continued his string of outstanding qualifying efforts as he paced the 18 winged
360 sprint cars with a 14.060 clocking. Ishii clicked off a 14.125 and young
charger Robert Ballou ranked third at 14.185. Ballou was a quarter midget star
before spending several years in the outlaw karts. R Faria's 14.237 was fourth
ahead of the 14.259 of Tarlton and a 14.410 for Danny Faria Jr. Lawrence Edlund
won the first heat race ahead of Ferris and Day. The talent filled race found
Tim Worth and R Faria rounding out the top five. Tarlton outraced Ishii and
Davey Key in heat 2 and Ballou continued his solid night with a win in heat 3
ahead of Robbie Lowder and Stan Yockey. Mark Barroso was again a feature scratch
to leave 17 starters. R Faria was the main event winner ahead of Tarlton, Day,
Worth, Ishii, Yockey, Edlund, Petaluma's Jeff Delte, Colby Solomon and Jerry
Pelayo. Ballou was 16th and both Davey Key and Ferris suffered blows to their
point title efforts as Key ran 15th and Ferris 17th.
The unwinged Bandit action fielded 25
cars, but long tow Jim Richardson from Graeagle broke in hot laps. R Williams
easily posted quick time with his 15.873 effort as Manhire was a distant second
at 16.186. Burgin clicked off a 16.266 and Murphy a 16.270. Dave Knott ran a
16.317, Dannyu Olmstead a 16.334 and Davey Pombo Jr a 16.352. The cars were
split into three heat races. Having raced pavement late models, dirt modifieds,
mini sprints, wingless spec sprints and midgets as he tastes the entire racing
world, S Williams won the first heat race ahead of Pombo Jr and Murphy. Brad
Evett captured heat 2 ahead of Jason Montgomery and Jonathan Logan. Richard
Harvey Jr outraced Boespflug and Burgin in heat 3. Chris D'Arcy joined
Richardson as a main event scratch but that still left a large 23 car field. R
Williams charged to the win and the disqualification of Murphy from second moved
Boespflug up to 2nd ahead of Burgin, S Williams, Manhire, Harvey, rookie Jimmy
Reeves, John Burnett, Scott Holloway and Rusty Carlile. Reeves was a top runner
in the IMCA Modifieds before 2004 and Holloway was a standout with the NCMA Spec
Sprints before stepping up to the Bandit action.
The IMCA Modifieds
had a 22 car turnout before the late arrival of the Merced Speedway contingent.
Bakersfield Speedway star Larry Hood won the first heat race ahead of A J Wright
and Selvidge. Jon Schlundt outraced Aue and Chad Patterson in heat 2 and
Watsonville's Lonnie Lacy Jr outraced Steve Smothermon and Burnes in heat 3.
Burnes was the feature winner ahead of Stone, Selvidge, Aue, Patterson,
Mark Hamblin, Bobby Burks, Schlundt, Ventura Raceway star Chris Tonoli and Ed
Nichols. Syd Smyth was a feature scratch to leave a 21 car grid.
The
Golden State Challenge winged 410 sprint cars headline the May 22 card at Kings
Speedway and the Hot Stocks will be having their last tuneup race before the
California State Street Stock Championship Series kicks off May 29 at Santa
Maria and May 30 at Merced. Kevin Pylant won the first 2004 winged 410 sprint
car shows at both Calistoga and Fernley NV in the month of May.
Summary
IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1-Larry Hood, A J Wright, Jason Selvidge, Bobby Burks, Mark Hamblin.
Heat 2-Jon Schlundt, Marcus Aue, Chad Patterson, Paul Stone, Claudein Contente.
Heat 3-Lonnie Lacy Jr, Steve Smothermon, Bryan Burnes, Tom Stidham, Gerard
Felipe.
Main-Burnes, Stone, Selvidge, Aue, Patterson, Hamblin, Burks, Schlundt, Chris
Tonoli, Ed Nichols, William Woodbridge, Jory Rothenfluh, Smothermon, Felipe,
Arthur Deavult, Billy Wilker, Lacy, Hood, Stidham, Contente, Wright.
Bandit Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Fast Time-Rick Williams 15.873
Heat 1-Steven Williams, Davey Pombo Jr, Peter Murphy, Scott Holloway,
Williams.
Heat 2-Brad Evett, Jason Montgomery, Jonathan Logan, John Burnett, Gene Manhire.
Heat 3-Richard Harvey Jr, Chad Boespflug, A J Burgin, Danny Olmstead., Matt Day.
Main-R Williams, Boespflug, Burgin, S Williams, Manhire, Harvey, Jimmy Reeves,
Burnett, Holloway, Rusty Carlile, Bobby Davis Jr, Dave Knott, Evan Suggs, Day,
Bill Jones, Brian Schuler, Logan, Olmstead, Pombo Jr, Evett, Thad Bennett,
Montgomery, Murphy.
Rebel Winged 360 Sprint Cars
Fast Time-Andy Ferris 14.060
Heat 1-Lawrence Edlund, Ferris, Ronnie Day, Tim Worth, Ricci Faria.
Heat 2-Tommy Tarlton, Garrett Ishii, Davey Key, Gary Caldwell, Jeff Delte.
Heat 3-Robert Ballou, Robbie Lowder, Stan Yockey, Colby Solomon, Danny Faria
Jr.
Main-R Faria, Tarlton, Day, Worth, Ishii, Yockey, Edlund, Delte, Solomon, Jerry
Pelayo, Lowder, Caldwell, D Faria Jr, Mike Stallings, Key, Ballou, Ferris.
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