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Orland, CA....May 23.....Outdueling 15 year old point leader Chris Webber in the heavy lapped traffic with just 4 laps to run, Tony Richards from Paradise picked off the feature win as the Wix Filters Unwinged Spec Sprint Cars ran a 25 lap main event to close the Glenn County Fair on Sunday night at Orland Raceway. Webber had moved into the track point with his Friday night fair win, but he was forced to settle for a strong second behind dash winner Richards on Sunday night. Richards is a former San Jose Speedway regular who moved up to Paradise several years ago and plans his racing around his kids sports activities. Outlaw kart star Webber has a car ready to expand his racing activities to include the winged 410 action at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, but has to wait until his upcoming 16th birthday to make that move. The flying duo lapped everyone but third place Ed Butterfield and veteran Gary Koster in the 25 laps that was run with just a single yellow flag. Orland runs a Hornet division as a fun class, but they were allowed to do some serious racing on Sunday night and Cody Robinson emerged as the 20 lap feature winner as he was able to better handle the final ten laps that were run in the clockwise direction than runnerup Larry Yockum.
This was the first year that the track got two nights of racing during the popular county fair and the Sunday action had a free front gate creating the highest Hispanic percentage of a race crowd that I have witnessed. The unwinged spec sprints split ten cars into two heat races. Webber turned an outside front row start into a win in heat 1 over 2003 champion Josh Jacobo, who was in a borrowed car. Doug Emery had the pole for heat 2 and he checked out on the field as Richards battled from last starting. Richards did get into second and chased Emery down, but settled for second place. Richards was the dash winner over Jacobo and Webber. Their main event had a six car inversion and Butterfield led the first two laps over Richards and Koster. Jacobo spun out of fifth in turn 2 on lap 2 for the only yellow flag. On the restart, Butterfield quickly dove to the bottom to protect his line and the rim riding Richards flew by him on the outside for the top spot as they raced off turn 4. Webber took advantage of a Butterfield bobble in turn 2 on lap 6 to take over second. Koster had settled into fourth ahead of Doug Emery. The flying Richards put Jacobo a lap down on lap 14 and only the top six with Rob Worthington in sixth remained on the lead lap with ten laps to run. Once in front, Richards moved to a low line on the 1/4 mile clay oval, but Webber's outside line appeared faster. Webber pulled alongside on lap 18 and dove underneath Richards when Richards looked high in turn 2 on lap 19. Webber emerged as the new leader and appeared headed to his second win of the weekend. Fifth place Doug Emery overheated as Worthington took over fifth. When the lead duo approached three lapped cars racing themselves, Webber tried a high line only to be blocked as Richards bottom path opened for him. Richards was back in front on lap 22 and he drove to the win. Jacobo was a late dropout as Richards won ahead of Webber, Butterfield and Koster. Butterfield was a half-lap behind at the checkered flag and Koster right front of Richards as the race ended. Worthington and Doug Emery were both one lap down in the quickly run main event as rookie John Orsuna and Dave Emery Sr were both two down. Josh Tucker fell out on lap 16.
Thirteen hornets checked in for the night's racing. The track requires all cars in this class to be yellow with black stripes. Yockum came from fifth to win heat 1 over front row starter Ken Webber. Ryan Anderson broke an engine and was done for the night. Robinson won heat 2 ahead of Terri Dinsmore and Shawn Kirkpatrick. The dash was run in the clockwise direction and Webber outraced Yockum for that win. Their 20 lap feature found the first ten laps run in the conventional direction and the final ten in the clockwise manner. Dinsmore joined Anderson as a feature scratch after breaking in the dash. A rash of early flat tires put Brad Forster, Mindy Cutford, Donovan Black and Jose Galvaz in the pits with Yockum taking the lead from Webber on lap 3. Webber nosed back in front to pace lap 4, but it was Yockum ahead on lap 5. Robinson settled into third ahead of Kirkpatrick and Barbara Crain. They ran in that order until the ten lap switch. The changeover took so long that Webber overheated and lost all of his water. He tried to continue but went up in a ball of black smoke on lap 13. Webber managed to lead lap 11 with Robinson out front on lap 12. Yockum retook the lead on lap 13, but it was Robinson back out front on lap 14. On lap 17, Anita Crain spun and got hit by Yockum. Yockum was placed back in second as the stalled A Crain had rolled down the track in front of him. A Crain and B Crain crashed with two laps to run and Robinson stayed ahead of Yockum for the win. Kirkpatrick finished third with late race crash victims B Crain and A Crain in the top five.
Orland Raceway is dark on Memorial Day weekend to allow competitors and fans to support the three days of racing that the Silver Dollar Fair in Chico has on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Summary
Hornets
Dash-Ken Webber, Larry Yockum, Cody Robinson.
Heat 1-Yockum, Webber, Barbara Crain, Brad Forster, Mindy Cutford.
Heat 2-Robinson, Terri Dinsmore, Shawn Kirkpatrick, Donovan Black, Anita Crain.
Main-Robinson, Yockum, Kirkpatrick, B Crain, A Crain, Webber, David Anderson, Forster, Cutford, Jose Galvez, Black.
Spec Sprint Cars
Dash-Tony Richards, Josh Jacobo, Chris Webber.
Heat 1-Webber, Jacobo, Gary Koster, Dave Emery Sr, Josh Tucker.
Heat 2-Doug Emery, Richards, Ed Butterfield, John Orsuna, Rob Worthington.
Main-Richards, Webber, Butterfield, Koster, Worthington, Doug Emery, Orsuna, Dave Emery Sr, Jacobo, Tucker.
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