|
Hanford, CA...Oct 23...Winner
of one feature race in his part-time schedule with the Bandit
unwinged 360 sprint cars, young Arron Chaney from Clovis paced the
final 21 laps and fought off the challenges of top runners like
Danny Sheridan and Peter Murphy to score a $3000 win in the 30 lap
Bandit unwinged 360 sprint car feature Saturday night at Kings
Speedway's Western Dirt Track Nationals. Carrying sponsorship from
Lone Oak Lodge and Sharp Insurance, Chaney ran third in his heat
race on Friday night but a 10 car inversion put him and Jim
Richardson on the front row for the 30 lapper. Richardson led three
laps before spinning and Chaney took the lead on lap 4. Rick
Williams got by Chaney on lap 7, but stalled on the track during a
lap 9 yellow flag and Chaney was back out front for the final 21
rounds. Second traded between Friday night Kings Clash winner
Sheridan, Murphy and Jimmy Crawford but none were to challenge
Chaney for the top spot. Sheridan ended up second ahead of Murphy,
Crawford and Ventura Raceway regular Chris Wakim. USAC national
point racer Josh Ford ran sixth ahead of 22nd starter Jeff Fiscus.
The Saturday night action started with 14 cars chasing six transfer
slots from a 12 lap B Main as John Burnett did not return and Bobby
Davis Jr was a scratch. Young talented rookie racer Chad Boespflug
led all 12 laps to win the B Main and Jason Yount made a late move
around Evan Suggs for the second slot. Suggs held on for third ahead
of Scott Holloway with some last turn contact racing put transfer
hopeful Matt Day in the infield. Steve DeMott ended up fifth ahead
of Fiscus and Bill Jones. Daniel Hood crashed in turn 4 and another
potential transfer Bobby Elliott was sent off the track when he
failed to line up in his proper spot on a lap 10 yellow flag.
Elliott elected to park his car on the front stretch and walk to the
pits so the officials had to steer his mount into the infield.
Track officials were still worried about approaching rain and pushed
off the sprint car feature without interviewing the dirt late model
winner, Steve Drake. The big inversion for the 30 lapper saw
Graeagle long tow Richardson setting the pace for three laps before
Chris D'Arcy ran off the end of the track in turn 1 and Jonathan
Logan's race ended with a flip in turn 3. Logan was not hurt.
Williams had paced Richardson for the top spot when Richardson spun
in turn 3 for another caution. Chaney was able to stay in front of
Williams for three laps on this restart, but Williams raced to the
front in the Flachman car on lap 7. Danny Olmstead spun in turn 4 to
trigger a multi-car melee that sent Suggs partially over the front
fence with DeMott and Holloway also involved. Right behind the
melee, leader Williams stopped at the top of turn 4 and Kings has a
rule that if you stop, you go to the rear. Chaney regained a lead
that he was never to relinquish. Murphy was now second in another
Sharp Insurance sponsored mount and Sheridan ran third in his quest
for a 10th Bandit win in 2004. Wakim took fourth from Bandit
champion Davey Pombo Jr on lap 12 and Olmstead pitted. Crawford put
the Twister Chassis car in fifth on lap 16. After clipping Ford,
Boespflug stalled with a broken front end for a lap 17 yellow flag.
Young Garrett Hansen fell out as Sheridan drove underneath Murphy
for second on lap 18. Murphy regained second on lap 20 and Crawford
drove underneath Sheridan for third on lap 21. The officials were
questioning Crawford's line that placed him in the infield in turn 2
and 4. Crawford gained second on lap 23 before Williams stalled for
a yellow flag. Murphy ran off the end of the track and fell back to
4th behind Sheridan. Holloway spun for a lap 24 yellow flag and was
sent off the track. Bill Jones also spun into the infield and ended
up punching a hole in the infield advertising signs. The final six
laps ran without a caution and Chaney stayed out front. Sheridan was
back in second on lap 25, but Murphy stormed back to retake that
spot on lap 26. Sheridan got second for good on lap 27 and Pombo Jr
lost several spots with an off track excursion on lap 28. Chaney won
ahead of Sheridan, Murphy, Crawford, Wakim, Ford, Fiscus,
Richardson, Jimmy Reeves, Gary Rayburn Jr, DeMott and Pombo. Also
finishing lead lap were Richard Harvey Jr and D'Arcy.
This was the final event of 2004 for Kings Speedway but track
manager Dave Swindell announced that a similar event to the Western
Dirt Track Nationals would open 2005 on the final weekend of
February.
Summary
B Main-Chad Boespflug, Jason Yount, Evan Suggs, Scott Holloway,
Steve DeMott, Jeff Fiscus, Bill Jones, Jason Montgomery, Craig
Stidham, Charles Turner, Matt Day, Daniel Hood, Colby Solomon.
A Main-Arron Chaney, Danny Sheridan, Peter Murphy, Jimmy Crawford,
Chris Wakim, Josh Ford, Fiscus, Jim Richardson, Jimmy Reeves, Gary
Rayburn Jr, DeMott, Davey Pombo Jr, Richard Harvey Jr, Chris D'Arcy,
Holloway, Jones, Rick Williams, Danny Olmstead, Garrett Hansen,
Boespflug, Suggs, Jonathan Logan.
|
