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KAEDING TAKES THIRD STRAIGHT WESTERN PRELIM |
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PHOENIX, AZ, OCTOBER 30, 2003 - Bud Kaeding kicked off the 36th Annual NAPA Auto Parts / Budweiser Western World Championships just like he ended last year's edition, with a stop in victory lane. Entering the evening ranked third in the Non-Wing World Championship (NWWC) series, Kaeding with yet another 20-lap preliminary win, showed once again that he'll be the man to beat when the green flag drops to start Saturday's finale. "It's just been an awesome streak. To come here and win the Thursday night race three years in a row is just phenomenal," Kaeding said, after securing an automatic birth in the championship race. "I'm not sure what it is about this place, but I like it. It's real fast and you use a lot of throttle, both up and down. I can't tell you all my secrets, but I guess I do have a knack for this place and hopefully it'll continue on Saturday." Driving the BK Racing / Loan City.com #29K Maxim, Kaeding lined up fourth on the starting grid behind Charles Davis, Jr. and 2001 Western World Champ Jeremy Sherman. Kaeding slipped wide over the turn two cushion on the initial start, but caught a bit of a break when Marty Wilcox spun in turn one forcing a complete restart. Sherman grabbed the lead when racing resumed. Kaeding was pushed back to fifth on the opening lap after Cory Kruseman put his Tony Stewart owned Mopar behind Davis and Damion Gardner. Kaeding took fourth place from Kruseman during the following circuit, as Sherman immediately showed signs that he was going to stretch his lead. Sherman reached the last car running in just eight laps. Still suffering the effects of a case of food poisoning from earlier in the week, Davis dug deep, fearful that lapped traffic might be his only hope of putting his Ron's Fuel Injection #94 Buckley ahead of Sherman. Instead, Davis came under fire from both Gardner and Kaeding. Gardner dove low on lap eleven in an attempt to overtake Davis, but left the door open for Kaeding to move ahead of him using the turn four cushion. Using a back-marker to his advantage, Kaeding passing Davis for second place one lap later. Just when it looked like Sherman was going to drive to a comfortable win, things quickly changed five laps from the finish. First, Gardner began to slow with a flat left rear tire just as Casey Shuman spun to a stop in turn one. As Gardner's crew scrambled to change the tire during the caution period, Sherman pulled off the track with a flat right rear tire, giving the lead to Kaeding. Gardner returned to finish tenth. Sherman, on the other hand, was unable to make the call and would end-up in 16th place, which tentatively puts him on the eighth row of the B-Main on Saturday. Kaeding went on to defeat a weary Davis by nearly 2.5 seconds. Tyler Walker, who won the 1998 Western with a wing on top, drove the Zarounian Motorsports #23 DCR Indy to a third place finish ahead of Kruseman, Rickie Gaunt, Troy Rutherford and Levi Jones. Adam Mitchell finished eighth locking down the last direct transfer into Saturday's 40-lap finale. Indiana's Jonathan Vennard started the race in the last row as an alternate. Finishing ninth, Vennard won the KSE Products Hard-Charger Award. Kruseman started the night by winning the Sander Engineering Fast Time Award. SCRA RACE #34 - NAPA / WESTERN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS MANZANITA SPEEDWAY, PHOENIX, AZ Date of Race: 10/30/03 SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS 1. Cory Kruseman, Stewart 21X, 18.699 2. Troy Rutherford, Priestley 7, 18.814, 3. Tyler Walker, Zarounian 23, 18.840 4. Bob Ream, Jr., BRAT Racing 8, 18.903, 5. Bud Kaeding, BK Racing 29K, 18.918 6. Damion Gardner, Willis 45, 19.003, 7. Jeremy Sherman, Ellis 21, 19.005 8. Charles Davis, Jr., Davis 94, 19.019, 9. Rickie Gaunt, Smiley 2A, 19.039 10. Levi Jones, Crossno 38, 19.046, 11. Rip Williams, Jory 3, 19.119 12. Mathew Rossi, Rossi 16, 19.195, 13. Adam Mitchell, Mitchell 99, 19.237, 14. Tracy Hines, Price 0, 19.255, 15. Ronnie Clark, Clark 33, 19.288, 16. Marty Wilcox, Wilcox 3AZ, 19.306, 17. Brandon Lane, Lane 97H, 19.368, 18. Mat Neely, Reinoehl 17N, 19.409, 19. Casey Shuman, Felker 37, 19.494, 20. Gregg Bragg, Pratt 12, 19.643, 21. Jonathan Vennard, Carsten 91AZ, 19.767, 22. Steve Cushman, Cushman 1AZ, 20.030, 23. Alex Pruett, Pruett 56AZ, 20.254, 24. Steve Stone, Stone 57X, 21.139, 25. Bill Goforth, Goforth 56, 21.899 SO-CAL PERFORMANCE HEAT 1 (10 Laps) 1. Wilcox, 2. Sherman, 3. L. Jones, 4. Kruseman, 5. Shuman, 6. Mitchell, 7. Cushman, 8. Goforth, 9. Ream - 3:18.88 SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2 (10 Laps) 1. Lane, 2. Hines, 3. Davis, 4. Williams, 5. Kaeding, 6. Rutherford, 7. Bragg, 8. Pruett, - 3:15.84 SPIN TECH MUFFLERS / STINGER CHASSIS HEAT 3 (10 Laps) 1. Gardner, 2. Walker, 3. Neely, 4. Clark, 5. Gaunt, 6. Rossi, 7. Vennard, 8. Stone - No Time SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS B FEATURE (12 Laps) 1. Rutherford, 2. Mitchell, 3. Bragg, 4. Stone, 5. Cushman, 6. Pruett, 7. Rossi, 8. Vennard, 9. Goforth - No Time A FEATURE (20 Laps) 1. Kaeding, 2. Davis, 3. Walker, 4. Kruseman, 5. Gaunt, 6. Rutherford, 7. L. Jones, 8. Mitchell, 9. Vennard, 10. Gardner, 11. Lane, 12. Neely, 13. Clark, 14. Bragg, 15. Stone, 16. Sherman, 17. Hines, 18. Shuman, 19. Cushman, 20. Williams, 21. Wilcox, 22. Pruett. Laps Led: Sherman 1-15, Kaeding 16-20 |
