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| Korey Lovell takes a thriller; Castleberry, Newberry and Couch also win |
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Marysville CA - August 9. Featherlite
Sprint Car point leader Korey Lovell decided a change might be in order. While
Lovell has accumulated the most points this year, he had not won a main event
since August of 2003. When Lovell arrived at the speedway, the normally brown
haired chauffer sported a new blond hair color. Lovell said this was the change
he needed to change his luck. It worked. Lovell won a titanic struggle for first
place in the main event with fast qualifier Brent Dothage to claim his first win
of the year. The three-time
champion started third on the grid as the green flag waved. Pole sitter Colby
Wiesz of Colfax charged to an early lead with Dothage and Lovell falling into
second and third respectively. Wiesz stretched his lead into lap five and
quickly approached lapped traffic. Dothage and Lovell began to close as Wiesz
attempted to lap Marysville’s Brandon Dozier. The rookie driver and Wiesz
hooked up and both spun into the infield bringing out the first yellow flag. On the restart
Dothage remained ahead of Lovell and even put a few car lengths on the Yuba City
charger. Then Lovell got serious and instantly closed the gap. Lap after lap
Dothage and Lovell diced in a high-speed shootout that had the fans going wild.
Wiesz, who had to restart in nineteenth, started a memorable charge of his own
to the front. With ten to go, Wiesz had already climbed back to eighth. Then the action
stopped. Sacramento’s Troy Degaton and Reno Nevada’s Mark Tabor Jr. got
together in turn one executing a spectacular double flip. Olivehurst’s Jeremy
Phillips was also involved. Degaton and Tabor were uninjured in the high-flying
flips. At the new green
Dothage and Lovell took off and had a spectacular duel to the finish. With six
to go Lovell slipped by with a choice move off of turn four. Wiesz showed up in
sixth after getting past Reno’s Mike Monahan. A yellow flag for
a minor spin bunched the field with three to go. Dothage couldn’t do anything
with Lovell and Lovell pulled away to a convincing win. Dothage was second.
Sacramento’s Mike Wasina Jr. took the wheel for the first time in 2004 and
posted a fine third place finish. Wiesz took advantage of the last restart and
flew into fourth. Jeff Halleib from Lake of the Pines was fifth. Lovell’s victory
extended his point lead over Monahan and twin brother Kevin Lovell. Kevin had a
dismal night up to feature time. He had to transfer out of the B main just to
get into the final race. He came to ninth by the time the checkered flag waved
after staring eighteenth. Runner up in points Monahan finished sixth in the
final order. He did not make up any ground on the point leader. Monahan also had
to make the main event through the B main. Korey Lovell was
ecstatic in victory lane. “This is great…and it’s about time”. Lovell’s first
victory of 2004 was a thriller and he celebrated a well-deserved win. It came
nearly a year after his last feature win. Brownsville’s
James Castleberry slipped by Yuba City’s Heather Bartlett at the half way
point of the Mini Stock headliner and cruised on to win another main event.
Castleberry was placed at the rear of the inversion at the start and
systematically picked off everyone in his path. Bartlett hung on for second with
point leader Kevin Sprague picking up the show money. Early leader
Robert Mull and second running Robert Luster collided while racing for the lead.
Mull’s car came to rest against the turn two fence and Luster drove on. Race
officials sent Luster to the back for his involvement in the crash and Mull
restarted. Mull and Luster then started a charge of their own landing them in
fourth and sixth positions when the race ended. Last year’s champion, Jeremy
Blackshere, finished fifth. A high number of crashes and spins slowed the
proceedings. Castleberry
thanked everyone involved in this effort. He was his typical gracious self as he
took his trophy. In the TCS Stock
Car main event Brown’s Valley’s Pat Couch visited victory lane once again.
Couch held off a charging Chris Paquette for the last five laps in a stirring
race that was slowed only once by a caution flag. Couch parlayed his
front row start into an early race lead. Couch had a straightaway lead on all
the others when Yuba City’s Wayne Turk passed into second. Turk reeled in
Couch like a man possessed. Three laps later Turk was camped on Couch’s tail.
Lap after lap Turk challenged the cagey veteran. Turk got along side briefly on
the back chute, but Couch was up to the challenge. In Turk’s finest
performance to date, he really was putting the pressure on the leader. During this
furious fight for the lead, Chris Paquette and a charging Kenny Robinson reeled
in the lead duo. What was a two car race turned into a four car war. With five
to go, Turk lost it in turn two. He recovered, but Paquette, Robinson and point
leader Jerry Bartlett slipped on by. Paquette, in his finest drive, went high
and low to get around Couch. Paquette nosed ahead in turn four for just a
moment, but Couch held on. Then Robinson slipped under Paquette and Paquette had
to fend off Robinson. On the backstretch
of the final circuit, Paquette threw his number 54 into turn three in an effort
to get by. Couch, again, was up to the task and nipped Paquette and Robinson at
the stripe. “Wow!” Couch
remarked in the post race interview. “Chris was right there. I was surprised
when I saw him up high. Him and Turk sure kept me honest. I kept expecting
Bartlett and I never saw him” Couch was referring to point leader Jerry
Bartlett who finished in fourth. The Speedway
Sprint Car feature was another outstanding event. Oakley’s Bob Newberry
outdistanced a stellar field of stars to take the trophy. Vacaville’s
Steve Stein and Auburn’s Jimmy Steward led the field to the green flag with
Stein leading lap one. Sixth starting Newberry picked off Napa’s David
Goodwill, Kenny Bair, Gary Koster, Steward and Stein in successive laps. He led
by lap five. In his wake Goodwill got by Steward and Stein and found himself in
second. Stein stayed a competitive third as Steward, Koster and a charging
Darrell Hanestad did battle. Point leader Chris Magoon was following Hanestad
toward the front. By half way it was Newberry, Goodwill, Stein and Hanestad,
Koster. As Magoon attempted a pass on Woodland’s Koster, the pair tangled and
both stopped in turn three. The restart
produced the most unusual incident of the race. As the field took the new green
flag, third running Stein started to weave side to side as he accelerated. The
car then bounced and the left rear wheel and tire assembly broke off of the car
and headed toward the pit grandstand. At a very high rate of speed the wheel hit
the wall and fortunately bounded harmlessly to a stop. Stein also spun to a stop
in the infield. He was through for the night. With three laps
remaining, San Jose’s Hanestad used an impressive high side move to secure
second position from Goodwill and that’s where he finished. Newberry easily
kept the runner-up at bay and took the checkers with five car lengths to spare.
Sacramento’s Rick Eversult had a good night finishing fourth. Eversult has a
shot at point leader Magoon and picked up a few points as Magoon finished back
in ninth. “This is my kind
of place…this suits my style” Newberry remarked. “I like ‘em when
they’re sticky like this. I’ll be back.” Permatex,
Marysville Auto Parts and Hust Brothers will sponsor the races this Saturday
night August 14th. The competition will be headlined by the winged
Featherlite Pacific Sprint Cars. The TCS Stock Cars, the TCS Mini Stocks and The
SORA Sprint 100’s will also be featured. Gates open at 5
with racing set to get underway at 7. Visit us on the web at the Official Web
Site for Twin Cities Speedway www.twincitiesspeedway.net or call (916)
985-2089 to reach the business office. All the latest updates are always posted
to the website first. MINI STOCKS, STOCK CARS TWIN CITIES SPEEDWAY - MARYSVILLE, CA AUGUST 7, 2004 - POINTS RACE #16 Yuba City Scrap & Steel Ice Cream Nite & Kids Nite FEATHERLITE PACIFIC SPRINT CARS HEAT RACE WINNERS MAIN EVENT SPEEDWAY SPRINT CARS MAIN EVENT MINI STOCKS MAIN EVENT STOCK CARS MAIN EVENT |
