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5-divisions, packed house |
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March 20, 2006...
After six consecutive weeks of weather related cancellations Twin Cities Speedway celebrated with the completion of an ambitious 5-division program. Ninety-five drivers entered to kick off the 2006 season. Last May Rio Linda’s Rick Eversult was airlifted from Greg and Linda Kearn’s speedway with grave injuries. His car took an agonizing flight in the air and crashed into the turn one banking upside down with terrific force. Eversult’s future in motorsport was likely to be cloudy at best. His injuries relegated him to a car owner’s role for the balance of 2005. Rick hired the finest open wheel chauffeurs in California to drive his car, and they did so with great success. Saturday night Eversult strapped himself back into his Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprint Car for the first time since his horrifying tumble…and won the main event! This remarkable comeback is unrivaled in TCS history and is surely one for the books. Eversult shared the front row with 2006 champion Steve Stein as the wingless warriors took the green flag. Stein jumped into the lead. The race was plagued in the early laps by a number of minor caution flags and a tumble on the backstretch by 4th place runner Dave Hayes. Hayes was contesting 3rd place driver Mike Streeter when the pair touched wheels at speed on the back chute. On the ensuing restart, Eversult got the jump on Stein and led the rest of the way to the checkered flag. Stein stayed 2nd followed by Streeter. Late arriving Charlie Marrs, of Marysville, started scratch in the 22 car starting field and had a wild charge to the front in the late laps of the race. The 2005 rookie of the year started to pass cars two and three a lap in the final stages. Marrs finished 5th having passed 17 cars when the checkers flew. Yuba City’s Gary Holsey charged through the field and won the MiniStock race after a torrid battle with at least four other competitors. Holsey had an uncharacteristically poor heat race and was relegated to a 9th place start in the feature. The early laps featured an outrageous four-car battle between early leader Robert Luster, Lisa Shelby, Mike Merritt and Shane Stoker. Unlike the aforementioned sprint car race, this event went nearly caution free. Holsey used traffic to set up each of the cars ahead of him, and he did it in a smooth, almost fluid drive to the flag. By the same token, Luster had real trouble with the lapped cars and that cost him a potential victory. Shelby held on to 2nd followed by Luster. It was the most competitive event of the evening. The Pacific Sprint Car event was a high-speed thriller from start to finish. Pole sitter and quick qualifier, Kevin Lovell brought the field to a series of bizarre starts. One of them put veteran Pat Harvey on his lid in a noisy grinding barrel roll right in front of the grandstand. Harvey was unhurt. Once the event went green Lovell and 2005 champion Brent Dothage hooked up in a breathtaking, high-speed battle that had the crowd on its feet. Clearlake's Dothage popped into the lead with a slick move and was never headed. Lovell was eclipsed by a hard charging Mike Wasina in the late laps and that’s the way it finished. Yuba City’s Phillip Shelby put everyone on notice that he’s the one to beat in the Riebes Racing Series Stock Cars. At the beginning of the event Brad Magenheimer and Jake Cavasos hooked up on the back chute and couldn’t get unhooked. Magenheimer continued, but Cavassos went to the pits with what was reported to be a throttle linkage problem. At the green flag the story of the race was Shelby. He outdistanced the field sharply and 2nd place driver Billy Knoop engaged in an exciting battle with 3rd place runner Chris Warner. Late race yellow flags bunched the field, but Shelby squirted away each time. As the field came to starter Tim Dillon’s white flag Shelby appeared to have something break and he slid through the infield in turn four. Shelby recovered and came back on the track right in front of Knoop. The trio of Shelby, Knoop and Warner had a thrilling last lap as Knoop and Warner tried to take advantage of Shelby’s misfortune. Shelby held on and won, with Warner nipping Knoop for 2nd. (NOTICE FOR TCS STOCK CARS: The stock cars are scheduled for May 20. There is an error in the printed schedule.) Perennial favorite Tony Gaioran smoked the field in the Sprint 100 feature after a spirited duel in the early laps with Greg Hansen. Hansen in turn fought off Kerry McColloch for the runner-up spot. Hansen did some air time when he tangled with lapped traffic late in the race. Gaioran won by nearly a lap. The Hunt Wingless Sprint Cars will return this Saturday night to headline another 5-division night that will feature the return of the Mighty Modifieds. The Riebes Racing Series Stock Cars, the MiniStocks and the BCRA Midget Lites will complete the program. Gates open at 5 this Saturday night with racing starting promptly at 7PM. Grab some of the best racetrack food on planet earth at Linda’s Restaurant, just behind the grandstand. Call the business office at 530.675.2050 or, on raceday, call the track at 530.742.9222. You can visit us on the web at twincitiesspeedway.net for all the latest updates. |
