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Shane Golibic soars to wingless sprint payday
SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 --- When classes ended at the conclusion of Shane Golibic’s sophomore year in June the Fremont high school student immediately signed up for summer school. Not conventional summer school with books and desks but exciting, hands-on, competitive sprint car racing on dusty dirt tracks in Indiana where the 16-year-old honed his driving skills. Not only did he get an A in attendance, the talented young racer also won his first feature racing wingless 410s against older and more experienced drivers.
Those races in the Midwest taught Golibic invaluable lessons about handling a race car all of which were on display Saturday night when the daring teenager patiently chased down race leader Steven Williams before taking charge with two laps remaining and capturing the $2500-to-win Verihealth “Run What You Brung” wingless 360 sprint car feature at Petaluma Speedway.
The event brought in a mix of carbureted spec sprints and fuel-injected sprint cars with the carbureted cars competing for bonus money in addition to the posted purse.
Golibic was timed third-fastest among the 21 entries and started the 25-lap feature in the second row behind trophy dash winner Davey Pombo and heat winner Terry Shank Jr. and next to fast-qualifier Steven Williams. Pombo led from the start with Williams and Golibic in pursuit.
Williams inherited the lead when Pombo’s car broke on lap 14 and quickly opened a sizable lead over Golibic, spec sprint car ace Darrell Hanestad, Robert Ballou, and Alissa Geving.In lapped traffic on lap 23, Golibic seized his chance to take the lead with a high side pass around Williams.
“The opportunity came and I jumped on it,” explained Golibic. Two laps later Golibic was savoring his first Petaluma Speedway victory. Second place went to a dejected Williams, who blamed himself for surrendering the front spot, and third place to carbureted driver Hanestad. Robert Ballou finished fourth and Jason McIntosh, a Petaluma regular who passed Geving on the white flag lap, was fifth.
Heat winner and Petaluma rookie-of-the-year Geving claimed sixth place over heat winner Shank, Keith Shiperd (carbureted), Jim Richardson, and Dave Hays (carbureted).
Results for Sept. 1
WINGLESS 360 SPRINT CARS
Fast time—Steven Williams 14.698.
Heat 1—Darrell Hanestad; Davey Pombo; S. Williams; Don Emery; David Press.
Heat 2—Alissa Geving; Jim Richardson; Charlie Marrs; Rick Williams; Shawn Arriaga.
Heat 3—Robert Ballou; Jason McIntosh; Shane Golobic; Dave Hays; Randy Lathrop.
Heat 4—Terry Shank Jr.; Jerry Kobza; Keith Shiperd; Jack Clark; Billy Macedo.
Dash—Pombo; Shank; S. Williams; Golobic.
Main—Golobic; S. Williams; Hanestad; Ballou; McIntosh; Geving; Shank; Shiperd; Richardson; Hays; Press; Kobza; Emery; Clark; Pombo; Lathrop; R. Williams; Marrs; Arriaga; Macedo; Buddy Olschowka DNS.
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