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Photos by Johns Racing Photos
Jonathan Allard wins Cotton Classic for second time
By Gary Thomas
Hanford, CA - November 10, 2007... Chico, Calif’s Jonathan Allard utilized a front row starting spot Saturday night at the Kings Speedway in Hanford to lead all 30 laps of the 410 feature and hoist the cotton bail trophy for the second time in his career. The victory was Jonathan’s 11th of the season and solidified him of being the winningest 410 winged sprint car driver on the West Coast for 2007, beating out Brent Kaeding’s total of nine 410 wins.
"We really like coming here and can’t thank Kings Speedway enough for rescheduling this event," Jonathan said on the front stretch following the race. "It’s also great to see all the fans come back and support the Cotton Classic and hopefully we can keep doing this for years to come."
Jonathan lined up on the outside of the front row in the 30 lap Cotton Classic main event alongside Salinas veteran Ronnie Day. The initial start saw Day lead the field into turn one, but Jonathan was able to diamond the exit of turn two and as they marched through turn three JA gave Day a picture perfect slide job to claim the lead. It was all for naught however, as the yellow lights came on for a spun car which forced a complete restart. This time Jonathan got a great jump off turn four and led the 21 car field into turn one aboard the K & N Filters, Red Line Oil, Sharp Insurance & Bonding No. 0.
The 30 lap contest had numerous yellows and reds scattered through the race, which slowed the flow multiple times. Jonathan spent much of it out front early on without anything to worry about, but just before the midway point San Jose’s Tim Kaeding was able to move around Day for second. Jonathan was able to keep a safe distance between himself and Kaeding as the laps wound down and as the checkered flag waved from the starters stand he was able to hold on and brought the GT Trends, Chris Jones Racing, Platinum Powder Coating No. 0 home in victory lane. Any time you can hold off a guy like Tim Kaeding it’s an accomplishment and it marked Jonathan’s second career victory at the prestigious Cotton Classic.
"I just have to thank my whole crew for giving me a great car: Ashley Smith, Bob Scovall, Chris Jones and the whole gang had this thing awesome tonight. I also have to thank my car owners Morrie & Katie Williams and all our sponsors and supporters who help out with this team. The yellows tonight gave me some time to thank about things and where I wanted to put the car on the track. We’re really happy to win the Cotton Classic again and just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight," Jonathan commented after the race.
With the momentum of the Cotton Classic win Jonathan and Williams Motorsports will now head to the 14th annual Trophy Cup at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway to put a cap on the 2007 season. Jonathan has never won the Trophy Cup but has been right there in the thick of things during the last couple seasons. Last year he qualified third fastest on opening night and was in the top five of points at the end of the evening. On Saturday he charged from eighth to third in his heat race and was moving forward in the feature before he became one of multiple victims of the turn one hole as he got upside down to put an end to the night.
In 2005 Jonathan finished third in overall Trophy Cup points despite suffering dnf’s in both the Friday main event and Saturday’s heat race. He and the Williams Motorsports team will look to finish off the season strong and take home the $15,000 top prize at the 14th annual Trophy Cup this Friday and Saturday.
The Trophy Cup will go green on Friday night November 16 with the front gate opening at 5 pm and tickets costing $22 for general admission bleachers & $24 for reserved grandstands. The event will conclude on Saturday Nov 17 and tickets are $24 for general admission bleachers and $26 for reserved grandstands. Visit http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com to view a seating chart and then call (559) 688-0909 to reserve your tickets. Tickets will also be available at the gate.
The Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway is located on the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare.
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www.sprintcarchallengetour.com
www.placervillespeedway.com
www.stocktondirttrack.com
www.thunderbowlraceway.com
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