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Murphy Wins Grand Slam- Closes Out Bakersfield with Hat Trick!
Peter Murphy wins the Grand Slam of Bakersfield and wins all three season races for the hat trick. Clovis where Murphy resides is known for it's famous rodeo, but this past week-end he rode the bull better than anyone else. He drew a short straw and had to start near the back of his qualifying heat, had some good fortune only to start near the back of the feature. Parlaying a 12th starting spot into a victory over some of the best and most accomplished drivers in the state was nothing short of phenomenal.
But equally phenomenal was how close the second and third place drivers were and where they started. "Hollywood Dan" Faria, who started 13th, was nipping at his heals a great deal of the race and even took the lead briefly. 'Big Daddy" Davey Pombo drove his white 27 Iturriria machine from 19th in the 23 car field to threatening for the win on the last lap. The disappointment on the faces on Hollywood Dan and Big Daddy said all that need to be said. Irregardless over the strength and voracity of their drives they were disappointed by their results. The fans were treated to a spectacular feature and exhibition of driving with urgency. Neither man would have been there if they knew they were vying for second and third. This is a great indicator for the second half of the season.
The well reputed and accomplished Troy Rutherford started 5th and finished 4th after racing his way to the lead after wrestling it away from the hard driving Greg "the Champ" Taylor. That is until the set up slid a bit and the Murphy and Faria train came through.. But there was great racing for the entire top spots because Rutherford and Taylor did not give anything away. Davey Pombo, as Murphy and Faria did before them had to fight for his spot in order to get to the lead duo late in the race.
The pole-sitter Taylor who had to be a favorite with his great talent and skill missed the set up by a fraction and slipped backward as tires spun to 5ht place. This was enough to keep "the Champ" from the lead and winning but finishing well enough to be in striking distance of the championship, a mere 16 points to the rear of the original GS champion Murphy.
One of the more remarkable drives of the night of remarkable drives was that of USAC/CRA star, Mike Spenser. Spenser started 18th, just ahead of "Big Daddy", got caught up in an opening lap deal and had to restart the race at the tail. Mike got up on the wheel and had to fight his way up to the 6th position. It was another great exhibition and if it were not for the quality of the top five, would have been remarkable and was definitely capable of winning the race.
VRA point leader Kevin Kierce was fast but fought gremlins in his motor through his qualifying heat. Starting 5th he got out his whip and beat his souring steed to a transfer position. He chose not to go with his back-up car and started 15th in the feature was moving forward when his mount coughed and sputtered to a stop in the infield. Clark Templeman III started 3rd and was bidding his time when his night ended prematurely. Eric Severson also had a promising night come to a conclusion too early as an opening lap turn one accident ruined his night and hampered the efforts of Steve Conrad and Kevin Barnes.
Kevin Barnes came into the pits with a bent front end and through a red and a couple of attempts to get the race underway got the machine repaired and restarted without losing a lap. He had a great starting position in the top half of the field. Being pushed off as his final call came and sliding his gloves on as they pushed off for the final time, KB was the last car on the lead lap in the 16th position thanks to a never say die attitude. He and two crew men did a great job.
Another great storey was "the Outlaw" Brandon Thomson who came ready to win. He finished last in his heat not only to not transfer but to start virtually scratch in his last chance qualifier. He battled and clawed his way into the feature only to be credited for last place as he turned over his white 19 machine. His red flag allowed KB to get back into the action, so KB owes thanks of sorts to a fellow hard luck hard charger.
The Spin Tech heat race 1 was won by classy veteran Chris Wakim while being chased down by Severson and Murphy with sprint car ace Josh Ford barely missing the cut in 4th. Aslo making the B transfer was Bruce Douglass, Luis Espinosa, Davey Knott, Rick Eberhardt and Adam Frith-Smith.
The Stainless Steel Storage Solutions second heat went to young Bandito star Justyne Hamblin while fellow young gun Wes Gutierrez made the second transfer and a hustling Hollywood Dan making the final transfer. Left short was hometown hero Rusty Carlile, Spenser, Greg Bragg and Ricky Kirkbride for a very tough heat.
The Extreme Mufflers third heat was won by "Fast Albert" Pombo over Taylor and a stand on your feet last lap pass by a nose move by Taft's Jayson May to make the final transfer. Getting edged out was Rick Hendrix who was followed by Big Daddy Pombo, Jeff Gardner, Tom Stansberry and Alex Schutte.
The BR Motorsports 4th heat race was won by the flying Templeman III, while being trailed by fellow VRA veteran Steve Conrad. The final transfer went to Jonathon Henry who started scratch and blitzed his car into the feature with a great skilled driving exhibition. Making the B cut was Justine Kierce, "the Kingsberg Cowboy" Austin Mero, Jonathon Logan, Greg Alexander, and Thomson.
The VMAC 5th heat race had Rutherford winning with Barnes and K. Kierce transferring to the A feature. Going the B-route was Henry Clarke, Rich McCormick, Derek Buckley, "Happy" Hobie Conway and Ron Tjaarda. All of these heats were tough and filled with winners.
B- Main 1 had a blue 15 duel with Mike Spenser messing with owner and winner Rick Hendrix. Ford was 3rd with Thomson making the final transfer over a disappointed Kirkbride. B-Main 2 had a determined Greg Bragg run down and pass a focused Davey Pombo for the win. Bakersfield racers Stansberry and Carlile made the fans happy with passes to the A-Main in an ugly and heated elbows-up fight. Logan, Schutte, and J. Kierce made things interesting after an intense transfer battle with Stansberry. After young Kierce spun in turn 2, coach dad in the pit stands had some instruction for the apprentice complete with hand gestures.
Overall the night was ultra entertaining and filled with stories too many to detail here. With new contingency sponsors coming on board and the series' growing success, we are looking forward to the next events. Santa Maria will be the last open date to prepare for the next Grand Slam for the VRA contingent.
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