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Sixth Place Finish For Larson In Calistoga 410 Debut
Flat Tire Leads To 12th Place On Sunday
Calistoga, CA. May 23 and 24, 2009. Winged 410 sprint car racing returned to Calistoga Speedway after a one year absence Saturday night, and the weekend was highlighted by the rebirth of the Walter T. Ross Classic race held on Sunday night of the Memorial Day Weekend.
Third year driver Kyle Larson experienced his first 410 racing on the scenic ½ mile oval by securing his best ever finish at the high speed raceway by claiming sixth in the opener. Looking to back up the impressive finish on the second night, fortunes didn’t shine as bright as a flat tire derailed the 16 year old driver while running seventh with six laps to go.
On both nights Larson qualified the Dave and Debbie Vertullo Starr Property Management/Eagle/Kistler in the ninth position and turned starts each night in heat number three into wins by large margins. Unfortunately, on both nights Larson missed the eight car dashes by one spot.
With his ninth place qualifying efforts Larson began each night’s main event from inside row five. In Saturday’s feature before a packed house Larson ran a very steady race to garner sixth behind the top five of winner Tim Kaeding, Jonathan Allard, Bud Kaeding, Jason Statler and Brent Kaeding.
Night number two saw Larson fall back to 12th on the opening lap before getting his rhythm going. When the yellow flag appeared on lap 19 for a stopped Peter Murphy, Larson had climbed back to seventh. As the field rolled around the historic race track waiting for Murphy’s team to return their driver to the event Larson’s right rear tire deflated.
While Larson’s team bolted on another set of rear tires the red flag was brought out for a fuel stop for all. When the race restarted Larson lined up 15th on the grid. Over the course of the last six laps Larson was able to muster a 12th place finish to cap his racing weekend, while Kyle Hirst raced to his first ever win at Calistoga, leading flag to flag in a dominating performance.
“It was three nights of racing for me. Friday night I participated in a Memorial Day Celebration Outlaw Kart race that Rico Abreu and his family put on in St. Helena. This new go kart track is one of the nicest tracks anywhere that I have ever seen. I took a beating but I can’t wait to race on it again,” commented Larson at the end of the weekend. “Calistoga Speedway is a fun place to race because of the speeds but you have to respect it, “said Larson. “It’s hard to keep up with the top teams when tires are a big factor here. This place just kills tires and it bit us on Sunday. Dave Vertullo, who has been fighting off pneumonia, was back at the track and it was great to have him there. I also want to thank Richard Brown for lending us a hand again this weekend. His input is always a big help and he is a lot of fun to have around.”
Larson and the rest of the Golden State regulars are looking forward to another double header weekend, except this time they will be at different tracks each night. Friday night will see the series return to Ocean Speedway and the next night the teams will head to the foothills for a return engagement at Placerville Speedway.
Larson’s racing efforts are sponsored by Starr Property Management, Inc., Phoenix ParkerStores and Lubrication Equipment and Supply Co., G & N Construction, Simpson Performance Products, Wion’s Body Shop and Powdercoating, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, JW Web Design, Safety Solutions-LFT Technologies, Wyman Construction, GME-Nields Steerings, LRB Manufacturing, SWEPCO Lubricants, Edward’s Lawn Service, Sierra Tire and Wheel, Mancamp Motorsports, and Mophead Graphix.
Check out www.kylelarsonracing.com for photos, video clips, current news and information.
Race: May 23 & 24, 2009
Photos Courtesy of Chris Sampang
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