Forum: Northern California Sprint Car (go)
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PRESS RELEASE, HOOSIER RACING TIRES CIVIL WAR SPRINT CAR SERIES

FROM THE OFFICE OF JOHN PADJEN MOTORSPORTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2008

MEDIA CONTACT: BILL SULLIVAN: [email protected]

Larson scores second Civil War Series victory at Silver Dollar Speedway in round #8

By Bill Sullivan, John Padjen Motorsports

CHICO, CA – Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson became the first repeat winner of the 2008 Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Series Friday night at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. In the eighth round of the 15 race series, Larson led all but six laps of the 30-lap feature event to pick up his second straight victory on the banked quarter mile track aboard the Vertullo Racing #83v sprint car.

Larson started the 30-lap feature event on the outside of the front row, next to polesitter Brett Miller of Chico. At the waving of the green flag Larson powered ahead of Miller to take the early lead, a lead he would never relinquish. With one lap into the event, Colby Wiesz of Colfax muscled into the second position , overtaking Myles Bishop of Escalon to do so.

With six laps complete in the event, Larson and Wiesz were running strong at the head of the field while defending four time series champion Andy Forsberg of Auburn was charging his way towards the front. Forsberg passed Bishop on the sixth lap to take the third position. Forsberg moved into second place on the 11^th lap of the event and began pursuit of Larson. On the 19^th lap, Forsberg muscled his A & A Stepping Stone #92 into the lead.

Had the event been a 25-lap feature rather than a 30, Forsberg may have weathered long enough for the win. However, with 24-laps down a blown head gasket took him out of the hunt and allowed Larson to rally back into the lead for the final six laps of the race. Forsberg was not the only driver with motor woes on Friday, pointleader Sean Becker reportedly had complications with two different power plants during the night, costing him a great deal of valuable points in the championship hunt.

At the finish line Friday, Larson came across the line with Dan Menne of Fort Jones charging from sixth into second place. Chico’s Brad Bumbgarner started ninth and finished in the third spot ahead of Grass Valley’s Mark Hall who drove from the 11^th starting position and Greg DeCaires of Elk Grove who powered from 13^th into the fifth finishing position.

In preliminary action on Friday, the B feature was claimed by Willie Croft of Sacramento who was followed by Becker, Bumgarner and Penngrove’s Alissa Geving. Doug Machado was the final transfer from the event.

The C-feature was claimed by John Michael Bunch who was chased to the line by Pat Harvey Jr.of Grass Valley. Matt Barber of Placerville finished in third followed by Adrien Betourney and Peter Breshears.

In heat race action Mike Benson of Calistoga was the first winner of the night. Benson. Chad Compton of Fair Oaks won the second heat of the night while Placerville’s Jimmy Trulli and Billy Wallace of Grass Valley won heat races three and four. In qualifying Becker was the fastest car of the night with an 11:966.

Now the Hoosier Tires Civil War Race Series will continue its three week stint at three different tracks. This Saturday, it returns to the North Bay at the always exciting Petaluma Speedway for the ninth round of competition. This will mark the third Civil War event of the year on the Petaluma 3/8 mile. In two weeks the series hikes to Placerville Speedway in El Dorado County for the 10^th round of action. For addition information on these upcoming races check out www.johnpadjenmotorsports.com.