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(Photo courtesy L&J Photography)
Kyle Larson Charges to Exciting Victory at Ocean Speedway
By Gary Costa
WATSONVILLE, CA – (7-17-09) – Some races don't live up to the hype; this one did. 16-year-oldElk Grove resident Kyle Larson earned the spectacular 30 lap GLR Investments Sprint Car Series vs. The Hoosier Racing Tires Civil War Sprint Car Series 30 lap feature event at Ocean Speedway. Larson's win came against a field that was full of some of the best Sprint Car drivers in the country. Larson's drive to victory will be one that will be talked about for quite sometime as he earned the exciting victory, charging from his seventh starting spot and holding off all challenges in the wicked fast Dave Vertullo No. 83V.
The 6 pill was drawn, and the feature event front row was comprised of Sacramento's Herman Klein who entered the event second in Civil War points aboard the potent Dale Wondergem No. 91 and San Martin's Wes Gutierrez, who garnered his first Winged Sprint Car main event win last weekend at Chowchilla Speedway in the WG Motorsports No. 007. The pair brought the hungry field down to the green and charged off of Turn 2 and down the backstretch side by side into Turn 3, with Gutierrez eventually grabbing the top spot.
Racing action would slow on Lap 2 with Jason Newton and Ronnie Day stopped at opposite ends of the racetrack. They both would rejoin the field. The surface was prime for passing, and when the green flag waved again it was evident that Civil War points leader Sean Becker was all business in Scott Miller's No. 2sb. Becker was obliterating the cushion while advancing positions. The intensity was quickly picking up until Evan Suggs who is tied in the GLR Investments points standings with Prunedale's Justin Sanders, looped the Suggs Racing No. 33E to a stop between Turns 1 & 2. The Scott's Valley masher would rejoin the field.
When racing resumed the field quickly got into heavy lapped traffic and Andy Gregg of Diamond Springs in the Gut's Inc. No. 16x, Easton's Tommy Tarlton in the Tarlton & Son, Inc. No 21 and Kyle Larson all began to make their move. The co-owned Sala/Matherly No. 19 was hooked up and flying as veteran pilot Brent Kaeding was on the charge from his 13th starting spot.
Gregg would begin to apply some serious heat to Gutierrez' rear bumper as the pair danced through lapped traffic. Racing would slow on Lap 6 as Sacramento's Mike Henry in the Rudy Warrington No. 18 and the other GLR Investments points leader, Justin Sanders came together, with Sanders' North County Plastering No. 17 stopped between Turns 1 & 2. Fremont's Shane Golobic would also be involved in the Joe Von Schriltz No. 121. Golobic would restart while Sanders' night was over.
When racing resumed, Gutierrez, Gregg, Becker, Larson, Tarlton, Kaeding, Grass Valley's Jason Statler in the DF Rios Construction No.00, Escalon's Myles Bishop in the CV Fabrication No. 7, and Chico's Stephen Allard in Dorothy Lee's No. 4 all turned up the wick and the intensity of the race picked up another notch as these drivers were battling for position blasting through heavy lapped traffic.
Third running Larson made a beautiful move midway through the 30 lap event by passing both Gutierrez and Gregg in one fell swoop. As the laps began to wind down, Becker, Tarlton and fourth running Kaeding began reeling in Larson. With a handful of laps remaining Becker and Tarlton would make contact, and Kaeding blasted by both of them on the top of the racetrack. It would be for naught however, as the yellow would come out for a stalled car slowing action and the field reverting back to the previous lap.
Under a Lap 29 yellow flag, second running Becker's right rear tire would begin to lose air. When the green lights flashed on around the speedway disaster would strike Loomis' Kyle Hirst as he began flipping wildly in Gary Perkins' No. 6 going into Turn 3. He would walk away from the scary incident unscathed.
A 1 lap shootout would setup some hair raising action. With the green flag waving in the air, Becker wasn't able to hustle the car through Turns 1 & 2. Coming off of Turn 2, Tarlton and Kaeding would get past Becker and drag race each other down the backshute for second place with Kaeding pulling a wheelie the entire length of the back straightaway. However, Larson would not be challenged and took the checkered flag in front of the large crowd.
"It was an awesome race! We just finished building this car, and it ran great," a jubilant Larson commented. "I knew that this would be the toughest 360 race of the year, next to the Trophy Cup. My car owner Dave Vertullo always gives me a great car, and I can't thank him enough."
In qualifying, Larson bested the 37 car field setting a NTR along the way by turning a jaw dropping 11.709 lap. Also during qualifying Matt Sargent who came into the event fifth in Civil War points, lost an engine in the Sean Leggat No. 14, sidelining him for the rest of the evening.
Heat races were won by Mike Henry, Shane Golobic, Brent Kaeding and Kyle Hirst. Ryan Gomes picked up the "C-Main" while Kyle Larson claimed the "B-Main".
FAST TIME: Kyle Larson 11.709 (NTR)
HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Mike Henry, 2. Justin Sanders, 3. Jason Statler, 4. Evan Suggs, 5. Stephen Allard, 6. Kurt Nelson, 7. Anthony Simone, 8. Kyle Larson, 9. Ryan Gomes, 10. Burt Foland, Jr.
HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Shane Golobic, 2. Wes Guiterrez, 3. Sean Becker, 4. Ronnie Day, 5. Brett Rollag, 6. Aaron Sirles, 7. Keith Day, 8. Kenny Allen, 9. Klint Simpson, 10. R.C. Smith
HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Brent Kaeding, 2. Tommy Tarlton, 3. Herman Klein, 4. Bradley Terrell, 5. Jimmy Trulli, 6. Mike Stallings, 7. Ricky Wright, Jr., 8. Jerry Bonnema, 9. Cory Eliason
HEAT RACE 4: (10 laps)
1. Kyle Hirst, 2. Andy Gregg, 3. Jason Newton, 4. Myles Bishop, 5. Chad Compton, 6. Pat Harvey, 7. Brad Furr, 8. Richard Brace, Jr., 9. Wayne Katen
C-Main: (8 laps)
1. Ryan Gomes, 2. Mike Stallings, 3. Pat Harvey, 4. Aaron Sirles, 5. Burt Foland, Jr., 5. R.C. Smith, 6. Matt Sargent (DNS)
B-Main: (12 laps)
1. Kyle Larson, 2. Stephen Allard, 3. Brad Furr, 4. Ricky Wright, Jr., 5. Cory Eliason, 6. Jimmy Trulli, 7. Kurt Nelson, 8. Brett Rollag, 9. Mike Stallings, 10. Ryan Gomes, 11. Keith Day, 12. Chad Compton, 13. Klint Simpson, 14. Wayne Katen, 15. Anthony Simone, 16. Pat Harvey
FEATURE: (30 laps)
1. Kyle Larson, 2. Tommy Tarlton, 3. Brent Kaeding, 4. Sean Becker, 5. Andy Gregg, 6. Wes Guiterrez, 7. Stephen Allard, 8. Myles Bishop, 9. Bradley Terrell, 10. Jason Statler, 11. Brad Furr, 12. Ricky Wright, Jr., 13. Ronnie Day, 14. Herman Klein, 15. Evan Suggs, 16. Cory Eliason, 17. Jason Newton, 18. Mike Henry, 19. Kyle Hirst, 20. Shane Golobic, 21. Jimmy Trulli, 22. Justin Sanders
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**Kenny Allen flipped during the second heat race
**Wayne Katen flipped in the fourth heat race
**Brad Furr flipped in the fourth heat race
**Pat Harvey flipped in the semi
**Kyle Hirst flipped during the main event
The next Civil War vs. GLR Investments Sprint Car Series race will be held on September 25. For more information regarding the tough Civil War Series, you can follow them on the web at www.civilwarsprints.com
The next event for the GLR Investments 360 Sprint Car Series will be held on July 31 for Round No. 8 action. The event will also be the 3rd qualifying race for the Johnny Key Classic. For more information, please visit www.oceanspeedway.com or www.oceansprints.com
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