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Mike Henry won his 3rd Petaluma 360 sprint car race in 3 tries at Petaluma Speedway Saturday 5/12/7.
25 cars
weather: Petaluma chill
Track: Tacky and smooth, bottom slightly greasy, Topside of turn 4 started to go away the last 10 laps of the A.
Qualifying - Top 5
1. Henry, #20, (13.15) 2. Bradley Terrel, (13.36) 3. Alissa Geving, #3x, (13.36), 4. Brent Dothage, #2B, (13.48) 5. Scott Merrel, #14, (13.48)
4 Heats, 8 Laps each, 4 to transfer to A
Finish, #Car , Name, (start)
Heat 1
1. #5V, Jim VanLare (4), 2, #20, Henry(6) 3. #33, Scott Macintosh(1) 4. #29 Cameron Mendes(2) 5. #14 Merrel(5) 6. Sean Arriaga(3) 7. 48 DNF(team car to Kirt Simpson, name never announced)
Mendes #29 bicycled high in turn 2 on opening lap, bounced twice up towards the wall, but somehow saved it falling back to 4th. Everyone amazingly missed him and race kept going. Van Lare took the lead from his outside row 2 start and Henry quickly followed. on lap 3. Van Lare held off Henry for the final 5 laps and took the checkered. #48 pulled off on lap 2.
Heat 2
1.#57x,Mitch Pyle(2) 2. #57,Shane Golobic(4) 3.#3x,Geving(6) 4. #6c,Jeff Parady(5) 5. #7,Nick Ringo(1) 6. DNF#2L,Mike Learn(3)
Pyle took the lead on the start holding off Golobic. Ringo from the pole faded badly to 5th. Geving up from 6th grabbed 3rd on lap 3. Mike Learn to the pits on lap 4. Pyle stays in front and wins by a car lenght over Golobic with Geving right behind. Good to see Pyle back and get the win after a hard snap roll in turn 4 two weeks earlier during the A..
Heat 3
1. #10x,Kirby(2) 2. #4q,Adam McCarthy(4) 3. #19, Art McCarthy(5) 4. #43,Terrel(6) 5. #96, Arvo Backholm(3) 6.DNF #33F, John Rossi(1)
Kirby grabs the lead at the start as Rossi and Backhom begin to fall back quickly into the clutches of the McCarthy's. Adam McCarthy challenges Kirby for 6 laps but cannot get by. Father Art moves up from his 5th starting spot to grab 3rd at the checkered. Terrel settles for 4th and the final transfer. Rossi drops out of gear at the flagstand taking the white flag and does not finish.
Heat 4
1. #6,Matt Demartini(2) 2.#19b,Bobby McCarthy(1) 3. #48, Kirt Simpson(3) 4. #3,Bill Cornwell(5) 5. #25b, Baxter(4) 6. #2b, Dothage(6)
Demartini all the way in this one. Dothage started to move up grabbiing 4th in the opening 2 laps, but jumped the cushion in turn 3 on lap 3 and fell back to 6th where he would finish. Bobbby McCarthy hold off the #48 for the final 5 laps to grab 2nd. After lap 3 the cars stretched out and after the Dothage bobble finished where they were.
B Main 10 laps 7 cars, 6 transfers, top 2 get the time back.
1. #2b, Dothage(1) 2. #14,Merrel(2) 3. #56,Arriaga(4) 4. #25b, Baxter(3) 5. #96,Backhom(6) 6. #7,Ringo(7) 7. #2L,Learn(5) - Dothage romps to victory getting his time back for the A-Main. Yellow on lap 2 for Learn as he spins in 4 and stops. Ringo to the rear for jimping the start. Ringo quickly passes Learn on the re-strat to grab the transfer. Learn off to the pits on the white flag, so everyone running makes the A. Two cars did not make the call the #33f of Rossi and the #48.
A-Main, 25 laps, 22 cars, 8 inversion (race shortened to 18 laps due to curfew)
1, #20,Henry(8) 2. #43,Terrel(6) 3. #3x,Geving(7) 4. #6c,Parady(5) 5. #56, Arriaga(20) 6. #57,Golobic(1) 7. #29, Mendez(17) 8. #33,Mcintosh(13), 9. #48k(Simpson(12) 10. #14,Merrel(10) 11. #6,DeMartini(16) 12. #10x,Kirby(15) 13. #96,Backholm(21) 14. #7,Ringo(22) 15. #4q,Adam McCarthy(11) 16. DNF, #2B,Dothage(9) 17. #57x,Pyle(14) 18.#25b,Baxter(19) 19. #19b DNF,B. McCarthy(18) 20. #3,DNF,Cornwell,(3) 21. #5v,DNF,VanLare(2) 22. #19, DNF,Art McCarthy(4)
Caution plagued event with 3 reds and multiple yellows. Start was aborted when #57 Golobic drifted high on the start and moved the #19 of McCarthy hard up against the wall just past the flagstand. McCarthy was able to keep it against the wall as everyone got by. If he had back come down the track it would have been ugly as the entire field was coming by. The #96 of Backholm goes to the pits but return for the new start. Complete restart. Van Lare takes the early lead as Terrel goes to the top of turns 1 and 2 and moves in to 2nd from his now 4th starting, Henry up ton 3rd as he follows Terrel. Red on lap 4 as the #25b of Baxter and the #10x of Kirby get together in turn 4 and tip over. Both would return after repairs. The leader -#5v of Van Lare goes to the pits. He tries to make it back before the restart and tag the rear but his car won't fire. Terrel assumes the lead followed by Henry, Golobic, Parady, and Geving. Restart sees Geving move up nicely to take over the 3rd spot before another red on lap 6 for the #3 of Cornwell who tries to avoid 2 stalled cars in 4 before the flagman could wave the yellow. Restart on lap 7 sees Terrel bring them down to green and lead the next 5 laps before he loops it in turn 4, does a 360 and falls back to 4th. At the same time the yellow flies for the #25b of Baxter who has stopped close to the infield. Terrel get his spot back for the restart.. Geving moves to 2nd on lap 14 as Henry jumps the cushion between 3 & 4 and loses his spot. Yellow on lap 16 for the #2b of Dothage who spins and stops in turn 4. Time is running short now as we are nearly at curfew and only on lap 16. Next restart sees Henry blast around Gaving in the top of 3 and 4 and then power underneath Terrel in 3 and 4 which turns out to be wiinning moves. Another yellow on lap 18 for the #7 of Ringo and after severla laps run under yeloow the officials call the race complete and throw the yellow/checkered to end the race and Henry gets his 3 peat.
Track was fast tonight and the midddle and top were crowded contributing to the muliple incidents. Henry definitely had the passes of the night with Terrle's move squeezing between 2 lappers jsut before entering turrn 1 being the next next most memorable. Save of the night to Art McCarthy as he could have devastated the field had he drifted down from the front stretch wall on the initial start of the A.
Next race: 360 sprints at Petaluma Saturday May 19th with BCRA midget lites.
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