Familiar Names Build Towards Championships on Team Ghilotti Construction Night
August 25, 2012
By Rick Faeth
Old
Petaluma Speedway track conditions prevailed Saturday Night as the
black adobe clay was at its hooked up and tackiest on Team Ghiotti
Night. The Pit Stop USA.com Spec Sprint Series saw Billy Aton returning
to Petaluma Speedway for the first time since coming from a stint
working at sea to pick up fast time honors. Sebastopol’s Geoff Ensign
and Santa Rosa’s Terry Schank Jr. won the heat races. In the main event
Klint Simpson took the initial green over Bret Barney and Bill
Cornwell. Pacing the first six circuits Simpson washed up slightly
exiting turn two and allowed a fast closing Schank to displace him for
the lead. Working from mid-pack, Ensign passed Barney and then Cornwell
and set sights on Trevor Schmid who had been a victim of a rollover
earlier in the night in his heat. The last 15 laps were run at
qualifying speeds as Schank, the defending track champion, held on for
his first Petaluma win of the year. Simpson, having the race of his
young career, held on for an impressive runner-up spot over Schmid,
Ensign, and Cornwell.
Late Model action saw a season high twelve
cars sign in for what was a tune up for the September 8th 33rd Annual M.
Maselli and Sons Late Model Classic. Point leader and defending track
champion Jeff Decker was the quick qualifier. Anthony Restad and Randy
Shafer were victorious in heat race preliminaries. The 25-lap feature
saw the “Hit Man” from Morgan Hill, Decker step out to an early lead
over Shafer, Restad, and Richard Papenhausen. A vicious front
straightaway wreck slowed the action and eliminated Jimmy Gallagher,
Dennis Souza, and Michael Paul Jr. Decker, with left front wheel hiked,
stretched his lead with the real battle being for second. Shafer,
Restad, and Papenhausen blanketed each other lap after lap. Coming to
the checkers Decker was the no-doubt winner capturing his season-high
fourth victory, over Randy Shafer, and Papenhausen nipping Restad at the
line for third. Paul Gugliemoni rounded out the top five.
It
was championship night for the Carr Racing Chassis Modified Series with a
one-point lead for Oreste Gonella over defending champ Michael Paul Jr.
heading into competition. Paul Jr. wrested the point lead away by
winning his heat. Richard Papenhausen, doing double-duty, captured the
other modified heat. Petaluma’s Michelle Byron forged to the early lead
over hard luck Joel Myers, rookie Dave Lindt II, and Chris Sieweke.
Paul Jr. started picking off cars on lap five with Gonella struggling
early from the back of the field. Myers worked his way around Byron and
Paul blasted by Lindt and Sieweke to take over third. At the midpoint
Paul picked off teammate Byron and set sights for Myers. With Myers
exiting turn four and Paul trying to overtake, contact was made causing
Myers to pit for a flat. Paul Jr. survived to garner the win and the
season championship. Runner-up Byron was chased to the line by Sieweke,
a determined Myers, and Lindt.
The Lumberjack Restaurant Super
Stocks featured a solid field of 15 cars. Veteran Steve Studebaker
dominated heat one, and David Spriggs copped heat two. Feature action
saw point leader Mike Learn establish himself early with Spriggs,
Studebaker, and Kevin Aguirre dicing for positions. Cautions mid-race
bunched the field and Dave Byron found the hot line passing 6 cars in
the next five laps. At the checkers it was Learn adding to his dream
season notching his 9th win of the season over Studebaker, Spriggs,
Byron, and Aguirre.
The BPT Carburetor Mini Stock & Hornets
also experienced a season high mark with 9 cars in competition.
Journeyman John Veeninga copped heat one with young Josh Williams
earning heat two honors. Main event action saw Williams and Veeninga
exert themselves over John Clark and Kimberly Ramirez. Petaluma’s Keith
Benson set his sights toward the lead pack and meticulously mounted a
charge. Mid-race saw Veeninga worming his way through congested lapped
traffic. Benson got outside of Veeninga with five to go and
simultaneously went up in a ball of flames with his engine expiring.
This left the laurels to an unchallenged Veeninga who captured his fifth
win of the year over in an impressive Williams, Clark, Ramirez, and
visiting Dustin Fernandez.
Petaluma Speedway is dark next
Saturday Night, September 1st but returns to action on September 8th
with the 33rd Annual M. Maselli & Sons Late Model Classic featuring
Chris Kearns' West Coast Late Model Shootout Series along with the Pit
Stop USA.com Spec Sprint Series and Dwarf Cars.
