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Monahan takes sprint honors
Holsey repeats in Country 103 Cup action
Johnson takes 1st Bomber checkered
By
Bob
Burbach
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Marysville CA - June 10,
2007 --- Marysville’s Cort Dozier slugged it out with Sparks Nevada’s Mike Monahan for 15 laps in an eye-popping display of sprint car racing action. Dozier took the lead shortly thereafter and saw the checkered flag first; but Monahan took the victory. On a wickedly fast, hooked up Marysville Raceway Park surface the two combatants chose distinctively different lines with Dozier on the high side and Monahan down low. Paul Hawes perfectly prepared ¼ mile made for some serious, hammer down sprint car action. It was lapped traffic on the back chute that hampered then leader Monahan and Dozier was able to parlay that into a two or three car length lead that Monahan was never able to make up.
Dozier took the flag 1st. However, Dozier did not report to tech immediately after the event. This resulted in an immediate disqualification from race director Tim Sherman. Monahan was declared the race winner with Brandon Dozier in 2nd. Brandon Dozier flew into 3rd from his 9th starting in four laps, but could never catch the lead duo. A mid-race, side by side dice between a resurgent Tony Silvera and Grass Valley’s Jeremy Burt had the fans on their feet at times. That race was as close and fast as the one up front. Sacramento’s Silvera also won the Dash for Cash earlier in the evening.
Brandon Dozier’s big leap from 9th into 3rd landed him there at flag. The disqualification moved him to 2nd. Newcomer Brent Steck spent some time bending wings in his first ever race at MRP. Steck flipped his mount twice in exactly the same spot in two different events. Silvera was placed 3rd in the feature with Burt in 4th
The sprint car race was slowed only once on this beautiful Saturday night at Paul and Kathy Hawes fan friendly facility. A number of great giveaways and prizes were handed out including the “Lucky Dog” prize. A fan in the stands is given his admission back in cash by promoter Kathy Hawes. The complete 5-division program was checkered by 9:30.
It took a few laps and some luck for Yuba City’s Gary Holsey to get into victory lane in the KKCY 103 Country Cup Mini Stock feature. Holsey, Yuba City’s Lisa Shelby, James Foster and Blane Baker were the combatants in the early laps with Shelby showing the way in convincing style. The other three couldn’t dig into Shelby’s lead, but Holsey seemed to be biding his time as he diced with Baker and Foster. By lap 5 Shelby was encountering lapped traffic as the aforementioned trio battled behind her. As the frontrunners entered the backstretch on lap six Shelby became entangled in lapped traffic and nearly crashed. Her black #88 was completely sideways at one point and she made a tremendous save. The yellow flag was not immediately displayed and Shelby dropped to a distant 5th. Moments later the yellow flag was thrown and Shelby’s bad luck was Holsey’s good fortune as he went from 3rd to 1st during the backstretch melee. Holsey went on to victory unchallenged. Right behind him, however, Marysville’s Foster and Baker tussled for the runner up spot in a very entertaining race. Yuba City’s Baker won that battle and came under the flag in 2nd. Point leader Joel Giusti of Sutter had a troubled night and finished a distant 9th, thus vaulting Baker into the unofficial point lead (all results will be official at the close of business on Tuesday). Shelby held on to 4th and Floyd Youngblood of Berry Creek was 5th. It is interesting to note that Marysville’s Mike Merritt lined up last in the field and passed his way into a credible 8th place behind brother Shawn who also had another good race.
The evening included the first ever race for the Extreme Bombers. Four cars met the standing start green and the mayhem began. Each car had a ceramic image glued to each corner…..what? Yep, the secret to victory was to have all of the ceramic images knocked off your car... and be 1st across the line. The drivers were mystery drivers and we didn’t have a clue who the pilots were when the race began. Bomber racing includes a driver with the steering wheel and gas pedal. The passenger has the brake pedal. A series of slips, slides, crashes and blown motors brought the race to its smoky, metal crunching conclusion. The only car to have all four corners, and its figurines pulverized was the #29 of Zach Johnson. Johnson’s car was also the BIGGEST car and sustained the largest number of collisions. All in all it was fun, and the crowd roared their approval. Looks like the class will catch on and grow from this point forward.
The Nor Cal Dwarf Cars put on one whale of a show in their first of two consecutive dates at MRP. The non-stop feature event featured a brilliant, high side drive to the front by Mike “Spanky” Grenert from row four. He got to early leader Pat Weger as the field reached half way. Grenert flashed by Weger with a great cross over move on turn 2. Grenert pulled to a four car length lead right away. Then Weger got hot. Weger found an incredible bite on the low side of turn one and started to eat into Grenert’s lead. Weger had Grenert in his sights three laps later and motored on by for the stunning win. It was a great recovery for Weger who has had incredibly bad luck at this facility. Former Nor Cal driving champion “Flyin’” Bryan Quilty nipped by Grenert at the end when Grenert blew a right rear tire. Grenert nursed his car to 3rd in the final tally. The race was fast and competitive all the way. Dynamite truly does come in small packages.
A side by side finish for 1st included one of the combatants flying through the air at the stripe. Thus ended the caution free SORA Sprint 100s feature race. A race long battle for the top spot was hampered and influenced by lapped cars from lap 5 on. For all intents and purposes Colusa’s “Terrible Tim” McLaughlin simply rocketed to the early lead in the event. He often tested his fellow competitors with three wide high side passes as he headed to the front. In his wake 2006 SORA Champion Tony Gaioran carved his own path through the full field of winged racers and found 2nd by lap six. McLaughlin appeared unreachable as ½ way approached. In a division that has been plagued with attrition related caution periods only one car retired from the fast and furious 20 lapper.
McLaughlin’s bravado in lapped traffic seemed enough to keep Tony G at bay. Then Gaoiran started to close rapidly as McLaughlin was severely hampered in lapped traffic off of four on lap 10. Tony G got a great run and flashed by McLaughlin and then magically put ten car lengths on the fleet #99. Tony G took the white flag with a five car length lead and McLaughlin was rapidly making up time. McLaughlin got a great run off of two on the final circuit and was on Tony G’s tail in three. A lapped car was ahead of the pair and they would reach it before the flag. Gaoiran went low, McLaughlin went high as the lapped car split the leaders. Tony G won by a nose as McLaughlin got the right rear of the lapped car and launched into a lazy flight under the starter’s checkered flag, finishing 2nd. It was an incredible finish that had the fans on their feet.
Put www.marysvilleracewaypark on your “favorites” button on you computer. Watch this site for press releases and updates.
Next week the Wingless Sprinters return for a full program. The KKCY Country 103 Cup Street Stocks will bring their slam-bang brand of racing back as well. The Nor Cal Dwarf Cars will also cruise into town for some great racing action. The EXTREME BOMBERS will round out the evening with an exhibition of some fun-time automotive mayhem.
Pit gates always open at 3PM. Pit meeting and pill draw are at 5PM. Spectator Gates Open at 5PM with racing getting underway at 7PM. Contact the promoters at 1.530.743.1327 or email as indicated on the home page.
Note: Please make this observer aware of any names that are misspelled. The text is based on information we have at the time of its release.
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