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The North State Racing Association presented the next to last regular season championship race at the Ukiah Speedway last Saturday. Featured were the Pro-4 Modifieds, Rental Solutions Modifieds, Bud Bombers, Legends Cars, and Bandoleros.
This was the final championship points race for the Ukiah Legends Cars and it was a real nail-biter with only nine points separating leader Bill Kistenmacher and Jimmy Sturges. The #88 of Sturges was still under repair but that was not going to stop him. He borrowed the #9 and set out to win that trophy.
Kistenmacher finished second in the time trials three positions ahead of Sturges netting him six more points, and three positions ahead in the heat race adding another three for a total of 18. However, disaster struck when the Legends Cars were warming up for the main event. Kistenmacher's car suddenly pulled over on the front stretch with problems.
At first, it was though he'd broken a weld in the front suspension. Something this serious would take him both out of the race and championship contention. A quick inspection found that it was only a bolt that had worked itself loose so he was sent to the pits to tighten it up.
If this had not been noticed before the green flag fell to start the race, Kistenmacher would never have had enough time to fix the problem before his yellow-flag courtesy laps ran out. But since the race had not yet started, he was given the same courtesy given to any contender allowing them to fix their car so the fans can see them race.
Kistenmacher did not dominate the field and finished third (see the Legends Cars entry below), but he did finish two positions ahead of Sturges adding another 10 points and clinching his championship win by 28 points.
Pro-4 Modifieds
Jake Tillman from Cobb set the Pro-4 Modified fast time of 13.385s, 17.2 hundredths ahead of Greg VanCleave.
The main event green flag fell on 11 Pro-4 Modifieds led by John Barker and Marty Lewis. Barker slowly stretched his inside lead as Kevin Barba took to the inside of M. Lewis to fight for second. Johnathon Reynolds (his first time in a new Legends Car), Tellstrom (driving two classes that night – see the Legends Cars), Jake Tillman, and VanCleave made their way around Timber Cookson.
In lap five, M. Lewis wiggled loose in turn four and fell back to the outside of Tillman. Barba swung outside Barker and took the lead in lap seven. Reynolds, Tellstrom, Tillman, VanCleave, and Neo Nuno quickly shuttled Barker and M. Lewis on back.
Tellstrom, Tillman, and VanCleave then gradually worked past the outside of Reynolds. In lap 19, M. Lewis brought out the only yellow flag of the race when he spun out in turn three.
Barba and Tellstrom led them to the restart. Barba and Tillman slowly advanced inside Tellstrom but, as Tellstrom rallied back, Barba slipped loose exiting turn two and Tillman passed him three-wide for the lead in lap 26. The reaction allowed VanCleave to get by the inside of Tellstrom into third.
Tellstrom gathered himself back up and swung outside VanCleave to fight for his spot back. Behind them, Reynolds was battling outside Nuno. On the white-flag lap, they tangled and spun to the turn four infield. Since the white flag had already been thrown, it was a race to the finish.
Tillman claimed the checkers followed by Barba, Tellstrom, VanCleave, and Curtis Lewis found himself suddenly in fifth.
Rental Solutions
Modifieds
The Modified fast time of 13.122s was set by Terry McIntire from Kelseyville, 9 hundredths ahead of Dustin DeRosier.
Mikey Snider and Rick Tommila led the nine car Modified field to the main event green flag. Snider took the lead in the first lap, and on the frontstretch starting the second, Tommila and Codi Barba got together and spun out for the first caution. Tommila and Eric Johnson, who got spun into the infield as a result, had to retire to the pits.
Snider and Darrin Knight led the restart. Darrin Knight took the lead from the outside as McIntire, Andy Vander Veer, and Dustin Knight made their way by outside Snider. In lap six, Barba spun in turn four bringing out the last yellow flag.
Darrin Knight and McIntire got them started again and they battled side-by-side for two laps before McIntire finished the outside pass for the lead. Dustin Knight, Vander Veer, DeRosier, and Barba strung out behind him.
Darrin Knight poured it on but McIntire was at his best that night. His car was glued to the groove with nary a bobble in turn nor straight. DeRosier found the outside of Vander Veer and struggled with the groove for three laps before he finally finished the pass in turn two. McIntire came in first followed by Darrin Knight, Dustin Knight, DeRosier, and Vander Veer.
McIntire had come into this penultimate championship event second to Vander Veer by 12 points, but came out back in first by 20. With Darrin Knight in third by only 31 points, the championship could be claimed by any of the three in the next event.
Bud Bombers
Shelby Helm from Kelseyville set the Bomber fast time of 15.744s, just 4.5 hundredths ahead of Brandon Verde. The top six qualified within two hundredths and the top nine within half-a-second.
17 Bombers showed up to play. Unfortunately, Robert Bracket Jr. blew a transmission seal so Robert Byers substituted for him, and Brandon Verde succumbed to technical problems after a great qualifying time.
The 15 car pack accelerated through the main event start with Kevin Brackett and Cindy Allen in the lead. They ran side-by-side for a lap while Ray Lozano fell back on the inside pushing Mike Bray, Galdino Guevara, Ron Duke Jr. (substituting for Ron Duke Sr.), Jimmy Sorrels, and George Abella back with him.
Allen finally took the lead as Rick Jelton, Matt Gerjets, Anthony McCoy, and Shelby Helm shuttled Isaac Snodgrass back on the outside. Gerjets swung outside Jelton and continued past Brackett and Allen into the lead in lap five. McCoy was outside Allen in lap six when there was a frontstretch tangle that collected Duke, Snodgrass, Lozano, and Guevara for the first caution. Guevara had to retire to the pits.
Gerjets and Allen led the restart and Gerjets took off with McCoy and Helm on his tail. Allen settled into fourth just ahead of Brackett. Sorrels advanced inside Jelton, outside Brackett and Allen into fourth. In lap 10, Tim Simmons spun in turn two for another caution.
Gerjets and McCoy were now up front for the restart. They were dead-even for a couple of laps, but then McCoy wiggled wicked loose in turn two and kept wiggling all the way around to turn one. This allowed Helm into second and pushed Sorrels, Byers, Abella, and Duke back.
Helm had just started to advance outside Gerjets when they came up upon lapped traffic. Gerjets managed to dart to the outside in front of Helm just as these cars were passed. This all allowed McCoy, Sorrels, and Abella to catch back up.
By Lap 25, Helm was trying to advance outside Gerjets and McCoy was close behind. Abella was battling outside Sorrels for fourth. Simmons spun out in the turn two infield but kept it going and avoided a yellow flag. Unfortunately, he did not realize the leaders were coming up and re-entered the track just ahead of them. The reaction crashed Gerjets and Helm into each other spinning Helm. McCoy dove low and Sorrels dove high over the turn tow berm, and a caution was thrown anyway. Gerjets had to retire with damage. Sorrels was not put back because, despite running over the turn two berm, he did not stop and did not advance his position. Simmons realized his error and, showing true racing sportsmanship, sought out the leaders after the race to give them his apologies.
McCoy and Sorrels found themselves in the lead for the last restart with six laps to go. McCoy took a couple of laps to finish the inside pass on Sorrels but Abella was right on his tail and Duke right behind him. Helm took advantage of the slower cars on the outside to wait and then swing out around Byers.
Abella swung outside as McCoy, again, suffered those handling problems. Abella took the lead in lap 27 and kept it to the finish. McCoy finished second, Duke third, Sorrels fourth, and Helm fifth.
Legends Cars
The Legends Car fast time of 14.383s was set by Scott Sabol from Lakeport, 42.8 hundredths ahead of Bill Kistenmacher.
Sturges and Kyle Tellstrom (driving the #7 of Chelsea Champagne) held the poll row of the six car Legends main event field as the green flag fell. Tellstrom took the lead but was quickly passed on the outside by Scott Sabol.
Jeremy Doss steadily crept up the outside around Tellstrom and then, when Tellstrom went higher to try to rally back, Kistenmacher snuck by on the inside.
The race was green flag-to-flag. Sabol finished first followed by Doss, Kistenmacher, Tellstrom, and Jimmy Sturges.
Bandoleros
James Bickford from Napa set the Bandolero fast time of 14.909s, a scant 2.8 hundredths ahead of Logan Zampa.
The 10 car Bandolero field was led to the main event start by Kolby Berry and Frankie Pickrell. Pickrell settled in ahead of Berry as Trystan Mucci, Zachery Fraser, Bickford, Hunter LaRue, and Zampa were on their way around Quintin Harris. Mucci had just made it around Berry into second when she suddenly showed on the frontstretch for the first caution. She was forced to retire to the pits.
Pickrell and Berry got them going again with Pickrell choosing the outside. LaRue settled into third behind Bickford and Zampa passed LaRue for fourth. Bickford, with his trademark low groove, stole the inside from from Pickrell in turn four and took the lead in lap six. In lap nine, LaRue brought out the last caution when he spun in turn.
Bickford and Pickrell led them to the green and Bickford took off. Zampa followed inside Pickrell into second. LaRue found himself trapped behind James Stillman and Hanna James in the back but finally wove his way clear to slowly advance as the field strung out. At the finish it was Bickford, Zampa, Pickrell, LaRue, and Harris.
