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The North State Racing Association held the final 2010 championship race at the Ukiah Speedway last Saturday. Featured were the I.N.E.X. Legends Cars, Rental Solutions Modifieds, Street Stocks, Bud Bombers, and Bandoleros.
Track conditions were wildly variable caused by a combination of hot sun and a strong and cool wind from a passing weather system. Drivers reported that the outside groove seemed tighter and the inside treacherous, sometimes causing you to break loose when you least expected it.
I.N.E.X. Legends Cars
Luis Tyrrell set the Legends Cars fast time of 14.335s, only one thousandth ahead of Jeremy Wood.
Keith Clement and Greg Baxter led the 14 car field to the main event start. Baxter took the initial outside lead but Clement rallied leading lap three by a nose. Kistenmacher fell back on the inside pushing Donny Darter, David Winchel, Wood, Bob Kuebler, and Jimmie Walker behind him.
Scott Sabol was outside Tony Mangini fighting for second ahead of Stanislav Osterlund who was outside Tyrrell. Kistenmacher spun on the frontstretch for the first caution and had to retire to the pits. Another immediate yellow flag followed when Jack Wulff Humphrey spun over the turn three berm.
Clement and Baxter led the restart and Baxter fell back on the outside pushing Mangini, Tyrrell, Wood, and Walker behind him. Sabol swung outside Clement to fight for the lead with Osterlund close behind. Baxter and Mangini settled back inside in front of Winchel and Jeremy Doss.
Sabol and Osterlund passed outside Clement for first and second. In lap eight, Tyrrell had advanced outside Baxter and was about to do the same to Clement when they tangled and spun in turn two for another caution. The field dodged high and low, but Wood had a scary moment when he found himself trapped in the middle heading straight for them. He slammed on the brakes and barely managed to slow and make his way around in time.
The restart was led by Sabol and Osterlund. Osterlund took the lead and Wood swung outside Sabol to take second. Baxter fell back on the outside but Winchel dove inside in front of Mangini just in time into fourth. In lap 15, Tyrrell and Clement spun again in turn four for another caution. There was a second caution when Doss and Kuebler touched and spun in turn four.
Osterlund and Wood now led the restart. Osterlund had the lead but Wood swung high through turn three gaining momentum and sliced low under Osterlund through turn four to take the lead in lap 18. Osterlund chased Wood while Winchel, Sabol, and Mangini passed Baxter for third through fifth. In lap 21, second-place Osterlund suddenly lost power into turn three and the car died in turn four bringing out the last yellow flag of the race. Osterlund was forced to retire.
Wood and Winchel got them going again. Wood took off while Tyrrell and Sabol fought for third. Tyrrell had the advantage outside Sabol when he drifted loose in turn four and fell back to follow Sabol past the inside of Winchel. Wood claimed the checkers followed by Sabol, Tyrrell, Winchel, and Mangini.
Rental Solutions
Modifieds
The Modifieds fast time of 13.136s was set by Terry McIntire from Kelseyville, 7.3 hundredths ahead of Codi Barba.
The 13 car field was brought to the main event green flag by Mikey Snider (driving his Dad's #8) and Eric Johnson. They held even for a lap before Johnson finally completed the outside pass for the lead. Just behind M. Snider, Darrin Snider, Darrin Knight, and Dustin DeRosier were outside Dustin Knight and Andy Vander Veer. McIntire swung under Barba to catch up to DeRosier.
D. Snider fell back on the outside pushing Darrin Knight back with him. Dustin Knight swung outside M. Snider and was fighting for second when M. Snider wiggled loose in turn four and was freight-trained to the back.
McIntire had got by inside DeRosier and had his nose inside Vander Veer in turn two and down the backstretch. Unfortunately, Vander Veer did not know this and came down across the line in turn three clipping McIntire's nose and spinning himself through turn four to bring out the first caution in lap 13. Darrin Knight and Barba were also collected. Vander Veer, Knight, and Barba had to retire with damage.
Johnson and Dustin Knight led the restart with Johnson choosing the outside. They ran dead even for five laps ahead of DeRosier and McIntire. Johnson finally stuttered in turn three and pushed DeRosier back on the outside and McIntire scooted by into second. Once clear, DeRosier tried to swing by inside Johnson but they touched and spun for a lap 20 caution.
There was another quick caution when Jodi Snider (driving the #6 of M. Snider) slipped coming out of turn four on the restart and bounced off the wall back into Johnson. Both had to retire.
The field was now down to seven cars as Dustin Knight chose the outside of McIntire for the restart. It didn't help as McIntire took the hole shot into the lead. M. Snider settled in between DeRosier and Gary Collins while Rick Tommila battled Norman Boucher for fifth. McIntire finished first, Dustin Knight second, DeRosier third, M. Snider fourth, and Norman Boucher fifth.
Street Stocks
Terry Pittman from Redwood Valley set the Street Stock fast time of 14.210s, 6.5 hundredths ahead of George Mavrakis.
David Jones and Mike Bray held the pole row of the seven car field at the start of the main event. Bray held a slight lead but it cost him some paint before Jones fell back on the inside. The outside line of Wade Coleman, Pittman, Ron Duke Jr., and Simi Tour shuttled Jones on back pushing Mavrakis behind him.
Coleman got outside Bray and passed him for the lead in lap four. Bray was quickly freight-trained back by the rest. Pittman set his sights on Coleman while Mavrakis swung outside to pass Tour. In turn four, Duke and Tour bumped wiggling and slowing Tour and sending Duke across the infield. While the flagger waited to see if Duke could get moving again, Tour slipped and spun in turn four over the berm for the only caution of the race in lap 15.
The restart was led by Coleman and Pittman. Coleman had the lead with Pittman outside Mavrakis behind him. Duke and Tour passed outside Jones and Bray into fourth and fifth. As Pittman dropped back into third, Duke fish-tailed on the frontstretch allowing Tour to pass him on the outside for fourth.
Mavrakis finally stole the inside of Coleman with only two laps to go. In turn three, they touched causing Coleman to slip loose and fall back behind Pittman. Mavrakis finished first followed by Pittman, Coleman, Tour, and Duke.
Bud Bombers
The Bomber fast time of 15.836s was set by Jimmy Sorrels from Ukiah, just 4 thousandths ahead of Ron Duke Sr. The top seven qualified within two hundredths, and the top nine within about a half-a-second.
19 Bombers came out to play, but Kayla Welch suffered technical problems and could not make the main event. Rookie Lori Macdonald found herself to the inside of veteran Charlie Collins leading a full field of 18 Bombers to the main event green flag. The first start was called off when Kevin Brackett succumbed to a bad transmission seal and had to retire.
Collins, who suffered in the time trials with an unusually slow time of 16.778s, shot into the lead by more than five car lengths before finishing the first lap and now turning laps in less than 15.85s. Macdonald fell back on the outside pushing Robert Brackett, Robert Byers, Isaac Snodgrass, Brenton Smith, Shelby Helm, Sorrels, and George Abella. Byers managed to dive inside between Rick Jelton and Galdino Guevara.
Cindy Allen swung outside second-place Caity Miller but wiggled loose and fell back outside Jelton and Byers to finally slide over the turn two berm for the first caution in lap six.
Collins and Miller led the restart and Collins launched like he had JATO. Miller held strong on the inside for a couple of laps but finally slipped loose and fell back. Byers had second, Duke was fighting for second outside Guevara, and Bob Mook was battling outside Abella for fifth followed closely by Helm. Guevara had started to smoke coming into the turns.
In lap 11, Byers broke loose inside Duke and fell back pushing Abella, Helm, and Sorrels with him. He fish-tailed again in turn two and spun on the backstretch collecting Mook for another caution.
Guevara was checked for leaks and none were found.
Collins and Duke got them going with Collins again choosing the outside. However, this time the faster Duke kept up with Collins and took the lead back when Collins slipped loose in turn two. Another yellow flag was thrown in lap 15 to give Guevara the technical black flag for excessive smoking.
Duke and Collins led them to the green and they battled side-by-side for a few laps ahead of Helm, Abella, Sorrels, Smith, and McCoy. Duke finally gained the advantage and Collins slipped back on the outside behind Abella when Miller spun in turn four for a lap 20 caution. Another followed in two laps when Jelton spun on the frontstretch.
The green was thrown on Duke and Helm. Helm fell back outside Collins pushing Abella into fourth. Sorrels and Smith battled for fifth followed by McCoy. Smith got a couple of pink flags for not holding his line. Helm broke loose in turn three and fell back outside Sorrels pushing Smith back outside McCoy.
On the backstretch, Jonathon Crelly got himself turned into the infield but got himself back on the track in turn four just as the leaders came up. They lapped him on the outside pushing Sorrels behind Helm and McCoy behind Smith. Smith tried to swing back inside Sorrels but they tangled and spun in turn three for a caution. Another caution immediately followed when Smith tried to grab the inside of Sorrels in turn four causing them to spin. Smith was black-flagged for rough driving.
This put Duke inside Collins for the green-white-checker finish. Collins powered wide through turn one gaining momentum and came in tight on the outside exiting turn two while Duke powered through the mid-turn and went wide inside. They collided Collin's left-rear and Duke's right front entering the backstretch. Both turned and slid, but recovered. However, Collins came out with better grip and drove into the lead into turn three.
Duke was slowed which pushed Abella back and allowed Helm to power by on the outside. When the white flag fell, Helm had second but he slipped wide in turn two and Duke pounced on the opportunity. Coming out of turn four for the checkers, Helm and Duke were dead-even.
Collins claimed the win, Helm beat out Duke by less than half-a-fender, Abella came in fourth, and McCoy fifth.
Bandoleros
James Bickford from Napa set the Bandolero fast time of 14.842s, 29 hundredths ahead of Logan Zampa.
Kolby Berry and Trystan Mucci brought the eight car field to the main event start. They see-sawed the lead for a lap but then tangled in turn three bringing out the yellow flag. Both had to retire to the pits.
James Stillman and Hunter LaRue got them going again and LaRue took the outside lead. Zampa and Bickford passed outside Frankie Pickrell and Zachery Fraser into second and third. Zampa stole the inside of Stillman and took second in lap four, and did the same to LaRue for the lead in lap seven. Bickford tried to follow but broke loose inside LaRue in turn two and sailed over the berm for another caution in lap eight.
Zampa and LaRue led the restart and Zampa took off. Bickford started threading his way up the field and had just passed Stillman for third behind LaRue when LaRue spun in turn four for the last caution in lap 14.
The restart was led by Zampa and Bickford. Zampa took the inside lead and Bickford stayed right on his tail. Stillman was strong in third while Pickrell and LaRue traded some paint before LaRue took fourth.
LaRue had just swung to the outside to challenge Stillman when Stillman suddenly lost power in lap 16. LaRue was pushed back behind Pickrell again as Stillman was forced to retire to the pits. LaRue rallied back and passed Pickrell for third.
Bickford tried every line to get by Zampa to no avail. Finally, at the white flag, Bickford got the inside of Zampa coming out of turn four. He poured it on down the frontstretch, kept low and tight into turn one, but broke loose and bounced into Zampa. Zampa was able to hold his line as Bickford wiggled and slowed, falling prey to LaRue.
At the line it was Zampa, LaRue, Bickford, Pickrell, and Fraser.
