Visalia, Ca.
November 29, 2008
By Paul Vetter
Following a
cancellation of Friday nights racing due to unsafe track conditions,
officials and workers at the Giant Chevrolet Raceway at Plaza Park put
together a very racy surface for a huge field of race cars on Saturday
night. The annual Turkey Shoot-Out for non-winged Super and Restricted
600 micro sprints, Junior Sprints and Dwarf Cars sponsored by PMP Chassis
saw nearly 100 race cars in the pits.
The Junior Sprints were the first class to take to the 1/5 mile banked
clay oval with 20 cars competing. The three heat races went to Kyler
Shaw, Bryce Volpa and Brayden Perry setting the field for their 20 lap
feature event. Perry led the opening lap from the pole starting spot
before being overtaken by Shaw. The lapping process began on lap five
with a long string of green flag laps being run by the youngsters. Working
lapped traffic to perfection, Ryan Brown took over the top spot with
three laps remaining. Drew Bachtelle brought out the only yellow of
the event with a pair of circuits remaining setting up a two lap shootout.
Brown held off the charges of Shaw to take the crowd pleasing win ahead
of Shaw, Giovanni Scelzi, Volpa, and DahneLynn McKay. Sixteen of the
nineteen starters completed the event.
The Restricted 600’s saw 21 drivers competing non-winged for the
evening. Heat wins found Koen Shaw, Tyler Williams and Seth Hancock
racing to victories. Their 20 lap feature was a walk in the park for
Shaw as he took the opening lap lead from the pole starting spot ahead
of Williams, Austin Stone and Hancock. Derrick Netto dropped out on
lap five with Cody Smothermon slapping the front stretch wall on the
restart and pitted out of the event. The final fifteen laps went nonstop
with Stone getting around Williams for second with four laps remaining.
Shaw ran on to the win ahead of Stone, Williams, Trent Carter and Hancock.
Again, sixteen of the starters finished the event with three drivers
unable to start the feature.
A great 46 car field of Super 600’s competed including guest drivers
Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps from drag racing fame. First time visitor
Trey Starks from Puyallup, Washington surprised many by setting fast
time before heat race wins went to Colton Slack, Jared Huckleberry,
Dylan Black and Starks.
Drag racing stars Scelzi and Capps met with mixed results in their heat
races. Scelzi, after setting third fast time overall, flipped spectacularly
in his heat to end his night. Capps led a majority of his heat race
before settling for third in the event to make the feature. The dreaded
“C” main event transferred six cars to the Semi Main and
was won by former sprint car driver Verne Sweeney. The Semi Main also
transferred six cars to the back of the Main Event and it was won by
T.J. Smith setting the field of 22 for the 30 lap Turkey Shootout show.
After front row starters Starks and Black bounced their way through
the first pair of corners, fourth starting Shawn Laeber boomed his way
to the top spot to lead lap one over Starks, Justyne Hamblin and Jace
VanderWeerd. Rick Cook and Slack tangled in turn two for a yellow on
lap two with Slack pitting and Rodney Jared also dropping out with mechanical
troubles. Laeber led the restart with Hamblin displacing Starks for
second before the third generation driver Starks regained the second
spot on lap five ahead of Wes Gutierrez as Hamblin fell back. Mitchell
Faccinto pitted before the ten lap mark with mechanical ails. Gutierrez
took over second at lap ten before event sponsor Stan Yockey stopped
in turn four for a yellow and pitting.
Sacramento area visitor Laeber was up to the challenge of Gutierrez
on the restart with Starks, VanderWeerd and a rebounding Slack chasing.
Just past the twenty lap mark Kyle Evans performed a solo flip in turn
three for a red with drivers and mechanics making final adjustments
on racers during the stoppage. Laeber was up to all challenges the final
nine laps as he took the well deserved win ahead of Gutierrez, J. VanderWeerd,
Starks and Black. Seventeen drivers finished the event, all on the lead
lap in the crowd pleasing event.
A special appearance by the Dwarf Cars saw twelve drivers compete, mostly
from the Bay Area Dwarf group along with a pair from the Ventura area.
A pair of heat race wins went to Camron Diatte and Gilbert Toste. Ryan
Winter tipped his machine over in hot laps to start his evening off
in bad fashion but things only got better. The 20 lap feature for the
dozen starters was interesting to say the least. Outside front row starter
Nick Foster, Jr. paced the field on lap one with pole starting Gilbert
Toste taking the top spot on lap two over Foster and Camron Diatte.
A turn four melee on lap five saw all three front runners wadded up
along with Tom Stephens, Sr. Only Foster restarted but he pitted several
laps later. Winters had made repairs to his car throughout the night
and inherited the top spot now challenged by Doug Penny. Several other
yellows for spun out cars slowed the event but Winter was up to the
task on every restart. Despite challenges from Penny on the closing
laps, Galt resident Winter took the checkered flags for the well deserved
win ahead of Penny, Dan Youngblood, Mark Biscardi and Joel Osias. Seven
of the starters finished their first ever visit to the track.
The event closed out the 2008 racing season. Track promoters have posted
the 2009 season schedule with opening night set for April 3, 2009. Drivers
should note a very special event scheduled for October 1-3, 2009 for
Super 600’s which has a posted purse of $22,000 with $7,500 going
to the feature winner.
SUMMARY
VISALIA, CA.
NOVEMBER 29, 2008
SUPER 600
FAST TIME Trey
Starks 11.35 seconds
FIRST HEAT Colton Slack, Justyne Hamblin, Kenny Allen, Jace VanderWeerd
SECOND HEAT Jared Huckleberry, Wes Gutierrez, Ron Capps, Raio Morgan
THIRD HEAT Dylan Black, Stan Yockey, Paul Javaux, Shawn Laeber
FOURTH HEAT Starks, Rodney Jared, Geoffrey Strole, Kyle Evans
“C” MAIN Verne Sweeney, Luis Ramos II, Jake Hagopian, Rick
Cook II, Chris Kemmer, Nick Kemmer, Justin Cox, Tyler Gray, Tyler Turner,
Ray Michelet, Joey Crabtree, Ted Bosch, James Steele, Dace Taylor, Jerome
Warmerdam Gary Scelzi (DNS), Jordan Silva (DNS) Mike Rich (DNS),
SEMI MAIN T.J. Smith, Rick Cook, Mitchell Faccinto, Kolby Araki, Richard
VanderWeerd, Ramos II, N. Kemmer, Bobby Boone, C. Kemmer, Cook II, Paul
Alatorre, Frank Schott, Sweeney, Sean Thompson, Dustin Rhodes, Jason
Rogers, “Kiwi” Alexander, Hagopian
MAIN EVENT Laeber, Gutierrez, J. VanderWeerd, Starks, Black, Hamblin,
Smith, Araki, Huckleberry, Javaux, Capps, Strole, Cook, Morgan, R. VanderWeerd,
Allen, Ramos II, Evans, Yockey, Faccinto, Jared, Slack
RESTRICTED 600
FIRST HEAT Koen Shaw, Derrick Netto, Trent Carter, Garrett Long
SECOND HEAT Tyler Williams, Austin Stone, Andrew Sweeney, Cody Smothermon
THIRD HEAT Seth Hancock, Tye Mihocko, Luca Romanazzi, Jack Aguiar
MAIN EVENT Shaw, Stone, Williams, Carter, Hancock, Wyatt Shaffer, Romanazzi,
Michocko, John Collins, Aguiar, Alley Tafoya, Drake Galante, Sweeney,
Long, Garrett Netto, Nicolette Addiego, Smothermon, D. Netto, Lauryn
Brown (DNS), Dominic Scelzi (DNS), Trent Reed (DNS)
JUNIOR SPRINTS
FIRST HEAT Kyler Shaw, Coleton Danell, Ryan Brown, Jordan Cook
SECOND HEAT Bryce Volpa, Buddy Shepherd, Giovanni Scelzi, Garrett Fine
THIRD HEAT Brayden Perry, Ryan Perry, DahneLynn McKay, Christopher Silva
MAIN EVENT Brown, Shaw, Scelzi, Volpa, McKay, Shepherd, R. Perry, Fine,
Silva, Danell, Ben Pelletaire, Ryan Delisle, Kameron Beard, Jordan Reynolds,
Logan Melton, Shad Menezes, Drew Bachtelle, B. Perry, Cook, Alex Coronado
(DNS)
DWARF CARS
FIRST HEAT Camron Diatte, Nick Foster, Jr., Tom Stephens, Tom Stephens,
Jr.
SECOND HEAT Gilbert Toste, Ryan Winter, Doug Penny, Dan Youngblood
MAIN EVENT Winter, Penny, Youngblood, Mark Biscardi, Joel Osias, Craig
Bridges, Stephens, Jr. Foster, Jr., Ryan Diatte, Toste, C. Diatte, Stephens
