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Hobby stocks were among the many classifications of cars that raced at Rattlesnake Raceway on Saturday and Sunday.
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Rattlesnake Raceway wrapped up the 2009 Dirt Track Championships Sunday evening, with a total car count of over 125 for the two-day event. Saturday's program was devoted to heat races, slow dashes, and A mains for three of the racing division, while Sunday was consisted of qualifying, B and A mains, and fast dashes.
In Saturday night's Mod Mini race, Shaun Merritt took off at the green flag with Larry Miller, Steve Pruitt, Mike Merritt, and Will Ritchey in hot pursuit. At mid-race Miller caught Shaun Merritt and the two ran nose to tail for several laps, while Pruitt and Mike Merritt tussled for third a ways back. Miller was unable to get by Shaun Merritt, who pulled away on the checkered-flag run, while Mike Merritt eventually got past Pruitt. At the checker it was Shaun Merritt, Miller, Mike Merritt, Pruitt, and Ritchey. Shaun Merritt and Eric Jones won the heat races.
Cody Thunder grabbed the lead at the start of the Gen-X race, followed by rookie sensation Aaron Benham, Brandon Hall, Steve Foster, Skeeter Donaldson, and the rest of the field. Thunder opened a lead on second-place Benham, who ran ahead of the three-car, three-wide race for third among Hall, Donaldson, and Foster. Then Thunder ran over debris and pitted for repairs, and Donaldson lost a wheel under caution and was towed in. When the race resumed, Foster and Dean Powell battled for the lead while Thunder charged to the front. Powell pulled away while Thunder battled Foster for second, Donaldson charged back to fourth, and Benham battled with Brandon Games for fifth. Caution bunched the field again, and Thunder took off on the restart to capture the checkered flag. Donaldson was second, Benham third, Games fourth, and Hall fifth. Heat race wins went to Benham and Thunder.
Nine very quick Dwarf cars put on a clean, green 25-lap race with no caution flags. The Wilson boys, Reece and Vuki Jr., ran away and hid from the rest of the field, putting a full straightaway distance on third place. Billy Canham, Skip Hempler, and Derek Rosse battled over third for the first half of the race, with Jesse VanKol joining the mix in the later going. At the checker it was Vuki Jr., Reece Wilson, Rosse, Hempler, and VanKol. Vuki Wilson Jr. and Derek Rosse were the heat race winners.
The final Saturday main was the Bomber division. Bryan Kaster led from flag to flag while Chris Jimenez and Brandon Thunder fought over second behind him. Thunder got clear and got as far at Kaster's rear bumper, while Jimenez held off Chris Christiano, Alex Pettit, and Caleb Lumsden for third. Thunder pulled off in turn four with a cooked engine, and both Pettit and Christiano spun in fluid from Thunder's car. Kaster took the lead on the restart, and held it to the checker. Jiminez was second, Christiano third, Pettit fourth, and Annette Rinehart fifth at the flag, but Christiano was penalized for hitting Lumsden on the final lap, moving the drivers behind him up one spot and putting Hazel Halbert into fifth. Heat race winners were Kaster and Jimenez.
Sunday's racing led off with the winged Sprint cars, many of which had raced at Marysville, California the night before. Rusty Baglin hit the wall and flipped on the first lap, bringing out the red flag. He suffered a sore shoulder and was done for the day. When the green flew again, Bob McMahn led the field into the first turn and never looked back. While McMahn went on to a wire-to-wire victory, Mike Monahan, Mark Tabor Jr., and Jeremy Burt took turns at the head of the second-place battle. A caution mid-race bunched the field, giving Burt the opportunity to get by Tabor on the restart. At the checker it was McMahn, Burt, Tabor, Monahan, and Jim Richardson taking the top five spots. Winner McMahn set an unofficial fast lap of 12.94 seconds in the race. McMahn and Monahan won the heat races.
Fifteen Hobby Stocks took the green flag for their 30-lap main, with Ronny Scarberry leading the first lap from the pole. James Renfro took the lead on lap two, with Missy Natenstedt, Dean Clark, Reme Lopez, Rich Italiano, and Bob Vaden in hot pursuit. A quick yellow for debris led to a restart, and Clark took over second with Vaden in tow. Leader Renfro hit the front straight wall, bringing out another caution, and Clark took the lead for good on the restart. Bill Holloway took over second, but was replaced by Vaden on the next restart. Shane Ramthun moved to third, but a spin put him at the tail of the field. Vaden tried a last-lap move on Clark but came up short, and Clark took the win, followed by Vaden, Billy Church, Natenstedt, and Dwight Bolton in the top five positions. Ramthun and Clark took a heat race win each, and Clark won the dash.
The Dwarf cars ran their second program of the weekend, with 10 cars going 25 laps. Again, the race ran caution free, and the Wilson brothers were again the class of the field. This time it was Reece out front with Vuki Jr. taking a few laps to work his way to second. Reece opened up a full straightaway lead on his brother, who was being hounded by Derek Rosse in third. Wild Bobby Niles ran fourth, with Billy Canham in fifth. And that's the way they finished, with Reece Wilson just shy of lapping sixth place Skip Hempler at the checker. Reece Wilson won his heat and the dash, with Rosse taking the second heat.
Enough Pro Stocks showed up that a B main was necessary, and only the fastest 20 cars made the A main. A multi-car wreck on the back straight on the first lap sent Scott Deutsch to the pits, and Travis Peterson took the lead on the restart. Peterson quickly opened up a big lead on Michael Prien, Josh Ogg, Jay Sears, Jess Gonzalez, and Jerry Bartlett, who were all battling for second. Prien slid down the order as Gonzalez passed Ogg and Sears to take second. As the leaders got into traffic, Gonzalez closed on Peterson, then took the lead using lapped cars as a pick. Meanwhile, Rob Grace was working his way through the pack, taking over fifth as the caution flew for a stalled car. With few laps remaining, it was a sprint to the finish, with Gonzalez taking a very popular win. He was followed home by Peterson, Sears, Grace, and Bartlett rounding out the top five. Bartlett, Peterson, and Sears were the heat race winners, Sears took the dash, and Grace won the B main.
The final race of the weekend saw 21 IMCA modifieds line up for their 30-lap main, after a B main had whittled down a 30-entry field. 2009 track champion Shawn Natenstedt had a bad moment when he hit Bill Pearson, who had spun in turn 4, and flattened a tire. Natenstedt pitted for a tire change and resumed his pole position for the restart. Nick Reid grabbed the lead on the second start attempt, with Natenstedt, Levi Kiefer, Pearson, and Darren Manning running in the top five. Another caution bunched the field, and Natenstedt powered by Reid on the restart to take the lead. He quickly built a lead, but Kiefer took over second and began reeling him in. Another caution put Kiefer right on Natenstedt's tail, but he couldn't get by. The pair circulated nose to tail as Malen Gonzalez worked his way through the pack, picking up a spot on every restart. Three laps from the end, Gonzalez passed both leaders and Kiefer got by Natenstedt. On the last lap, Kiefer rear-ended Gonzalez down the back straight and took the lead while Gonzalez collected his car. The checker flew with Kiefer first, Gonzalez second, Natenstedt third, Reid fourth, and Pearson fifth. However, Kiefer was black-flagged for the last lap contact and disqualified. This put everybody behind him up one spot, gave the win to Gonzalez, and moved Jake Holland into fifth. Natenstedt won the dash and his heat, with heat race wins also going to Pearson, Reid, and Jeffrey Macedo.
Rattlesnake Raceway will host their annual Kris Kringle charity race on November 7, with racing action starting at noon. Go to www.rattlesnakeraceway.net <http://www.rattlesnakeraceway.net/> for further information.
In Saturday night's Mod Mini race, Shaun Merritt took off at the green flag with Larry Miller, Steve Pruitt, Mike Merritt, and Will Ritchey in hot pursuit. At mid-race Miller caught Shaun Merritt and the two ran nose to tail for several laps, while Pruitt and Mike Merritt tussled for third a ways back. Miller was unable to get by Shaun Merritt, who pulled away on the checkered-flag run, while Mike Merritt eventually got past Pruitt. At the checker it was Shaun Merritt, Miller, Mike Merritt, Pruitt, and Ritchey. Shaun Merritt and Eric Jones won the heat races.
Cody Thunder grabbed the lead at the start of the Gen-X race, followed by rookie sensation Aaron Benham, Brandon Hall, Steve Foster, Skeeter Donaldson, and the rest of the field. Thunder opened a lead on second-place Benham, who ran ahead of the three-car, three-wide race for third among Hall, Donaldson, and Foster. Then Thunder ran over debris and pitted for repairs, and Donaldson lost a wheel under caution and was towed in. When the race resumed, Foster and Dean Powell battled for the lead while Thunder charged to the front. Powell pulled away while Thunder battled Foster for second, Donaldson charged back to fourth, and Benham battled with Brandon Games for fifth. Caution bunched the field again, and Thunder took off on the restart to capture the checkered flag. Donaldson was second, Benham third, Games fourth, and Hall fifth. Heat race wins went to Benham and Thunder.
Nine very quick Dwarf cars put on a clean, green 25-lap race with no caution flags. The Wilson boys, Reece and Vuki Jr., ran away and hid from the rest of the field, putting a full straightaway distance on third place. Billy Canham, Skip Hempler, and Derek Rosse battled over third for the first half of the race, with Jesse VanKol joining the mix in the later going. At the checker it was Vuki Jr., Reece Wilson, Rosse, Hempler, and VanKol. Vuki Wilson Jr. and Derek Rosse were the heat race winners.
The final Saturday main was the Bomber division. Bryan Kaster led from flag to flag while Chris Jimenez and Brandon Thunder fought over second behind him. Thunder got clear and got as far at Kaster's rear bumper, while Jimenez held off Chris Christiano, Alex Pettit, and Caleb Lumsden for third. Thunder pulled off in turn four with a cooked engine, and both Pettit and Christiano spun in fluid from Thunder's car. Kaster took the lead on the restart, and held it to the checker. Jiminez was second, Christiano third, Pettit fourth, and Annette Rinehart fifth at the flag, but Christiano was penalized for hitting Lumsden on the final lap, moving the drivers behind him up one spot and putting Hazel Halbert into fifth. Heat race winners were Kaster and Jimenez.
Sunday's racing led off with the winged Sprint cars, many of which had raced at Marysville, California the night before. Rusty Baglin hit the wall and flipped on the first lap, bringing out the red flag. He suffered a sore shoulder and was done for the day. When the green flew again, Bob McMahn led the field into the first turn and never looked back. While McMahn went on to a wire-to-wire victory, Mike Monahan, Mark Tabor Jr., and Jeremy Burt took turns at the head of the second-place battle. A caution mid-race bunched the field, giving Burt the opportunity to get by Tabor on the restart. At the checker it was McMahn, Burt, Tabor, Monahan, and Jim Richardson taking the top five spots. Winner McMahn set an unofficial fast lap of 12.94 seconds in the race. McMahn and Monahan won the heat races.
Fifteen Hobby Stocks took the green flag for their 30-lap main, with Ronny Scarberry leading the first lap from the pole. James Renfro took the lead on lap two, with Missy Natenstedt, Dean Clark, Reme Lopez, Rich Italiano, and Bob Vaden in hot pursuit. A quick yellow for debris led to a restart, and Clark took over second with Vaden in tow. Leader Renfro hit the front straight wall, bringing out another caution, and Clark took the lead for good on the restart. Bill Holloway took over second, but was replaced by Vaden on the next restart. Shane Ramthun moved to third, but a spin put him at the tail of the field. Vaden tried a last-lap move on Clark but came up short, and Clark took the win, followed by Vaden, Billy Church, Natenstedt, and Dwight Bolton in the top five positions. Ramthun and Clark took a heat race win each, and Clark won the dash.
The Dwarf cars ran their second program of the weekend, with 10 cars going 25 laps. Again, the race ran caution free, and the Wilson brothers were again the class of the field. This time it was Reece out front with Vuki Jr. taking a few laps to work his way to second. Reece opened up a full straightaway lead on his brother, who was being hounded by Derek Rosse in third. Wild Bobby Niles ran fourth, with Billy Canham in fifth. And that's the way they finished, with Reece Wilson just shy of lapping sixth place Skip Hempler at the checker. Reece Wilson won his heat and the dash, with Rosse taking the second heat.
Enough Pro Stocks showed up that a B main was necessary, and only the fastest 20 cars made the A main. A multi-car wreck on the back straight on the first lap sent Scott Deutsch to the pits, and Travis Peterson took the lead on the restart. Peterson quickly opened up a big lead on Michael Prien, Josh Ogg, Jay Sears, Jess Gonzalez, and Jerry Bartlett, who were all battling for second. Prien slid down the order as Gonzalez passed Ogg and Sears to take second. As the leaders got into traffic, Gonzalez closed on Peterson, then took the lead using lapped cars as a pick. Meanwhile, Rob Grace was working his way through the pack, taking over fifth as the caution flew for a stalled car. With few laps remaining, it was a sprint to the finish, with Gonzalez taking a very popular win. He was followed home by Peterson, Sears, Grace, and Bartlett rounding out the top five. Bartlett, Peterson, and Sears were the heat race winners, Sears took the dash, and Grace won the B main.
The final race of the weekend saw 21 IMCA modifieds line up for their 30-lap main, after a B main had whittled down a 30-entry field. 2009 track champion Shawn Natenstedt had a bad moment when he hit Bill Pearson, who had spun in turn 4, and flattened a tire. Natenstedt pitted for a tire change and resumed his pole position for the restart. Nick Reid grabbed the lead on the second start attempt, with Natenstedt, Levi Kiefer, Pearson, and Darren Manning running in the top five. Another caution bunched the field, and Natenstedt powered by Reid on the restart to take the lead. He quickly built a lead, but Kiefer took over second and began reeling him in. Another caution put Kiefer right on Natenstedt's tail, but he couldn't get by. The pair circulated nose to tail as Malen Gonzalez worked his way through the pack, picking up a spot on every restart. Three laps from the end, Gonzalez passed both leaders and Kiefer got by Natenstedt. On the last lap, Kiefer rear-ended Gonzalez down the back straight and took the lead while Gonzalez collected his car. The checker flew with Kiefer first, Gonzalez second, Natenstedt third, Reid fourth, and Pearson fifth. However, Kiefer was black-flagged for the last lap contact and disqualified. This put everybody behind him up one spot, gave the win to Gonzalez, and moved Jake Holland into fifth. Natenstedt won the dash and his heat, with heat race wins also going to Pearson, Reid, and Jeffrey Macedo.
Rattlesnake Raceway will host their annual Kris Kringle charity race on November 7, with racing action starting at noon. Go to www.rattlesnakeraceway.net <http://www.rattlesnakeraceway.net/> for further information.
