Antioch, CA — Reigning Chico and Marysville champion Philip Shelby made his first appearance of the year at Antioch Speedway and left with the $500 prize for winning the Firecracker 50 for the All Star Series B Modifieds Saturday night.
The race was split into two 25 lap segments, and Shelby made his move into the lead at the start of the second half of the race. The division also ran it’s fifth 12 lap Sharpshooter Series race with KC Keller grabbing his second win in that event.
Jimmy Ford had the front row of the B Modified race with Todd Gomez, and he set the early pace. Gomez took over on lap 7, and 2015 champion Fred Ryland settled into second on lap 10. Shelby was third on lap 15, and Ryland slipped past Gomez for the lead on lap 20. At the halfway break, Ryland led Shelby, Gomez, Brent Curran and Aaron Crowell.
On the start of the second segment, point leader Trevor Clymens got spun out. Another tangle involved third place Gomez for a yellow flag. On the restart, Shelby pressured Ryland hard and ended up making the pass for the lead. Once in front, Shelby would not relinquish the top spot as he led the rest of the way. Curran made a late pass on Ryland to take the second place finish as Ryland settled for third, followed by Kenny Shrader and Clymens.
Nick DeCarlo should find himself leading the A Modified point race following his fourth 20 lap Main Event win of the season. DeCarlo had to charge from the back of the pack as Bobby Montalvo led the race for eight laps. A tangle with another car resulted in Montalvo spinning, handing Buddy Kniss the lead. Kniss charged into Turn 1 and spun on the restart lap, putting DeCarlo in lead. DeCarlo led the rest of the way, and incoming point leader Bobby Motts Jr made a strong charge from outside the Top 5 in the final 10 laps to finish second. Danny Wagner, Eric Berendsen and Montalvo rounded out the Top 5.
Bob Newberry strengthened his hold on the Wingless Spec Sprint point lead with his third 20 lap Main Event victory. Kevin Box shared the front row with James East, and East charged into the lead. Box gained the lead on lap three when East went high in Turn 2, but McKenzie Newton lost a wheel on the back stretch for a red flag. This put East back in the lead, but Newberry made a Turn 2 pass on lap five to take over. Newberry continued to lead the way with Shannon Newton giving him a good battle all the way to the checkered flag. Brandon Burd was third ahead of Roy Fisher and Adam Teves.
Chris Sorensen #00 had luck on his side in scoring his division-leading fifth Hobby Stock Main Event win. Photo by Paul Gould
Chris Sorensen had luck on his side in capturing his fifth 20 lap Hobby Stock Main Event win. For 19 laps, rookie Haley Gomez was doing an exceptional job of leading the way. Sorensen battled from the back of the pack and gained second when Anthony Wellborn spun in Turn 4 on lap 18. Gomez had a big lead as she took the white flag. Unfortunately, she broke her steering racing into Turn 1 and spun. This handed the lead to Sorensen, who was happy to take the win, followed by Michael Cooper, Breanna Troen, Wellborn and the disappointed Gomez.
Mike Walko won his second 20 lap Limited Late Model Main Event. Walko is the only driver in the field with no finishes worse than third as he makes a strong bid to win the division championship. Walko had a front row start and charged until lead ahead of Jim Freethy. Heat race winner and incoming point leader Mark Garner spun in Turn 3 on lap six and would end up retiring from the race four laps later. A lap 14 yellow flag provided reigning champion Kimo Oreta the opportunity to make a move past Freethy for second on the restart. However, nobody would stop Walko as he won ahead of Oreta, Freethy and Paul Hanley.
Racing resumes next Saturday night with special $500 to win races for the All Star Series B Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. Also on the program will be the Wingless Spec Sprints, Limited Late Models and Dwarf Cars. There will also be a special Drone Air Race. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Unofficial Race Results
All Star Series Antioch Speedway
Wingless Spec Sprints
Heat Winners (6 laps)-Scott Martin, Alan Miranda. Main Event (20 Laps)-Bob Newberry, Shannon Newton, Brandon Burd, Roy Fisher, Adam Teves.
A Modifieds
Heat Winners (6 laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Jeff Decker. Main Event (20 laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Bobby Motts Jr, Danny Wagner, Eric Berendsen, Bobby Montalvo.
B Modifieds
Heat winners (6 Laps)-Philip Shelby, Brent Curran, Trevor Clymens. Sharp Shooter Race (12 Laps)-KC Keller, Fred Ryland, Philip Shelby. Main Event (50 laps)-Philip Shelby, Brent Curran, Fred Ryland, Kenny Shrader, Trevor Clymens.
Hobby Stocks
Heat Winners (6 Laps)-Michael Cooper, Cameron Swank. Main Event (20 Laps)-Chris Sorensen, Michael Cooper, Breanna Troen, Anthony Wellborn, Haley Gomez.
Limited Late Models
Heat Winner (6 Laps)-Mark Garner. Main Event (20 Laps)-Mike Walko, Kimo Oreta, Jim Freethy, Paul Hanley, Mark Garner.
