This message was edited on
October 01, 2007 at
10:12:31 PM by 83vmotorsports
ParkerStore Driver Kyle Larson Secures Seventh in Rookie Campaign of Civil War Series
Scores 6th in season closer at Placerville
Placerville, CA. September 29, 2007. Way back in March ParkerStore driver Kyle Larson raced a sprint car for the first time as Placerville Speedway held the season opener of the ultra competitive California 360 Sprint Car Civil War Series. Things could not have gone much worse as the then 14 year old was involved in two grinding incidents, the second of which required a front clip to be fashioned in place before the youngster could compete again. As the points were tallied Larson sat 37th in the standings with a steep learning curve ahead. Fast forward to last Saturday night at the same Placerville Speedway, where Larson would turn a 12th place starting position in the feature race into a sixth place finish at the checkered flag, which solidified his hold on seventh in the final point standings. The dramatic turnaround to the Civil War season was highlighted by Larson becoming the youngest ever winner in California sprint car competition when he won the previous Civil War race at Placerville, just four days after his 15th birthday, on August 4th. He also scored three heat race wins over the course of the season.
Going into the season finale Larson held an eight point advantage over fellow rookie Mason Moore, whom Larson had to overtake to garner the exciting victory eight weeks ago. After qualifying was complete for the 38 cars in the pits Larson was 14th fast while Moore qualified 21st. Moore turned a front row starting spot into a win in the first heat, earning five valuable points. Larson started third in the second heat and fought his way into the lead by lap five. He held on for the win over Civil War Champion Andy Forsberg, keeping his advantage over Moore at eight points heading into the main event.
Larson lined his Dave and Debbie Vertullo ParkerStore/CRV Racing Products/Eagle Kistler outside the sixth row in the 22 car field set to begin the A-main event. From the outset Larson searched high and low for opportunities to move forward and by lap 16 had settled into sixth, which he held to the lap 30 checkered flag. As Kyle Hirst raced to the victory, Moore crossed the finish line ninth, giving Larson an 11 point gap over his friendly rival.
“First, I have to thank Dave and Debbie Vertullo for giving me the opportunity to drive a sprint car,” began Larson. “They didn’t even know me. Dave had only seen me drive an outlaw kart one time. For them to put a 14 year old 89 pound kid in their car, that’s kinda taking a chance. After that first race, I was down on myself. But Dave and Debbie didn’t want to give up on me or me to give up on myself. I’m so glad it all worked out because they are great people to drive for with a very fun and positive crew; CJ, Bark, Deputy Dave, Andy, AJ, Sean and my dad. I would also like to thank my sponsors: ParkerStore, CRV Racing Products, Starr Real Estate and Property Management, Safety Solutions –LFT Technologies, D & J Towing, Heritage Drywall, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, RPM Indoor Kart Racing and Conference Center, Platinum Powdercoating, JW Web Design, Wion’s Body Shop, SWEPCO Lubricants and Sierra Tire and Wheel for their support.”
Check out www.kylelarsonracing.com for current news and updates.
Race Date: September 29, 2007
Photos Courtesy of Steve LaMothe
www.kylelarsonracing.com
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