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Photos by http://www.JohnsRacingPhotos.com
Mason Moore carves way from 16th to 4th during Wednesday night Gold Cup Civil War Invitational
By Gary Thomas
Chico, CA – September 8, 2008…A charge forward to score a fourth place finish with the California Civil War 360 Sprint Car Series on Wednesday night highlighted the 55th Gold Cup Race of Champions for young Mason Moore and the Moore Insurance Services No. 22 team.
The event on this most recent Wednesday night at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico marked the annual Civil War Series Invitational, which invites the top 32 drivers in points and kicks off the annual Gold Cup Race of Champions week at the quarter-mile clay oval. Last season Moore finished third at the invitational and nearly duplicated that performance this past Wednesday.
The long week of action kicked off with a very tricky cushion developing in qualifying on Wednesday evening and drivers had to hit it almost perfectly, because if not, the curb would upset the cars and force drivers to get up on the wheel to get their machines straightened back out. Moore’s fastest lap of 12.436 placed the Rolling Hills Casino, Selover’s Paint & Body, NOS Energy Drink No. 22, twentieth fastest in the field.
After Mike Clarke and the crew made adjustments for heat race competition the 17 year-old came out and dominated the fourth and final heat to pick up the win and transfer into the main event, where he would line-up on the outside of the eighth row. The track had become tough to pass on come feature time, but Moore drove a patient race and took advantage of drivers missing the bottom as the race wore on.
With just a handful of laps remaining Moore settled into fourth and tried hard to get by Jimmy Trulli for a podium spot, but wasn’t able to find an opening and crossed under the checkered flag in fourth aboard the Withrow’s Motorsports, Platinum Powder Coating, Napa Auto Parts No. 22. It was a good run for the team after a season of tough luck with the Civil War Series and should be a sign of things to come as the 360 action begins to heat up over the next month.
Moore then competed the following evening on Thursday during the opening preliminary night of the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series portion of the 55th Gold Cup Race of Champions. The Princeton driver came out third in the qualifying order and timed in 20th quick out 52 cars as the track began to get faster with the session going on. He then started sixth in his heat race and held ground to finish fifth and transfer into the main event, where he went on to finish in the 18th spot after starting 21st.
Another bunch of drivers then went on Friday and after points were added up for Saturday’s line-ups Moore found himself 44th out of 106 entrants, sitting just behind Bud Kaeding and directly in front of Tim Kaeding. It was good enough to give him an outside row four starting spot and he was holding his own until contact from behind sent him spinning around. Moore was able to hang on and keep going but dropped a few spots and finished the 15 lap race in the ninth position. Overall it was a fun weekend and good to be part of one of the premier sprint car events in the country, which saw one of its biggest crowds of spectators and campers in recent memory.
Moore and the No. 22 team will now focus on the upcoming Civil War 360 Series events that will all be a lead up to the prestigious 17th annual Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, which will occur on October 4, 5 and 6.
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"Primetime" Mason Moore scored his best Civil War Series finish of the season during the Gold Cup Invitational on Wednesday September 3
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