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Photo by http://www.JohnsRacingPhotos.com
Stephen Allard wins Cotton Classic at Kings Speedway in first start with Double D Motorsports
By Gary Thomas
Hanford, CA – September 29, 2008…Making the most of his first outing in the Double D Customs No. 4 machine Chico’s Stephen Allard put together an impressive performance to capture victory in the 410 Winged Sprint Car portion of the annual Cotton Classic this past Friday night at the Kings Speedway in Hanford.
The triumph on Friday evening marked Allard’s first win of the season and it came just shortly after a new partnership with Double D Motorsports and crew chief Randy V. “It feels great to be able to pick up a win in our first race together and I just can’t thank this team enough for giving me a shot,” Allard stated in the pits after his victory.
A total of twenty-two 410 sprint cars were on hand for Friday’s portion of the two-night Tachi Open Wheel Invitational at Kings Speedway and the opening evening of racing was also billed as the annual Cotton Classic. Allard would kick off the night by qualifying the Double D Customs, Platinum Powder Coating No. 4, seventh fastest in the field, before bringing home a third place finish in the opening heat race.
The track surface had been very rough and fast during the night and by main event time it had become extremely choppy, making it crucial for drivers to get up on the wheel and manhandle their 850 hp sprinters. When the main event pushed onto the speedway Allard found himself on the outside of the front row, alongside two-time Silver Crown champ Bud Kaeding and when the green lights came on Allard settled into second.
Early on however, it was apparent that Allard had a very fast car that was expertly set-up by tuner Randy V and the ’07 Silver Dollar Speedway track champion closed in on Kaeding after a handful of laps had been completed. Despite the tough track Allard was able to do a great job and rapidly close the gap between himself and Kaeding. As the pair went into turn one on lap 10 the Chico veteran then took over the top spot with a move to the low side of the corner.
Just after this though, the yellow lights came on for a stalled car on the back stretch and it forced Allard to go back to second for the restart. The veteran driver didn’t let it deter him however, as he jumped up to the high-side when the green came back out and made a beautiful move up high in turn three, charging through the ruts and executing a brave move to make the pass for the lead up high off turn four. As luck would have it though the red lights came on for a flip and it once again put Allard back to second for the restart.
Despite the tough luck during the passes for the lead, Allard tried to remind himself to remain focused under the red flag. “I just kept telling myself to stay composed and run my own race because it was getting frustrating since we had such a fast car and had a couple tough breaks take away shots at the lead,” Allard said. The Chico racer was hungry for his first win of the year though and continued to stay aggressive on the restart as he charged to the high side in turn one, before diamonding the exit of two and was able to slip underneath Kaeding entering turn three to take over the lead once again.
This time no cautions appeared and Allard was able to lead the final 15 laps of the main event and hold off a late race charge from brother Jonathan to cross under the checkered flag and pick up the win aboard the Butler Built Performance, Double D Motorsports sprinter. “I certainly didn’t want to go winless on the year and winning the Cotton Classic is pretty cool because there were some tough drivers here tonight,” said an extremely happy Allard inside his trailer. He then came back on Saturday and finished off the double-header with a seventh place finish in the main event, on a track that was much drier than the night before.
17th annual Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals coming up this weekend:
Next on the docket for Stephen Allard and Double D Motorsports will be this weekends 17th annual Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Last season Allard had a solid outing at the event driving the 1m Racing sprinter as he scored a third place finish during the opening prelim night and came back on Saturday to tally a seventh place result in the 40 lap finale. It also tied his previous best Fall Nationals finish this decade, which came in ’04 while driving for Redi-Green Motorsports.
Allard is looking forward to returning to his home track as he attempts to run up front at the prestigious event, which pays $6,000 to win this season. “The Fall Nationals is always a fun event in Chico and one that I’ve been trying to win for a long time,” the ’07 track champ said. “The last couple years I have finished third and fourth in my prelim and that’s always crucial to have a shot come Saturday. This team also just purchased a Shark 360 motor so I'm excited and we should have a good shot this weekend,” he concluded. In addition to the Fall Nat's, Allard will also be aboard the Double D Motorsports machine at the 15th annual Trophy Cup in Tulare later on in October.
For more news and info on Chico, CA’s Stephen Allard please visit our website at http://www.stephenallard.com
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Stephen Allard will look to put the Double D Customs, Platinum Powder Coating No. 4 sprinter up front at this weekend's $6,000 to win, 17th annual Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. Photo by http://www.GraphXDesigns.com
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