He may have had his fingers crossed hoping his race car had enough power to last the five final laps but Steven Williams found the third time was a charm as he raced to victory in Petaluma Speedway's third annual Run What You Brung for wingless 360 sprint cars last Saturday.
With his car losing power flashbacks of the previous two races crowded Williams' mind. In 2006 the Merced driver blew an engine and last year he barely held on to finish second but Saturday night the 25-year-old, who led the entire race, had enough power and finesse to make it to the finish and collect the $2500 winner's purse. "My motor started going sour with about five laps to go. I just kinda hung on to the bottom and hoped they didn't pass me up top," said Williams, who had reason to worry, with fast qualifier Brandon Davis nipping at his tail waiting for an opening.
Davis, an 18-year-old from Rohnert Park, topped the 26 entries in qualifying with a 14.639 clocking and was running third in the 22-car feature when Williams and runner-up Wes Gutierrez tagged a slower car on Lap 17. Gutierrez, one of the unlucky 13 cars that failed to finish, left the race and Davis began to pressure the leader but Williams held on to claim the triumph over Davis, who won $1500, Billy Aton, Eric Rossi, Shawn Arriaga, Geoff Ensign, Arvo Backholm, Randy Lathrop, and Kirk Simpson.
Arriaga captured the 12-lap B-main and got back his starting spot in the feature where he finished fifth and pocketed $500. Also transferring to the feature were second place Jack Clark, Geoff Ensign, David Press, Scott Dupont, Ford Cook, and Mike Mossi. Aton, running just a two-barrel carb, collected $1000 for finishing third and a $300 bonus for being the top finishing carbureted car.
Heat race wins went to Santa Rosa drivers Kirk Simpson and Arvo Backholm, and Petaluma's Norm Johns.
Gilroy's Gilbert Toste enjoyed a perfect evening in the dwarf car portion of the program making a clean sweep of his heat, the trophy dash, and the 22-car, 25-lap feature, which he led from start to finish. Robert Mesloh, who took over second place after Mark Biscardi broke on Lap 18, challenged Toste over the final seven laps but Toste held on to gain the victory over Mesloh, Robert Atencio, David Teves, Mark Tillinger, Sonny Calkins, Dan Williams, John Barker, Richard Klinetobe, and Marty Weisler.
In the mini stocks Jon Kirby followed his heat race victory with a wire-to-wire triumph in the feature. Kirby bolted from sixth-starting to take the lead on the first lap and never looked back as he notched his third win of the season over Kenny Drew, Tim LaRose, Larry Drew, Stan Devore, Duarte Machado, Michael Drew, Erica Reid, and Kimberly Hartman.
This Saturday night Petaluma Speedway will host its ninth annual $3500-to-win Top Dog Nationals for the dirt modifieds along with the wingless spec sprints.
Results for August 30, 2008
WINGLESS 360 SPRINT CARS
Fast time—Brandon Davis 14.639.
Heat 1—Kirk Simpson; Steven Williams; Jason McIntosh; Davis; Bill Cornwell; Geoff Ensign; David Press; Scott Dupont; Burt Siverling.
Heat 2—Arvo Backholm; Dustin Baxter; Eric Rossi; Billy Aton; Randy Lathrop; Joel Myers; Shawn Arriaga; Jack Clark; Mike Mossi.
Heat 3—Norm Johns; Wes Gutierrez; Marc Mackay; Alissa Geving; Richard Brace Jr.; Keith Shipherd; Ford Cook; Dan Payne.
B-main—Arriaga; Clark; Ensign; Press; Dupont; Cook; Mossi; Myers; Siverling; Shipherd.
A-main—Williams; Davis; Aton; Rossi; Arriaga; Ensign; Backholm; Lathrop; Simpson; Press; Cook; Brace; Cornwell; Gutierrez; Johns; Baxter; Dupont; Clark; Mossi; McIntosh; Mackay; Geving.
DWARF CARS
Heat 1—Gilbert Toste; John Wear; Nick Squatritto; John Peters; Mark Ramirez; Dan Williams; T. Mayor.
Heat 2—Mark Biscardi; Robert Atencio; Richard Klintobe; Craig Bridges; Joel Osias; Sonny Calkins.
Heat 3—Robert Mesloh; David Teves; Marty Weisler; Bryan Mashburn; John Gomes; John Barker; Buddy Joe Beaumont; Russ Roy.
Dash—Toste; Wear; Biscardi; Mark Tillinger; Teves; Mesloh.
Main—Toste; Mesloh; Atencio; Teves; Tillinger; Calkins; Williams; Barker; Klinetobe; Weisler; Beaumont; Osias; Peters; Mashburn; Biscardi; Gomes; Ramirez; Mayor; Roy; Wear; Squatritto; Bridges.
MINI STOCK
Heat 1—Jon Kirby; Kimberly Hartman; Kenny Drew; Michael Drew; Erica Reid; Larry Drew; Stan Devore; Duarte Machado.
Main—Kirby; K. Drew; Tim LaRose; L. Drew; Devore; Machado; M. Drew; Reid; Hartman
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