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Kaeding beats Swindell in wild GSC Cottage Grove debut
Andrew Kunas
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. - If there is only thing people should’ve learned over the years, it is to never count out Brent Kaeding.
The Hall of Famer used a great restart to overtake another Hall of Famer, Sammy Swindell, with less than two laps left to claim the victory in the Golden State Challenge tour’s first ever visit to Cottage Grove Speedway on Monday night. It also could be a big boost of momentum for Kaeding as he looks to win his fourth Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup this weekend at Skagit Speedway in Washington.
Kaeding, of Campbell, Calif. was running third following a fuel stop with six laps remaining in the 30-lap feature. Jonathan Allard, who had led the entire way after inheriting the pole position when Kyle Larson couldn’t start, was discovered to have a right rear tire going down while pacing around the track before the restart. Allard tried to continue, but was overtaken by both Sammy Swindell and Kaeding soon after green flag racing resumed.
Allard held his ground and was racing close with Roger Crockett and the other two until his tire blew apart in Turn 2 of the ¼-mile, high-banked clay oval to bring out the yellow flag with two laps left. On the final restart Kaeding got Swindell coming out of Turn 2 on the top side of the track, this to a roar from Cottage Grove Speedway’s largest crowd this season. Swindell fought back, but after taking the white flag Kaeding had solidified his position ahead of Swindell and raced to the victory aboard his own No. 69 Shaver-powered Maxim.
The win was Kaeding’s first at Cottage Grove Speedway since a Northern Sprint Tour victory in 360 sprint car competition in July 2005. Kaeding, who said he’s always enjoyed racing at Cottage Grove, was happy with the victory and acknowledged that one yellow flag helped him. On a restart around Lap 24, Roger Crockett passed Kaeding for the third position, but Wayne Johnson coming to a stop with a flat tire brought out the yellow flag and negated the pass, giving Kaeding his position back.
“It always feels good (to win), with these guys and passing (Swindell). He’s as tough as they get, and that’s cool (to pass him).” Kaeding said as he was greeting fans and fellow racers in the pit area. “I just got the momentum upstairs (in Turns 1 and 2), and I knew I was good on the bottom of three and four. Roger was tough. He battled as hard as anyone, knows this place better than anyone, and we caught a break with the yellow.”
Swindell, out of Germantown, Tenn. and himself a former winner at Cottage Grove Speedway in World of Outlaws competition, settled for second aboard the Tom Rolfe No. 10 Ott-powerd Maxim. Medford, Ore.’s Crockett finished third in the Steve & Kim Sweeney No. 11 Shaver-powered KPC. Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, racing at Cottage Grove Speedway for the first time since 1998, finished fourth in his No. 29 Shaver-powered Maxim. Tyler Walker of Los Angeles took fifth in the SC Motorsports Shark-powered JEI.
Kyle Hirst of Loomis, Calif. took sixth place in the Gary Perkins No. 6 Shark-powered Maxim. Evan Suggs, out of Scott’s Valley, Calif. was seventh in the Suggs Racing LLC No. 33e S&S-powered KPC in his first appearance at Cottage Grove. Ripon, Calif.’s Brandon Carey finished eighth in his first Cottage Grove Speedway appearance aboard his own No. 55 Kistler-powered Maxim.
Allard, the two-time and defending Golden State Challenge series champion out of Chico, Calif. was originally slated to start inside the second row. When pole-sitter Kyle Larson couldn’t get his car to fire after an engine change, Allard moved up to the pole and led the first 24 laps unofficially. After the tire problem ruined his evening, Allard recovered to finish ninth in the Morrie Williams No. 0 Kistler-powered Maxim. Allard had a slim 11-point lead in the GSC standings entering the event.
Chadd Noland of Central Point, Ore. is no stranger to Cottage Grove, but Monday was his first taste of racing with a 410ci motor. After suffering a flat tire himself in the feature, Noland still finished a respectable tenth place in the Henderson Motorsports No. 7N Bailey Bros.-powered KPC.
It was a tough evening for Larson, one of seven drivers who raced at Cottage Grove for the first time on Monday. Larson led the 22-car field in qualifying with a lap of 10.347 seconds and then twice got ahead of Kaeding on the start of the dash race, which he would win to secure the pole. His crew discovered the power plant under the hood of his Eagle was damaged, making an engine change necessary. The change was done in time for the feature but the car would not fire. Larson will continue his trip north to race at Skagit Speedway for the first time in this week’s Dirt Cup.
Heat races were won by Johnson, Carey, and Bud Kaeding. Larson’s victory in the dash race came over Brent Kaeding, Allard, Crockett, Swindell, Noland, Johnson and Walker.
Cottage Grove has always hosted one 410 sprint car event per year, and except for one year it was a World of Outlaws event, and almost always well attended by fans. A second 410 sprint car show was scheduled this year and Cottage Grove’s appearance on the 2009 GSC schedule created a buzz with many teams expressing their interest in racing at the popular western Oregon track. After Monday’s race, reactions to the event were virtually all positive.
The next event for the Golden State Challenge series is a stop at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. on Saturday, June 27th. More information on the Golden State Challenge series can be found online at www.goldenstatechallengeseries.com.
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Golden State Challenge Series
Cottage Grove Speedway
Cottage Grove, OR
June 15, 2009
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
22 cars
Fast qualifier: 83v Kyle Larson, 10.347 seconds
Heat 1 (10 laps): 1. 35a Wayne Johnson, 2. 57c Chris Schmelzle, 3. 83v Kyle Larson, 4. 7N Chadd Noland, 5. 2L Logan Forler, 6. 7b Brent Bjork, 7. 23 Colin Baker, 8. 01 Jeff “Ozzie” Osburn.
Heat 2 (10 laps): 1. 55 Brandon Carey, 2. 69 Brent Kaeding, 3. 0 Jonathan Allard, 4. 24 Tyler Walker, 5. 23c Chad Groves, 6. 30 Gary Davis, 7. 2 Zach Zimmerly.
Heat 3 (10 laps): 1. 29 Bud Kaeding, 2. 6 Kyle Hirst, 3. 10 Sammy Swindell, 4. 11 Roger Crockett, 5. 33e Evan Suggs, 6. 83m Mike Stallings, 7. 21 Mike Griffith.
Dash (6 laps): 1. 83v Kyle Larson, 2. 69 Brent Kaeding, 3. 0 Jonathan Allard, 4. 11 Roger Crockett, 5. 10 Sammy Swindell, 6. 7N Chadd Noland, 7. 35a Wayne Johnson, 8. 24 Tyler Walker. Finish determined first eight starting positions of feature.
Feature (30 laps): 1. 69 Brent Kaeding, 2. 10 Sammy Swindell, 3. 11 Roger Crockett, 4. 29 Bud Kaeding, 5. 24 Tyler Walker, 6. 6 Kyle Hirst, 7. 33e Evan Suggs, 8. 55 Brandon Carey, 9. 0 Jonathan Allard, 10. 7N Chadd Noland, 11. 57c Chris Schmelzle, 12. 7b Brent Bjork, 13. 23 Colin Baker, 14. 83m Mike Stallings, 15. 25c Chad Groves, 16. 35a Wayne Johnson, 17. 2L Logan Forler, 18. 30 Gary Davis, 19. 01 Jeff “Ozzie” Osburn, 20. 2 Zach Zimmerly, DNS - 21 Mike Griffith, 83v Kyle Larsen.
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Golden State Challenge “King of California” Series
www.goldenstatehchallengeseries.com
Handy Racing Promotions
www.handyracingpromotions.com
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