Bakersfield Speedway
March 5, 2016
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2016 racing season opened with a bang at Bakersfield Speedway

Bakersfield Speedway
BAKERSFIELD, CA (March 5) - With storm clouds in the area, it was a crap shoot to get all five scheduled division finished Saturday night as the Bakersfield Speedway opened its doors for its 71st race season. Late Model driver Don Shaw from Ham Lake, Min. made 30 super-quick laps around the 1/3 mile track and claimed the opening night victory. He was never seriously challenged for the top spot. “My car there at the end was missing (not firing on all cylinders),” Shaw said. “I was thinking, where’s the white flag?” Jason Papich took second place. Steve Drake finished third. Rod Sanders was fourth and Bobby Hogge IV placed fifth.

Gary Dutton won a wild 20 lap IMCA SportMod feature. Dutton took the lead from Michael Johnson on lap 15, after Johnson lost control of his car and spun out and then withstood the rest of the field to get the win. “That was awesome,” Dutton said. Nick Spainhoward was the runner up to Dutton. Chris McKeller placed third. Johnson rebounded to take fourth with Wayne Coffman rounding out the top five.

Brody Schweitzer out-dueled Miranda Scott to win the 20 lap American stock main event. Schweitzer, running in his third-ever race in the division led the final 19 laps, beating Scott to the checkered flag by less than half a car length. Dakota Brown was third followed by Brandon Ratcliff and Nicholas Johnson. “I saw Miranda under-neath me a few times so I knew I had to go,” Schweitzer said.

Loni Spiller passed Matt Peterson of Oxnard with four laps to go to win the Mini Stock feature. Peterson led a race-high 12 laps but couldn’t hold off the hard charging Spiller, who finished second in last year’s Mini Stock track standings. Zach Peterson was second followed by Misty Warren, Shaun Schwartzenburger and Kylie Conway.

Michael Scruggs adeptly navigated an ever increasingly slick track to win the final race of the night, the 25 lap Hobby Stock main event. Scruggs led all but two of the race laps, which had eight cautions. Kyle Fife was second followed by Chris Settlemire, Aaron Stewart and Travis Avila. “This track is good,” Scruggs said. “I love racing here. It’s one of my favorite places to race”

Bakersfield Speedway will be right back in action next Saturday night March 12th with another action packed night of dirt track racing. IMCA Modifieds, Pro Stocks, Hobby Stocks, IMCA Stock Cars, Mod Lites, CDCRA and NMRA Midgets will all be battling for the top spot in victory lane. Don’t miss the action…

Bakersfield Speedway would like to thank its major marketing partners: Budweiser, Advance Beverage, Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, Motor City GMC, Melo’s Gas and Gear, West Air Gases, H&S Body Works, Diamond IT, Central Valley Tanks, RealFast.tv, Mid-Cal Fabrication, Hungry Hunter Restaurant, Del Taco and Cowboy Bail Bonds.

For more information, you can visit Bakersfield speedway online at www.bakersfieldspeedway.com or call the event info line at (661) 393-3373.

Late Models (16 cars)

A Main
1. #42s Don Shaw
2. #91P Jason Papich
3. #11x Steve Drake
4. #10N Rob Sanders
5. #2 Bobby Hogge IV
6. #7 Mike Kirby
7. #17 Larry Childress
8. #15E Bill Egleston
9. #12 Ron Bartels
10. #99T Eric Turner
11. #2c Duane Clevland
12. #27 Nick Bartels
13. #10H Reldon Hatch
14. #04 Dave Newquist
DNS #32B Clay Daly
DNS #91T Tony Toste

IMCA Northern SportMods (26 cars)

A Main
1. #97 Gary Dutton
2. #40 Nick Spainhoward
3. #18c Chris McKellar
4. #22c Michael Johnson
5. #c5 Wayne Coffman
6. #15 Anthony Guiliani
7. #88c Austin Ruskauff
8. #09 Brylon Holder
9. #12 James Cecil
10. #83 Jason Nation
11. #20s Lee Jensen
12. #55 Matt Lewis
13. #33 Cale Kanke
14. #9J Jordan Hagar
15. #3 Jared Schweitzer
16. #68J Billy Simkins
17. #44 Shane DeVolder
18. #13M Matt Mayo
19. #5K Brenda Kirby
20. #3^AC Wayne Dotson
21. #17 Traci Childress
22. #7c Clint Reichenbach
DNS #48 Alex Odishoo

B Main
1. #18c Chris McKellar
2. #40 Nick Spainhoward
3. #9J Jordan Hagar
4. #83 Jason Nation
5. #7c Clint Reichenbach
6. #12 James Cecil
7. #68J Billy Simkins
8. #33 Cale Kanke
9. #55 Matt Lewis
10. #48 Alex Odishoo
11. #17 Traci Childress
12. #27M Michael Black
13. #27 Brian Baker
14. #¹13M Levi Keifer

Hobby Stocks (16 cars)

A Main
1. #91 Michael Scruggs
2. #7 Kyle Fife
3. #84 Chris Settlemire
4. #37 Aaron Stewart
5. #20 Travis Avila
6. #26 Mike Hill Jr
7. #52 Antony Sly
8. #21 Kyle Wood
9. #9c Robert Swearengin
10. #23c Dylan Hagar
11. #9 Gene Glover
12. #25 Kody Sly
13. #32 Casey Phillips
14. #55 Karl Noland
15. #59 Steven Johnson
DNS #5 Raymond Noland Jr

American Stocks (14 cars)

A Main
1. #95 Brody Schweitzer
2. #42 Dakota Brown
3. #3 Brandon Ratcliff
4. #1N Nicholas Johnson
5. #11 Cody Johnson
6. #9 Charles Morrison
7. #27 Tara Childress
8. #38D Mike Conway
9. #2 John Treide II
10. #10 Trevor Baker
11. #44 Brian Childress
12. #^L787 Ronald Lookadoo
DNS #24 Tyler Johnson
DQ #74 Miranda Scott

Mini Stocks (14 cars)

A Main
1. #7 Loni Spiller
2. #16 Zack Peterson
3. #123W Misty Warren
4. #15 Shawn Schwartzenberger
5. #23 Kylie Conway
6. #0 Shannon Treide
7. #2RN Billy Winchester
8. #78 Sherry Duncan
9. #46 Steven Scott
10. #18 Lance Gonzales
11. #70 Roy Maynard Sr
12. #96 Matt Peterson
13. #6 Andy Boydstun
14. #9R Chuckie Roberts