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No Minor Speedway achievement

BY STEPHEN LYNCH, Special to The Californian | Saturday, Jun 7 2008 10:47 PM

Last Updated: Saturday, Jun 7 2008 10:56 PM

Sean Minor couldn't have been more dominating in winning his first IMCA Modified main event Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway.

Minor led all 25 laps, holding off 2007 track champion Gary Dutton, Alex Stanford of Chowchilla, and four-time main event winner Brad Pounds to take victory on the dusty third-mile clay oval.

"I feel unbelievable, Minor said. "It feels great. We've been so close but we've had so many problems."

Minor grabbed the lead early and never relinquished it despite several restarts due to numerous cautions.

The win was Minor's first top-5 finish of the year.

Dutton finished second and stalked Minor for the majority of the race but could never get close enough to make the pass.

Pounds, the points leader, rebound from a DNF last week to win his fourth heat race of the year before finishing fourth in the main event.

Ed Elliott passed 15-year old Kolby Bianchi with eight laps remaining to win the 25-lap Mini Stocks main event.

After battling door-to-door for several laps, Elliott passed Bianchi in turn two en route to his second main event victory of the year.

"It was good racing," Elliott said. "It was some hardest racing I've ever had. It took everything I had to get around him (Bianchi)."

Jeff Berger led the early stages of the race until Bianchi powered his way to the front on lap five.

Bianchi eventually crashed into the back straightaway wall and had to be towed from the track after contact with Ira Greer on lap 23.

Despite the accident Bianchi was able to hold onto the points lead over Chris Holloway.

Miranda Dotson finished second followed by Chris Cross.

Scott Cason out-dueled 2007 track champion Kevin Irwin to win the 25-lap American Stocks main event by less than half a car length.

The two battled side-by-side for the final several laps before Cason dove to the inside of Irwin heading into turn three and then won a drag race to the checkered flag.

The victory was Cason's first ever top-five main event finish.

Pole sitter Mark Hogue pulled out to half a straightaway lead early in the race before contact between J.R. Garcia and Adam Wadkins on lap nine brought the caution flag.

Hogue led the first 14 laps before Irwin, the 2007 track champion, made the pass for the lead in turn three with just over 10 to go.

Irwin held the top spot until Cason finally got around him on the final lap of the race.

Steven Johnson finished third to take over the points lead from Eric Standridge.

Standridge, who came into the night in first place by two points, had to leave to the track briefly during an early race caution due to a mechanical issue but returned before going a lap down.

A mid pack starting position wasn't enough to keep Chuck West of Clovis from chasing down pole sitter Anthony Lopiccolo to win the 20-lap NMRA Midgets main event.

Lopiccolo, a rookie, led the first nine laps before West took over the point on a restart after a caution due to a spinning Kenny Wiley.

West was just about to pass Lopiccolo going down the backstretch when the 2007 Champion lost control in the apex of turns three and four to bring out the only yellow flag of the race.

West, driving a Kawasaki powered Stealth chassis, also won his heat race earlier in the evening.

One of the series' top contenders Bruce Hiroshima was at the track but was unable to run due to an electrical issue.

"He's always a threat wherever he runs," West said.

The other heat race winner West Evans finished second and 2007 Most Improved Driver Scott Dobson took third. Lopiccolo finished fifth.