Mayhew picks up first victory in IMCA feature
| Saturday, Jul 11 2009 11:04 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Jul 11 2009 11:07 PM
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Justin Schweitzer (2) races beside Johnny White in IMCA Modified action Saturday at Bakersfield Speedway.
A caution flag was the last thing Larry Hood wanted to see with just two laps left in the IMCA main event Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway.
Hood had just ran down teammate David Mayhew and looked to be pulling away for a victory in the 25-lap race.
But when three cars tangled in turn one, Hood's nightmare was realized, setting up a two-lap shootout for the win.
Mayhew made the most of the opportinity and when Hood drove too deep in turn one, he took advantage en route to his first feature victory of the season.
"It's awesome," Mayhew said. "I thought Larry had me and was starting to drive away. Thankfully we got a caution."
Mayhew made a strong move down low on the opening turn of the restart and pulled along side on the back straightaway. He continued his push and held on as Hood slid sideways across the finish line.
"The bottom (of the track) is definitely where I like to run," Mayhew said. "I was driving too straight for a while. But when Larry moved past, I had nothing to lose and just went for it."
Ricky Childress brought out the first of four cautions when he spun in turn four on the sixth lap.
When the race resumed, Mayhew moved past leader Shawn Calderwood and led until Hood moved past on lap 18.
Wayne Dotson won the 25-lap Hobby Stock main event, followed by Rick Childress Sr., Perrin Kootstra and Jeremiah Van Scoy. It was Dotson's second feature win of the season.
In the American Stock main event, Kake Vermeer captured his first feature win in just the third race of his career, moving past John Robinson with three laps left in the 20-lap race. His best finished prior to Saturday night was 12th.
Robinson was bidding for his first win of the season, but couldn't hold off a strong challenge from Vermeer, who got a good run coming out of turn two. Robinson had inherited the lead when Tyler Johnson's car lost a wheel.
Points leader Steven Johnson lost a chunk of his lead when he lost power in his car on the ninth lap and had to be pushed into the pits by his big brother, Tyler, who entered the night in second place.
Three laps and two cautions later, the older Johnson took the lead, but his car lost a tire on lap 14 and Robinson regained the lead.
In the Californian Dwarf Car Racing Association feature race, Kyle Cline of Apple Valley survived a strong challenge from Placentia's Eric Lopez to take the checkered flag in the 20-lap race.
Cline started on the outside of the front row, but challenged polesitter Steven Benson for the lead by the third lap. After pulling even at the start-finish line, Cline took the lead on the back straight in a quick race with no yellow flags.
Lopez, who started on the inside of the second rtow, moved past Benson on the fourth lap and moved into the lead temporarily on lap 16 while manuevering through lapped traffic before Cline regained the lead. Lopez made one final move on the final turn, shifting to the inside, but Cline had enouigh to hold him off. Angel Figueroa from El Segundo was third, followed by Benson.
