Hogge cashes in with Modified win
| Sunday, Oct 25 2009 10:38 PM
Last Updated Sunday, Oct 25 2009 11:21 PM
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Bobby Hogge IV celebrates in victory lane after winning the 40-lap Modified feature at the George Steitz Memorial Dirt Track Shootout on Saturday at Bakersfield Speedway.
Bobby Hogge IV continued to make Bakersfield Speedway his personal playground Saturday night by racing to victory in the 40-lap Modified feature in the finale of the George Steitz Memorial Dirt Track Shootout.
Hogge raced to a big payday two weeks ago in the Budweiser West Coast Nationals and he repeated it Saturday night as he led all but two laps to claim the $3,000 first-place payout.
"You know, it's just a testament to the hard work my dad puts in every week, both grandparents and my mom," said Hogge. "Our starting position didn't hurt, either."
Hogge, of Salinas, earned the pole position start by winning a 12-lap qualifiers race on Friday night and quickly jumped into the lead in the feature.
The only driver who had anything for Hogge was Kellen Chadwick, who took the lead on the 14th lap. Chadwick also led the 15th lap under caution then had his night come to a strange conclusion when his fuel cell fell from the car, apparently due to broken welds.
"Kellen was going to town," Hogge said. "He got by me and started to drive away. That poor guy, right now if he didn't have any bad luck he wouldn't have any at all."
Hogge was never seriously challenged for the lead after Chadwick fell out, but there was quite a duel behind him between Larry Hood, Alex Stanford and Jay Marks all swapping positions.
At the end, Stanford was second, followed by Marks, Hood, Jimmy Reeves and Brad Pounds.
Mini Stock driver Tina Wheeler was released Sunday morning from Kern Medical Center after a violent crash and flip on Saturday night left her with assorted mild to moderate injuries. The most serious injures were a fractured wrist and a badly lacerated finger. She is also nursing numerous bruises.
