Mike Griffith: It's a free-for-all at Famoso on Saturday
| Wednesday, Sep 16 2009 06:19 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Sep 16 2009 06:21 PM
There's hardly been time to get the facility cleaned from the PINKS All Out extravaganza held last Saturday, but Auto Club Famoso Raceway comes alive again this weekend with an a NHRA Lucas Oil divisional race and the Chuy's Fuel Altereds Classic.
And the best thing: it's free to fans on Saturday after 3 p.m.
That's right. Free. No strings attached. Free.
Just show up AFTER 3 p.m.
That's a pretty good deal to watch alcohol-powered Funny Cars, dragsters and the wild Fuel Altereds.
The Fuel Alerted show, which will feature eight nitro-powered cars and eight alcohol-powered cars, had been a separate event the past couple of years.
Famoso's Blake Bowser hopes that by combining the two, and offering free admission, he can expose fans to some pretty good racing.
"The Lucas Oil Series has some great racing but it doesn't draw spectators," Bowser said. "They run 5.60s in Funny Car and 5.40s and 5.20s in the dragsters but nobody comes to watch.
"We thought maybe we'd throw some nitro at it with the altereds, do the free admission on Saturday and let people see some good racing."
Qualifying takes place on Friday with elimination rounds in Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster set to begin at 4p.m. on Saturday. Altereds will run at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Quick shifts
Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Dwarf Cars will be in action Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway. Trevor Glaser, Brad Pounds and Bobby Hogge IV have won Late Model races on the third-mile clay oval this season. Mike Kirby is the only driver to have finished all three races in the top five. All fans in attendance will receive a coupon for free popcorn. Racing starts at 6.
Dallas Montes of Bakersfield continued his hot streak in Legends competition as he raced to his fourth straight victory Saturday night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Points leader Ryan Reed of Bakersfield finished second. Reed pulled double duty as well, setting a track record and going on to finish second in the Langers Juice S-2 Late Model competition. It was just Reed's third outing in a stock car.
Bakersfield's Garrett Fine raced to victory in Junior Sprint competition Saturday night in Lemoore. Buddy Shepherd of Bakersfield was third.
Upcoming
The Fifth Annual Digger Helm Short Track National takes place during the Kern County Fair (main grandstand) on Sept. 26 ... Kevin Harvick will be at Bakersfield Speedway on Oct. 7 to compete with high-school kids in a special Youth Racing Series event. Also on tap that night (a Wednesday) is a $1,500-to-win Hobby Stock race ... The 18th edition of the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion takes place Oct. 16-18 at Auto Club Famoso Raceway. The event will feature 16-car fields for nostalgia Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars.
