King Of The West Sprint Car Series

Gary Thomas, and George Hague bring you KWS Tonight this week.

Rico Abreu leads final four laps to claim first career Cancen Oil KWS Series presented Goodyear win on Saturday night in Tulare

By Gary Thomas

Tulare, CA – May 12, 2012…Milestone victories come around from time to time and on Saturday night at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway, that very thing occurred, as 20-year-old Rico Abreu took advantage of an opportunity given forth and scooped up his first career 410 Sprint Car win.

Abreu had captured an open 360 Sprint Car show at Silver Dollar Speedway two weeks prior, but Saturdays triumph marked his first ever victory with the traveling Cancen Oil KWS unlimited 410 Series presented by Goodyear.

The St. Helena, California driver stopped on the front stretch and was greeted by a number of joyous people, including good friend Kyle Larson, who was the first person to the car. Abreu then climbed atop the car in celebration and performed his signature wing dive into the arms of car owner Brent Kaeding.

“It feels great to get my first 410 win tonight and having it come at my favorite track makes it even better,” commented the driver of the Abreu Vineyards, Stadelhofer Construction No. 89 Maxim. “We won that 360 race a couple weeks ago, but this is pretty big to get our first KWS win. I want to thank my whole team and family for all their support.”

The “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” 30-lap finale started out with Sacramento’s Willie Croft shooting into the lead. It turned out to be short lived however, after contact with the turn two wall left him with damage that resulted in his night coming to a premature end. It was a tough break for “Double Down,” who looked solid all night.

Friday night winner Kyle Larson was the new leader of the race, as he looked to perform the amazing feat of a four-for-four sweep of the weekends sprint car races at Thunderbowl Raceway. The night before saw him sweep both the KWS and West Coast Wingless Series features. Prior to Saturday’s KWS A-main Larson had also charged from 20th to score victory in the wingless main event for the second straight evening.

Larson possessed an expertly set up car underneath him once again from owner/crew chief Paul Silva and rocketed away from the field with ease early on. Various cautions slowed the pace of the race however, as turn one seemed to be a problem spot with everyone navigating their way around the slick and treacherous surface, which had the cushion right up on the wall in typical Thunderbowl Raceway fashion.

As drivers jockeyed for position Larson sat out front with no worries for much of the main event. Just past the halfway point the surface began to take rubber and caused the speeds to go up, but also made passing tough to come by. On lap 20 Larson very nearly lost it in turn four and actually had the engine stall, but luckily for him it fired back up and he continued on as the leader.

Just when it looked liked Larson was on his way to making it a complete weekend sweep, smoke began to billow out of the Silva 57 as he headed into turn one on lap 26. Things then went up in a blaze down the back stretch and his bid at four-for-four came to a dramatic end, with an oil filter issue causing a big flame up under the hood.

After running second for the majority of the race Rico Abreu now found himself in the lead of the race. Even despite Jonathan Allard and Tim Kaeding on his rear bumper, the talented youngster drove a smooth final four laps and crossed the checkered flag with the crowd coming to their feet.

Allard brought home a runner up finish for the second night in a row and will go into Calistoga Speedway on Memorial Day weekend as the KWS point leader. Kaeding rebounded from a hard crash on Friday night to round out the podium in Dennis & Teresa Roth’s No. 83 mount.

Easton’s Tommy Tarlton capped off a solid weekend by earning a fourth place finish and Loomis’ Kyle Hirst did the same by scoring fifth for the second straight night driving for Dan Simpson Racing. Completing the top-10 in the main event were Medford, Oregon’s Roger Crockett; Puyallup, Washington’s Trey Starks; Campbell’s Brent Kaeding; Placerville’s Andy Gregg and Clovis’ Peter Murphy.

The 12-lap Last Chance Qualifier was picked off by Andy Gregg and the KSE Racing Products Dash was captured by Rico Abreu. Kaeding Performance Heat Races were won by Kyle Hirst, Tommy Tarlton, Willie Croft and Kyle Larson. Roger Crockett topped the 28-car field in BR Motorsports qualifying to earn fast time with a lap of 13.800 around the one-third mile oval.

The Cancen Oil King of the West Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear will have an off weekend upcoming, before returning to action with another big double-header at the Calistoga Speedway on Saturday May 26 & Sunday May 27. The traditional Memorial Day weekend event will mark the annual “Salute to Walter T Ross” along with the return of the “Tribute to Gary Patterson” to the half-mile.

All kids 12 and under will be free both nights at Calistoga Speedway in honor of the tracks 75th anniversary. The special offer should be a great way to get more kids into the stands, so we encourage everyone to bring a child or two and introduce them to sprint car racing if you haven’t already. Tickets can be acquired by logging onto http://www.calistogaspeedway.org/Ticket-Information/index.html

 

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Cancen Oil KWS Series presented by Goodyear Results – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway Saturday May 12 “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial”

28-cars

Fast time: Roger Crockett 13.800

Heat one: Kyle Hirst, Shane Golobic, Roger Crockett, Cory Eliason, Trey Starks, Sean McMahan, Doug Gandy

Heat two: Tommy Tarlton, Tim Kaeding, Jonathan Allard, Bud Kaeding, Andy Gregg, Mike Faria, Koen Shaw

Heat three: Willie Croft, Brent Kaeding, Bobby McMahan, Peter Murphy, Cody Lamar, Chad Compton, Geoffrey Strole

Heat four: Kyle Larson, Evan Suggs, Rico Abreu, Jason Statler, Craig Stidham, Pat Harvey, Danielle Simpson

Dash: Rico Abreu, Willie Croft, Kyle Hirst, Kyle Larson, Tommy Tarlton, Roger Crockett, Bobby McMahan, Jonathan Allard

LCQ: Andy Gregg, Sean McMahan, Trey Starks, Craig Stidham, Cody Lamar, Chad Compton, Mike Faria, Doug Gandy, Danielle Simpson, Pat Harvey, Geoffrey Strole

Amain: Rico Abreu, Jonathan Allard, Tim Kaeding, Tommy Tarlton, Kyle Hirst, Roger Crockett, Trey Starks, Brent Kaeding, Andy Gregg, Peter Murphy, Evan Suggs, Craig Stidham, Chad Compton, Kyle Larson, Cody Lamar, Sean McMahan, Bobby McMahan, Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Cory Eliason, Jason Statler, Willie Croft

Kyle Larson wins “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Spring Shooutout” opener at Thunderbowl Raceway

By Gary Thomas

Tulare, CA – May 11, 2012…Elk Grove, California native Kyle Larson considers the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway to be his favorite track and on Friday night he showed exactly why that is the case.

Driving for well known car owner Paul Silva the 19-year-old took the lead from Tommy Tarlton in the main event and held off a closing Jonathan Allard to score victory with the Cancen Oil KWS Series presented by Goodyear.

Larson also won the companion West Coast 360 Wingless Sprint Car feature to score a sweep for the night.

“Paul Silva puts together a great car and it really is a pleasure to drive this thing,” said the 2010 Chris & Brian Faria Memorial winner. “I always love racing at this track so it feels pretty awesome to get another win here.”

The 30-lap feature started out with KSE Dash winner Brent Kaeding getting the jump on the field. The slick and treacherous surface took its toll on a number of drivers throughout the contest. During a lap two restart “BK” spun a complete 360 as Tommy Tarlton and Tim Kaeding challenged him for the lead.

Tarlton now assumed the lead of the race and would pace the field for a number of laps with Kyle Larson carving his way to second. Up front Tarlton tried to fend off the fast moving Larson, but the youngster sliced his way by and assumed the point just before lap-10.

“TK” sat in third but spun a 360 on lap-nine and lost a number of spots, before hard contact with the turn three wall a few laps later resulted in the red flag coming out. Damage was too severe to continue and left Kaeding with a 19th place finish.

With Larson out front Tarlton kept pace, but with rubber building up more and more, the bottom side of the raceway became the place to be. Late in the running Chico’s Jonathan Allard stepped up his challenges and when Tarlton got loose coming off the corner he would grab the runner up spot.

Allard gave it his all to try and track down the leader, but came up just shy at the checkered flag as Larson crossed under it by 0.287 seconds to claim victory. For
Allard his second place finish was good enough to make him the new KWS point leader by 20-markers over Tim Kaeding. The rest of the top-10 was completed by Tarlton, Oregon driver Roger Crockett, Loomis’ Kyle Hirst, Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Clovis’ Peter Murphy, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan and Placerville’s Andy Gregg.

 

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Cancen Oil King of the West Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear Results – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway Friday May 11 “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial”

26-cars

Fast time: Cody Lamar 13.361

Heat one: Tommy Tarlton, Jason Statler, Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Bobby McMahan, Craig Stidham, Doug Gandy, Pat Harvey

Heat two: Evan Suggs, Tim Kaeding, Jonathan Allard, Cory Eliason, Peter Murphy, Sean McMahan, Trey Starks, Danielle Simpson, Geoffrey Strole

Heat three: Kyle Larson, Roger Crockett, Brent Kaeding, Andy Gregg, Mike Faria, Chad Compton, Willie Croft, Rico Abreu

Dash: Brent Kaeding, Tim Kaeding, Tommy Tarlton, Jason Statler, Jonathan Allard, Kyle Larson, Evan Suggs, Andy Gregg

LCQ: Rico Abreu, Willie Croft, Sean McMahan, Chad Compton, Danielle Simpson, Geoffrey Strole, Doug Gandy, Craig Stidham, Pat Harvey, Trey Starks, Cody Lamar

Amain: Kyle Larson, Jonathan Allard, Tommy Tarlton, Roger Crockett, Kyle Hirst, Evan Suggs, Bud Kaeding, Peter Murphy, Bobby McMahan, Andy Gregg, Cory Eliason, Mike Faria, Chad Compton, Brent Kaeding, Sean McMahan, Danielle Simpson, Doug Gandy, Geoffrey Strole, Tim Kaeding, Jason Statler, Rico Abreu, Willie Croft

Young hot shoes Kyle Larson & Rico Abreu return to California for “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Spring Shooutout” in Tulare this Friday & Saturday

By Gary Thomas

Tulare, CA – May 8, 2012…The excitement level is set to be kicked up a notch with the Cancen Oil KWS Series presented by Goodyear this weekend, as young stars Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu throw their names into the mix for the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Spring Shootout" at Thunderbowl Raceway.

Both drivers were in action last weekend with the USAC National Midget Series in Dodge City, Kansas where Larson picked up a win on Friday and then tallied a runner up effort to Tracy Hines on Saturday. Larson then promptly jumped into the Abreu/Stadelhofer wingless sprint car on Sunday night and captured victory at the Kokomo Speedway in Indiana.

Abreu brought home a best finish of eighth in his debut at the Dodge City Raceway, as he continued his rookie season with the USAC National Midget Series driving for Keith Kunz Motorsports.

Larson considers the Tulare Thunderbowl to be his favorite track and the 19-year-old will be searching for another win at the one-third mile oval while driving the Silva Motorsports No. 57 mount this weekend. At the KWS opener on April 7 he drove the Paul Silva owned machine to a fourth place finish from the rear of the field.

Last October Larson dominated the Saturday night portion of the Trophy Cup to easily win the 50-lap finale. The Elk Grove native will also be doing double duty this weekend in Tulare, with him competing without the wing both nights with the West Coast 360’s. The former state 410 champion claimed the “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” in 2010, which was the same season he ended up winning the title.

Abreu returns to California for the first time since winning his first career sprint car race two weeks ago in Chico. The 20-year-old also had a strong run going with the Cancen Oil KWS Series the following night, until issues in turn two put an end to his night. The St. Helena driver should be a thrill to watch at the Thunderbowl as he guns for his initial KWS victory.

Larson and Abreu will be just two of the many top drivers expected to be on hand for the weekend.

Current Cancen Oil KWS presented by Goodyear point leader Tim Kaeding of San Jose will be a definite favorite at the track he has practically owned in recent years. Driving for Fresno based Roth Motorsports “TK” is routinely the man to beat at the Thunderbowl and is the defending winner of the Faria Memorial. Kaeding also beat the traveling World of Outlaw stars when the series competed in Tulare on March 16 and comes into Friday having scored two KWS wins thus far in 2012.

Chico’s Jonathan Allard also goes into the weekend with momentum, following his big victory last Saturday during the “Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial” at Silver Dollar Speedway. Allard sits just 10-markers behind Kaeding in the fight for the point lead and is gunning to close even more on Friday & Saturday. Allard captured the Faria Memorial in 2003 and will look to add another this weekend.

Three-time USAC Silver Crown Series champion Bud Kaeding will make his first start of the season with the Cancen Oil KWS Series presented by Goodyear this weekend. The Campbell, CA driver is set for double-duty on Friday and Saturday as he, like Larson, will also run with the West Coast 360’s. Bud was the winner at Thunderbowl Raceway on April 28 with the Rebel Cup 360 Series.

Local favorite Tommy Tarlton will also make his season debut with the Cancel Oil KWS Series presented by Goodyear this weekend at the Thunderbowl. The Easton wheel-man claimed a pair of victories with KWS last year, including one at the Tulare County Fairgrounds based one-third mile clay oval.

Rounding out the top-five in the Cancel Oil KWS presented by Goodyear standings coming into the Thunderbowl Raceway are Campbell’s Brent Kaeding, Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan and Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs. The trio is separated by only four-points and this weekend’s event at the Thunderbowl should prove pivotal as we gear up for another two-night show on Memorial Day weekend in Calistoga.

Other drivers ready to tackle the Thunderbowl Raceway for both nights of competition will include 2005 Faria Memorial winner Jason Statler of Grass Valley, Fresno’s Craig Stidham, Clovis, CA’s Peter Murphy, Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Sacramento’s Willie Croft, Loomis’ Kyle Hirst, Fair Oaks Chad Compton, Visalia’s Cory Eliason, Rio Vista’s Danielle Simpson, Oakhurst’s Doug Gandy, Laton’s Geoffrey Strole and more.

The event will also include a complimentary breakfast on Saturday morning at the fairgrounds for ticket & pit pass holders from the night before. The breakfast will be in building two from 8am to 10am. All you have to do is show your ticket stub or pit pass from Friday for the breakfast courtesy of KWS.

On Friday & Saturday May 11 & 12 the front grandstand gate will open at 5pm. Hot laps are scheduled for 6pm, with qualifying at 6:30pm and racing anticipated to start around 7pm. Also on hand both nights will be the West Coast Wingless 360’s and IMCA Modifieds.

Advance tickets for the weekend are on sale and be acquired by contacting the track ticket office at (559) 688-0909. Reserved grandstand seats cost $20 with general admission bleacher tickets $17. For a seating chart visit the track website at http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com

The Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. From the junction of SR 99 and SR 137, go west on SR 137. At South K go south one-half mile to the Fairgrounds. For directions visit http://www.mapquest.com/maps?address=E+Bardsley+Ave+%26+S+K+St&city=Tulare&state=CA&zipcode=93274

On the internet:

Cancen Oil King of the West Sprint Car Series presented by Goodyear-

Official Website- http://www.kwssprints.com
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/kingofthewestsprints
Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/kwssprintracing

Silver Dollar Speedway-

Official Website- http://www.silverdollarspeedway.com
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-Dollar-Speedway-Chico-Ca/245116138498
Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/sdspeedway

1. Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial at a glance for this Saturday May 5 Gary Thomas 30-Apr-2012
2. Tim Kaeding holds off hard charging Brent Kaeding to claim victory at Placerville Speedway Gary Thomas 30-Apr-2012
3. Loyal & energetic fan base adds to unique appeal of Placerville Speedway Gary Thomas 25-Apr-2012
4. Andy Gregg, Doug Gandy & others pumped up for Placerville Speedway KWS return Gary Thomas 24-Apr-2012
5. Placerville Speedway at a glance Saturday April 28 Gary Thomas 24-Apr-2012

 

After race 6

1. Rico Abreu
       2. Jonathan Allard
    3. Tim Kaeding
       4. Tommy Tarlton
5. Kyle Hirst
         6. Roger Crockett
    7. Trey Starks
       8. Brent Kaeding
     9. Andy Gregg
         10. Peter Murphy