By Bob Burbach
Marysville, CA – The 5th Annual Performance Auto Supply Night at the Races and the 25 lap Rich Dozier Classic for Sprint Cars was a spectacular night of racing in all 4 divisions. Veteran Heath Hall scooped up the $1500 winner’s check after a torrid duel with MRP track champion Billy Wallace in the MRP Winged Sprint Car feature event. Point leader Brent Hall easily outdistanced the MRP Super Stock field after a charge to the front from row 5. Tim Maclaughlin came out on top in the nip & tuck struggle at the front and made a last lap pass to win the Pro 4 closer. Point leader Jeremy Hammons capped off a great late race charge to grab the Hobby Stock Main event.
The sprint car show was an amazing display of hooked up-hammer down racing that won’t soon be forgotten. The night started with another amazing run by the comeback star of the year Mike Monahan. Monahan clicked off fast time and picked up the $200 prize offered by Dairy Queen of Yuba City. The heat races went into the books without incident and were won by Cort Dozier and Brent Dothage.
The feature was a storm of outrageous sprint car racing that was offered up from the get-go. Outside pole sitter John Michael Bunch beat Hall to turn 1 but biked hard in turn 2. Bunch pulled off the save of the year as his car struggled for traction and pawed back onto all fours. 2nd row starter Billy Wallace took advantage and parked on Hall’s tail. Bunch stayed 3rd as a long period of green flag action kept the fans mesmerized.
Starting last in the field was Jeremy Burt, who had arrived late to the raceway. Burt was on fire as he desperately carved his way toward the front. A 5-way mid race dice was hair-raising in it’s intensity as Burt pressed forward. Included in this dice was Dothage, Dozier, Monahan, Burt and ever improving Peter Paulson. Dothage would win this dice in the end, but a yellow flag with 7 to go made things even more interesting.
At the new green Wallace showed Hall his front end and Hall got busy. Once again, a couple of laps later Wallace tried to draw inside Hall, then Wallace tried the high side and just couldn’t make it work. Hall got up on the wheel and drove to a 3 car length advantage.
The final laps saw Bunch get up to Wallace and give the champ a run for the 2nd spot. Wallace just did hold off Bunch at the flag behind Hall. Dothage, Dozier, Burt, Paulson and Monahan were in that order, under a blanket, just behind. No matter where you looked, there was intense racing on.
A very happy and dog-tired Heath Hall climbed from his eye friendly hot rod #88 to a great round of cheers from the appreciative fans. Hall was also greeted in victory lane by Rich Dozier, after whom this race was named. It was, by far, Hall’s biggest win at MRP. Victory lane was awash with good wishes for the popular chauffeur who has struggled to get back in the drivers seat this season.
After a spectacular early race charge from his 10th starting position to the lead, championship point leader Brent Hall simply drove away from the other competitors to score another victory in the MRP Super Stock feature. The 10 car inversion for the start created a swarm of activity as the heat race winners charged through the field to the front. A late race challenge from early leader Chris Warner evaporated when Warner cranked his black 7 sideways off of turn two in a desperate effort to get by Hall. Hall’s victory bolstered his point advantage in the season long championship standings.
Ray Trimble was an easy 3rd with James Castleberry coming home 4th. Castleberry’s run to 4th was worth watching after the veteran was punted sideways in an early lap causing him to drop to the rear of the field. Willie Horn and last year’s champ Corey Hall grabbed the heat race victories.
The Pro 4 Sprint Car feature was a great battle between the defending champion Tim Maclaughlin and perennial local star of the division Joel Giusti. Maclaughlin was apparently cruising to an easy when Giusti started to close rapidly with 6 to go. Moments later Giusti flashed by Maclaughlin with a couple to go. At the white flag Maclaughlin re-challenged Giusti with a daring pass on the last lap and for the 2nd week in a row Maclaughlin got the checkers 1st with his closest pursuer just behind. It was a thriller.
Giusti and Johnny Burns took heat race honors.
The final event of the night was the MRP Hobby Stock main. The final laps of this one were among the best laps of racing seen from this class. 4 cars were under a blanket at the front as this feature race drew to a close. It seemed that veteran Jerry Bartlett had this one in hand, but with 5 to go point leader Jeremy Hammons, Jim Waller and Eddie Hammett were nose to tail and door to door and closing. The crowd was in a constant state of screaming as the last lap unfolded.
Through 3 & 4 on the final circuit Hammons cleared Waller and Hammett, crept up beside leader Bartlett and the drag race to the checkers was won by Hammons. Point leader Hammons had pretty much dominated the season up until a few weeks ago when Hammett showed up and then he started to dominate. Waller was much quicker in this race and was a challenger all night. Bartlett’s appearance was unexpected, but he was quick out of the box and a factor right away.
Hammett’s run to 3rd was especially impressive as he had to recover from a mid-race spin without benefit of a yellow flag. Hammons swept the show as he took heat race honors as well.
Next week the MRP Winged Sprinters will return along with the MRP Super Stocks and the Pro 4s. The MRP Mini Stocks will also be on the card to round out the spectacular 4 division show..