PETERSEN MEDIA
In racing things can change in an instant, which is what makes the sport so exciting. Kyle Larson saw his lead on Friday night escape from his grasp on Friday night after hitting debris on the track, and then rebounded on Saturday with a strong eighth to third performance.
Teaming back up with Paul Silva, Kyle Larson took to the Merced Speedway on Friday night to take on the World of Outlaws, as he looked for his second series win of the season.
With 31 cars on hand, Larson timed the Lucas Oil Products/A.R.T. Speed Equipment/ProBilt Construction No.57 in with the eight fastest lap during time trials.
Starting on the front row of his heat, Larson lost the drag race into turn one, and settled for the second spot, putting his Palmero Properties/Finley Farms/FK Rod Ends backed machine in the feature and the dash.
As fate would have it, the Dash inversion put Larson on the pole, as he shared the front row with Sammy Swindell.
Getting the jump, Larson cruised to pick up a comfortable Dash win and put his Wesmar Racing Engines/Amerikote/XYZ backed entry on the pole for the 40-lap feature event.
From the drop of the green flag, Larson was on cruise control as he pulled away from the field, and worked to the bottom of the Merced Speedway to near perfection.
Navigating through lapped cars with no trouble, disaster struck on the 13th lap.
A half-track ahead of him, Terry McCarl made contact with the front stretch wall with his front bumper falling on to the track. With no caution waving, Larson came down the front stretch and ran it over and his right rear shredded instantly, and he was forced to the pits.
With a new tire, the NASCAR Nationwide star did what he could as he came from 24th to score a 14th place finish.
“Paul Silva and his team gave me a great car, and we had the car to beat on Friday,” he said. “We had some bad luck with debris on the track, but that happens in this sport, and that’s what makes it exciting.”
Bolting in a Wesmar 360ci engine, the Silva Motorsports team headed to the Antioch Speedway to take on the California Civil War Series on Saturday night.
Timing in second fastest, Larson started sixth in his heat on a very hooked up track, and muscled his way to a third place finish and put his Hoosier Tire/Pro Shocks/Banshee Graphics backed machine in the feature where he would line up in the eight spot.
With rain falling, the track became even more challenging, but Larson didn’t let it hamper him as he used a great start of the feature to jump into the fifth spot.
The driver known as ‘Yung Money’ would pick up two more spots as they rain fell to score a third place finish.
“I can’t believe they were able to get this race in, but I am glad they did,” he said. “The Silva 57 Motorsports was awesome again, and I think we had something if the race track wasn’t as heavy, and if there wasn’t any rain. I’m really looking forward to getting back in Paul Silva’s car this weekend.”
The Silva Motorsports team thanks Lucas Oil Products, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Pro Bilt Construction, Palmero Properties, Finley Farms, Car and Fleet, Stepping Stone Genetics, FK Rod Ends, OMP Racing, Wesmar Racing Engines, Amerikote, XYZ, Hoosier Tire, Pro Shocks, Banshee Graphics, Dan Olson Products, K&N Filters, RE Technologies, Weld, Schoenfeld Headers, Butlerbuilt Seats, Vortex Wings, CP Pistons, Cometic Gaskets, Huggins Cams, BR Ignitioneering, Blackwell Consolidation, and Petersen Media for their partnership in 2013.
SILVA MOTORSPORTS 2013 BY THE NUMBERS: Races-3, Wins-1, Top-5’s-2, Top 10’s-2.
ON TAP: The Silva Motorsports team will be back in action this weekend for a pair of World of Outlaw races at the Antioch Speedway on Friday night, and at the Calistoga Speedway on Saturday night.