PETERSEN MEDIA
In action at the Roth Motorsports team home track, the Tulare Thunderbowl, Kyle Hirst scored a pair of second place finishes during a weekend double header with the King of the West Series.
“We had a strong car both nights, and really had fun with Jason Meyers on Saturday night, but Sunday night he was awesome, and we were a solid second place car.”
Saturday night action kicked off with Hirst timing his Roth Enterprises/HR Livestock Transportation/3H Cattle backed entry in third fastest against the 24 cars assembled in the pit area.
Lining up in the fourth spot in his heat race, Hirst worked his way up to the second spot as he chased after Jason Statler.
Holding on to the second spot, KH would move on to the night’s dash, as well as the 30-lap feature event.
Starting fourth in the dash, the Sacramento, CA driver would work his way to a second place finish, putting him on the front row of the feature event alongside two-time World of Outlaw Champion, Jason Meyers.
Hirst didn’t get the start he wanted as he slipped back to the fourth spot behind Meyers, Willie Croft, and Jonathan Allard.
On the picture perfect racetrack, Hirst got past Allard, and set his sights on Meyers as they both chased after Hirst’s new brother-in-law, Willie Croft.
On the 17th circuit, Croft bobbled, and Meyers and Hirst both snuck past, moving KH to the second spot.
Following a lap 19 red, Hirst relentelessly pressured Meyers for the top spot, as the race got back underway.
Exchanging slide jobs for the final 10 laps, Hirst made one final effort on the last lap, but Meyers was able to narrowly beat him back to the line.
“Friday night was why everyone loves sprint car racing,” he said. “I would of loved to grab the win for Dennis and Teresa Roth, but I think they were pleased with that, and I hope all the fans were. That was a heck of a race.”
Sunday night, Hirst and his Roth Motorsports team returned to the Thunderbowl for another night of KWS action as they looked to improve on Saturday night’s finish.
With 25 cars on hand for the finale of the Chris and Brian Faria Memorial, Hirst timed in sixth fastest, putting him in the third heat.
Starting on the inside of the second row, Hirst moved into the second spot, as he chased down Evan Suggs, but came up short of the win, though he would again be in the dash and feature.
Finding himself with the one pill for the dash, Hirst would lead all six laps to put his machine on the pole for the feature event, as he would again share the front row with Jason Meyers.
When the green lights flashed, Hirst got the jump and immediately went to the top of the speedway, but Meyers was able to slide up in front of him off of turn two, and took command of the race.
Holding the second spot, Hirst continued to pound the top of the Thunderbowl, as he chased after Meyers, but Meyers was too good on this night, and went on to keep Hirst in the second spot for the second night in a row.
“We had a blast all weekend, and just came up short,” he said. “We have a bit of a break with the King of the West Series now, so hopefully we can find some races to go run around the area and have some fun.”
Kyle and his Roth Motorsports team would like to thank Roth Enterprises, HR Livestock Transportation, 3H Cattle, Mobil1, FK Rod Ends, Weld Wheels, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Kent Performance Center, Kaeding Performance, and Astro Titanium for their support.
2013 ROTH MOTORSPORTS BY THE NUMBERS: Starts-22, Wins-1, Top 5’s-9, Top-10’s-14
2013 BY THE NUMBERS: Starts-34, Wins-1, Top 5’s-12, Top 10’s-22
ON TAP: Hirst and his Roth Motorsports team will now head to the Silver Dollar Speedway on June 7th for the David Tarter Memorial.
STAY CONNECTED: Stay connected with the Roth Motorsports team by visiting www.rothmotorsports83.com. You can also follow Kyle on Twitter @KyleHirstRacing.