By Bob Burbach
Marysville, CA. Saturday’s four division show at Paul and Kathy Hawes’ Marysville Raceway Park produced a thrilling end to the MRP Winged Sprint Car main event won by Kelseyville’s Brent Dothage. Grass Valley’s Billy Wallace shed the wing and led every lap in the MRP Wingless Warrior finale. Yuba City’s Jerry Bartlett grabbed his second straight MRP Super Stock victory and point lead in the division. Yuba City’s Kyle Davey got win number two in the very competitive MRP Mini Stock closer.
The featured event in the premiere division, the MRP Winged Sprint Cars, did not disappoint. Dothage bolted from his front row starting position and set a blistering pace throughout the first half of the event.
Fourth starting John Michael Bunch clawed his way into second with a pair of dazzling passes and took off after Dothage. Two Marysville chauffeurs, Jeremy Hawes and Brandon Dozier, were locked up in tight knot with Woodland’s Peter Paulson in a struggle for third.
A couple of slowdowns helped Dothage as the yellows appeared just as he approached lapped traffic. At the same time, the yellows allowed Bunch to close at each restart. With three to go, what might have been the final restart on any other night turned to disaster for Bunch. As the lead pair raced into turn three, Bunch tried a high-side move, clipped Dothage, and headed for the sky.
In MRP’s most spectacular crash of the season, the championship point leader, Bunch flipped in a series wild gyrations. He ripped off his top wing on the first flip and continued to shed parts as the car slammed head-on into the turn three wall. The throttle appeared to hang open when the car returned to all fours. The car finally scraped to a stop at the head of the front stretch.
Bunch gathered himself up and popped out of the battered machine, to everyone’s relief, completely unhurt. It was another story for the car.
The final two circuits were run off without incident as Dothage beat a hard-charging Dozier to the line with rookie Hawes coming across in third. Yuba City’s Korey Lovell had a fine run into fourth with Paulson hanging on for fifth. Yuba City’s Kevin Lovell and Hawes grabbed heat race honors.
The event also was a Contingency Connection sponsored event and Dothage would be eligable for up tp $1250 in additional prizes and awards.
In the Wingless Sprint Car feature, it was all Billy Wallace. He took the lead at the green and never looked back.
The race was plagued with multiple crashes. Indeed, a final caution terminated the event with Wallace firmly in charge. The 2012 champion of the division, Grass Valley’s Brett Youngman and Marysville’s Josh Vieira followed Wallace across the line.
The big story was point leader Tim Sherman Jr.’s plight during the event. He was involved in a lap two skirmish that severed his brake line and he nursed the car to an impressive sixth place finish; maintaining his point lead.
Wallace and Wheatland’s Johnny Burns won the heats.
Mr. Controversy, Jerry Bartlett of Yuba City, won his second consecutive feature event in the MRP Super Stock class. Bartlett spent most of the race in a great battle with point leader Corey Hall, also of Yuba City.
A quality field of cars took the green flag, but the carnage started early as a series of multi-car crashes in the first few laps decimated the field. They also eliminated Yuba City’s Phillip Shelby, a serious championship contender.
When Hall’s race ended with mechanical failure, only five of the original starters remained on the track by half way.
Bartlett beat Marysville’s Rick Dozier and a very competitive Mike Walko to the line. The bay area driver. Walko, battled hard all night and came up with his best finish of the season.
This victory, combined with retirements by the top two drivers in the standings catapulted Bartlett into the series point lead. Mitch Machado and Dozier won the heat races.
Yuba City’s Kyle Davey won his second feature of the year in the MRP Mini Stock closer. A race long charge to the front after a couple of early race miscues brought the good natured Davey back to victory lane.
Davey had late race, side-by-side duels with point leader James Foster of Linda and Yuba City’s Kyle Cheney that added some spice to a very competitive and entertaining event. Jimmy Ford of Yuba City and Mike Dehoogh of Carmichael rounded out the top five. Davey and Cheney won the heats.
Next week, the MRP Winged Sprint Cars return with the MRP Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks and Pro 4s. An exhibition of 1960s vintage hard tops is scheduled on the program as well. More Later.
Gates open at 5 with racing at 7,
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