PETERSEN MEDIA
Paul Trevino photo
In just his fourth start aboard the Antaya Motorsports No. 20 machine, Cory Eliason visited victory lane during Saturday night’s King of the West season opener at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, CA and gave the Antaya Motorsports their first ever feature event victory.
“I can’t thank Larry and TW enough for giving me this opportunity this year,” Cory Eliason said. “It has only been four races, but we have gelled quickly and these guys continue to give me a good car, and it is just awesome to win the KWS opener.”
24 cars made the trip down I5 to check out the new facility to kick off 2017, and Eliason would get his quest for the King of the West crown kicked off by timing the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association/Fire Protection Management, Inc./TW Performance sprinter in ninth fastest during qualifying time trials.
Lining up on the front row of his heat race, the Kingsburg, CA pilot would take advantage of the prime starting position and capture the win and lock himself into the Dash.
Getting pinched into the infield at the start of the race, Eliason would rally from the back of the pack to finish in the seventh spot, which placed him in the fourth row for the 30-lap feature event.
On an extremely racy Kern County Raceway Park, Eliason would go to work from the fourth row as passing seemingly went on each and every lap. Making some hair-raising moves during the course of the night, Eliason seemed to get strong as the laps clicked off.
Working his way up into the fourth spot, Eliason would made a huge move in turns one and two on the 24th lap to get the Kaeding Performance/Cardinal Paint and Powder/Tool World backed machine by Carson Macedo and Kyle Hirst and up into the second spot.
Chasing after race leader, Willie Croft, the red flag would fly on the 28th lap setting up a two lap dash to the finish. When cars went to refire for the final restart, Croft would have issues and Eliason would now find himself in the front of the field.
Nailing the final restart, Eliason would turn in two perfect laps and claim his fourth career series win, moving him into a tie for 27th all time.
“I feel for Willie Croft, and know all to well how that feels,” Eliason said. “We had a great car that put us in a great position, and we were there to capitalize. Again, I just have to thank everyone who helps out on this thing so much for all they do. It means a lot to be a part of this team’s first win!”
Antaya Motorsports would like to thank Good Guys Rod and Custom Association, Fire Protection Management, Inc., TW Performance, Kaeding Performance, Cardinal Paint and Powder, Tool World, Maas Brothers Powder Coating, and Shiro’s Collision Center for their support in 2017.
2017 BY THE NUMBERS: Starts: 4, Wins: 1, Top 5’s: 1, Top 10’s:
ON TAP: Antaya Motorsports will get right back to racing Friday night at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA
STAY CONNECTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow us on Twitter @AntayaTeam20 or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AntayaTeam20/. Also follow along with Good Guys Rod and Custom Association on Twitter @GoodGuys and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/goodguysrodandcustom/.
PETERSEN MEDIA: Petersen Media is a promotional agency that can handle your public relations, marketing, and any other promotional needs. Petersen Media utilizes multiple tactics to help you reach your intended audience, and boost awareness.
For more information contact sales@petersenmediainc.com, by phone at 916-342-3424, visit www.petersenmediainc.com, www.facebook.com/PetersenMedia, or follow www.twitter.com/petersen_media.