70th Season Opener in the Books

BY STEPHEN LYNCH For The Californian

Bakersfield Speedway kicked off its 70th season of racing on Saturday night with a full schedule of non-stop action.

Five divisions of cars took to the high-banked, third-mile, clay oval, entertaining the packed grandstands with lots of side-by-side competition and a couple of thrilling finishes.

However, the Late Model feature race was not completed in time to make it to print.

Billy Simkins outbattled 2014 Sport Mod state champion Nick Spainhoward to win that division’s 25-lap feature.

Simkins was pressured for much of the second half of the race by Spainhoward but led from wire-to-wire to get the win his first-ever time racing a Sport Mod.

“I know a lot of people probably think I suck because I come out here in the Super Street and finish second and third all the time,” Simkins said. “… I got this car for eight-thousand dollars. … Nobody wanted it. I took it. I got it fixed up and here we are, first night, Victory Lane.”

Spainhoward finished second by half a car-length. Gary Dutton was third followed by Jason Nation and Michael Johnson.

Earlier Brandon Ratcliff kicked off Saturday night’s festivities with a dominating win in the American Stock A-main event.

The Bakersfield driver took over the point early in the race and never relinquished to claim his first career victory.

Ratcliff didn’t register a single top-5 last year. “I wasn’t ready for this,” Ratcliff said during his post-race interview from Victory Lane.

Cody Johnson was second followed by Don Mead, Mike Waters, Nicholas Johnson.

The 20-lap race featured a hard Lap 4 crash involving Brian Childress and Tyler Sylvester that brought out a red flag.

The ambulance on duty went out to turn to where the wreck took place to check out the two drivers but did not take anyone off to be treated.

Tina Bell led off 17 of 20 laps in winning the Mini Stock feature.

Bell, the defending track champ, passed early leader Mike Conway on Lap four and then pulled away from the rest of the field.

“I’m exhausted,” Bell said. “…I have to thank my husband (Brady Bell). Without him none of this would be possible.”

Steve Roak took second. Roy Maynard Jr. was third. Sherrie Duncan finished fourth and Zac Townsend came home in fifth.

Jake Jones of Santa Maria Hobby Stock suffered a right-rear flat on Lap 15 of the Hobby Stock race, allowing Kevin Collier to speed away with the win.

Jones led Laps 5-14 before he began slowing in turn three due to the bad tire.