Hurt wins inaugural IMCA Stock Car main

BY STEPHEN LYNCH Special to The Californian

Ron Hurt of Hanford took advantage of an early bobble by Chris Mancebo to win the inaugural IMCA Stock Car A-main event at Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday night.

Mancebo led the first three laps before getting loose in the fourth turn on Lap 4, allowing Hurt to move out in front of the field. He led the rest of the 20-lap race.

Steve Wenzel was second, followed by Mancebo, Allen Mendes and Pat Biggs.

“I really appreciate the opportunity to race here,” Hurt said.

The Late Model and Hobby Stock feature races were not finished by deadline. A recap of that race will appear in Monday’s Californian and online atbakersfield.com.

Doug Shepherd capitalized on Zach Boitnott’s misfortune to win the 20-lap Mini Stock feature.

Boitnott led for six laps. However, on Lap 12 his right rear tire went flat allowing Shepherd to take over the lead.

The win was Shepherd’s third of the year. He came into the night third in the points, just 12 behind leader Tina Bell, who notched her first heat race win of the year earlier in the evening.

Bell finished second in the main event. Gary Spiller Jr. was third followed by Roy Maynard Jr. and Brock Hamilton.

“It was a little bit tough to pass tonight,” Shepherd said.

Karson McKindley won the 15-lap Sr. Mini Dwarf feature.

McKindley slipped under Brock McLaughlin with 10 laps to go and then held on after a late restart to get his first main event victory of the year.

McLaughlin inherited the lead on Lap 5 when the two drivers running ahead of him, Anthony Balcazar and Stephen Johnson got together in turn one.

Cheyenne Flippo took second, Jeremy Clark finished third, Kaden Cochrun was fourth and Chloie Jones took fifth.

Casen Sylvester made a late-race pass of Jacob Carey to win the 12-lap Jr. Mini Dwarf A-main event.

Carey, the points leader, passed Sylvester for the pole position on Lap 2 and appeared to be on his way to claiming his third feature win of the year.

But Sylvester worked his way through lap traffic and powered around Carey with four laps to go.

Carey hung on to finish second. Kabe McClenny was third followed by Kyleigh Forster and Garrett Egan.