Johnson grabs Hobby Stock victory
BY STEPHEN LYNCH Special to The Californian
The pass for the lead was the easy part for Steven Johnson. Holding onto to first place proved to be much more difficult, but the Bakersfield driver was up to the challenge.
Johnson took advantage of late race engine problems by 80-year old Ralph Cook to inherit the lead during a Lap 16 restart then fought off Kevin Collier to pickup his third feature win of the year.
Collier finished second. Kyle Wood was third. Mike Bulley took fourth and Rick Childress was fifth.
Brent Hosfeldt, the pole sitter, led the first eight laps before making contact with the lap-car of Perry Alderman causing a flat right rear tire on Hosfeldt’s car.
Hosfeldt’s misfortune handed over the lead to Cook, who held onto until his car started sputtering just before taking the green flag after a Lap 16 caution.
“This is wonderful,” Johnson said. “I just my family was here to see it.”
The Late Model feature race was not finished by press time. A recap of that race will appear in Monday’s Bakersfield Californian and online at bakersfield.com.
Brian Childress overcame a poor starting position to win the 20-lap American Stock A-main event.
Childress began the race 10th on the starting grid. But after working his way up to third place on Lap 6 and then second on Lap 9, he blew past Mark Irwin for the lead in Turn 4 at the halfway mark of the race.
Childress, the points leader, led the rest of the way in claiming his third feature win of the year.
Kevin Johnston was second followed by Chris Settlemire, Mike Waters and Roger Welch.
“We had a rocket ship here tonight,” Childress said.
The race was marred by an altercation between Dakota Brown and Tyler Irwin. The two drivers had to be separated by track officials after a Lap 16 wreck involving the two pair.
Zack Forster dominated the Mod Lite main event. Forster led all but of the first lap of the 12-lap race to earn his second straight feature win.
Only three of the four-car field made it to see the checkered flag with Jeff Fry taking second and Jerry Flippo third.
“The track was good,” Forster said. “A little bumpy for these (cars) but good overall.”
Mark McCaslin led from wire-to-wire in taking the Okie Bowl Hard Top 15-lap feature. Steven Sorenson took second. James Bradburn finished third.
