Hogge grabs Moshier Classic win in Modifieds

By Mike Griffith – Bakersfield Californian     The low groove was the quicker way around the third-mile clay oval at Bakersfield Speedway on Saturday night, but Bobby Hogge IV found just enough bite up high to propel him to victory in the IMCA Modified feature.
Hogge was sixth after 25 laps of the split 50-lap feature and said during a 10-minute break that he would try to find something up high because the alternative was to play follow-the leader, which was pretty much the tale of the first half of the race.
Hogge, of Salinas, immediately started working the high side of the track and quickly moved to third after the race restarted. He took second on lap 36 and used a strong run out of turn four on the 44th lap to take the lead from Danny Lauer.
Hogge led the rest of the way to win the final race of the second annual Mike Moshier Classic.
“The top side was pretty rough but every couple of laps it would get better,” Hogge said. “I’d run low in one and two then high in three and four to clean it up. “(Lauer) was kind of a sitting duck. He drove a helluva a race.”
A wet spot on the track on turn one tuned the tide in the Sport Mod race on Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway.
Water from a crash had not yet dried when the race restarted with two laps to go and it cost Chris McKellar.
McKellar, who had led since the start, hit the wet area and got sideways. That was all the edge Nick Spainhoward needed.
Spainhoward went past on the high side and let the final two laps for his second win of the season in the second annual Mike Moshier Classic on the third-mile clay oval.
“I don’t know what to say right now, I’m almost speechless,” Spainhoward said. “I don’t know if I would have had anything for (McKellar) if the track didn’t have water down low.”
Michael Johnson also got by McKellar to finish season second with McKellar third.
“They went green with water on the track,” McKellar said. “We didn’t want to run the top, we hadn’t run there all night, so I decided to stay on the bottom.”
Brady Bell won the 20-lap Pro Stock feature.
Bell led the first lap before giving way to Lee Jensen. Bell retook the lead on lap 12 and Jensen’s engine expired in plume of smoke a few laps later.
“This race means a lot to me, a lot,” Bell said. “This is awesome.”
Bill Simkins was second, followed by Chris Smith, who wedged out Tim Randolph by inches for third.
Eric Cimental started on the pole and led all 20 laps to win the American Stock feature
“The track was perfect,” Comental said.
Dakota Brown was second, followed by Trevor Baker and Brody Schweitzer.