Hogge IV wins four times at Bud Nationals

BY MIKE GRIFFITH The Bakersfield Californian mgriffith@bakersfield.com

While there was plenty of cash on the line for winners of feature races during the season-ending Bud Nationals at Bakersfield Speedway, every winner also received a coveted Budweiser guitar as a trophy.

Eight were handed out over two days of racing, five of Saturday night.

Remarkably, Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, went home with four of them.

Hogge won the Modified and Late Model features on Friday night then doubled down Saturday night, winning both of them again.

“I don’t think it’s even all sent in, just what we did,” Hogge said moments after leading all 50 laps in Saturday night’s Late Model feature. ‘I mean, there’s some great racers out here. I had a good starting spot for this Late Model race tonight (outside front row) but we earned it in the heat race (as) we came back from a pretty poor qualifying time. Hats off to the whole racing team.”

Hogge shot into the lead at the drop of the green flag and was more than a full straightaway ahead his nearest competitor by the midway point.

A caution on lap 35 tightened the the field and Steve Drake moved into second a lap later and looked prime to make a run at Hogge following another caution on lap 38.

But Hogge simply pulled away from Drake, cruising to a $3,000 payday and an $8,000 weekend.

“The track was typical Bakersfield tonight which I love,” he said. “Started picking up speed about half-way though and I was really glad I was in the lead then (cause) it started taking a little rubber through the middle. At the end there I just tried to make sure not to spin the tires too much.”

Drake finished second, followed by Cody Laney, Andy Obertello and Nick Bartels.

In the Modified feature, Hogge appeared to be headed toward a second-place finish until Daylan Coffee, who had led every lap, bobbled in turn four following a restart on Lap 38.