| Kelley, Coursen, and Gough gets First Wins in 2006 at East Bay | By Larry Jewett
New winners graced Victory Lane Saturday night at East Bay Raceway Park as the 2006 season headed into the month of April.
The Open Wheel Modifieds opened the night’s racing action, presenting a field of 25 cars for the 15-lap main. Bruce Watkins jumped into the opening lap lead as previous feature winner Raymond Rogers began to move from his sixth starting position to the top three in just a few laps. Rogers slipped past Matt Miller for second and snatched the lead by the sixth lap. Watkins slowed on the track after the lead pass had been made, ending his run.
Former track champion John Bradley inherited the second spot and provided the first challenge. Bradley slipped up the track, losing ground but not position, giving Rogers breathing room. David Schmauss, J.R. Prather Jr., and Buzzie Reutimann were racing side by side near the halfway mark for a spot inside the top five. Schmauss prevailed, moving to fourth.
An inside move for Schmauss gained third with five laps to go. Miller lost the handle coming off turn four, sliding into Reutimann before spinning in the frontstetch. The mishap also collected a few other competitors and set up a short dash to the finish. Reutimann ducked under Schmauss at the charge to finish line, but Rogers was clearly on top of the field. It was Rogers’ second win, trailed by Bradley, Reutimann, Schmauss, and Prather.
Heat races were won by Bradley, Reutimann, and Jamie Burrows.
Outlaw 4 racers were back in action with Michael Gulvin winning the first heat and defending champion Chad Rose on top in the second preliminary. At the start of the 15-lap main, 20 cars took the initial green with Cecil Martin in front. Travis Varnadore shot past Steve Miller for second and Jim Coursen followed Varnadore.
Coursen made the move a lap later to gain second. Pete Grantham looked inside Varnadore for third, but Varnadore held off the challenge for a lap. Grantham got by Varnadore as Martin fell to Coursen at the head of the pack. Grantham made contact with Martin, causing contact with Varnadore and Rose, leading Rose to scrape the wall. Grantham went to the tail as Coursen led back to the restart.
Rose passed Varnadore, who held third until Alex Boerner slipped past in the late laps. Coursen stayed out front for the win, ahead of Rose, Boerner, Varnadore, and Matthew Haynes.
Late Models found the going rough as several caution flags and a red flag led to the feature race shortened due to the 30-minute time limit. The race, scheduled for 25 laps, ended up as a 17-lap main, but the outcome was clear from the start of the event. K.D. Kelley vaulted to the lead and never relinquished the top spot. Best challenges came from Bobby Alexander Sr., but Kelley hit his marks masterfully in running his line. Alexander could muster second, ahead of Jeff Mathews, Roger Crouse, and Phillip Cobb. Crouse and Ted Erskine picked up wins in the preliminaries.
Michael Tuggle made a repeat visit to the winner’s circle in the 15-lap 4 Cylinder Bomber headliner. Tuggle bested previous feature winner J.L. Moorehead. Clarence Harrell had a third place run to his credit. Kyle Eash claimed fourth with W.B. Hogwaller finishing fifth.
Ken Laramee, Bobby Miller, and Damon Pappas were winners of the heat.
Forrest Gough took an early race lead from Tim Gay and made it stick through the 15-lap feature. The passing was coming for most of the positions inside the top 10 as Jeff Mathews eased past Gay for second. A multi-car tangle blocked the race track and when the race resumed, Gay regained second as Mathews developed a flat tire. Tommy Evonosky renewed his charge in the 24-car field to take third. Heat winner Ryan Mitchell used the outside line to put on a challenge.
There was no challenge at the head of the field as Gough prevailed in the main. Evonosky and Mitchell got past Gay, who finished fourth. Bruce Harvey ran a steady race for fifth. Mathews and Evonosky joined Mitchell on the heat winners’ list.
Racing action returns to East Bay Raceway Park Saturday with a five-division program on tap, including two divisions of open wheeled Sprint Cars. Complete information is available at www.eastbayracewaypark.com.
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