|
ROOKIE’S RULE SCRA OPENER
By Dan Fleisher
Despite all the “hoopla” surrounding seasoned veterans Davey Pombo, Rusty Carlile, Richard Harvey Jr. and defending series champion Jonathan Logan, it was the rookie crop of drivers that dominated the SCRA opening Sprint car race of the season at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Ca.
Ryan Kaplan, a standout USAC Midget driver, made his Sprint car debut a rousing success as he ran off with the evening’s top honors, capturing the 30-lap main event and the Trophy Dash. Driving for owner Ricky Williams, Kaplan started from the pole and literally ran off and hid from the imposing field, lapping up to sixth-place finisher Dean “Kiwi” Alexander. Veteran Pombo, whose success at Kings Speedway is legendary, finished a distant second, followed by Carlile, Peter Murphy, Jeff Gardner and Harvey Jr.
The best battle of the evening involved Harvey Jr., now behind the wheel of the former Chad Boespflug #98 machine, and Alexander (another rookie driver) who battle side-by-side for 10 exciting laps before the veteran Harvey prevailed.
Earlier in the evening, 16-year-old rookie sensation Justyne Hamlin shocked everyone when she recorded quick time with a clocking of 15.55 on the super-fast, smooth 3/8th-mile clay track. Heat winners included Murphy, Pombo and Daniel Hood.
|
|
