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West Coast Shootout Late Models
Thunderbowl Raceway
May 1, 2010
Hogge holds off Johnson for West Coast Shootout victory at Tulare 
LMR/Scott Jackson
TULARE, Calif. (May 1) - Bobby Hogge of Salinas, CA was ready to set the record straight. On opening night of the 2010 West Coast Shootout Late Model Series campaign, Hogge struggled with mechanical issues relegating him to a dismal 18-place finish. The team limped home following their worse finish in recent memory. However, the Series returned to Thunderbowl Raceway, the scene of Hogge's forgettable season start, on Saturday night and Hogge made it clear the first visit to the 3/8-mile central California speedplant was a only a fluke. Hogge disposed of all challengers from his inside second row starting spot at the start and outran the 20-car field leading every circuit of the 30-lap contest. A late race challenge from Mike Johnson though would make it anything but easy for the 2009 DIRTcar Western All Stars champion.
Hogge jumped out to the lead from his second starting spot at the drop of the green flag out running polesitter Steve Drake into turn one. Hogge quickly pulled out to a five car length lead leaving Drake to fall in the clutches of fifth starting Johnson for second place. As Hogge sped off unchallenged, Drake and Johnson battled side by side for the runnerup spot. WCS champion Mike Kirby moved up to fourth with eighth starting Chris Shannon in tow. Hogge began lapping the field by lap 8 leaving everyone else to race for second.
The first and only yellow came at lap 11 with Hogge leading Johnson, Drake, Kirby and Chet Buckley. On the restart, Hogge again jumped to a comfortable lead. A slow car allowed Kirby and Clay Daly to sail past Drake on the high side but the central coast driver recovered and was able to re-take fifth from Daly. Mike Kirby made a bee-line towards the leaders in third.
At the races midpoint Johnson caught Hogge and the pair picked up the pace. Johnson, driving the Fringer Motorsports #7 began to seriously challenge for the lead when a red flag condition stopped the race on lap 24. The top three remained the same but Chris Shannon snuck past Drake to stake claim on the fourth position.
The restart would see Hogge and Johnson begin their chase for the checkers. Hogge would stretch it out a bit and Johnson would reel him in. Kirby couldn't keep up with the lead pair and had to fend off challenges from behind, now with Daly who moved into fourth.
On the final two rounds, Johnson would dive inside of the race long leader but Hogge would rocket off the top of the turn and lead down the straightaway. Hogge ultimately crossed the finish line a car length in front of Johnson after the two make contact exiting turn. Kirby would hang on for third followed by Daly and Buckley. Local racer Bryan Burnes would finish sixth.
"My hats of to all drivers out here, Steve Drake, Mike Johnson, Mike Kirby," said an excited winner. "Kirby won last week, I mean this is a class act. I'd like to thank Thunderbowl Raceway for having us."
"Mike had us running sacred there at the end. We were running the top and I seen a blue fender and I thought, man, I'm going to run up here for right now but the last two laps I'm going to start pinching her down. Actually coming to checkers he woke me up a little but we made it here first."
Drake, Nick Bartels, Jeff Decker and Robert Sanders rounded out the top ten main event finishers.
Kirby posted the fastest qualifying time of 16.369 followed by Johnson and Drake. Drake Hogge and Buckley each took heat race wins. Drake won the trophy dash and Sanders won the B-Main.
The next event for the West Coast Shootout Late Models is the blockbuster Memorial Day Weekend event at Santa Maria Speedway on May 29 and 30. The two-day event will offer a cool $5,000 to win.
The West Coast Shootout late model series tours southern and Central California. The series offers a minimum purse of $2000 to win and $500 to start. A $10,000 point-fund awaits the drivers of the 2010 series campaign and will include one set of Integra Double Adjustable Canister shocks and one set of circle racing wheels to be given away at the end of the year in a drawing to every racer that attends all of the west coast late model shootout races (with the exception of one throwaway race).
The West Coast Shootout Late Models are sponsored by Integra Racing Shocks, Port City, Circle Racing Wheels, West Coast Boring, Shannon Pump Co, Victory Circle Chassis, and Bakersfield Mayor Harvey H Hall.
For more information on the West Coast shootout late model series please visit
www.westcoastlatemodels.com. Or you can contact Series promoter Chris Kearns at 1-805-714-8538.
A-Main
1 3 2 Bobby Hogge Salinas, CA $2,000
2 5 7 Mike Johnson Lompoc, CA
3 4 5K Mike Kirby Torrance, CA
4 7 32B Clay Daly Bakersfield, CA
5 2 47 Chet Buckley Lompoc, CA
6 6 7B Bryan Burnes Lemoore, CA
7 1 11X Steve Drake San Luis Obispo, CA
8 14 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA
9 13 84 Jeff Decker Morgan Hill, CA
10 16 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA
11 10 5X Dino Napier Corona, CA
12 9 75 Tommy Malcolm Corona, CA
13 12 12 Ron Bartels El Segundo, CA
14 18 96 Carla Laney Torrance, CA
15 15 77C Johnny Cardoza Caruthers, CA
16 19 c4 James Cornelius Hanford, CA
17 17 77 Bill Bartels El Segundo, CA
18 20 96X Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA
19 11 8 John Lowrey Bakersfield, CA
20 8 32 Chris Shannon Merced, CA
B-Main
1 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA 2 77 Bill Bartels El Segundo, CA 3 96 Carla Laney Torrance, CA 4 c4 James Cornelius Hanford, CA 5 96X Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA 6 22G Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA 7 59 Anthony Barkett Templeton, CA dns 39 Doug Thompson Bakersfield, CA
Heat #1
1 3 11X Steve Drake San Luis Obispo, CA 2 1 5K Mike Kirby Torrance, CA 3 2 32B Clay Daly Bakersfield, CA 4 6 5X Dino Napier Corona, CA 5 4 84 Jeff Decker Morgan Hill, CA 6 5 77 Bill Bartels El Segundo, CA 7 8 96X Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA dns 7 39 Doug Thompson Bakersfield, CA
Heat #2
1 2 2 Bobby Hogge Salinas, CA 2 5 7 Mike Johnson Lompoc, CA 3 3 32 Chris Shannon Merced, CA 4 4 8 John Lowrey Bakersfield, CA 5 1 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA 6 8 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA 7 7 22G Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA 8 6 c4 James Cornelius Hanford, CA
Heat #3
1 4 47 Chet Buckley Lompoc, CA 2 3 7B Bryan Burnes Lemoore, CA 3 7 75 Tommy Malcolm Corona, CA 4 5 12 Ron Bartels El Segundo, CA 5 6 77C Johnny Cardoza Caruthers, CA 6 1 96 Carla Laney Torrance, CA 7 2 59 Anthony Barkett Templeton, CA
Qualifying Results
1 5K Mike Kirby Torrance, CA 16.369
2 7 Mike Johnson Lompoc, CA 16.385
3 11X Steve Drake San Luis Obispo, CA 16.540
4 2 Bobby Hogge Salinas, CA 16.592
5 32 Chris Shannon Merced, CA 16.625
6 8 John Lowrey Bakersfield, CA 16.808
7 32B Clay Daly Bakersfield, CA 16.841
8 27 Nick Bartels El Segundo, CA 16.933
9 47 Chet Buckley Lompoc, CA 16.990
10 5X Dino Napier Corona, CA 17.103
11 84 Jeff Decker Morgan Hill, CA 17.222
12 77 Bill Bartels El Segundo, CA 17.233
13 75 Tommy Malcolm Corona, CA 17.303
14 7B Bryan Burnes Lemoore, CA 17.449
15 10N Robert Sanders Bakersfield, CA 17.737
16 96 Carla Laney Torrance, CA 17.788
17 12 Ron Bartels El Segundo, CA 17.839
18 96X Matt Micheli Live Oak, CA 17.900
19 77C Johnny Cardoza Caruthers, CA 18.221
20 c4 James Cornelius Hanford, CA 18.276
21 22G Paul Guglielmoni Vacaville, CA 18.397
22 59 Anthony Barkett Templeton, CA 18.455
23 39 Doug Thompson Bakersfield, CA no time
24 29 Andy Obertello Hollister, CA no time
Points through Tulare race May 1st 2010:
West Coast Late Model Shootout Points as of 5-2-2010
Car Name Points Wins
1 5k Mike Kirby 627 1
2 11x Steve Drake 612 1
3 32s Chris Shannon 553
4 8 John Lowery 531
5 2H Bobby Hogge IV 528 2
6 10N Rob Sanders 524
7 27 Nick Bartels 521
8 77 Bill Bartels 513
9 12 Ron Bartels 503
10 77c Johnny Cardoza 502
11 32B Clay Daly 476
12 5x Dino Napier 461
13 96 Carla Laney 408
14 22 Jason Selvidge 402
15 18 Cody Barnett 377
16 84 Jeff Decker 340
17 7 Chris Barnett 322
18 7 Mike Johnson 308
19 29 Andy Orbertello 306
20 96x Matt Micheli 296
Thanks Ray for the Updates and Pictures!
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