Bell starts last, finishes first in Speedway Super Street feature

BY STEPHEN LYNCH Special to The Californian

Brady Bell was fast enough that he might not have needed any help to win the Super Street Stock feature race Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway. But he got some anyway.

The Bakersfield driver took advantage of a late wreck involving the first- and second-place cars to win the 20-lap race. Bell started at the tail end of the eight car field before rallying for his second win of the year.

“I was just taking my time,” Bell said. “My car was really good. I knew it was going to be up front before too long because it was working good. Too bad I couldn’t battle for the lead right there toward the end. But I still think I had the fastest car.”

Wayne Coffman led the race’s first 15 laps, but, after a long battle with Lonnie Welch, the two got together on the front stretch of the third-mile clay oval, making side contact, and spun out, allowing Brady Bell to inherit the lead. Welch rallied back from the incident to finish second.Tim Randolph was third. Chad Weber took fourth and Billy Simkins was fifth.

Nick Spainhoward out-dueled Rick Childress Jr. to win the 25-lap IMCA Sport Mod in a one lap dash to the finish. Matt Lewis and Chad Reichenbach traded the lead three times over the first six laps. But Childress got by both of them and held onto the top spot for nine laps before Spainhoward muscled inside past him on Lap 16.

The race featured eight cautions. The final one came on Lap 24, forcing Spainhoward to hold off Childress on a late restart.

Wayne Dotson was third, followed by John Piker and Michael Johnson.

“We’ve had a real good car these past few weeks and we’ve had some good luck on our side,” Spainhoward said.

Gary Spiller Jr. passed Doug Shepherd with two laps remaining to win the 20-lap Mini Stock feature.

Tori Sivesind, competing in just her second race of the year, led the first four laps. But Shepherd, who was sixth on the starting grid, whizzed past her for the pole position coming to the flag stand at the completion of Lap 5.

Shepherd led for 14 laps before late in the race Spiller powered around him on the outside, winning the race and wrestling the Mini Stocks points lead from Tina Bell.

“It feels good,” Spiller said. “I have to thank my brother Wayne very much for putting this car back together. You guys don’t understand how tore back this thing was. There was nothing left of the right rear of this car.”

Shepherd held on to finish second. Zach Boitnott was third followed by Bell, and Billy Winchester.

Sivesind lost her right rear tire mid-race and did not finish.

John Isabella of Santee narrowly held off Ronnie Williams and Ron Dunlap to win the 20-lap California Dwarf Car Racing Association main.

Isabella spun out twice during his heat race but led all 20 laps of the feature. “I felt we were pretty fast in the heat race, I just kept pushing the issue and pushing the issue,” Isabella said. “So me and my buddy Jimmy and my wife, we decided to make some decisions for the main event and the thing was just a rocket.”

Williams, the points leader, was a close second to Isabella, Dunlap third.