Silvius posts 1st feature race win at Bakersfield Speedway
BY JOE CONROY Special to The Californian
In the cleanest of the four main events Saturday night, Eric Silvius earned his first career victory at Bakersfield Speedway in the American Stocks feature race.
The 20-lap race even included a near photo finish.
Although he led for almost the entire race, Silvius needed to pass Matt Lewis at the finish line to help him earn that elusive first win.
Entering the last lap, Silvius narrowly trailed Lewis, but Silvius took advantage around turn four and snuck past to take the checkered flag.
Silvius led every lap until lap 17, when Lewis passed him on the inside of turn four.
Lewis finished second, followed by Wasco’s Marcus Wankum.
Ronny Williams started on the pole for the Dwarf Car main event and never gave up the lead, cruising for all 20 laps despite four cautions.
A caution on lap six helped Angel Figueroa close the gap, but the Las Vegas-based driver was able to hold the challenger off. When a second caution flag went up four laps later, Williams stayed in front for good, opening up a nine-car length lead.
Devlin Autry took second in the race, followed closely by Jonathan Henry.
In the Sport Mods feature race, David Childress had to hold Wayne Dotson at bay for the last 18 laps of the 25-lapper.
Childress passed Dotson on Lap 7 and held onto the lead, despite a four-car pile-up in lap 20.
The 22-car race saw three cautions in the first three laps, including two on lap one and two more on the last three laps.
Dotson was unable to finish after suffering damage to his car on Lap 24. Taylor Paddock wound up second and Bakersfield’s Randy Schweitzer finished third.
Chuck West took the checkered flag in the National Midget Racing Association’s 15-lap race.
The four-time NMRA champ overcame Scott Dobson with a deft move underneath the early leader, sliding from third to first with just five laps to go.
“That was all my fault again. Running second to Chuck is tough,” said Dobson, who finished second to West for the fourth straight time.
West Evans placed third to round out the trophy stand for that race.
Like the rest of the races, the IMCA Modified main was beset with several cautions from the outset.
But Robby Sawyer was able to weather those restarts, hanging on for 18 of 25 laps for the final victory of the night.
Sawyer, of Bakersfield, overtook Rick Childress Jr. on lap eight and held onto the lead with a death grip.
Roger Holder, also of Bakersfield, placed second and Terra Bella’s Steve Noland finished third.
