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Watsonville, Ca - June
2, 2006... Less than a week after finishing a
strong second to Steve Kent at the Tribute to Gary
Patterson, Rocklin driver
Robert Ballou put it all together and
captured Friday night’s Golden State Challenge
Series event at the new Ocean Speedway. The first GSC
event at the Watsonville track since John Prentice
took over as promoter in the Winter, was enjoyed by
most as track conditions were the best seen in a
handful of years.
Ballou
started from the pole in his Gardemeyer
Finish Carpentry, THR & Sons #12 and
quickly shot to the lead off of turn four. He began to
distance himself from the field, started lapping cars
on the fourth circuit and in just a matter of laps had
multiple cars between himself and second running
Jonathan Allard of Chico. Allard, the current Golden
State Challenge Series point leader started outside
the front row and fell into line second, but had
difficulties with lapped traffic early on which
allowed Ballou to
take a commanding lead.
The action was fast and
furious on the quick 1/4 mile bullring as the Al’s
Roofing Supply 69 of Brent Kaeding, the Katie’s
Country Kitchen 0k of Dennis Moore Jr. and the
Pheasant Run Shopping Center 00 of Jason Statler put
on a torrid wheel to wheel battle for sixth as the
race wore on. Kaeding would eventually get the
position around lap 22. The first caution of the
feature was brought out by Cedar Ridge’s Carl
Droivold who came to a stop on the outside of turn
four. Ballou had a
two lap car cushion between himself and Allard for the
restart.
The restart saw Kaeding
get upside down and take a wild ride off of turns one
and two which brought out the red flag. The accident
marked the second straight dnf for the 12 time King of
California in GSC competition.
When the green flag flew
again Ballou held
the edge but Allard was able to get underneath both
lapped cars and have clear sailing towards the leader.
The dramatic finish to the race was set up when Kyle
Hirst came to a stop in turn two on lap 28 to force a
green-white-checkered restart.
Allard stuck to the rear
of Ballou when
they took the green and as Ballou
went to the bottom in turns one and two, Allard went
high to gain significant momentum heading down the
back stretch. Just a car length separated the two as
they took the Jake Vickers white flag and Allard would
rail the top side of turns one and two once again with
Ballou on the
bottom. Allard drove the GT Trends, Katie’s Country
Kitchen 0 into turn three harder than he had the whole
race and looked to have the pass made but got the
wheels up in the air and Ballou
was able to slide high and make a veteran move to shut
the door and drive on to pick up his first win of the
year.
It marks the second career
Golden State Challenge Series win for the talented 17
year old driver who has aspirations of running without
the wing in Indiana after the GSC season is concluded.
Allard gave it all he had
the last few laps but had to settle for his third
runner-up finish of the season. The great finish keeps
up his great season, however, as it marks his seventh
top five in eight starts and keeps him atop the Golden
State Challenge Series point standings.
Fresno’s Lawrence Edlund
drove the David Key Trucking, Meisner Ent. #15k to a
solid third place finish in the feature. It marks the
first top five for Edlund since winning his first
career GSC race in April of last year at Antioch
Speedway.
Fresno’s Tommy Tarlton
ended the race in fourth driving the Tachi Palace,
Tarlton and Son INC. #21. Tarlton has had a very good
start to his season having competed in three GSC
events and has scored finishes of eighth, third and
fourth.
Australian native Peter
Murphy rounded out the top five in the Redi-Green Sod
Farms, Pam Kumar Commercial Real estate 1k. It was a
good finish for Murphy in a season that’s been
filled with nothing but luck for the likable pilot.
Caruthers Garrett Ishii
led all 12 laps to capture the evening’s B-main.
Also transferring through the B-main were Brent
Kaeding, Brad Furr, Stephen Allard, Carl Droivold and
Dan Ochs.
Robert
Ballou led the whole way to win the dash
and earn the pole for the feature. Finishing behind
him were Jonathan Allard, Lawrence Edlund, Jim
Skinner, Peter Murphy, Tommy Tarlton, Jason Statler
and Dennis Moore Jr.
Heat race victories went
to Gilroy’s Jon Maiwald, San Jose’s Jeff Delte,
Hollister’s Steve Osborne and Elk Grove’s Kyle
Hirst.
Fast time was set by
Jonathan Allard for the fifth time this season. He
turned an 11:994 around the tight bullring.
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