RATTLESNAKE OPENS SEASON

HOT RACING ON A COOL NIGHT AT RATTLESNAKE 2015 OPENING EVENT

FALLON (April 4) – In what’s becoming a tradition in area oval track racing, Rattlesnake Raceway opened its 2015 season Saturday of Easter weekend. Cool weather with some wind kept the air cool but the racing was hot on the track.

“I was just being patient, started 10th but knew I had a long way to go. So I picked them off when I could as I wanted to bring the car home in one piece,” Shawn Natenstedt said after winning the IMCA Main.

The action began even before the green flag when Dave Sciarroni’s car broke its driveline. That ended his night as his car was pushed back to the pits.

“I glad it broke when I was going slow rather than when I was going fast,” he said later.

Then Walter Ball’s car stalled and he needed to be push started.

When the green finally waved Zach Cail jumped into the lead which was short lived as he spun after contact with Jeff Macedo.

Right after the restart Richard Italiano spun and Cail was unable to avoid contact so hit the stalled car.

When the next attempt at a restart came Macedo was on point with Malen Gonzalez and Natenstedt right behind him.

Once again the race was held up by another car that stopped on the track. So the next attempt was done using a single file start.

Jeff Macedo (44) leads Shawn Natenstedt (1) and Malen Gonzalez (2) to one of the several restarts during the IMCA main at Rattlesnake Raceway.

It took less than two laps for Natenstedt to take the lead but one lap later Macedo stopped then needed a push into the pits as his car suffered a broken tie rod.

There would be two more cautions but on every restart Gonzalez would try and challenge Natenstedt, who just pulled away and left everyone in his dust.

The final caution came with four laps to go and in the end Natenstedt took the checkered flag followed by Gonzalez, Royce Goetz, Cail and Dustin Chastain.

Shawn Natenstedt claims the season opening IMCA feature at Rattlesnake Raceway.

Asked about the race Gonzalez said, “I had nothing for him, we were just hanging on, hoping that nothing was going to break. That mud over in the middle of Turn 3 and 4 that was a pretty wild deal there. When some of the other cars would run through it, we’d come back around it would take everybody up to the top.

“And we ran out of tear off there at the end so if we got mudded up one more time we were going to have to pull off but we’re just glad the car’s in one piece, going to work on it and going to try it next weekend.”

Then he thanked his wife, “she does all my work for me and is always there with me,” as well as his brother Jesse and cousin James. Both worked to change the car’s right rear suspension after its heat race.

Royce Goetz, who finished third said, “It was fun, we had a car but we lost all of our tear offs and we couldn’t see so we just held back a little bit but other than that the track was very fun. Down at the bottom of the track there was a whole bunch of mud and on the restarts, if you started down low and if you hit it you just roosted everybody behind you with mud. And I need to thank Auto Marine Machine.”

After having to come from the back three times and finishing fourth Cail said, “We got spun on the first lap and I had to go to the back then I had and an accident where I had no where to go and piled into Italiano, then had to go to the back and made my way to 3rd and messed up one corner and right to 4th but it ran really good. The car was really fast, really a rough track, kind of hurt my ear a little bit it was fun race.”

Then he thanked his parents and sponsors CMF Fabrication, Shelton’s Pest Management, Buehn Air Racing and those that help get him to the track.

For Natenstedt it was another good run as he is using a restrictor plate progam designed by Bob Oliver, who owns Competition Carburetion. The goal is to allow a more even playing field for a driver using an open motor rather than a crate motor.

“I really like the plate, been dialing it in for the last few races, think I’m figuring it out being able to play with the gears a little bit,” Natenstedt said. “I think I got it dialed in to where we can control the horse power and run with them crates.”

Then he thanked Competition Carburetion, S&M handyman service, Dave Sciarroni and his wife.

The largest field of the night was in the Hobby Stock class and it took four heat races to set the field. When the green waved on the main Ronny Goetz shot into the lead but a caution on lap three slowed things down when Dan Edgington limped into the pits.

Over the next few laps Goetz extended its lead but behind him Tim Wearin holding down second began to slow and later spun. Up front Dan Diaz and Goetz begin to engage in a side-by-side duel.

Dan Diaz (60) is about to pass early leader Ronny Goetz (20).

Things slowed again after Eric Taylor leaves the track and bails out due to a fire in his car. Then track’s fire truck then roars off to the pits where the crew makes short work of the fire.

By now Tony Taylor was in third behind the two leaders, Goetz and Diaz. After a few laps of the top three running nose-to-tail Taylor makes his move and grabs the lead while Goetz spun in Turn 4.

When racing resumed the order was Taylor, Diaz and Buehn holding down the top three spots. Two laps later another caution slowed the field.

When the green waved again the chase was on. Behind the leaders Chris Christiano takes over third and later Scott Tenney grabbed fourth. Up front Taylor and Diaz are engaged in their own private battle as they slice through traffic.

Dan Diaz (60) uses Rachel Gatlin (39) as a pick to take the lead from Tony Taylor (11x).

Finally Taylor was slightly held up by a lap car, Diaz sees his chance, dives inside and takes the point. Then Taylor returns the favor and once again is in the lead but starting to smoke.

At the checkered Taylor takes the victory followed by Diaz, Christiano and Tenney.

After a place swapping race with Dan Diaz, Hobby Stock winner Tony Taylor heads for the checkered flag.

Back in the pits Taylor said, “The race was very good but it’s push and shove sometimes. Diaz got in front of me and the water pump nose broke off so I had no power steering so for the last five laps just hanging on. It was 100% traffic for getting back into the lead. And I need to thank my wife Ann as well as Custom Metal Fabrication.”

Although only three Gen-X cars were on hand their main went right down to the final lap.

When the green flew veteran  Ken Crome  had the lead but not far behind was veteran Lee Ketten in his Rabbit. As the gap between them shrank there was a caution when Robert Morrow had a wall banger on the front straight but was able to continue.

On the restart Crome took the point with Ketten giving chase. Once again the gap shrank until the leaders were exiting Turn 4 and heading for the white flag.

Early Gen-X leader Ken Crome (7) is chased by Lee Ketten.

Crome went wide and gave Ketten the opportunity to slip inside and make what was the winning pass. Crome ended up second while Morrow finished a distant third.

Just before the white flag Ken Crome (7) went wide in Turn 4 allowed Lee Ketten (6x) to grab the lead and win the Gen-X feature.

Before the cars ran their main events the Northern Nevada Outlaw Karts took to their track inside the large oval. The 250s, along with one 500cc kart put on a great show of their high-speed racing and Jacob Dias won that main.

Next up was the Beginner Class, one of the largest if not the largest seen since the series began. These young racers have various experience levels so there are some fast, some slow while most are in the middle.

Early in the Beginner Outlaw Kart event Brent Rauscher (16) leads eventual winner Gauge Felzke (47).

There were several cautions but at the finish Guage Felzke came out on top. Only two box stock racers showed up and after swapping the lead Evan Rauscher was the winner.

Next race at Rattlesnake will be on April 18 with a 6 p.m. start time.

If you enjoyed this article please like and share it where ever you can. And constructive comments are always welcomed.

RESULTS

Rattlesnake Raceway – April 4

IMCA Modifieds:

+ Heat Winners – #1 Josh Ogg, #2 Shawn Natenstedt

+ Main – 1. Shawn Natenstedt, 2. Malen Gonzalez, 3. Royce Goetz, 4. Zach Cail, 5. Dustin Chastain, 6. Wade Lumsden, 7. Josh Ogg, 8. Walter Ball, 9. Chris Neal, 10. Jeff Macedo, 11. Richard Italiano, 12. Dave Sciarroni

Hobby Stocks:

+ Heat Winners – #1 Tony Taylor, #2 Cody Morris, #3 Shane Cazel, #4 Dan Edgington

+ Main – 1. Tony Taylor, 2. Dan Diaz, 3. Chris Christiano, 4. Scott Tenney, 5. Dave Ausano, 6. Dennis Buehn, 7. Shane Cazel, 8. Larry Connor, 9. Ronny Goetz, 10. Cody Morris, 11. Tami Buehn, 12. Rachel Gatlin, 13. Jeff Tuttle, 14. Eric Taylor, 15. Tim Wearin, 16. Pete Baglin, 17. Dan Edgington

Gen-X:

+ Heat Winner – Lee Ketten

+ Main – 1. Lee Ketten, 2. Kenny Crome, 3. Robert  Morrow

Northern Nevada Outlaw Karts:

+ 250cc – 1. Jacob Dias, 2. Sarah Anderson, 3. Blake Rauscher

+ Box Stock – 1. Evan Rauscher, 2. Robert  McBroome

+ Beginner* – 1. Guage Felzke, 2. Brant Rauscher, 3. Unlisted, 4. Ainsleigh Evenson, 5. Unlisted, 6. William Jardine, 7. Unlisted, 8. Hayden Leach, 9. Mallory Evenson, 10. Christian Benham, 11. Peyton Albury

* – Don’t have all the names at this time.