NNKC beats the heat for a hot day of racing at Desert Park.

STEAD (July 19) – NNKC (Northern Nevada Kart Club) staged the sixth round of its points season this weekend at Desert Park Raceway. During the mains there were some very tight races and one young driver got the thrill of his life.

When the Jr. 1 Clone event winner 11-year-old Chase Dulude pulled into the post racing weigh in he was overwhelmed with emotion and mobbed by his happy family.

“I don’t know what to say, this is the best day of my life,” he said later. “Aiden (Hawkins) passed me up the at the line then all of a sudden I noticed the Turn 1 worker waving the caution flag and I was like, ‘what the heck is going on.’ Then I get out of Turn 2 and see that Aiden is parked in the dirt and I took the lead.”

When the Jr. 1 Clone main began Dulude took off with Hawkins right behind him. The boys ran nose-to-tail for the first lap until Hawkins took the point and began to rocket away.

 

For the next several laps Hawkins left everyone in his dust with Dulude doing his best to catch him. Both boys distanced themselves from the pack.

Eventually Hawkins day finished with a blown motor and that handed Dulude a huge lead that no one had the slightest chance of overcoming.

 

When the checkered flag waved he threw up both hands in celebration. It marked the end of what has been a season of bad luck for the youngster.

“Me and my family, we’ve worked so hard for this one. Earlier this year my motor blew, we had to borrow a friend’s and I was way ahead of everybody then my chain came off in the main event,” he said. I’ve had nothing but bad luck ever since then as a loose wheel cost me even a chance at the victory in the third race and when Aiden came back he was just kicking everyone’s butt.”

This class is where these young racers develop their racing skills and they’re showing that, when the time comes, they’ll give their elders a run for their money. And at this race the class picked up two new competitors, Jason Koch and Kendra Winters, who ended up sixth and seventh.

When the Jr-2/206 main began Zachery Rivera was on point until Taylor Uchytil took the position after drafting him down the front straight. After that the chase was on as they left everyone in their dust.

Behind them Isaac Bourque and Jake Guzelis were engaged in what was a race long duel for third.

Up front Rivera, after dropping back a bit, slowly began to close the gap between him and Uchytil. After catching her, and running nose-to-tail he used the draft to take the lead back.

Uchytil keep the pressure on until the final lap or two when Rivera was able to open a small gap between them and score the victory. Behind them Bourque took third just head of Guzelis.

 

“I was just concentrating on where her slow spots were and took advantage of them,” Rivera said. “I knew she was close as I could feel it. It’s good to have that competition, felt great and it was a great, great race.”

Another close race, until the final lap and a half was the TAG Masters main event.

When the race began Randy Ryckebosch took the point but Brian Rivera used the draft to get into the lead. Behind them Dean Andrews was getting after it and moving toward the front.

Soon it was the Rivera-Andrews show as both of them left the pack and turned the race into their private battle.

 

With a lap and a half to go Rivera made a bobble at the top of the hill and for some reason Andrews, arriving just a bit later, spun ending his chances.

After the race Rivera said, “He (Andrews) was on my back bumper the whole time. The kid’s fast, this race is about TAG Masters and Randy Ryckebosch and Mike McMullen, myself and Dan Harris, we’ve had a battle all year long and this is the sixth race, this is five wins for me and I think I’ve got the championship with this win. But you’ve got to give it up to the kid, he’s fast and that says a lot about myself to beat him on a day like this so I’m just happy as the day unfolded.”

When the Senior Clone main began Joe Senna was on point with the pack not far behind. A couple of laps later Alec Baeudon and Kelsey Nelson, in her first race after having a baby this spring, held down second and third.

Nelson would take second and the chase was on as she began to reel in Senna. Soon they were engaged in a nose-to-tail duel for the lead.

 

In the end Senna scored a narrow victory over Nelson while Beaudon came home third ahead of Zack Koch.

After the race Nelson told Senna, “I couldn’t get around you.”

Then he said, “I felt her the whole time she was back there. She was racing me hard and clean and that’s a lot of fun when it’s that way. She’s amazing and can drive as good as anybody out there so it was a lot of fun.”

With only three F80 shifters on hand the group decided to make a three-wide start. When the green light went on Dan Harris jumped into the lead with Steve Dow giving chase and Jeff Wamre holding third.

 

Once Dow caught Harris it was nose-to-tail until the final laps when they spread out just a bit. At the checkered flag Harris scored the victory followed by Dow and Wamre.

Asked about the three-wide start Harris said, “We figured we had room so we’d take. I saw him (Dow) back there and knew he was there. I over heated in the second heat so was kind of taking it easy in the first half as I knew he was there but once I realized it wasn’t going to get hot again I stepped it up a little so I knew he would be able to get by me.”

Over the past years Stock Moto 125 has grown in number seven of them were on the grid. These 125 shifter karts are the fastest ones racing with NNKC and they always put on a good show.

When the green lights started their main, as they use a standing start, Alex Gray took off with Steve Down in hot pursuit. Two laps into the race and Dow used the draft to take the point.

About a lap or so later Gray returned the favor and used the draft to retake the lead. From then on it was Gray and Dow dueling for position.

 

Behind them Dennis Hill was slowly catching the lead duo as the race progressed. Eventually Gray pulled a small gap, which was enough to insure his victory over Dow and Hill, who ended up second and third.

“Steve got around me the first few laps then I just did the same thing going the other way,” Gray said later. “He passed me doing the same mistake and I passed him, wh he did the same mistake. It kind of worked out and I got the better end of that. For a second I didn’t think he was that close then I kept feeling bumps so I knew he was still there and it was fun.”

 

For most of the season young Cooper Perez has been the only Kid Kart driver. But now he’s been joined by Cory Koch driving in his first ever race.

 

As usual the club gives these racers the same laps everyone else gets. While they both took off when their main began Perez had mechanical problems and had to stop one lap from the end giving Koch the victory.

Next race for NNKC is on August 23rd.

• Fernley 95A Speedway was in action Saturday night with a full car of cars and Outlaw Karts. The IMCA feature was won by Jake Holland while Rob Grace topped the Pro Stock field and the Street Stock was won by Randy Boyd.

The full results are listed below.

OTHER RACING NEWS

• Race Promotion Monthly is a trade publication for the Short Track industry. And at the end of every season they hold meetings called the RPM Workshops.

For the past 30-years the western workshop has been held at the Eldorado Hotel and Casino and early in the year was advertised as such. However last week RPM boss Stewart Doty announced the workshop was going to be held in early November and would be in Las Vegas.

Doty cited troubles tracks in the west are having, consolidation of tracks in the Northwest as well as how getting flights into Reno has become more difficult over the past few years.

He also mentioned that two groups are competing with the workshops and need to find a venue that would attract more east coast promoters. So he moved the event up to early November when the Duel in the Desert is going to be held.

• This past weekend NASCAR’s Las Vegas trio were racing at Louden, New Hampshire. In Saturday’s Xfinish race Kyle Busch started second and finished fourth while Brendan Gaughan started 10th and ended up 11th.

In Sunday’s Sprint Cup event Kyle Busch scored his third victory in a row after starting fourth. Older brother Kurt didn’t do as well starting sixth and finishing 10th.

Kyle is on a roll but lost several races recovering from injuries in February. He needs to get into the top 30 in points to be eligible for the Chase that begins in early September.

• On Wednesday, at 6 p.m., Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the Mudsummer Classic. It’s NASCAR’s only dirt track race as the Camping World Truck series returns to Eldora Speedway.

It’s usually a wild event as the fast way around the track is for the drivers to put the right rear corner of their truck against the wall and ride it around the corners.

RESULTS

• Northern Nevada Kart Club – Round 6

Desert Park Raceway – July 19

Kid Kart: 1. Cory Koch, 2. Cooper Perez*

Jr. 1 Clone: 1. Chase Dulude, 2. Asa Gourley, 3. Heavyn Hill, 4. Brooks Anderline, 5. Austin Hawkins, 6. Jason      Koch, 7. Kendra Winters, 8. Korey Sander, 9. Aiden Hawkens*, 10. Wyatt Sander*

Jr 2/LO 206: 1. Zachery Rivera, 2. Taylor Uchytil, 3. Isaac Bourque, 4. Jake Guzelis, 5. Ethan Senna

Sr. Clone: 1. Joe Senna, 2. Kelsey Nelson, 3. Alec Beaudon, 4. Zack Koch, 5. Kelly Chinander, 6. Rick McLeod, 7. Jason Anderline, 8. Brud Beaudoin*

Tag Masters: 1. Brain Rivera, 2. Dan Harris, 3. Randy Ryckebosch, 4. Dean Andrews, 5. Mike McMullen*, 6. Zack Landry*

F-80: 1. Dan Harris, 2. Steve Dow, 3. Jeff Wamre

Stock Moto 125: 1. Alex Gray, 2. Steve Dow, 3. Dennis Hill, 4. Steve Ryckebosch, 5. Jeff Wamre, 6. Mike Ryckebosch, 7. Mike Faker

• Fernley 95A Speedway – July 18

IMCA:

Heat 1: 1. Robert Miller, 2. Royce Goetz, 3. Joel Myers, 4. Mark Skender, 5. Alec Childs

Heat 2: 1. Mike White, 2. Keith Walsh, 3. Matt Michelli, 4. Travis White, 5. James Riggs

Heat 3: 1. Rocky Goetz, 2. Jake Holland, 3. Don Childs, 4. Darren Manning, 5. Dave Sciarroni **

Main: 1. Jake Holland, 2. Joel Myers, 3. Robert Miller, 4. Royce Goetz, 5. Rocky Goetz, 6. Don Childs, 7. Keith Walsh, 8. Alec Childs, 9. Travis White, 10. Darren Manning, 11. Mark Skender, 12. Mike White, 13. James Riggs, 14. Matt Michelli, 15. Dave Sciarroni

Pro Stock:

Heat: 1. Rob Grace, 2. Gary Nevers, 3. David Rauscher, 4. Al Goss, 5. Ed Goss

Main: 1. Rob Grace, 2. Al Goss, 3. David Rauscher, 4. Gary Nevers, 5. Ed Goss

Street Stock:

Heat: 1. Rick Miller, 2. Dwight Bolton, 3. J.T. Stark, 4. Randy Boyd, 5. Jake Baker

Main: 1. Randy Boyd, 2. Jake Baker, 3. Rick Miller, 4. Dwight Bolton, 5. J.T. Stark

Dwarf Cars:

Heat 1: 1. Bobby Wilson, 2. Jeff Foster, 3. Roy Peterson, 4. Billie Canham

Heat 2: 1. Joe Frock, 2. Calvin Ryle, 3. Glenn Sciaranni

Main: 1. Joe Frock, 2. Calvin Ryle, 3. Billie Canham, 4. Glenn Sciaranni, 5. Roy Peterson, 6. Bobby Wilson, 7. Jeff Foster

Super Stock 4:

Heat: 1. Justin Busch, 2. Danielle Paine, 3. Steve Crook Sr., 4. Steve Singley, 5. Kenny Martin

Main: 1. Justin Busch, 2. Danielle Paine, 3. Steve Crook Sr., 4. Steve Singley, 5. Kenny Martin**

Pure Stock:

Heat: 1. Rick Innis, 2. Jim Paulk, 3. Trevor Quell

Main – 1. Rich Innis, 2. Jim Paulk, 3. Trevor Quell

Outlaw Karts:

Beginner:

Heat 1: 1. Carson Foster, 2. Ainsleigh Evenson, 3. Brysyn Simureal

Heat 2: 1. Gauge Felzke, 2. Temprance Sherman, 3. Mallory Evenson

Main: 1. Gauge Felzke, 2. Temporance Sherman, 3.Brysyn Simureal, 4. Mallory Evenson, 5. Ainsleigh Evenson, 6. Carson Foster

Box Stock:

Heat: 1. Robert McBroome, 2. Truckee Coclich

Main: 1. Robert McBroome, 2. Truckee Coclich