IT’S HIRST AGAIN, THIS TIME AT PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY

IT’S HIRST AGAIN, THIS TIME AT PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY
July 1, 2018
Jim Allen

6/30/18 – By Jim Allen – Placerville, CA … Championship point leader Kyle Hirst continued his dominance of the King of the West-NARC victory lane with yet another impressive performance during Saturday’s fast-paced 30-lap Fujitsu-sponsored sprint car headliner at Placerville Speedway.

It was Hirst fifth win in 10 King of the West-NARC events this season aboard Dennis & Teresa Roth’s potent Roth Investments 25th Anniversary KPC sprint car. Hirst also earned the ARP Fast Qualifier award for the seventh time.

Sixteen year old Buddy Kofoid set the standard from the pole position, surviving five caution flags in the early going and a constant barrage of mid-race attacks by Hirst. The pair zigged and zagged frantically through lap traffic with Hirst shadowing his every move for the first half of the race.

With heavy traffic slowing the leaders progress, Hirst closed in nose-to-tail with the leader exiting turn four on lap 16, and then motored past Kofoid on the backstretch on 17th circuit to take a lead he would not relinquish the remaining distance.

“Buddy was running a pretty good race and lap traffic made it interesting,” admitted Hirst in victory lane. “However, the Roth Motorsports team gave me another excellent handling car to drive tonight. I just kept running high up on the curb and waited for the opportunity to get out front.”

Once Hirst took the point, the battles for the remaining podium positions were worth the price of admission. Kofoid, Shane Golobic and Bud Kaeding dueled wheel to wheel running multiple lines on the quarter miler. Golobic got past Kofoid to take the runner-up spot in the Tarlton Motorsports KPC on the 26th circuit. Kaeding also got around Kofoid with about a mile to go, and then managed to narrowly slip past Golobic on the white flag lap to secure second at the checkered. Kaeding was driving the Morrie Williams-owned Alviso Rock Maxim. Golobic came home third.

Justin Sanders drove past Kofoid on the final circuit to secure fourth in the Clayton Snow number 7. Kofoid rounded out the top five aboard the Mark Moore-owned Maxim.

The rest of the top 10 included Tanner Thorson, 11th starter Chase Johnson, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker and Australian driver Marcus Dumesny. The Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award went to Dumesny, who started 16th.

RACE RESULTS:

KWS-NARC Fujitsu Feature Event (30 laps): Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Justin Sanders, Michael Kofoid, Tanner Thorson, Chase Johnson, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Becker, Marcus Dumesny, Willie Croft, Tim Kaeding, Colby Copeland, Sean Watts, Andy Forsberg, Dustin Golobic, Matt Dumesny, Nathan Rolfe, Richard Brace Jr., John Clark, Jenna Frazier, CJ Humphries, Bobby McMahan

Lap Leaders: Michael Kofoid 1-16, Hirst 17-30

ARP Fast Qualifier (1/4 mile clay oval – 24 cars): Kyle Hirst – 10.757 seconds

Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat One (10 laps): Justin Sanders, Chase Johnson, Kyle Hirst, Matt Dumesny, Colby Copeland, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, CJ Humphries

Hydrochem PSC Heat Two (10 laps): Michael Kofoid, Sean Becker, Andy Forsberg, Marcus Dumesny, Tanner Thorson, Sean Watts, Nathan Rolfe, John Clark.

The Cushion Heat Three (10 laps): Bobby McMahan, Mitchell Faccinto, Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, Tim Kaeding, Dustin Golobic, Richard Brace Jr., Jenna Frazier

Sunnyvalley “Powered by Bacon” Dash (6 laps): Michael Kofoid, Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Justin Sanders, Sean Becker, Willie Croft