SANDERS DOMINATES PLACERVILLE FUJITSU NATIONALS
July 28, 2018
Jim Allen
(7/28/18 Placerville, CA – Jim Allen) … Justin Sanders jumped into a new ride and turned in a dominating sprint car performance to capture Saturday’s fast paced 30-lap King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Summer Nationals main event at Placerville Speedway.
It was a sweet victory for Sanders, who was subbing for regular driver Tanner Thorson who was competing at a NASCAR truck race at Pocono. Sanders made the most of his opportunity, bolting his seat in the Clyde Lamar-owned, Lee Lindgren-wrenched, Tri-C/Amsoil-sponsored Spike sprint car. He set quick time and led the entire distance in the feature to score his second KWS-NARC victory of the season. It was the first for Lamar.
“The Tri-C team gave me a great race car that I could run just about anywhere I needed,” said a happy Sanders in victory lane. “I also knew that I had Shane (Golobic) and (Bud) Kaeding back there so I wasn’t letting up.”
Sanders won a no holds barred drag race into the first corner with dash winner Colby Copeland on the initial green and exited out of turn two with the point. Copeland stayed within striking distance for a few laps, but Sanders was in a class of his own. The first 20-laps ran non-stop and Sanders quickly established a three-lapped car interference over his closest competitor.
Fourth starter Shane Golobic got around Copeland powering out of the fourth turn on lap seven and attempted to reel in the leader. However, with the leader slicing and dicing flawlessly through traffic, Golobic had his hands full just trying to stay in the same time zone.
The caution flag came out on lap 20 for a spun car, again on the restart when DJ Netto got upside down in turn three, and once again when Nathan Rolfe tangled with another car and ended up on his lid. Nobody was hurt in the incidents.
That set the stage for Golobic to possibly mount a challenge on each restart, but Sanders took no prisoners and cruised to the victory. Golobic secured second place money in the Tarlton Motorsports Tachi Casino KPC. Copeland, piloting Larry Antaya’s Fuel Curve Maxim, held off a flurry of late race challenges by Kaeding and King of the West-NARC point leader Kyle Hirst to finish in the show position.
Hirst, who started 10th in the Roth Motorsports KPC, got around Kaeding with two miles remaining and finished fourth. Kaeding rounded out the top five in the Williams Motorsports Alviso Rock Maxim. Veteran racer Bobby McMahan earned a season best sixth place finish.
Chase Johnson, 13th starter Sean Becker, Australian Marcus Dumesny, and semi-transfer Jason Statler rounded out the top 10. Blake Carrick earned the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award, finishing 15th after starting on the outside of the 11th row.
Tanner Carrick captured the 12-lap Last Chance Semi.