ANDERSON, Calif. - Carson City area drivers were poised to once again make their mark at Shasta Speedway this past weekend. It's just that a couple of glitches held them back.
With a healthy reputation for being good drivers and great sportsmen - both on and off the field - six out of eight drivers making the trip were in the street stock main event.
Craig Paulsen recorded the fast time of the 40 cars attempting to make the field, while Mike Millard and Chet Danburg all made the top-10 in qualifying.
Other drivers include Dean Heller, C.J. Bawden, Brian Colodny, Gary Chandler, Scott Bohemier and Al Goss. Goss burned a piston in practice Saturday and withdrew from competition.
Also, Shane Kline attempted to field cars in the Legends and tour car classes.
The top-4 finishing positions from each 15-lap heat race automatically transferred to the A main event. Those finishing fifth-through-ninth, were sent to the B-main in hopes of making one of the four remaining starting spots. Paulsen, Danburg, Bohemier and Millard all made the first round of transfers. Colodny and Bawden finished in the top-four of the B-main, earning transfers. Heller and Chandler did not make the show.
Heller was turned sideways and hit in the left front by a passing car in his heat race, causing severe damage.
The street stock main event was scheduled to be a 50-lap feature. Due to continuous cautions in earlier transfer races of the modified division (which had 62 entries), the street stock class race was cut by 10 laps. Drivers were not notified of this change until they pulled on the track for their main event. The street stock was also the only main event cut to accommodate the lateness of the schedule.
"We didn't know until we pulled on the track the race had been shortened," said Danburg, who finished sixth. "I just couldn't get a lucky break."
Had the information been given before the race, the drivers unanimously voiced their game plan would have been different. Drivers running the middle or high lines on the racetrack were sent sliding and spinning due to excess buildup of spent rubber from the tires.
The top-six time qualifying drivers drew numbers from a hat for starting positions. Danburg grabbed the pole position, followed by Millard on the outside, Todd Carmichael inside row 2, Paulsen on the outside, Mark Tustin inside row 3 and Cory Treadway outside. Bohemier started 15th, Bawden 22nd and Colodny 23rd.
At the start of the race, Danburg was quickly pushed to the outside by Carmichael, then got bumped by Treadway, losing five spots in the process. Danburg held on in the middle line until lap 3 when a spin in turn 1/2 caused the field to slow, and he was passed by several cars putting him back to 12th.
On the restart, Carmichael held the lead with Paulsen running a consistent four-car length behind. As Danburg was inching his way back into the top-10, Colodny and Bawden were making their way to front.
"I know if we had that full 50-lap race like it was supposed to be, I would have been top-5," said Bawden, who finished in an "unofficial" 9th position. "That was a real bummer we got cheated like that. The whole race would have been different."
Paulsen was making a strong move on Carmichael, closing the gap to within a few feet when the checkered flag dropped. Both Millard and Bohemier left the race mid-way with blown motors.
The track was using as new transponder scoring system, which through a small transmitter, records electronically the finishing position of each car on the track. It was recording about 80 percent of racing action on Saturday.
Results were not made available Sunday after the completion of all races. As of press time Monday, results were still not made official. Unofficially, Paulsen finished second, Danburg sixth, Bawden ninth and Colodny 12th.
Kline was 12th fast in the 34-car field of late models, but hit the wall hard on the start of his heat race, causing heavy damage to the right front putting him out of competition. He also withdrew from the Legends main event.