Title chase heats up

Hard-nosed racing continued Saturday as the chase for points titles hit full throttle at Rattlesnake Raceway.

Drivers in the Hobby Stock, Gen-X and Northern Nevada Outlaw Karts beginner’s division are battling for the top spot.

In the Hobby Stock class, Scott Tenney increased his points lead over Chris Christiano with a second-place finish in the main event. Tenney also won one of the two preliminary heats.

Christiano, meanwhile, took second in one of the preliminary races, but placed 11th in the main event. As a result, Shane Cazel gained ground on Christiano for second place in the points standings.

Christiano leads Cazel, 340-336, after Cazel took third in his preliminary heat and fifth in the main event.

After finishing fourth in his preliminary heat, Rocky Goetz won the main event in his second appearance of the season.

The chase for the Gen-X points title, meanwhile, is a near deadlock. Christy Rasmussen closed the gap to one point between her and Jeremy Christen after a fifth-place finish in the main event.

Christen, who leads the class with 285 points, took third in his preliminary heat, stumbled in the main event as he took seventh. Rasmussen placed fourth in her preliminary heat.

Randy Darst, meanwhile, took the checkered flag in the main event in his first Gen-X race of the season at Rattlesnake. Lee Ketten Jr. won his preliminary race, took second in the main event and sits in third place in the points standings with 228.

In a packed IMCA field, Jeff Olschowka earned a win in his preliminary heat and capped the night with a win in the main event in his third race of the season.

Robert Mull, meanwhile, continues to have a stranglehold on the points lead over Travis White, 368-271. Mull took seventh in the main event, although he placed second in his preliminary run.

White, however, finished fifth in his preliminary heat and 13th in the main event.

In the IMCA Sport Mod class, Zachary Cail continued his dominant season with wins in the preliminary and main events. In a two-car lineup, Cail bested Chris Neal in both races to extend his point lead to 98 (352-254) over Pete Olsen, who did not race.

As for the Northern Nevada Outlaw Kart races, Jensen Tenora swept the Box Stock division with a pair of wins. Tenora extended his points lead over Xavier Frock and Sarah Anderson to 274-253.

Frock took second in his preliminary run, but finished eighth in the main event. Anderson, meanwhile, was also second in her preliminary heat, but took second in the main.

Jacob Dias added three points to his overall lead in the 250s. After a second-place finish in the preliminary, Dias rebounded for a win in the main event.

Grasen Tenora took third in both heats, but trails 276-255.

In the beginner class, Hayden Leach retained his nine-point lead over Tanner Frock, 259-248. Leach was fourth in the preliminary and third in the main event. Frock took third in the preliminary and fourth in the main.

Robert McBroome, meanwhile, kept his point chances alive with a sweep of the races. Leach leads the class with 259 points followed by Frock (248) and McBroome (239).