Forsberg, DeCarlo, and Teves Have the Glue on Jake’s Hobbies Night
Another beautiful late summer evening highlighted Jake’s Performance Hobbies Night Saturday at Petaluma Speedway with the Pit Stop USA Winged 360’s in force with a fine field of 18 cars time trialing. Former track champion Bradley Terrell emerged fastest with a 12.605 fast lap. Vallejo’s Zack Lynskey and Auburn’s Andy Forsberg gathered in the pair of heat race preliminaries. Forsberg and Roberto Kirby led the field to the start of the 25 lap feature with a pair of initial starts misfiring. Through three circuits it was Forsberg over Kirby, Joe Stornetta, Billy Aton, and Jason Toft. Terrell started a march forward from his 4th row starting berth which was interrupted by an Ivan Worden flip in turn one on lap 7. Several additional cautions mid-race eliminated Aaron Miller and Trevor Schmid. By lap 10 Terrell was nipping at the heels of Stornetta as Forsberg continue to lead. A pair of Marissa Polizzi cautions on lap 10 and 17 kept the leaders out of lapped traffic. A final lap 19 caution for Kirby set up a do-or-die restart for Terrell as he blasted off in pursuit of Forsberg. Terrell came up a spot short as Forsberg notched his fourth Petaluma win of the season. Third with a determined effort was Stornetta who battled a failing mount to pick up a podium finish. Lynskey was fourth over an impressive run by rookie Riley Matson in fifth.
The Larsen Racing Products IMCA Modifieds saw multi-time track champion Michael Paul Jr. and sophomore driver Nick Viscusi cop the duo of heat races. Paul Jr. made short work of the field in the feature as he stormed to a tremendous lead by lap 13 as Nick DeCarlo was a straightaway behind fending off Oreste Gonnella. Viscusi continued his fine night as he entered the top four on lap 16. Paul Jr. was in heavy lapped traffic when Joe Carr looped on the 18th stanza. After the restart Paul Jr.’s mount stumbled mechanically as DeCarlo grabbed the point. Lap 20 saw visiting Brian Cass enter the top three. At the Scott Erwin checkered flag it was DeCarlo with an impressive 8th victory on the season over his closest points competitor Gonnella, Cass was third, Chris Compton was fourth, and Freddie Plourde fifth.
The annual Larsen Racing Products twin 25-lap Dwarf Car event saw an impressive field of 26 cars. Heat races were captured by Mark Biscari, Travis Dutra, David Teves, and Adam Teves. Justin Yanez nabbed the 8-lap semi. The first 25-lap segment got under way with Biscardi looking impressive in the lead until his motor expired on lap 10. David Teves inherited the lead on the restart as Dutra and Dave Mosier battled with Punky Pires through 20 laps. At the half-way break it was David Teves over Pires. Following the IMCA Modified race the second 25-lap segment returned to the settling Adobe surface. Mosier made a strong bid for second and displaced Pires for the spot on lap 32. A fine battle for the lead in traffic ensued now as Mosier, the man to beat at Petaluma, diced with Teves. Teves showed he was up for the challenge as he led the entire second half. Mosier was 8/10th’s of a second back with Marty Weisler, Pires, and Adam Teves completing the top five.
The Jake’s Performance Hobbies Mini Stocks saw fan favorite Snazzy Duckworth earn the heat race victory. In the 20-lap finale it was Bullet Bob Davis who battled mechanical gremlins all night but prevailed as he captured his fourth win of the season over Eden McCormick, Duckworth, Kelly Campanile, and Zack Albers.
