Woodhouse, Watson East Bay First Timers

By Larry Jewett

It was a case of persistence as two drivers were rewarded with cherished first victories in the five-division action at East Bay Raceway Park.

The program opened with Precision Kia Street Stocks and Buck Woodhouse jumped from the front row to the early race lead. The event saw its first caution when point leader Donnie reed tagged the wall and went to the pits with a flat tire. Roy Woodhouse lost a wheel on the next restart, yielding a top five spot. Buck Woodhouse kept the lead, ahead of a hard charging Eric Moon through a series of cautions. A flat tire eliminated challenger Thomas Pratt on lap nine, which proved to be the last restart. Buck Woodhouse was able to go wire-to-wire to grab the victory. Woodhouse has used steady finishes to hold a top three position in points, now adding the cherished victory. Moon claimed second, ahead of Reed, who mounted a strong charge to third. Clarence Pratt and James Hook rounded out the top five. Buck Woodhouse and Moon claimed preliminaries.

The East Bay Sprint feature got off to a rocky start when Tyler Eaton flipped in turn one after one completed lap. Eaton was unhurt, but the car was badly damaged. On the restart, Danny Martin assumed control with Stephen Darvalics slipping past Billy Boyd to give chase. With three laps to go, smoke appeared from the engine compartment of Martin’s ride and the race was slowed for a final caution for a Kurt Taylor spin. Martin had no problem bringing the car to victory, informing the crowd that a radiator hose had broken loose. Martin, who along with Rocky Sullivan claimed a heat win, notched his fourth East Bay feature. Darvalics, Boyd, Tim George and Jimmy Ballew made up the rest of the top five.

John Bradley went wire-to-wire for a convincing victory in the Q Auto & Injury Attorney Limited Late Models. Bradley had a hard charging J.R. Prather Jr. at his heels during restarts, but was able to keep the point. Shane Koperda finished third, ahead of point leader Forrest Gough, who brought home a badly beaten race car. Dan Darnell took fifth. Darnell, Gough and William Hampton started the night with heat wins.

“I knew they were nipping at me. I feel like I just won the Daytona 500,” said Racecar Engineering Late Model winner Doug Watson. In his first Victory Lane celebration, Watson was all smiles, rewarded for a well-driven race. Watson had to hold off none other than point leader Bryan Bernhardt to get that victory, but hit his marks every lap to make it happen. Phillip Cobb was third with Paul Gibbs fourth and Ted Erskine fifth. Bernhardt and Steve Mathis won their eight-lap heats.

A field of 37 cars presented for three heats in the motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers. Heats were won by Jimmy Williams, Richard Humfeld and Bailey Purcell. A B feature, won by Thomas Burnside, brought three more cars to the 24-car, 15-lap A main. Mathew Odell capitalized on a front row starting spot to record his second feature win. Johnnie Alexander charged to second from an 11th starting post. George Handy was third, ahead of Purcell and Henry Burnside. The race saw only five cars eliminated from start to finish.

ASA sanctioned racing returns to East Bay Raceway Park on Saturday, November 27, 2010. The Top Gun Sprints return, along with the Florida Mini Sprints, Q Auto & Injury Attorney Limited Late Models, Precision Kia Street Stocks and motorstats.com 4 Cylinder Bombers. For more information, go to www.eastbayracewaypark.com or call the track office.