RED BLUFF, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2003) - Eleven year old Nic Helwig from Yuba City paced the final 12 rounds to win the 25 lap 125 Intermediate A Main Saturday night as the Red Bluff Indoor Winter Season for the outlaw karts opened the 2003 portion of their schedule. The win came on the night when the track awards each feature winner one year possession of a six foot tall perpetual trophy and Tyler Wolf chased Helwig at the checkered flag. Back row starter Brent Hamilton ran third ahead of Alan Ambers. Helwig is third in the point standings. After timing in fifth fast and winning his heat race, Jonny Lentz took advantage of leader Dillon Silverman tangling with a lapped kart on lap 19 and he paced the final 7 laps to win the A Main in the Box Stock division. Lentz is the son of Shasta Speedway late model star Wade Lentz and he moved into third with his win. Silverman salvaged second ahead of point leader Brian Southers and point runnerup Keith Bloom Jr. It was a big night for the Lentz team as teammate David Wilson won the 6 foot trophy in the Open Intermediate action. After racing his way into the feature with a B Main win, point title contender Casey McClain led just the final four laps to win the 25 lap Beginner Box Stock A Main. Point leader Tyler Reddick got tangled up with Nicholas Bellamy as he charged into the lead on lap 21 and McClain beat race long leader Jason Mittry to the caution flag. McClain’s win will boost him into the point lead as Reddick couldn’t continue after his crash and finished 12th. Mittry ran second ahead of Wyatt Pruitt.

Brett Miller paced 29 125 entries in time trials with a 9.020 lap as point leader Matt DiBenedetto ran a 9.032 circuit. The top four were very tight as Oregon’s Chadd Noland had a 9.034 and Wolf a 9.038. Sixth quick Ryan Gomes from McKinleyville won the dash honors over B Miller and Steven Rogers. Each of the three heat races moved three karts forward. Alan Ambers beat Cody Miller in heat 1 with younger brother Cody Ambers taking heat 2 over N Helwig. Nevada’s Tom Purcell won heat 3 with Noland second. The final five A Main contestants came from the 20 lap B Main. B Miller and DiBenedetto started front row and ran 1-2 all the way with Napa’s Richard Bailey third ahead of double division racer Hamilton. Racing his own 125 at Red Bluff for the first time, QRC All Star Tour Box Stock champion Kyle Larson picked off the final transfer spot in fifth after winning the C Main ahead of Matt Vallarino and R C Pinckney. The 25 lap A Main had to be restarted after a Rogers spin. Noland led the first lap over Gomes and Wolf with C Miller spinning for a yellow flag. Wolf got underneath Gomes for 2nd on lap 7 and Helwig was third on lap 9. DiBenedetto made a strong run from the back to 4th in ten rounds. Wolf got underneath Noland for the lead as they raced to a lap 13 yellow flag when Rogers broke and C Ambers got into the fence. Noland made an aggressive move in an attempt to regain the lead on the restart, but the contact gave Helwig the opening he needed to race into the top spot. Wolf recovered in second and both DiBenedetto and B Miller had to restart in the rear after spins. Gomes and Hamilton were now 3-4 and Hamilton took third on a lap 16 restart. Noland briefly retook third, but his kart stalled on lap 20 and he was hit by C Ambers. Helwig and Wolf ran 1-2 over the remaining rounds with Hamilton third ahead of A Ambers, Purcell, DiBenedetto and Bailey. Helwig started the night 22 points back of point leader DiBenedetto and just five behind runnerup B Miller.

For the second straight race, Dustin Jenkins ran the quickest lap in time trials for the 37 Box Stocks at 9.831. Southers was the only other entry in the 9’s at 9.963 and Derek Copeland ranked third at 10.000. Copeland won the dash honors over double division racer Kyle Larson and Southers. Jenkins suffered heavy damage in a dash incident and had to borrow a kart for the feature. They elected to transfer three out of each of four heat races. Heat winners were Lentz, Silverman, Riley Gomes and Raymond Close. Four more moved forward from the 20 lap B Main. Andy Menne led the final 9 laps to win the B Main after leaders K Larson and Brad Patchen tangled. Patchen hed led 8 laps and K Larson 3. Bloom finished second ahead of Patchen and Andrew Anderson. Cory Lyon won the C Main honors over Andrew Cumpton and David Chaves after James Crowell spun out of 2nd. The 25 lap A Main was well run with just 3 caution flags. Silverman raced into the lead over Lentz and Copeland. Seven karts tangled in turn 2 for a lap 2 yellow flag. Defending champion Derek Kennemore settled into fourth, but spun on lap 6 to move Southers and Jesse Red into the 4-5 slots. Southers moved around Copeland for third before Close spun out of the race for a lap 11 yellow flag. Bloom briefly took fifth from Red, but lost the spot back on lap 12. Bloom retook fifth on lap 17 and the final caution came when leader Silverman and B Main winner Menne tangled. Silverman drove through the incident, but lost the lead to Lentz. Lentz led the remaining six laps for the win with Silverman second ahead of Southers. Bloom got around Copeland to place 4th with Chase Hill sixth ahead of Anderson and Red. Derek Kennemore settled for 9th.

The Beginner Box Stock action had another huge 43 kart turnout with Reddick and McClain pacing time trials as usual. Reddick ran a 11.222 lap and McClain ranked second at 11.272. Tyler Seavey was close at 11.314 and Carson City’s Hunter Colodny timed fourth quick, but wasn’t allowed to race in the class. Mittry won the dash ahead of Reddick. The four heat races transferred just the top 2 as the track limits this beginner class to just 12 kart fields for their feature action. Heat winners were Reddick, Trevor Tennison, Pruitt and Nevada’s Jay Primm. McClain could only manage a third in his heat, but won the 20 lap B Main by pacing every lap. Cameron Bartlett placed second ahead of David Lee and N Bellamy. N Bellamy had won the C Main over Jonathan Hoheisel and Sean Martin. Hoheisel won the D Main honors over Braedon Enos. Steven Nelson beat Oregon visitor Natasha Kress in the E Main. Collin Burton flipped in this race, but came back to take a transfer slot with a fourth.

As usual, the Beginner Box A Main was very clean with just two yellow flags in the 25 laps. Mittry raced into the lead over Jacob Miller and T Seavey. Tennison fell from fourth with an infield excursion on lap 3. Reddick was fifth on the first lap, fourth on lap 3 and he leaped to 2nd on lap 4. N Bellamy crashed for a lap 6 yellow flag and Pruitt was third at the caution flag. McClain jumped to 4th on the restart as he charged forward from 9th starting. McClain got underneath Pruitt for third on lap 10 and Reddick began to challenge leader Mittry. As they moved into traffic with the laps winding down, McClain caught the two leaders. McClain actually moved underneath Reddick for second on lap 20, but Reddick made a strong move on the next lap to actually take the lead before getting locked up with N Bellamy. The incident ended the race for Reddick and McClain beat Mittry to the yellow flag to take the lead. McClain led the final 4 laps for the win with Mittry second over Pruitt, T Seavey, David Lee, Bartlett and Primm.

RESULTS

BEGINNER BOX STOCK
Fast Time-Tyler Reddick 11.222
Dash-Jason Mittry, Reddick, Jonathan Hoheisel.
Heat 1-Reddick, Jacob Miller, Kellcy Bell, Wesley Dougherty, Sean Martin.
Heat 2-Trevor Tennison, Mittry, Casey McClain, Jesse Taylor, Matthew Morrison.
Heat 3-Wyatt Pruitt, Tyler Seavey, David Lee, Nick Larson, Bryce Perry.
Heat 4-Jay Primm, Thomas Bellamy, Cameron Bartlett, Donnie Wonder, Kaylee Eiler. E Main-Steven Nelson, Natasha Kress, Bradley Wullenwaber, Collin Burton, Cameron Perron, Trevor Cobabe, Trevor Dorman, Keith Aton, Devin Lee.
D Main-Hoheisel, Braedon Enos, Logan Taylor, Katina Baker, Jake Back, Kress, Cyle Allison, Logan Seavey.
C Main-Nicholas Bellamy, Hoheisel, Martin, Morrison, Perry, Tristan Miller, Baker, K Eiler, Enos, Taylor.
B Main-McClain, Bartlett, David Lee, N Bellamy, Hoheisel, Wonder, Taylor, Martin, Morrison, Dougherty.
A Main-McClain, Mittry, Pruitt, T Seavey, David Lee, Bartlett, Primm, J Miller, Tennison, T Bellamy, N Bellamy, Reddick.

BOX STOCK
Fast Time-Dustin Jenkins 9.831
Dash-Derek Copeland, Kyle Larson, Brian Southers.
Heat 1-Jonny Lentz, Derek Kennemore, Jenkins, Andrew Anderson, Shane Theis.
Heat 2-Dillon Silverman, Southers, Mackena Bell, K Larson, Jennifer Purcell.
Heat 3-Riley Gomes, Copeland, Jesse Red, Dylan Greenleaf, Keith Bloom Jr.
Heat 4-Raymond Close, Doug Kennemore, Chase Hill, Brad Patchen, Robert Tophan.
C Main-Cory Lyon, Andrew Cumpton, David Chaves, Dallas Colodny, Leanna Kenyon, Jacob Park, R J Johnson, Spencer Stutesman, James Crowell, Bryanna Powers.
B Main-Andy Menne, Bloom, Patchen, Anderson, Greenleaf, Theis, Chaves, D Colodny, Shane Graham, Tophan, Lyon.
A Main-Lentz, Silverman, Southers, Bloom, Copeland, Hill, Anderson, Red, Derek Kennemore, M Bell, Patchen, Riley Gomes. Menne, Doug Kennemore, Close, Jenkins.

125 INTERMEDIATE
Fast Time-Brett Miller 9.020
Dash-Ryan Gomes, B Miller, Steven Rogers.
Heat 1-Alan Ambers, Cody Miller, Tyler Wolf, B Miller, Brent Hamilton.
Heat 2-Cody Ambers, Nic Helwig, Rogers, Michael Forslund, Richard Bailey.
Heat 3-Tom Purcell, Chadd Noland, Ryan Gomes, Derek O’Bannon, Mason Moore.
C Main-Kyle Larson, Matt Vallarino, R C Pinckney, Amanda Reinolds, Wade Kennemore, Mackena Bell, Brandey Eiler, Christopher Phillips, Lonnie Stephens, Ashley Eiler.
B Main-B Miller, Matt DiBenedetto, Bailey, Hamilton, Larson, Forslund, Moore, Nick Mathews, Reinolds, William Lyons.
A Main-N Helwig, Wolf, Hamilton, A Ambers, T Purcell, DiBenedetto, Bailey, B Miller, C Miller, Ryan Gomes, Noland, C Ambers, Larson, Rogers.