McKellar wins battle at Bakersfield

Modified, Northern SportMod, Results, Stock Car

Ninth starting Chris McKellar notched the Saturday Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod win at Bakersfield Speedway.  (Photo by Tom Macht, www.photofinishphotos.com)

By Ben Deatherage

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2024) – In a display of sheer determination, Chris McKellar, starting from the ninth position, clinched a thrilling victory on the last corner of the last lap in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature at Bakersfield Speedway.

After a relentless chase throughout the main event, the hometown driver, with unwavering faith in the high side, overtook the race leader to secure his first win of the season.

Markus Frazier was the dominant force for much of the race, skillfully fending off occasional challenges and striving to widen the gap from the rest of the pack. The race took a dramatic turn when the final caution was displayed, setting the stage for a thrilling four-lap shootout.

As the race neared its end, McKellar maintained a steady pace at the top of the track, while Adam Baker fiercely battled on the bottom for second place. The outcome seemed set until McKellar summoned his last burst of energy for a dramatic overtake for the lead on the final lap.

Frazier was second as Adam Baker’s brother Brian got around him late to move into third.

The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars were the other two sanctioned divisions on the card. Ricky Childress Jr. and Gavyn Manning were the winners of those two main events.

Steven Johnson led the pack in the early stages of the Stock Car finale, facing intense pressure from Tom Smith. However, Smith’s challenge was cut short when his driveline malfunctioned around the halfway mark. On the restart, Childress emerged as a new contender.

By the 14th circuit, the Bakersfield native Childress had caught up with the leader and engaged in a fierce battle. He managed to get beside Johnson but could not overtake him. On the final lap, Childress made another daring move, shooting underneath Johnson in turn three to claim victory.

Johnson was a close runner-up, followed by Justin Schweitzer in third.

Wayne Coffman set the pace early on in the Modified main, but his lead was under threat shortly afterward. It came in the form of Manning, and the Bakersfield young lion put up a strong challenge on lap three. Manning snagged the position at the line of the third circuit.

The race would go non-stop, and Manning had an incredible run as he walked away and won by over six full seconds.

Troy Morris III rallied late and put on an incredible battle with Tyler Blankenship. Morris secured the spot with a few laps left to run, while Blankenship was third.

IMCA TV affiliate Bakersfield Speedway TV  broadcast the event.

Related Articles

Feature

Bannister rallies at Bakersfield, completes sweep of IMCA Central California Clash

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (May 7, 2023) – He was the defending tour champion but Tyler Bannister admittedly went into opening night of the IMCA Central California Clash with low expectations. Four wins – the last of them best described as improbable – in as many races later, the Bakersfield driver was a repeat champion in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod portion of the tour. “Our goal had been to show up and turn laps,” said Bannister, forced into father Jason’s 2019 Victory Circle ride after totaling his own mount late last month. “I’d finished second in my only other start in that car but we struggled to do that and there were a lot of things we had to change.” “We ended up having a pretty good week,” he continued, “and to get our first wins of the season in our home state was great.” Getting his fourth win of the week, and first of 2023 at his hometown track was even better. Feature wins at Antioch Speedway, Kings Speedway and Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway … [Read More]

Events

McGowan Memorial is Saturday at Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Bakersfield Speedway returns to action this Saturday with the Richie McGowan Memorial special. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win their June 27 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot-qualifying feature. Top prize for the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods is $700. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. Grandstands remain closed and a limit of five people will be allowed into the pit area, including the driver, per race team. The event will be broadcast on pay per view. Pit passes are $35. Pill draw is $10. Information about the draw/redraw show is available on Facebook or by calling 661 393-3373.

Results

Sawyer, Forster best in IMCA fields at Bakersfield

By Ben Deatherage  BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (April 10) –  Robby Sawyer and Zack Forster bested their respective IMCA features at Bakersfield Saturday evening. In the IMCA Modified main event, the early goings were dominated by Steve Noland, who held onto first until being overtaken on the fifth lap by Troy Morris III. Morris was the lead element of the field until he was passed on the eighth circuit. The driver to do that was Sawyer.   Sawyer then began building a massive lead over the rest of the pack. The 30-lap affair would go non-stop and nothing stopped the fifth-starting Sawyer from collecting his first win of 2021. Ethan Dotson rallied from 19th starting to finish in second place while behind him, in third, was Morris. Making it an all-Bakersfield top five, Jerry Flippo crossed the wire fourth followed by Kyle Heckman in the Bill Henderson-owned entry. Cade Lewis showed the way early in the IMCA STARS Mod Lite feature. A lap one incident bunched the field and prevented Lewis from getting too far from the [Read More]

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply