Kole Raz Grabs First SRL Victory at CNS
admin2024-08-19T12:31:43-07:00Kole Raz Grabs First SRL Victory at CNS
Bakersfield, CA – Kole Raz has been close to winning in both the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series as well as the Northwest Super Late Model Series for several years. But despite multiple big money wins, he had yet to experience the sweet taste of victory in either series. Saturday night, that winning experience came to fruition at Colorado National Speedway, winning the “Salted Metals Architectural Metals 150″ at the 3/8-mile oval in Dacono, CO. The win was worth $10,000 and added to an already growing resume.
“Well, it’s nice to finally get the monkey off our back in the “Tour”, Raz exclaimed! “We have been close a lot of times, and something would come up and obviously we weren’t good enough to get one. It all comes down to the core group we have with Jeff Jefferson and Port City Racecars with Gary Crooks. There are three Port Cities here in the top five, and that is pretty incredible for what he has been doing. I’m really proud of all my partners, Apache Rental Group being the biggest one for me. It just feels da.. good to finally get one.”
Raz began the evening earning the RaceCalsFast Time Award, over a field of 19 Super Late Models. He was the only driver in the 15 second bracket with a lap of 14.903 seconds. Championship leader Buddy Shepherd clocked in second with Tennessee visitor Dawson Sutton in the top three. Dylan Zampa and Blaine Rocha rounded out the top five, with Michael Scott the top local racer in sixth. Darren Robertson and Brett Yackey rounded out the redraw participants.
Scott put his fortune to good use, drawing the number one pill with Blane Rocha alongside. Raz would pull the #3 with Darren Robetson to his outside. Sutton and Yackey made up row three with Shepherd and Zampa in row four. Scott got the jump at the start with Raz under Rocha to grab P2. On lap 11, Raz worked his way to the inside of Scott, emerging with the lead on lap 12.
The first caution of the night came out on lap 32, when Steve Mills went around in Turn 3, with Shepherd up to fourth. The restart saw Zampa around Shepherd as they battled behind Raz, Scott and Rocha. Zampa began pressuring Rocha and cleared the two-time winner on lap 49 after an extended battle. Shepherd would drop Rocha to fifth two laps later. It took Shepherd four more laps to grab third from Zampa and Sutton got by both Zampa and Rocha, as they battled for position on lap 62, with Rocha dropping Zampa out of the top five a lap later.
As the field ran to the scheduled lap 75 break Raz, led Scott, Shepherd, Sutton, Rocha, Robertson, Brett Yackey, and a fading Zampa. Round 2 found Shepherd powering past Scott after the restart, but 10 laps later, Scott grabbed the spot back using the upper third groove, before Scott Sanchez stalled on the backstretch to cause a yellow on lap 86. The restart saw Sutton get by Shepherd in the outer groove before contact between Bruce Yackey and Cassidy Hinds brought out the caution again on lap 89. The restart found the top four racing side by side before Raz cleared Scott and Sutton finally cleared Shepherd.
Sutton began pressuring Scott for the runner-up position on lap 102, ducking to the inside. Sutton finally secured the position on lap 109 and took up the chase of Raz. The action cooled on lap 118, when Zampa was sent spinning off the bumper of Brian Yackey, who was making his first SRL start. Raz led Sutton, Scott, Shepherd, Rocha, and Brett Yackey at that time. The restart saw Shepherd grab the three spot from Scott, with Rocha also dispatching the suddenly struggling Scott. But action was once again slowed, when Zampa went around again, the victim of a flat tire on lap 119.
The restart saw some wild action, racing for the fourth position. Scott grabbed the spot back from Rocha, but as the duo raced for the position, Brett Yackey took advantage grabbing the position in a three-wide move. On lap 124, Rocha got back by Scott to settle into fifth, as Nickolas Cooper emerged to battle with Scott for sixth, dispatching the early race leader a couple of rounds later. As the top four were evenly spaced, Cooper went to work on Rocha, as the duo raced side by side for nearly 20 laps.
As the laps wound down, Rocha fought off Cooper, as Sutton began to close on Raz. But with five laps to go, his advancement stalled out, and Raz took the checkered flag for the $10,000 victory. Sutton would come home second with Shepherd a solid third. Brett Yackey grabbed his first series top five in fourth, with Rocha the final top five finisher. The top 10 was rounded out by Brian Yackey, Cooper, Cody Dempster, Ethan Hunter, and Cale Kanke.
After the finish, Raz recalled his strategy that led to his first series victory.
“For the majority of it we were riding”, Raz recalled of his effort. “We would build a gap and then try to manage that. The 82 (Michael Scott) went pretty hard there before the halfway break and I wanted to stay in the lead there obviously. We tried to pick up the pace a little bit without hurting our stuff. And then we had to go another 75 laps. The 26 (Dawson Sutton) was pretty good at the end, so he kept me pretty honest. I was just thankful we had enough tire left there to get the job done.”
On Thursday morning of race week, it would have been hard for Dawson Sutton to imagine being on the podium in Colorado. But a postponement due to rain saw the Rackley War Racing team hook a left and head west to “The Centennial State”.
“It was a pretty crazy weekend overall”, Sutton explained about their decision to race at CNS. “We were on our way to Owosso Speedway (MI) for the ASA Stars race, and it was postponed due to the rain. So, we really just made a last second decision to come out here to Colorado and to our first Spears race, and it has just been a good weekend overall. I feel like I’ve learned so much, and it was a great racetrack tonight with lots of fans. Overall, it was just a really good weekend, and I’m really excited that I came away with a clean car, and I’m ready to go for next weekend.”
Sutton started the feature event in the fifth position, after the redraw. The plan was to save tires over the course of the event, but he didn’t quite have enough for Raz at the end.
“It is definitely one of those rougher racetracks that are pretty abrasive”, Sutton explained. “We have never been here, so we tried to keep the tires on it for most of the race and tried to go there at the end. It is a very racy racetrack, and people could move around a lot. I feel like we saved really well, but overall, the 27 (Raz) was just a little faster tonight.”
Buddy Shepherd entered the “Salted Architectural Metals 150” as the championship leader. But the Bakersfield, CA driver was making his first trip to the facility with a small crew, making the four-time SRL winner take on the underdog role. But Shepherd was fast out of the gate in practice, before the tires and track threw the team for a loop, and an eventual third place result.
“We were really, really fast off the trailer for my first time here, and all my guys first time here”, Shepherd began. “I had a really good car in practice. As soon as we started to put tires on this thing, we couldn’t keep up with the tires growing and shrinking. Our two practice sets, the stagger was opening up and our race set the stagger closed ¾ of an inch. We didn’t have the right stagger at the break, and it bit us at the end.”
After the redraw, Shepherd started the 150 lapper in the seventh position. He ran as high as second but bounced around in the top five the rest of the event. As the stagger closed up, he found his best opportunity for advancement was on restarts, especially with the changing track conditions, as the three-time Madera Speedway Pro Late Model track champion admitted.
“I was just trying to make the most of each of the restarts. I was good for about three laps after a restart, five laps max. Then the line moved up after the halfway break and that was fun because I was already plowing tight, so that made it a little more enjoyable for me. I knew I wasn’t going to be close to winning it tonight. My guys worked hard all weekend. I was trying to do tires, trying to make changes, trying to race the car, and it just didn’t work out for us this weekend.”
The next event for the Spears SRL Southwest Tour is a return to Redwood Acres Raceway(CA), after the event was postponed due to the Northern California fires. The “JM Environmental Wild West Shootout – Money Talks 127’ presented by Big Valley Sanitation” will pay $15,000 to the winner and will take place on August 31st. The Spears Modified Series will join the action with their second inaugural event of the 2024 season.
Results: 1. Kole Raz, 2. Dawson Sutton, 3. Buddy Shepherd, 4. Brett Yackey, 5. Blaine Rocha, 6. Brian Yackey, 7. Nick Cooper, 8. Cody Dempster*, 9. Ethan Hunter, 10. Cale Kanke, 11. Cassidy Hinds*, 12. Michael Scott, 13. Dylan Zampa, 14. Darrin Robertson, 15. Bruce Yackey,16. Scott Sanchez, 17. Chris Eggleston, 18. Wes Burton, 19. Stephen Mills
Celebrating its twenty fourth season in 2024, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race”.
Story, PC: K. Peters, SRL Media
Bakersfield, CA – Kole Raz has been close to winning in both the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series as well as the Northwest Super Late Model Series for several years. But despite multiple big money wins, he had yet to experience the sweet taste of victory in either series. Saturday night, that winning experience came to fruition at Colorado National Speedway, winning the “Salted Metals Architectural Metals 150″ at the 3/8-mile oval in Dacono, CO. The win was worth $10,000 and added to an already growing resume.
“Well, it’s nice to finally get the monkey off our back in the “Tour”, Raz exclaimed! “We have been close a lot of times, and something would come up and obviously we weren’t good enough to get one. It all comes down to the core group we have with Jeff Jefferson and Port City Racecars with Gary Crooks. There are three Port Cities here in the top five, and that is pretty incredible for what he has been doing. I’m really proud of all my partners, Apache Rental Group being the biggest one for me. It just feels da.. good to finally get one.”
Raz began the evening earning the RaceCalsFast Time Award, over a field of 19 Super Late Models. He was the only driver in the 15 second bracket with a lap of 14.903 seconds. Championship leader Buddy Shepherd clocked in second with Tennessee visitor Dawson Sutton in the top three. Dylan Zampa and Blaine Rocha rounded out the top five, with Michael Scott the top local racer in sixth. Darren Robertson and Brett Yackey rounded out the redraw participants.
Scott put his fortune to good use, drawing the number one pill with Blane Rocha alongside. Raz would pull the #3 with Darren Robetson to his outside. Sutton and Yackey made up row three with Shepherd and Zampa in row four. Scott got the jump at the start with Raz under Rocha to grab P2. On lap 11, Raz worked his way to the inside of Scott, emerging with the lead on lap 12.
The first caution of the night came out on lap 32, when Steve Mills went around in Turn 3, with Shepherd up to fourth. The restart saw Zampa around Shepherd as they battled behind Raz, Scott and Rocha. Zampa began pressuring Rocha and cleared the two-time winner on lap 49 after an extended battle. Shepherd would drop Rocha to fifth two laps later. It took Shepherd four more laps to grab third from Zampa and Sutton got by both Zampa and Rocha, as they battled for position on lap 62, with Rocha dropping Zampa out of the top five a lap later.
As the field ran to the scheduled lap 75 break Raz, led Scott, Shepherd, Sutton, Rocha, Robertson, Brett Yackey, and a fading Zampa. Round 2 found Shepherd powering past Scott after the restart, but 10 laps later, Scott grabbed the spot back using the upper third groove, before Scott Sanchez stalled on the backstretch to cause a yellow on lap 86. The restart saw Sutton get by Shepherd in the outer groove before contact between Bruce Yackey and Cassidy Hinds brought out the caution again on lap 89. The restart found the top four racing side by side before Raz cleared Scott and Sutton finally cleared Shepherd.
Sutton began pressuring Scott for the runner-up position on lap 102, ducking to the inside. Sutton finally secured the position on lap 109 and took up the chase of Raz. The action cooled on lap 118, when Zampa was sent spinning off the bumper of Brian Yackey, who was making his first SRL start. Raz led Sutton, Scott, Shepherd, Rocha, and Brett Yackey at that time. The restart saw Shepherd grab the three spot from Scott, with Rocha also dispatching the suddenly struggling Scott. But action was once again slowed, when Zampa went around again, the victim of a flat tire on lap 119.
The restart saw some wild action, racing for the fourth position. Scott grabbed the spot back from Rocha, but as the duo raced for the position, Brett Yackey took advantage grabbing the position in a three-wide move. On lap 124, Rocha got back by Scott to settle into fifth, as Nickolas Cooper emerged to battle with Scott for sixth, dispatching the early race leader a couple of rounds later. As the top four were evenly spaced, Cooper went to work on Rocha, as the duo raced side by side for nearly 20 laps.
As the laps wound down, Rocha fought off Cooper, as Sutton began to close on Raz. But with five laps to go, his advancement stalled out, and Raz took the checkered flag for the $10,000 victory. Sutton would come home second with Shepherd a solid third. Brett Yackey grabbed his first series top five in fourth, with Rocha the final top five finisher. The top 10 was rounded out by Brian Yackey, Cooper, Cody Dempster, Ethan Hunter, and Cale Kanke.
After the finish, Raz recalled his strategy that led to his first series victory.
“For the majority of it we were riding”, Raz recalled of his effort. “We would build a gap and then try to manage that. The 82 (Michael Scott) went pretty hard there before the halfway break and I wanted to stay in the lead there obviously. We tried to pick up the pace a little bit without hurting our stuff. And then we had to go another 75 laps. The 26 (Dawson Sutton) was pretty good at the end, so he kept me pretty honest. I was just thankful we had enough tire left there to get the job done.”
On Thursday morning of race week, it would have been hard for Dawson Sutton to imagine being on the podium in Colorado. But a postponement due to rain saw the Rackley War Racing team hook a left and head west to “The Centennial State”.
“It was a pretty crazy weekend overall”, Sutton explained about their decision to race at CNS. “We were on our way to Owosso Speedway (MI) for the ASA Stars race, and it was postponed due to the rain. So, we really just made a last second decision to come out here to Colorado and to our first Spears race, and it has just been a good weekend overall. I feel like I’ve learned so much, and it was a great racetrack tonight with lots of fans. Overall, it was just a really good weekend, and I’m really excited that I came away with a clean car, and I’m ready to go for next weekend.”
Sutton started the feature event in the fifth position, after the redraw. The plan was to save tires over the course of the event, but he didn’t quite have enough for Raz at the end.
“It is definitely one of those rougher racetracks that are pretty abrasive”, Sutton explained. “We have never been here, so we tried to keep the tires on it for most of the race and tried to go there at the end. It is a very racy racetrack, and people could move around a lot. I feel like we saved really well, but overall, the 27 (Raz) was just a little faster tonight.”
Buddy Shepherd entered the “Salted Architectural Metals 150” as the championship leader. But the Bakersfield, CA driver was making his first trip to the facility with a small crew, making the four-time SRL winner take on the underdog role. But Shepherd was fast out of the gate in practice, before the tires and track threw the team for a loop, and an eventual third place result.
“We were really, really fast off the trailer for my first time here, and all my guys first time here”, Shepherd began. “I had a really good car in practice. As soon as we started to put tires on this thing, we couldn’t keep up with the tires growing and shrinking. Our two practice sets, the stagger was opening up and our race set the stagger closed ¾ of an inch. We didn’t have the right stagger at the break, and it bit us at the end.”
After the redraw, Shepherd started the 150 lapper in the seventh position. He ran as high as second but bounced around in the top five the rest of the event. As the stagger closed up, he found his best opportunity for advancement was on restarts, especially with the changing track conditions, as the three-time Madera Speedway Pro Late Model track champion admitted.
“I was just trying to make the most of each of the restarts. I was good for about three laps after a restart, five laps max. Then the line moved up after the halfway break and that was fun because I was already plowing tight, so that made it a little more enjoyable for me. I knew I wasn’t going to be close to winning it tonight. My guys worked hard all weekend. I was trying to do tires, trying to make changes, trying to race the car, and it just didn’t work out for us this weekend.”
The next event for the Spears SRL Southwest Tour is a return to Redwood Acres Raceway(CA), after the event was postponed due to the Northern California fires. The “JM Environmental Wild West Shootout – Money Talks 127’ presented by Big Valley Sanitation” will pay $15,000 to the winner and will take place on August 31st. The Spears Modified Series will join the action with their second inaugural event of the 2024 season.
Results: 1. Kole Raz, 2. Dawson Sutton, 3. Buddy Shepherd, 4. Brett Yackey, 5. Blaine Rocha, 6. Brian Yackey, 7. Nick Cooper, 8. Cody Dempster*, 9. Ethan Hunter, 10. Cale Kanke, 11. Cassidy Hinds*, 12. Michael Scott, 13. Dylan Zampa, 14. Darrin Robertson, 15. Bruce Yackey,16. Scott Sanchez, 17. Chris Eggleston, 18. Wes Burton, 19. Stephen Mills
Celebrating its twenty fourth season in 2024, the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series is a regional stock car series competing on paved ovals in the southwestern portion of the U.S. “The SPEARS Southwest Tour Series…Where the Champions Race”.
Story, PC: K. Peters, SRL Media
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