Millard pulls Outlaw Kart hat trick

A number of QRC Cup competitors stuck around to join local Outlaw Kart racers for a non-points race at Thunder Bowl Speedway Sunday evening.

All entry fees were paid back as purse money, so there was some incentive to do well.

Mason Millard of Carson City pulled a hat trick in the Beginner Box Stock division, but only with a bit of luck. Dominant in both heats, Millard fell to second in the main when California racer Cameron Young finally got his kart up to speed and took a commanding lead.

Fortunately for Millard, Young spun all by himself two laps from the end, bringing out the caution and sending him to the back of the pack. Young couldn't recover on the restart, and Millard went on to take the checker and the purse money ahead of Dayne Devlin and Young.

Carson City's Zachary Heinz made it look easy as he threaded his way through traffic to take a wire-to-wire victory in the Box Stock division.

The win almost made up for a disappointing performance in the previous night's race when a loose carburetor bolt robbed him of the power he needed to win.

In a race that ran green most of the way, Heinz was never seriously challenged, but lapped traffic definitely played a role in the finishing positions behind him. After trailing California hot shoe Casey McClain the entire race, Minden's Tanner Thorson took advantage of traffic to grab second-place coming off the last turn on the final lap. McClain finished third with Carson City's Blayke Olson fourth and Zach Kisman of Reno fifth. Jay Primm of Carson City was sixth, the last kart on the lead lap.

Heinz and McClain split the heat race wins between them.

The four 125cc karts on hand were reduced to a field of three for the main, as California driver Matthew Davis didn't answer the bell.

Soon there were two, as Adam Walters of Reno spun twice and was sent to the pits. The two-cart match race was a good one, though. Gardnerville driver Daniel Thorson stalked Californian Josh Keheley for 10 laps before finally powering past into the lead three laps from the finish. Thorson opened up a huge lead and took the checker and the purse money. The two local drivers, Thorson and Walters, also won the heat races.

The Open main was wild and wooly, with lots of bumping and banging and one red flag. It took three attempts to get a clean start, and only two laps later Reno's Dave Sciarroni collided with QRC regular Kyle Miller on the front straight, sending Sciarroni to the pits for repairs.

Local racer T.J. Dobson tangled with Chelsea Gamble of California in turn two on the restart, and it took track crews several minutes under the ensuing red flag to pry the two karts apart. Sciarroni affected repairs during the red flag, as he was already in the pits, and returned to the track for the restart. Dobson spun immediately, apparently from suspension damage, and retired.

In the meantime, young Emalee Ramirez was showing her heels to the rest of the field. Ramirez, a 16-year-old high school student from Sunnyvale, Calif., running the only four-stroke Honda in the field, flat ran away from all the screaming two-stroke powered karts. Josh Ostler of Reno was the only driver who could stay anywhere near the flying Ramirez, who went wire-to-wire for the victory.

Ostler finished a strong second, with QRC regulars Nick DeCarlo and Miller third and fourth. Local racer Christian Steele was fifth, with Carson City's Mark Dempsey sixth, the last car on the lead lap. Heat race honors were spread around, with Dobson, Miller, Ramirez, and Josh Young each taking a win.

The Outlaw Karts of Nevada return to Thunder Bowl for a points race on Sept. 18. Call Jet Force Racing at 358-9091 for further information.

Contact Roger Diez at Racytalker@aol.com