5/30/2024
Southern Oregon Speedway
Killingsworth Wins Night One Of R. Charles Snyder Salute; Allerdings And Simmons Also Winners
Killingsworth Wins Night One Of R. Charles Snyder Salute; Allerdings And Simmons Also Winners
By Ben Deatherage
In a thrilling display of competition, seventy-five cars from across the land converged at the pit area for the first night of the R. Charles Snyder Classic, presented by Chick-fil-A, at Southern Oregon Speedway. The 3/8-mile clay oval was set ablaze with the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern Sport Mods, Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, and Iron Giant Street Stocks on the card for the three divisions in action.
As the green flag waved for the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern Sport Mod feature, Tyler Rodgers, a Chico, California chauffeur, showcased his skills by beating out defending track champion Jorddon Braaten for first place on lap one. Rodgers tried to pull away from the main body as the race remained green.
A massive crash with several cars getting collected brought out the race's first caution after ten circuits had been completed without incident. After several additional stoppages on laps fourteen and thirteen, things finally got back underway.
Rodgers, displaying unwavering resilience, held his ground as the leader, fending off the relentless challenges from Braaten and Killingsworth. The three drivers showcased their mettle, battling fiercely to stay ahead.
With five laps remaining, the three-car race turned into a nail-biting duel between Rodgers and Killingsworth. The tension reached its peak in turn two on the twenty-third trip past the flag stand when Rodgers, in a heart-stopping moment, got sideways, lost the lead to Killingsworth, and briefly collided with Braaten. This dramatic turn of events led to Killingsworth taking over the lead, and Braaten, showing his resilience, getting back up to speed and holding second, with Rodgers spinning on the back straightaway.
Braaten tried his best to challenge the new leader, Killingsworth, on the restart. Killingsworth would hold on to win his second straight victory at SOS. It also marks the fifth win overall in the current campaign.
Braaten was a respectable second, with Oakley, California driver Buddy Kniss wrapping up the podium finishers in third. Matthew Hagio, from Prunedale, California, was fourth, followed by Coburg's Kevin Williamson in fifth.
In Friesen Performance IMCA Modified action, Nick Trenchard duked it out with Timothy Allerdings for the top spot. Although Klamath Falls' Trenchard was shown as the leader of the first few laps, Allerdings, from Prescott Valley, Arizona, kept the pressure up.
By lap four, Trenchard solidified the top spot and activated his cruise control. An incident in turn four slowed things down on lap nine. When things got back to full speed, Allerdings again tried to lunge on the inside of Trenchard and successfully beat him at the line on lap eleven.
Allerdings tried to get in a good groove and pull away, running on the bottom of the track. In contrast, Trenchard tried to get momentum swinging in his favor toward the top part of the race track to retrieve first place. Things seemed to be going well before another stoppage occurred on lap twenty.
In the closing circuits, Trenchard approached the leader, Allerdings, again, only for Allerdings to score the huge victory. This is two in a row at Southern Oregon and three victories in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region.
Trenchard was a close second, followed by third-finishing Andrew Pearce from Oakley, California. Defending state champion Carter Patterson of Lebanon was fourth, with Yreka, California's Travis Peery scoring fifth.
The Iron Giant Street Stock main event touched off with a fantastic battle between Cottage Grove natives Kelly McDonald and Jared Simmons. The two would go door to door for several laps, with neither party having a clear-cut edge over the other. It wasn't until lap four that Simmons secured the top position and began driving away.
It took the young Simmons ten circuits to enter lapped traffic, but he methodically navigated his way through the tail end of the field despite some heavy congestion at times. The race went twenty-one laps without incident before the yellow flag was waved.
This gave Simmons an open racetrack to negotiate with a handful of laps remaining. The leader would act like he was shot out of a cannon, while behind him, the race for second on back would be intense. Simmons would dominate the rest of the distance to open the race weekend up.
Taunton Swaim of Dexter won the melee for second, followed by Albany's Dakota Godard. Rod McCombs, representing Albany also, hit the line fourth ahead of the Josh Linville-fielded entry piloted by Andrew Langan of Jasper.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage