7/3/2024
Southern Oregon Speedway
Robustelli Wins Bigfoot Finale; Sanders, Papenhausen, And Medeiros Also Get Wins
Robustelli Wins Bigfoot Finale; Sanders, Papenhausen, And Medeiros Also Get Wins
White City, Oregon—The Bigfoot weekend presented by Toyota would conclude on Saturday, June 29th, at Southern Oregon Speedway. The Stone Heating and Air Dwarf Cars were on hand to battle it out for the big money. Also in the house were the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, Late Models, and the Kona Bento Sport Compacts.
When the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods feature went green, Joby Shields from Gold Hill tried to pull out early. Keno's Jeffrey Hudson responded with a great move on the inside line of turn four. Hudson would lead on the first trip past the finish line before a caution came out with two laps complete.
On the restart, Central Point's Andy Freeman demonstrated his resilience, moving up into third just before the yellow flag returned for the second stoppage of the main event. When things got underway again, Central Point chauffeur Jorddon Braaten had an incredible restart to get into third, a testament to his determination, while Ethan Killingsworth from Yreka, California, was all over Freeman for fourth. Shields and Braaten would battle for the runner-up position, but Shields unfortunately would have to bow out early due to mechanical issues on lap seven.
Matt Sanders developed an incredible run once he was among the Top 5, adding to the thrill of the race. The Brookings driver obtained third on lap eight, with a speedy Ryan Peery, also from Yreka, following him to grab fourth.
The leader, Hudson, showcased his skill as he navigated through heavy traffic with ten circuits remaining. The slower cars did not make a difference, as he built a sizable lead over the rest of the pack. Sanders' great run didn't slow down as he was able to negotiate Braaten to move into second, a display of his racing prowess.
The final caution of the feature happened with eight to go. Sanders would have an excellent restart as he got underneath Hudson to lead lap nineteen. However, Hudson regained his composure to sweep around the outside of Sanders to reclaim the position the next time around. Unfortunately, it would be a heartbreaker for Hudson as he spun out in the fourth corner of lap twenty-one. Sanders would inherit the lead.
As Sanders took off, Braaten and Peery went after it for second. Braaten held on and began to chase down the pacesetter. Sanders kept his mount in front of everyone else to score the huge victory and earn his first win at SOS in 2024 and his second overall in the current campaign.
Braaten and Peery were the rest of the podium, finishing second and third. Jace Wright, from Gazelle, California, made some critical late race moves to end the race fourth, while Killingsworth was fifth.
The Late Model finale touched off with Chico, California veteran Richard Papenhausen jetting away from the rest of the competition. A pair of cautions would come out, but despite that, Papenhausen was in complete control of the top-place position.
Papenhausen put on a clinic with the Late Models to score the triumph. Bandon's Braden Fugate would beat out Jesse Merriman, from Central Point, for second. Miles Deubert ended the race fourth, while Medford motorist John David Duffie completed the Top 5 in fifth.
The Kona Bento Sport Compacts had Marilyn Yawnick of Yreka, California, capture the initial race lead. She would get a little bit of pressure from David Medeiros of White City. Jim Medeiros, representing Central Point, used a lapped car as a pick to obtain the lead on the eighth circuit.
The yellow would come out with eleven down and nine to go. The stoppage didn't slow down Jim Medeiros, as he went on to win the main event for his first victory of the season.
David Medeiros held second, while Winston's Bid Van Loon was a close third. Amos Jackson, from Trail, and Yawnick were fourth and fifth.
When it was time for the Stone Heating and Air Dwarf Cars to complete their first lap of the feature, Camden Robustelli beat the rest of the contenders to the line. The Medford driver would receive heavy pressure from Colby Bergquist of Central Point, but Robustelli held on.
Once the green flag run developed, Robustelli took off from the rest of the pack. A red flag incident with six laps complete, eliminated Robustelli's advantage.
Rosbustelli was under a barrage of heavy artillery fire as he tried to establish some breathing room, and just as he did so, a yellow came out.
Josh King managed to make the overtake around the leader shortly after the restart, but it was negated due to another caution. The race remained green for a long time, and Robustelli, for the most part, was in dominant form but would get another warm reception from King, but the final stoppage came out with four to run.
King immediately snatched the lead when things got back to green, but another multi-car crash slowed things down again and gave the lead back to Robustelli. On the final restart, Robustelli was flawless and created enough space to score the big victory and take home the unique Bigfoot trophy.
Medford's Cadyn Smith had an incredible rally to finish runner-up, while Ronnie Williams, making the long trip from Las Vegas, Nevada, came third. Minden, Nevada driver Vuki Wilson Jr. and Bryson Smith of Portland were fourth and fifth.
Submitted By: Ben Deatherage