Jadan Walbridge on his way to victory lane. (Photo by Joe Shivak)
MADERA, Calif. – Jadan Walbridge stormed to the lead on Lap 51 and never gave it up again by taking Saturday’s $5,000-win Summer SpeedFest 100 win at Madera Speedway.
The win earned him the Lunkerdaddy Pro Late Model points lead with three rounds remaining in the series.
Napa’s Dylan Zampa returned to the speedway and claimed pole position. He started the feature by leading the 21-car field. Walbridge started from the outside pole after a fast time in qualifying but drifted back in the early laps.
The caution flew in round four, beginning a series of restart fights between Zampa and Carlos Vieira. Zampa used the inside line to take a narrow lead on lap five. The warning came on lap six when Brody Moore slammed into the front bulkhead. The ensuing melee also involved Pete Soto and Cody Kiemele.
Ethan Nascimento entered Vieira second at the restart. Nascimento spun at turn three and picked up Kiemele, ending Kiemele’s evening and pulling out a caution on lap nine.
Vieira restarted outside of Zampa and took the lead on lap 11 by just 0.005s. Zampa pushed forward to retrieve it on lap 12. Zampa completed the pass while Walbridge and incoming points leader Kyle Keller battled for third behind them. Soto spun at turn two for the next caution on lap 25.
Zampa and Vieira were again driving side-by-side before Olivia Manke spun at turn four on lap 29.
Jacob Smith spun on the backstretch but came back quickly and the race stayed green on lap 35. Walbridge eventually passed Keller for third place on lap 36 and turned his attention to Vieira. Walbridge snatched second place from Vieira in a drag race at the line for the lap 50 break for adjustments and interviews.
Vieira was third at the break with a right front tire problem. He chose to restart third and not change the tyre.
Walbridge charged around the outside of Zampa on lap 51 to take the lead while Vieira sparked behind them. Jason Aguirre collided with Vieira at turn three in a gnashing crash that required a red flag on lap 52.
Tyler Herzog tried in vain to get second on the outside at the restart while Walbridge Zampa paced.
Sean Hingorani then challenged Herzog for fourth place on lap 62. Kasey Kleyn spun at turn one, which earned Smith a warning on lap 82. The spin evaporated Walbridge’s nearly a second lead over Zampa.
The restart was recalled twice when Zampa gained an early advantage. The third attempt stayed green, with Walbridge leading the way. The warning flew again on lap 84 and Nascimento came out third on the restart.
Walbridge led Zampa over the final 16 laps while Nascimento won a hard-fought duel with teammate Hingorani for third place. Keller finished fifth, falling to second in the championship.
Nascimento’s triple-duty night in triple-digit temperatures yielded his second straight 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Series win. Nascimento has surpassed the 70-lap feature for drivers aged 10-16.
Kasey Kleyn led the opening round of the competition. The race was immediately halted when Hailey Liles spun at turn four, triggering a heavy crash. Joaquin Stewart hit Liles and then got hit from behind by Vito Cancilla. Stewart was unable to rejoin the action.
A severe crash, in turn, brought a red flag to light when trying to restart. Lane Anderson bounced off Sean Hingorani and into the turn one gate, causing significant damage to Anderson’s machine.
Nascimento took the lead on the restart from Kleyn and led on lap four. Nascimento led Kleyn and Kenna Mitchell into the race break on lap 40. Hingorani moved up after the break and started eighth again but moved up to fourth on lap 60.
Nascimento got the win over Kleyn, Mitchell, Hingorani and championship leader Robbie Kennealy.
Jake Bollman won the 40-lap race of the INEX Legends Tour Series with a prize of $1000. Championship leader Brendan Ruzbarsky enjoyed the top spot and led the field into lapped traffic on the seventh lap. Bollman looked for the lead inside Ruzbarsky on lap 14, but Ruzbarsky held the position.
Bollman eventually took the lead on lap 18 while Cody Winchel swept past Ruzbarsky for second place.
Stephen Bazen hit the wall at Turn 4 and Ruzbarsky suffered serious damage trying to swerve, flying over Antonio Gonzales on Lap 19 to get a red flag.
Bollman and Winchel engaged in a physical battle, with Winchel taking the lead on lap 21. Bollman recovered a three-angle action on lap 22. Nascimento crashed off the side of Winchel to set off a late warning on lap 34.
Winchel reclaimed the lead with a contact on lap 36. However, Bollman responded and took the lead with a muscle move of his own on the final lap. Nathan Quella was third, followed by Josh Ayers and Josh Fleming.
Kellen Keller secured sole possession of the INEX Bandolero points lead after winning his third feature of the season. Ryan Schank finished second ahead of Andrew Williams and Skyler Schoppe in his Madera debut.
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