Petaluma Speedway
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Sprint Car Winner Is Speedway’s Youngest Ever
By: Harlan Osborne

The sudden maturity of youthful drivers continues to amaze race fans at Petaluma Speedway. Barely a month after 15-year-old Alissa Geving became the track’s youngest-ever sprint car winner and was followed the next race by Bradley Terrell, 16, the record for success was rewritten Saturday night by Kyle Larson of Elk Grove, who celebrated his 15th birthday just 18 days earlier.

In just his third time competing on Petaluma’s sticky clay oval Larson, who started in the second row, swiped the lead from Terrell in lapped traffic on lap 10 then held on to top Terrell and a 20-car field for his first Petaluma victory.

Despite his age and apparent lack of experience in sprint cars Larson packs an impressive resume that includes regional and national Outlaw Kart championships earned in seven years of competition. Two weeks ago he became California’s youngest-ever sprint car winner after capturing a Civil War Series feature and now has two victories on the season.

“The first win’s always the best but this one feels pretty good,” said Larson, who qualified fourth-fastest and finished third in his heat. In the feature he hotly pursued Terrell through lapped traffic for four laps before making his move. After taking the lead the roles were reversed but Larson, with Terrell on his tail, was flawless as he dissected the lappers and claimed the win.

Kirk Simpson finished third over of Shawn Arriaga, who chipped six points off of All-Pro points leader Jeff Parady’s lead and now trails Parady by just three points heading into next week’s final points race. Rounding out the top 10 were fifth-place Adam McCarthy, Parady, Ricky Wright Jr., and heat winners Dustin Baxter, Camron Mendes, and Richard Brace Jr.


Results for August 18
360 SPRINT CARS
Fast time—Alissa Geving 12.908.

Heat 1—Dustin Baxter; Jason McIntosh; Art McCarthy Jr.; Geving; Scott Merrell.

Heat 2—Camron Mendes; Arvo Backholm; Kirk Simpson; Ricky Wright Jr.; Roberto Kirby.

Heat 3—Richard Brace Jr.; Shawn Arriaga; Bradley Terrell; Paul Pedroncelli Jr.; Adam McCarthy.

Heat 4—Fred Arriaga; Mike Learn; Kyle Larson; Jeff Parady; Bill Cornwell.

Main—Larson; Terrell; Simpson; S. Arriaga; Adam McCarthy; Parady; Wright; Baxter; Mendes; Brace; Backholm; Merrell; F. Arriaga; McIntosh; Learn; Cornwell; Kirby; Pedroncelli; Art McCarthy; Geving.