Finishes second in Open Division 100 Lap Grind
Chico, CA – ParkerStore Outlaw Sprint Kart Driver Kyle Larson closed the Cycleland Speedway season in spectacular fashion Saturday with his tenth win in the Intermediate 125/250 Division while also garnering a second place finish in the 500cc Open Division nightcap. The day’s races featured 100 lap main events prior to the awards banquet that saw Larson crowned as champion in both the Intermediate 125/250 and 500cc Open Intermediate Divisions.

Qualifying second fast in the 125/250’s saw Larson earn the outside front row start next to fast timer Jake Cartwright in the 22 kart lineup. Larson set fast time in the 500cc division and for the second week in a row, flirted with the all time track record of 10.201, this time turning a lap of 10.271 on a rubber down daytime surface.

Cartwright grabbed the lead in the 125/250 feature as Larson slid into second. Several karts spun in turn four of lap 3 and as Larson drove through the area Jeremy Phillips untangled himself but drove into the side of Larson’s mount, knocking the ParkerStore/Scott Adams Powered/QRC Factory kart back to fourth as James Edens and Mason Moore scampered past. Lap 17 saw Larson get underneath Moore in turn two to move into third, the place he would hold to the mandatory pit stop on lap 33.

After the pit stop Larson lined up fourth behind Moore, Edens and Cartwright. On lap 35 Larson raced by Cartwright into third and passed Edens for second on lap 39. From that point Larson ran a controlled pace to conserve fuel and tires while keeping Moore in his sights. At the lap 66 mandatory pit stop Larson’s team gambled on fuel, bypassed their pit stall, and pulled to the front of the line for the restart of the final 34 lap segment. Edens emerged second and he began an exciting chase of Larson through heavy lapped traffic. As Larson got penned behind a lapped kart in turn four on lap 96 Edens went high to momentarily take the lead. However, in turn two Edens slid high and Larson got back by for good while the eight year old Edens had his carburetor disconnect after contact with another kart and lose his chance for a comeback win.

Larson immediately jumped into his 500cc open kart to begin another century grind and this time his ParkerStore/Grandpa George/QRC Factory Kart powered out front to set a relentless pace that was putting many of the 27 kart field laps down. At the lap 33 pit stop Larson had led every lap and had been unchallenged. Larson’s pit stop proved troublesome as the gas cap became cross threaded, costing valuable time. He emerged eighth in line but actually fifth place for the restart. Nick Soto became the new leader over Tyler McCain. As Soto and McCain battled ahead Larson picked his way to the front and began to apply heavy pressure on the pair. McCain took over the lead in heavy traffic on lap 48 and Larson got by Soto on lap 54. McCain held the lead to the lap 66 pit stop. Second fast qualifier Tyler Wolf bypassed his pit stall while McCain came out second, with Tyler Reddick third and Larson fourth.

As the final 34 laps began the quartet at the front began an intense fight through traffic. Wolf began to pull away slightly as Larson got past Reddick on lap 69. Larson gradually closed the gap on McCain as Wolf continued to lead. A lap 89 yellow bunched the leaders for a final dash to the finish. Unfortunately for Wolf, his chain came off exiting turn four on lap 92, nearly collecting McCain and Larson. The race continued under green flag conditions and Larson tried to mount a challenge on McCain but could never get underneath the outlaw kart veteran, who protected the bottom with perfection to the checkered flag. Larson settled for second as nine year old Reddick drove his KTM powered 250 to an impressive third place finish, the only other kart on the lead lap.

Prior to sitting down for the season ending award ceremonies Larson said, “These hundred lap races sure are a fun way to end the season. The pits stops can be pretty hilarious. James Edens gave everything he had throughout the race and made me earn it. He’s going to be a good one as he gets older. I do have to give a big thank you to Scott Adams for letting me use his son’s, Max, backup 250 engine in that race. Robert Carrel, from QRC, wanted to go through the engine that I used here this season and get it ready for Brian Southers to use at Red Bluff, since I’m only going to be using my 500 kart there. I really wanted to run this race bad and Scott came through for me and I’m very thankful. I know Scott was pretty happy at the end of the race when I won and Max got fourth. They are good friends and they deserved a good day. In the 500 kart I really thought I could get by Wolf and McCain when the last segment started. But the track had taken so much rubber that the bottom became much faster than it had been earlier and all three of us were really getting around about the same speed. When Wolf lost his chain I almost got around McCain but he recovered quickly. That was pretty much my last good shot at him. I’m really proud to finish second to McCain because up until this summer when he decided to cut back his schedule, he had won just about all the open championships over the last two or three years and he is still tough whenever he shows up to race.”

Race: October 8, 2005
Photos Courtesy of Jack Waterman
www.kylelarsonracing.com