Larson Closes On Becker In Civil War Point Chase
Scores Fifth in Petaluma Civil War
Petaluma, California. July 26, 2008. A sub-par qualifying effort that placed him near the
rear of the feature race lineup did not deter Kyle Larson from recording another top five
finish, this time at the Petaluma Fairgrounds Speedway, as the California 360 Sprint Car
Civil War Series held round number nine at the coastal
facility last Saturday. The fifth place finish, combined with late race misfortune for
series point leader Sean Becker, allowed the soon to be sixteen year old to close within
four points in the 15 race championship showdown.
Larson’s fastest qualifying lap only placed him 21st of the 32 cars taking to the
tacky Petaluma bull ring. The driver of the Dave and Debbie Vertullo CRV Racing
Products/Eagle/Kistler started on the pole of heat number one, with veteran Art McCarthy
getting the jump from outside Larson. The duo held the top positions to the checkered flag
to transfer into the scheduled 30 lap main event.
As the feature event got underway, Larson quickly advanced from 17th to 14th on the first
lap. Over the next several laps the youngster was passing cars at will, seemingly the only
driver able to move forward with any consistency on the lightning fast track. With
positions at the front of the pack holding steady with Adam McCarthy
leading over Mike Benson, Alissa Geving, and Christian Stover, Larson settled into seventh
by lap seven, trailing Andy Forsberg and Becker. By lap 16 Larson got by Forsberg and
began to apply pressure on fifth place Becker. On lap 21 Becker spun in turn two, with
Larson narrowly avoiding disaster for both while squeezing by. Over the final five laps
Larson stalked Stover to no avail, with the checkered flag appearing five laps early due
to time constraints as Adam McCarthy led the distance over Benson and Geving.
Interviewed after the race, Larson attributed his season long Civil War success, which
includes six top fives and
seven top tens in the nine races run, to his car owner and crew chief. “Dave Vertullo
has been giving me great setups on the race car every week,” said the winner of the
previous Civil War race at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway. “I really think I had
the best car on the race track tonight. Even when we don’t have the finish we wanted
for whatever reason, Dave has had the car fast at every race we go to. I’m feeling so
comfortable in the car right now and gaining confidence every week.”
Larson’s racing efforts are sponsored by CRV Racing Products, Starr Real Estate and
Property Management, Global ParkerStore, Safety Solutions – LFT Technologies, D &
J Towing, RPM Indoor Kart Racing and Conference Center, A.R.T. Ent. Speed Equipment,
Wion’s Body Shop and Powdercoating, JW Web Design, Mophead Graphix, SWEPCO
Lubricants, Sierra Tire and Wheel, and Wyman Construction.
