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HammerDown! Best of 2003 - Tuesday Night Special at S.O.S. - Our initial visit to Southern Oregon Speedway yielded the best main event finish of the year. Visiting outlaw, Tim Shaffer caught Brent Kaeding in deep traffic after the white flag to win the 30-lap contest on the very racy 1/4 mile. Brent Kaeding was counting down the laps in deep traffic and had no idea that Shaffer was charging. On lap 23 Shaffer moved by Kevin Pylant for third, and three laps later the Eagle/Kistler of Shaffer moved around Jimmy Carter for second place. At the white flag, Kaeding was a car length ahead with backmarkers in front of him. Shaffer dipped to the lowest part of the track in turn one and muscled under Kaeding as the BK Racing #69 struggled for traction in turn two. Shaffer executed the final two turns flawlessly and took the checkered flag with the crowd on their feet. The race marked the first time in three yeas that 410 sprints raced in Central Point, OR. The races leading to the feature were disappointing, and when we cruised the pits before the finale, we begged drivers for some passing. Joking with Kevin Pylant, and Shaffer we said all we wanted was a single pass, which would be one more than the heat races produced. Tim Kaeding, who flipped hard in his heat was still woozy before the feature, but he promised the A-Main would be different. He was right. ...The track also deserves love for their hustle in getting the local ESPN Radio affiliate into town to do live coverage. We found the independently owned S.O.S. press area to very accommodating, which is something most California fairgrounds tracks lack.
Last Lap Pass Nets Tim Shaffer First Golden State Challenge Win in Oregon - By Bobby Gerould, 06/17/03, Central Point, OR. …They waited three years at Southern Oregon Speedway for sprint cars with 410 cubic inches under the hood. Tuesday night, a packed house of 2,300 witnessed a fantastic 30-lap Golden State Challenge feature. In the series first ever out of California race, Pennsylvania outlaw, Tim Shaffer passed Brent Kaeding on lap 30 in turn two to steal a victory in round 14 of the 21 race "King of California" series.
Kaeding was counting down the laps in deep traffic and had no idea that Shaffer was charging. On lap 23 Shaffer moved by Kevin Pylant for third, and three laps later the Eagle/Kistler of Shaffer moved around Jimmy Carter for second place. At the white flag, Kaeding was a car length ahead with backmarkers in front of him. Shaffer dipped to the lowest part of the track in turn one and muscled under Kaeding as the BK Racing #69 struggled for traction in turn two. Shaffer executed the final two turns flawlessly and took the checkered flag with the crowd on their feet.
"I was trying to use my head, be calm, and take my time", said Shaffer who started 11th on the 22-car grid. "With about thirteen laps down, I figured it was time to start doin' something. I think a lot of the guys got real loose, and that's when I started to think we had a shot at the win." Of the winning pass, Shaffer said, "Brent left the door open, and I was surprised but I just stuck it in there. He shook my hand after the race and said 'good job'."
The feature started with a "six" inversion putting Jimmy Carter and Brent Kaeding on the front row for the 30-lap feature race. Mike Quigley aborted the original green flag when he spun in turn two. The complete restart was good for Brent Kaeding who beat Carter to the bottom and took the early lead. On lap four the caution flag waived for a stalled Bill Nutter who was dealing with a stuck throttle. Nutter earned a $500 bonus as the lone 360 shod car to make the feature event. Laps five and six were entertaining with Tim Kaeding and Jon Allard making their own express lane on the top of the track while the rest of the field worked the lower regions of the surface. Tim advanced into the top five, and Allard, who started 12th moved into 8th.
The racing was interrupted on lap six when Andy Forsberg, and Shain Matthews tangled in turn one. Forsberg's #98x flopped around like a Northwest Salmon bringing out the red flag. Both returned to action. During the red, Dennis Moore Jr. experienced a gear drive failure, and did not refire. Quick repairs brought the Williams #0 back into the fight. Brent Kaeding continued to lead the pack, when Shaffer moved into the top four. In the potent Beef Packers #83, Shaffer passed Tim Kaeding on the back chute on lap 8. The running order at a 12th lap caution for Shain Matthews, was "BK", Carter, Kevin Pylant, Shaffer, and Tim Kaeding. The restart was unlucky for Jon Allard as he hit the front chute fence, and flattened his right rear tire forcing him to the repair area. Allard finished 21st.
Following the feature, Brent Kaeding, an eleven-time series champion, and the current points leader stayed upbeat despite the last lap heartbreak. "It's a lotta fun to race at a different track with different drivers. I kind of wish Shaffer wouldn't have shown up", he joked. After Shaffer and Brent Kaeding, Carter was third. Kevin Pylant, and Tim Kaeding were next in line. Sixth through tenth fell to Roger Crockett, Brad Furr, Jason Statler, Toni Lutar, and Stephen Allard.
In heat race two, Tim Kaeding flipped wildly off of turn three into turn four. His car bicycled then dug in and flipped high into the air, doing a full revolution in the sky before hitting hard, and flipping more. Kaeding was shaken but returned to the pits. Mike Melwicks, of Surrey British Columbia, Canada, brought out the red flag on the opening lap of the final heat race. Melwicks climbed a wheel in turn one and bailed hard. Crockett established the BR MotorSports quick time of the night, turning the short 1/3 mile dirt track in 12.102 seconds. However, Crockett was forced to run the Last Chance Race after mechanical ills in his heat forced him to the pits. The Eugene driver easily led wire-to-wire in the Last Chance.
The B&B oval Track Products heat was captured by Jon Allard. Forsberg won heat two in the Family Auto Service sprinter. Pleasanton California's Brad Furr was the victor in heat three. Furr was competing without crew chief, Mike Harper who could not get away from work commitments. The Golden State Challenge is sponsored by Hoosier Tires, C.L. Bryant, BR MotorSports, and B&B Oval Track Products.
June 17, 2003. Southern Oregon Speedway Golden State Challenge Round 14
BR MotorSports Qualifying: Driver Hometown Car Time
B&B Oval Track Products Heat One: 1. J. Allard, 2. Carter, 3. Matthews, 4. S. Allard, 5. Stidham, 6. Winningham, 7. Williams, 8. Quigley.
Heat Two: 1. Forsberg, 2. Lippincott, 3. Coelho, 4. Lutar, 5. Moore Jr., 6. Kahne, 7. Yates, 8. Rodgers.
Heat Three: 1. Furr, 2. Statler, 3. Shaffer, 4. B. Kaeding, 5. Pylant, 6. Nutter, 7. York, 8. Rodgers, 9. Melwicks.
Last Chance Race (12 laps.) 1. Crockett, 2. T. Kaeding, 3. Williams, 4. Kahne, 5. York, 6. Nutter, 7. Quigley, 8. Winningham, 9. Rodgers, 10. Melwicks, 11. Yates
Feature (30 laps) - 1. Shaffer, 2. B. Kaeding, 3. Carter, 4. Pylant, 5. T. Kaeding, 6. Crockett, 7. Furr, 8. Statler, 9. Lutar, 10. S. Allard, 11. Stidham, 12. Nutter, 13. York, 14. Moore Jr., 15. Forsberg, 16. Coelho, 17. Lippincott, 18. Kahne, 19. Williams, 20. Quigley, 21. J. Allard, 22. Matthews.
