TULARE, Calif. — Three-time Trophy Cup winner Shane Golobic prevailed on the second night of the Abreu Vineyards 29th Trophy Cup Presented by Rudeen Racing Friday at Thunderbowl Raceway.
Sixty-five teams returned to the Thunderbowl Raceway with each driver looking to improve their point total over opening night.Â
The better of the two nights points will be carried into Saturday, a night when there is no qualifying.
Friday switched the two groups for qualifying and the order within each group was inverted from Thursday. Points for qualifying, heat races, and the main event were the same as opening night.
B group was first and a 14.078 lap by Logan Seavey earned the 150 points for fast time while Ryan Timms and Grant Duinkerken followed Seavey in the order.
The A group fastest was Michael Kofoid at 14.189 putting him ahead of Tyler Courtney and Justin Sanders.
The invert six heats moved the eight winners and the eight top point cars to the A main, inverting twelve by points. Tyler Courtney was high point and the invert 12 put him outside row six for the thirty lap main.
Golobic was on the pole and stormed into a large lead which dissolved on lap 15 when a red was needed.
Justin Peck was following in second and Ryan Timms was third after using a turn four slider to pass Dominic Scelzi.
A 10-lap stretch of green let Golobic continue with a large lead while a furious battle for the rest of the podium featured Peck, Corey Day, and Ryan Timms.
Running the wall and throwing sliders finally led to Day taking second over Peck and Timms moved into third out of turn four.
The final five laps featured Day closing on Golobic, looking like a slider might be coming, but Golobic stretched his lead over the last two laps a bit and took the win over Day, Timms, Dominic Scelzi, and Peck.
Day leads the points with 281, while Rico Abreu is second at 274.
The top 48 cars in points will race six fully inverted heats tomorrow. These loaded heats are critical as the opportunity to add points can improve a driver’s standing. The top 20 in points go to the 50-lap championship main.
The finish:
Shane Golobic, Corey Day, Ryan Timms, Dominic Scelzi, Justin Peck, Michael Kofoid, Justin Sanders, Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney, Hunter Schuerenberg, Chase Randall, Rico Abreu, Chase Johnson, Colby Copeland, Sean Becker, Logan Seavey, Bud Kaeding, Jake Andreotti, Grant Dunkerken, Tanner Carrick, Zeb Wise, Colton Hardy, D.J. Netto, Cole Macedo.