HANFORD, Calif. — Kyle Hirst and Blake Robertson shared the stage at the Keller Auto Speedway for the King of Thunder features on Friday night.
Hirst drove the Williams Motorsports No. 0 to victory in the first 30-lap 410 King of Thunder winged sprint cars at the historic King’s County Fairgrounds track. He bested brothers, Tim and Bud Kaeding, at the Peter Murphy-promoted event in front of a limited number of fans.
Hirst took the lead shortly before the halfway point after starting in the fourth row. As the track turned dry-slick Hirst gained momentum while early leaders Bud Kaeding and Dominic Scelzi struggled. Kaeding had led the early going after starting on the pole next to invader Austin McCarl. Kaeding turned the lead over to Scelzi, who was driving a team car to Hirst, on lap 10.
Hirst made quick order of his teammate and brought Tim Kaeding into the second spot. The track dried out, much to Hirst’s liking and almost the entire field was forced to run the bottom with no one in the top five, gaining any track position or with anyone improving their position.
The last caution flag of the race waved on lap 26 for a second A.J. Bender spin. This bunched the field back up, but it was Hirst who had a lock on first place and would not be denied the inaugural 410 KOT win.
Bud Kaeding, making his debut in the potent Tarlton Motorsports No. 21x, was able to hold of repeated challenges from both Sean Watts and McCarl, who was debuting in the Roth Motorsports No. 83jr.
The race was slowed on four separate occasions, all for minor spins. All 24 cars entered in the event made the feature with 18 cars on the track at the checkered flag.
Robertson took the 25- lap IMCA RaceSaver feature after starting on the second row. His bright yellow No. 15 car took the lead on lap 5 after battling Grant Duinkerken and pole sitter Brooklyn Holland.
Robertson was rarely threatened once he was out front, but it was battle between Duinkerken, Grant Champlin, and Holland which drew the fan’s attention.
Duinkerken tried a couple slide jobs on leader Robertson on the few times he got close enough but it was Holland who put on the show, throwing sliders at each end of the track for several laps.
The finish:
Kyle Hirst, Tim Kaeding, Bud Kaeding, Dominic Scelzi, Jake Hagopian, Austin McCarl, D.J. Netto, Andy Forsberg, Kyle Offill, Ryan Robinson, Tanner Carrick, Colby Copeland, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Watts, Craig Stidham, Eric Humphries, Kurt Nelson, Mark Barroso, Blake Carrick, A J Bender, J.J. Ringo Burt Foland Jr., Sean Becker, Corey Day