TULARE, Calif. – Newlywed Kyle Rasmussen won the 25-lap IMCA Western RaceSaver feature event at Thunderbowl Raceway on Saturday night.
The Clovis, Calif., resident missed a recent series race in order to get married, however he returned in dominant fashion, leading the entire distance after starting on the outside pole.
Ryan Delisle and 14-year-old Lane Taylor duked it out most of the race, with Delisle finally taking the second spot. Polesitter and fast qualifier Brooklyn Holland held off a late-race charge from Michael Pombo to fill out the top-five.
Series veterans Holland and Rasmussen brought the 13-car field down for the initial green, which was aborted for a Tyler Gray spin in the third turn. After the restart, the caution would quickly wave when Michael Pombo spun in the middle of turns three and four as he was trying to take the second spot from Holland.
After yet another restart, it would be Holland who would begin to struggle to get the handle on her black and purple No. 2. She would first loose second to Taylor and then also let Delisle get around her before settling into the fourth spot.
While all this was going on, Rasmussen was finding his rhythm. He would lose the comfortable margin he had built up when Brandon Stidham did a 360 degree spin coming out of the second turn. Rasmussen was leading Taylor, Delisle, Holland and Brandon Emmett at the time.
By lap 16, Rasmussen had caught the slower traffic but still maintained a comfortable lead. The show was the battle for second between the two upcoming teenagers Taylor and Delisle. Taylor would bobble and that’s all it took for Delisle to take second.
Rasmussen, meanwhile, cruised to the victory.
The finish:
Kyle Rasmussen, Ryan Delisle, Lane Taylor, Brooklyn Holland, Michael Pombo, Brandon Emmett, Davey Pombo Jr., Blaine Fargundes, Phil Heynen, Sean Quinn, Richard Weddle, Brandon Stidham, Tyler Gray.