PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Dominic Scelzi has been on a mission lately, not only to win races, but to win memorial ones. On Saturday night, the Fresno veteran crossed the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial off his list.
Scelzi led all 40 laps of the 30th annual event to pick up the $5,600 winner’s check and additional lap money. Scelzi’s earnings for his 11th career King of the West Series win were $7,600.
Shane Golobic dogged Scelzi for most of the fast-paced race but had to settle for the runner up spot. Kyle Hirst, Willie Croft and Bud Kaeding rounded out the top five.
Scelzi and Hirst brought the 24-car field for the start of the series’ longest race of the season. Scelzi quickly jumped to the lead while Hirst, Croft and Golobic followed.Â
Golobic would move from fourth to second on the third lap. Placerville is considered one of California’s tightest bullrings and Scelzi would catch the tail of the field by lap 11 with Golobic right in his tracks.
The race’s first slow down would come on lap 14 when Tim Kaeding did a 360-degree spin and kept going. Series’ rules require the caution to come out. Justin Sanders is in 5th as the top runners decide on race pace on a slicked over track.
The race would slow again on lap 16 when Sean Becker got sideways in the 4th turn and when Mitchel Moles spun to avoid the stopped car, Blake Carrick headed to the infield but caught the berm and it sent him gently over forcing a red-flag period.
As soon as the race restarted, it would go caution again, when Jake Morgan and Tim Kaeding go around in the fourth turn as a result of another log jam. Kaeding, the winner of the KWS race at Ocean Speedway the night before, would go to the work area for a second time.
On lap 17, Becker decides to retire as the small wing repair didn’t hold up. On lap 23, the leaders would once again catch the slower traffic as most of the field has decided to run the bottom groove. Scelzi was able to get around the back markers, but Golobic seemed to be stuck behind C.J. Humphreys for several laps allowing Scelzi to build up a 10-car length lead.
Hirst and Croft battle for the third spot and exchange places but Hirst prevails. A lap-34 caution was brought out by a Moles spin in the middle of turns one and two.
With all the money on the line, Scelzi pulled away while his pursuers must deal with worn tires. Sanders suffered a left-rear flat and gave up fifth before the finish.
The race’s final caution would come out on lap 37 when Faccinto, Andy Forsberg and Kaleb Montgomery get together. Once again Scelzi showed his dominance and led the final three laps to take his first Bradway Jr. Memorial win.
The finish:
Dominic Scelzi, Shane Golobic, Kyle Hirst, Bud Kaeding, Kalib Henry, Ryan Robinson, Stephen Ingraham, D.J. Netto, Joel Myers Jr., Austin McCarl, Blake Carrick, Billy Aton, Jake Morgan, Mitchell Faccinto, Sean Watts, Kaleb Montgomery, Justin Sanders, Andy Forsberg, Mitchel Moles, Jimmy Trulli, Sean Becker, Tim Kaeding, C.J. Humphreys