CHICO, Calif. —
The 72nd Mike Curb Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by NOS Energy Drink opened with a bang on Thursday night as four different leaders led during a hectic Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing feature at Silver Dollar Speedway.
With six of the front-seven starters – all California locals – chasing their first-career series win, the stage was set from the beginning to produce dramatics in Chico.
Max Mittry, a 20-year-old native of Redding, was the first leader.
Bud Kaeding, a 46-year-old native of Campbell, Calif., passed him on Lap 9 before Mittry got him back on Lap 12.
Shane Golobic, a 35-year-old native of Fremontdrove to the point on Lap 22.
Rico Abreu, a 34-year-old native of St. Helena, Calif., finally made the winning move on Lap 28 after starting from the ninth spot.
The win for Abreu marked his 30th career triumph with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing (most all-time) and his fifth trip to Whiskey Myers Victory Lane this year with Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing – it was however the first time he won in his “Frontline Flyer,” the Waste Connections sponsored No. 24.
Chasing Abreu to the stripe was a different Californian as Kaleb Montgomery of Templeton, Calif., completed a sixth-to-second aboard Kevin Kozlowski’s ‘W’ wrenched by Paul Silva. With 389 points, he leaves night one as the current high point man at Gold Cup.
Closing out the podium was James McFadden, who took the Tarlton Racing No. 21 from 21st-to-third at Chico.
Two of the four leaders, Max Mittry and Shane Golobic, completed the top-five on Thursday.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 24-Rico Abreu[9]; 2. W-Kaleb Montgomery[6]; 3. 21-James McFadden[21]; 4. 2XM-Max Mittry[1]; 5. 17W-Shane Golobic[4]; 6. 29-Bud Kaeding[2]; 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[3]; 8. 88-Tanner Thorson[20]; 9. 5K-Dylan Bloomfield[7]; 10. 19-Brent Marks[8]; 11. 87-Aaron Reutzel[25]; 12. 9-Daison Pursley[22]; 13. 26-Justin Peck[13]; 14. 24D-Danny Sams III[17]; 15. 2K-Jake Andreotti[18]; 16. 55-Kerry Madsen[26]; 17. 5-Dominic Scelzi[16]; 18. 83T-Tanner Carrick[23]; 19. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[11]; 20. 88N-DJ Netto[24]; 21. 13-Tanner Holmes[15]; 22. 0-Tim Kaeding[10]; 23. 17GP-Brock Zearfoss[19]; 24. X1-Chance Grasty[5]; 25. 2X-Justin Sanders[14]; 26. 88A-Joey Ancona[12]
