CHICO, Calif. – Tim Kaeding continued his Hall of Fame career at Silver Dollar Speedway by winning the Fall Nationals for the fifth time on Saturday night.
It was extra special for Kaeding, who had fond memories of Stephen Allard, for who the race is now in honor of.
Kaeding’s last Fall Nationals win was in 2011, while the Tribute to Stephen Allard started in 2014.
“Man, I miss that guy,” said Kaeding in victory lane. “I am thankful to get to win this race in honor of a man that I had a lot of respect for as a driver and a friend.”
Kaeding’s win didn’t come without some controversy. On lap 26, Kaeding misjudged the amount of space he had to clear second-running Kyle Hirst going through turn three and four. Kaeding slid into Hirst, sending the No. 7c upside down.
After the wreck, Hirst quickly walked from turn four to turn two, where Kaeding was parked. After a brief discussion, Hirst – the defending winner of the Fall Nationals in Tribute to Stephen Allard – walked back to his pit area.
That incident took a toll on Kaeding’s celebration.
“I am so sorry to Kyle and the No. 7c team. That is not how I wanted the race to go,” said a subdued Kaeding.
The race resumed after that altercation with Justin Sanders leading. Kaeding slid under Sanders on lap 30 and went on to win the 40-lap, $5,000 to win race.
“I don’t know what I really did that was wrong,” said Sanders. “To lose that race in honor of Stephen while driving the 4sa car is tough to swallow.”
Bud Kaeding charged up to a third-place finish.
“After last night’s performance we are just happy to be on the podium tonight,” said Kaeding.
Kaeding had fallen back to fifth but by lap 28 passed Justyn Cox for third.
“It felt like 1997 all over again, with me and Tim up front leading this race.”
Mitchell Faccinto started 12th and found the right times to make a move around cars in front of him. By lap 32 he had made his way to fourth, but by then the track had equaled out because rubber was all around the track.
Fifth place went to Justyn Cox. The Friday night winner looked to be the favorite again, going from seventh to second in just 15 laps. But on lap 18, he drifted off the edge in turn two and fell back a few spots, ending up at the tail of the top five.
Willie Croft gained 10 spots, going from 17th to seventh, but Ryan Robinson was the biggest mover and shaker after starting 22nd and rising up to finish eighth.
Robinson finished second in the B main to get a starting spot in the feature.
Cox was the fastest qualifier of the night at 12.026 seconds.
The finish:
Tim Kaeding, Justin Sanders, Bud Kaeding, Mitchell Faccinto, Justyn Cox, Sean Becker, Willie Croft, Ryan Robinson, Andy Forsberg, Michael Faccinto, Jodie Robinson, Blake Carrick, Brad Bumgarner, Colby Johnson, Jake Morgan, Kyle Hirst, Tony Gualda, Chase Majdic, Cole Macedo, Michael Ing, Kalib Henry, Devon Borden, Billy Wallace, J.J. Hickle.