(Chico, CA) ………. The 4th Annual Kyle Larson’s Outlaw Kart Showcase presented by BRANDT kicked off Monday night with a bang as 86 Open Outlaw Karts signed in for competition during night one.
The opening night of the 2018 Outlaw Kart Showcase would feature Time Trials for the Open, Intermediate and Box Stock Classes. Anderson, CA driver Tyler McCain would set the overall Fast Time in Open Qualifying in the Win River Casino #83 kart. McCain went out in the very first Time Trial group of the night and his lap time of 10.952 seconds would hold up to be the fastest. With the Fast Time came a $500 bonus courtesy of Greg Yannazzo with Swimming Pool Perfections.
Heat Race action was up next as the field had been split into eight individual Heat Races. The top two finishers in each Heat Race were to be locked into the 40 Lap Outlaw Kart Showcase Main Event on Tuesday night. The winner of each Heat Race would lock into the Tarter/Wolf Memorial Dash to set the lineup for the first four rows of Tuesday’s Finale. The eight Heat Race winners that are locked into the Dash include the #83 of Tyler McCain, #86J of Jesse Colwell, #23X of Demo Mittry, #35 of Casey Schmitz, #91 of Tyler Seavey, #1K of Kyle Larson, #35X of Carsen Perkins and the #1M of Colby Copeland. Those eight drivers will make up the front four rows of Tuesday Night’s Main Event. The order in which they start will be determined via the above mentioned Tarter/Wolf Memorial Dash.
Other drivers locked into the Tuesday night Main Event include the #42X of Chase Majdic, #1C of Chase Hill, #30 of Casey McClain, #57 of Daniel Whitley, #13J of Bricen James, #23 of Sean Becker, #81 of Keagan Medieros, and #1 of Mike Wheeler. That gives us a total of 16 locked in drivers as we head into Tuesday’s Main Events. We will take six drivers out of the B-Main Event to lock in our 22-kart Outlaw Kart Showcase Feature Event.
The final event of the evening on Monday night was the $1,000 to win, 30 Lap Open Main Event. This preliminary night Main Event had no bearing on Tuesday night’s event. The top ten fastest qualifiers from each group earlier in Time Trials locked themselves into this Main Event. Fast Qualifier Tyler McCain would pull a pill to determine the inversion of the Main Event. McCain announced prior to the draw that he would not be competing in the Main Event as he wanted to save his kart for Tuesday’s show. He reached in and pulled the 10 pill though which meant that the field was inverted the full 10 rows. That put Holly Seim and Kalib Henry on the front row of the 30-lapper. Kalib would get the jump on the start in his McClish Motorsports #1B entry. It was a lead that he would not relinquish. There were a few restarts in which Casey Schmitz was able to slide to the lead for a moment, but Henry was always able to drive back by to retain the race lead. As the race went on it became more and more clear just how good Henry’s kart was driving as he was able to drive away from the field. He would go on to pick up the big win and the $1,000 that came along with it. Kyle Larson charged to a second place finish in the BRANDT #1K after a spirited battle with the #35 of Casey Schmitz. Schmitz who had a couple of looks at the race lead would have to settle for a third place finish. The second McClish Motorsports entry of Colby Copeland would finish fourth in the #1M. While the DURST #86J of Jesse Colwell would round out the Top Five in the fifth position.
During the Main Event Tyler Seavey was involved in an accident in turn one along with Matt Dibenedetto. Matt was able to climb from his kart uninjured, but Seavey was complaining of some significant shoulder pain and was believed to be showing symptoms of a concussion. He was removed from the kart and transported to a local hospital where he is undergoing further tests. He was alert and talking with officials when taken off the racetrack.
Other competition during the night saw Samuel Harper turn the fastest lap in Box Stock Time Trials. Harper bested the field of 28 karts with a Lap Time of 12.951 seconds. He was the only driver in the sub 13 second bracket. The field would then take part in two Heat Races that were fully inverted from qualifying times. Central Point, OR driver Mason Smith would get the Victory in Heat Race #1 in the Interstate Batteries #18M kart. Heat Race #2 saw Samuel Harper charge from his last place (14th) starting position to pick up the victory. That would secure him the Pole Position for Tuesday Night’s Box Stock Main Event. He will line up alongside Visalia, CA driver Jett Barnes in the #55.
In the 250 Intermediate Class it was Yuba City, CA driver Seth Standley who turned the quickest lap of the 28 kart field with a lap time of 11.355 seconds. Heat Race action would see Fresno, CA driver Mariah Ede score the victory in Heat Race #1 in the M&L Plumbing #4 kart. The second and final Heat Race was claimed by Marysville, CA wheelman Carson Hammes in his #56C kart. With Qualifying and Heat Race action in the books it will be Clovis, CA driver Dominic Gorden leading the field to green on Tuesday night from the Pole Position. To his outside will be the #21 kart of Drake Standley out of Yuba City, CA.
Official partners of Kyle Larson’s Outlaw Kart Showcase presented by BRANDT include: BRANDT, ENEOS, DC Solar, Abreu Vineyards, Bianchi Farms, NASCAR, SunTrust Sports and Entertainment, QRC Factory Karts, Swimming Pool Perfections, Red Bluff Yamaha, Priority Aviation, iRacing, Bundy Built Motorsports, Ron Gorby’s Howard Johnson Lima, Ohio, Hoosier Racing Tire, Sonoma Raceway, Sacramento Kings, Elk Grove Ford, All Star Performance, Oakley, Oxford Suites of Chico, Howard Tarter for the David Tarter Memorial, Chuck Wolf Sand and Gravel for the Tyler Wolf Memorial, Chico Truck and RV, Finley Farms, Probilt Construction, Straight Up Performance, Northstar Concrete Pumping, Garth Moore Insurance and Financial Services, Kaeding Performance, Kevin Sharrah Designs, Roseville Precision, AIC Amerikote Coatings, Fast Four Media, College Cyclery, MANCAMP Motorsports, Tillack Enterprises, Lary’s Good Time Garage, and MAJ1K Motorsports.
For more information about Kyle Larson’s Outlaw Kart Showcasee presented by BRANDT, please visit www.outlawkartshowcase.com, like facebook.com/OutlawKartShowcase and follow @RaceTheShowcase on Twitter.