Strong Memorial Day Weekend nets runner-up at Hoosier Hundred and very first Calistoga Speedway victory on Sunday night for Bud Kaeding
By Gary Thomas
Calistoga, CA – June 1, 2010…Continuing his very strong start to the year thus far in 2010 Campbell, California’s Bud Kaeding proceeded to put together another fine outing this past Memorial Day Weekend and capped it off with his first career Calistoga Speedway victory in Sunday night’s Salute to Walter T. Ross.
Kaeding opened the busy week by taking part in the 58th annual Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Friday and went into it holding a nine-point lead in the USAC K&N Silver Crown Series standings following a third place finish at the Iowa Speedway the previous week.
In his career the three-time and defending Silver Crown champion has been very succesful and solid at the prestigious Hoosier Hundred and looked to improve upon a fourth place finish at the event from 2009. A 36-car field was on hand for the night on Friday and Kaeding qualified 19th fastest overall, before scoring a runner-up finish in the main event to former NASCAR driver Shane Hmiel, who picked up his first ever dirt victory.
With the second place effort it has allowed Kaeding to extend his championship point lead to 18-markers over new second place driver Jerry Coons Jr. going into the next event, which takes place on July 8 in Schererville, Indiana. “We’ve had a pretty awesome start to the season with the Silver Crown Series,” said Kaeding, who has brought home finishes of second, third and second in the first three series races of the year during his bid at a record fourth title. "We've been really consistent so far and hopefully can get a win here before too long as well."
Kaeding then flew back to California in time for Saturday & Sunday’s traditional Golden State Challenge Series Memorial Day Weekend double-header at the Calistoga Speedway half-mile. The 30-year-old kicked off the two-night show by qualifying fourth fastest and then brought home a fourth place finish in the opening heat race aboard the Alviso Rock, Kaeding Performance, High Five Pizza No. 29 Maxim.
With the night being delayed at the start of the program due to adverse track conditions the format was altered to scrap the dash, in favor of a single pill draw for the feature inversion and when the number four was drawn it put Kaeding on the pole for the 25-lap contest. At the waving of the green flag Kaeding would jump into the lead and hold command of the race for the first four-laps, until Jonathan Allard and Tim Kaeding were able to get by and relegate him back to third. He then ran safely in line until Kyle Larson used lapped traffic to make his way around and steal the spot away late in the race, forcing Kaeding to settle for fourth at the conclusion.
A drastically different track surface was then seen on Sunday with much drier and racier conditions developing as the night went on. Going out 13th in the qualifying order the Campbell wheel-man cut the third fastest lap of the evening behind Tim Kaeding and Jonathan Allard. A third place finish in his heat race then put him into the six-lap dash, where he would score a sixth place effort to place the K&N Filters, MDR Machine, BK Motorsports mount in the third row for the main event.
As the field came down for the green flag Kaeding got a strong start to move into fourth and on lap-seven he would charge under Bobby McMahan to carve his way to third. Kaeding then methodcially closed in on the leaders, until the caution flag waved with 17-laps completed. When the green flashed back on he charged to the bottom in turns one and two and got under Kyle Larson to make it up to second, before setting his sights on his older brother Tim for the top-spot. A yellow just after moving into the runner-up position put him right on the rear bumper of the Roth 83 and on the restart he would make his move.
With Tim going to the bottom Bud blew to the high-scary side of the half-mile and rocketed around to claim the lead heading down the back stretch. One final caution with 22-laps down then put Tim back on his tail and on the restart "TK" gave it a big charge to his inside in the first corner and maneuver his way ahead, however, Bud stayed up high to get a huge run off the corner and battle his way back into the lead. After that Tim remained close, but Bud would hit his marks out front and motored off to score his second GSC win of the year.
“This is always a special track and I’ve been trying for a long time to win a race here at Calistoga so it feels awesome to finally get it done,” said an exhuberated Kaeding after the race. “To be able to come forward in the main event and race like that with my brother for the lead was a lot of fun and hopefully all the fans that came out enjoyed it. There's been so many great drivers that have won at this place and to add my name to that list is pretty cool and I owe so much of it to my guys because they gave me an awesome car tonight.”
For more info on three-time & defending USAC Silver Crown titlist and current series point leader Bud Kaeding please visit http://www.budkaedingracing.com
After finishing second at the Hoosier Hundred on Friday Campbell's Bud Kaeding returned home to California and made it pay off by racing to his first career Calistoga Speedway victory on Sunday night with the Golden State Challenge Series. It also marked the veteran driver's second win of the year with the traveling 410 sprint car group and the eighth of his GSC career, which ties him with Sean Becker and Jason Statler for 10th on the all-time list. Photo by Steve Lamothe of http://www.stevesracingphotos.com
- Gary Thomas on Jun 01, 2010
- Article Date: 6/1/2010