See Also TYLER MCCAIN WINS OREGON LEG OF QRC ALL STAR TOUR 05/23/2003

Medford, OR -- After trading the lead numerous times with McKinleyville’s Ryan Gomes, Rudger Worley from Oroville made it three wins in three starts on the prestigious QRC All Star Outlaw Tour 125 Intermediate action Friday night at the Southern Oregon Speedway outlaw kart track. Worley collected $270 for his win in the time shortened 18 lap event and the win followed similar victories at Cycleland Speedway and Vallejo Speedway2. Worley is beginning just his third season of racing and his efforts are sponsored by Ron’s Drive In, Owens Wood Products, Golden State Auto Body and McDaniel Construction. After his three strong efforts, Worley has built an incredible 73 point lead on second ranked Alan Ambers. Gomes was forced to restart in the rear after a lap 14 incident and Cody Miller ran a $130 second ahead of the fast closing Gomes, who won $90. Filling in for Cody Ambers, Matt DiBenedetto ran fourth. It was a huge night for the Gomes clan as Ryan’s brother Riley Gomes paced 16 laps after starting third in the 20 lap Box Stock A Main. The win paid $280 and Derek Copeland used a $140 second place finish to move into a tie for the series point lead with Keith Bloom Jr. Tyler Reddick was third in the 20 lapper. The very wet spring allowed the track to complete just one show before the 170 kart field invaded. Despite regrading the track during the show, the teams struggled with very rough track conditions and the marathon show continued well past midnight. Sponsorship from the R F McDonald Company, O.H.I. Company, United Rentals and Vito Trucking makes this highly successful tour possible.

DiBenedetto won the 125 championship on the touring series in 2002, but is not chasing the points in 2003. He filled in for C Ambers and paced the 43 kart 125 field with a 10.272 qualifying run. Worley ranked second with his 10.455 effort and Jessica Helberg posted a 10.491. Brian Southers, Bradley Terrell, Ryan Gomes, Michael Forslund and Shane Theis rounded out the quickest 8 qualifiers. The field was divided into four qualifying heat races with the top 3 finishers in each advancing into the A Main. The tour format puts the fastest qualifiers in the front of the heat race lineups. Pole starter DiBenedetto won the first heat over third starter Mackenna Bell from Nevada. Worley turned a pole start in heat 2 into another win with fourth starter Kelsie Kennedy, a top runner at Lakeport, second. Outside front row starter Forslund won heat 3 with pole starter Helberg second. Southers won heat 4 from the pole with sixth starter Allie Moore surprising with a 2nd place run. Moving forward with third place heat finishs were C Miller, Kayla Mincey, Sean Sheppard and Glenn Parman Jr. The four heat winners started at the front of the 8 kart, Moore Financial Services Dash that pays $50 to win. The finish of the dash also determines the starting order for the front four rows of the A Main. DiBendetto won the dash from the pole ahead of fellow front row starter Worley. Forslund ran third ahead of Kennedy and Southers. The tour elected to limit the A Main to just 16 starters on the tight track and 2002 Box Stock Tour Champion Kyle Larson raced his way into the A Main with a win in the B Main ahead of Ryan Gomes, Alan Ambers and Christopher Phillips. Just missing the move forward were Michelle Argetsinger and Adam Main. Main had towed north the previous weekend and won the main event in the track’s season opener. Main won the C Main ahead of Zach Lynskey and Argetsinger. Young Lakeport racer Andrew Wiley won the D Main with Terrell second.

Worley beat DiBenedetto on the start and paced the first 8 laps of the A Main. Ryan Gomes started 14th, but was fifth in just four rounds with Worley leading DiBenedetto, Kennedy and Reddick. Gomes raced into second on lap 7 and took the lead from Worley on lap 9. Worley nosed back in front on lap 11, but Gomes got back out front for two rounds before bringing out a caution flag. Worley led the final five laps for the win with Gomes charging back to third with his last lap pass of DiBenedetto. C Miller ran second. DiBenedetto was fourth ahead of Phllips, Bell, Sheppard and Forslund. While Worley is 73 points ahead of A Ambers, the fight for second finds five drivers seperated by just 12 points. Nevada’s Tom Purcell is 7 points back of A Ambers, three ahead of Mason Moore and 5 in front of both C Miller and Southers.

Keith Bloom Jr was the quickest of the 46 Box Stock entries with his 11.769 qualifying run. Copeland ran a 11.851 and Reddick an 11.866. Brad Patchen, Jake Cartwright and Chase Hill rounded out the quick six. The field was divided into the four straightup qualifying heat races with the top 3 finishers in each advancing to the A Main. Outside front row starter Cartwright won the first heat ahead of pole starter Bloom and Nevada’s Kellcy Bell. Copeland won heat 2 from the pole with fellow front row starter Hill second ahead of Andrew Cumpton. Reddick won heat 3 from the pole with third starter Riley Gomes second ahead of front row starter Tyler Seavey. Jason Mittry charged from third to win heat 4 over outside front row starter Doug Kennemore and 7th starter Jay Primm. Top runner Derek Kennemore failed to post a qualifying time, but charged from 12th to 5th in his heat race. The four heat winners started at the front of the 8 kart, $25 to win Moore Financial Services Dash that also sets the starting order for the front foru rows of the A Main. Pole starter Cartwright won with 4th starter Mittry second ahead of Gomes and Bloom. The final four A Main starters were determined in the B Main and Derek Kennemore won tht race from sixth starting. Jesse Taylor ran second ahead of Kenny Allen and R J Johnson. Just missing the move forward were Nevada’s Zachary Heinz and Tristan Miller. Redding’s Alyssa Hogan won the C Main ahead of T Miller and Zack Kisman. Kisman won the D Main ahead of Koree Kast and Patchen.

Pole starter Cartwright led one lap of the 20 lap A Main and Copeland paced three, but it was Riley Gomes out front for the other 16 laps. Copeland ran second ahead of Reddick, 13th starter Derek Kennemore, Mittry and Cumpton. Allen was a lap down in 7th ahead of Doug Kennemore and Johnson. With three rounds of the schedule done, Copeland and Bloom Jr are tied for the point lead with a three point advantage on Derek Kennemore. Hill is just 15 points behind the leader and 3 ahead of Reddick. Primm is just a single tally back of Reddick. The series runs at Cycleland on June 21 and Delta Speedway on July 5.

Fast Time

Keith Bloom Jr 11.769

Dash

Jake Cartwright, Jason Mittry, Riley Gomes

Heat 1

Cartwright, Bloom, Kellcy Bell, R J Johnson, Zachary Heinz

Heat 2

Derek Copeland, Chase Hill, Andrew Cumpton, Ethan Rohner, Derek Kennemore

Heat 3

Tyler Reddick, Gomes, Tyler Seavey, Kenny Allen, Jesse Taylor

Heat 4

Mittry, Doug Kennemore, Jay Primm, Dylan Pemberton, Jacob Miller

D Main

Zack Kisman, Koree Kast, Brad Patchen, Max Adams, Zane Kazaka, Zack Spaulding, Jake Morgan, Marona Starr, Trevor Cobabe, Sierra Land

C Main

Alyssa Hogan, Tristan Miller, Kisman, Johnathon Hoheisel, Patchen, Keith Aton, Kast, Seth Nunes, Shelly Miller, R J Phillips

B Main

Derek Kennemore, Doug Kennemore, Allen, Johnson, Heinz, T Miller, J Miller, Bradley Miller, Rohner, Hoheisel

A Main

Gomes, Copeland, Reddick, Derek Kennemore, Mittry, Cumpton, Allen, Doug Kennemore, Johnson, Taylor, Hill, Bloom, Primm, Seavey, Bell, Cartwright

Fast Time

Matt DiBenedetto 10.272

Dash

DiBenedetto, Rudger Worley, Michael Forslund

Heat 1

DiBenedetto, Mackenna Bell, Cody Miller, Kyle Larson, Tom Purcell

Heat 2

Worley, Kelsie Kennedy, Kayla Mincey, Alan Ambers, Jonny Lentz

Heat 3

Forslund, Jessica Helberg, Sean Sheppard, Christopher Phillips, Mason Moore

Heat 4

Brian Southers, Allie Moore, Glenn Parman Jr, Jason Bremerman, Allen Cady

D Main

Andrew Wiley, Bradley Terrell, Al Varrichio, Peter Lawrence, Evan Owen, Klint Simpson, Shane Theis

C Main

Adam Main, Zach Lynskey, Michelle Argetsinger, Stephanie Rotan, Wiley, Terrell, Camron Mendes, Alex Cartwright, Lawrence, Jordan Dargert

B Main

Larson, Ryan Gomes, Ambers, Phillips, Argetsinger, Main, Amanda Reinolds, Moore, Lynskey, Bremerman

A Main

Worley, C Miller, Gomes, DiBenedetto, Phillips, Bell, Sheppard, Forslund, Helberg, Kennedy, Larson, Mincey, Southers, Parman, Moore, Ambers