CONCORD - 5/18/07
By Matt Kentfield
SELLERS WINS BATTLE OF TEAMMATES
Nobody likes to see the color yellow when at the racetrack. That color usually means disaster for some driver on the track and means a halt to the action for the fans.
So far in the Bandolero Outlaw division at Concord, all but two people have really begun to dislike the color yellow even more. That’s because the bright-yellow painted #6 of Kendall Sellers has been, more often than not, the one that everyone has been chasing. Sellers came into Friday night’s event having won the last four races and eight out of nine on the year.
But on Friday night, the rest of the Outlaws field had a double-case of “yellow fever,” as Sellers was joined by his Methodist Motorsports Evangelism teammate Chris Morgan at the front of the field. The two yellow cars battled for the win, but even with an extremely loose racecar, nothing, not even his own teammate, was going to keep Sellers out of victory lane for a ninth time on the spring season.
“The car was a handful,” said Sellers. “I could do some drifting over here during the week now. The track was pretty slippery and we’ve been
chasing a loose condition all night. I was just happy to hold off Chris. He’s a good buddy of mine and we’ve been racing together for a long time now. It’s always fun racing with him, but this is only the second or third time that I’ve raced with him for the win.”
Even though he has gotten accustomed to winning so far this spring, Friday night’s win still meant a lot to the young driver. Sellers dedicated his win and donated $100 to the family of Chris Blossom, a Concord Legends Car driver who passed away in an automobile accident last week. The win also came just a few days shy of the one-year anniversary of when his team’s cars and equipment were stolen.
He’s now back and winning consistently. All of the motivating factors helped get Sellers back to Victory Lane.
“There was a lot of stuff going through my mind this week. Between Chris’ tragedy, my uncle’s birthday this week and the anniversary of our cars getting stolen, there’s been a lot of things in my mind. I’ve been praying for Chris Blossom and his family. I’m just stunned about being able to win for all of those people.”
LEADERS’ SPINS PUT KIRILA IN VICTORY LANE
When Jesse Kirila left Concord Motorsport Park last Friday night after finishing second in the Bandolero Beginner Bandit feature, he left hungry to pick up that one more position to make the way to victory lane.
After a tense week of waiting, Kirila had his shot Friday night. With the driver that beat him last week, Benji Hicks, not in attendance, Kirlia thought it was going to be his night.
But at the start of the feature, Kirila was staring out his windshield at the early leaders, Chandler LeVan and Noah Triplett. LeVan and Triplett put on a wild show at the front of the field that eventually led to the two drivers coming together and spinning between the first and second turns. The spinning cars left just enough room for Kirila to sneak by on the outside to take the lead and go on to score the win.
Sellers (#6) leads Morgan (#7) in the Bando Outlaws feature Friday night.
Kendall Sellers (left) celebrated his win with teammate and second-place finisher Chris Morgan (right).
“When they got together, I just thought I could go around the outside and I did,” said Kirila. “I almost hit the wall, but I didn’t. I was happy to take the lead.”
Kirlia had such a good car that he thinks he would’ve had something for LeVan and Triplett even if contact didn’t force the two early leaders out of contention.
“I thought I had a good enough car. I was really fast. We just tried to get the car as good as possible. The 21 (Hicks) ran last week and he beat me. He wasn’t here this week, so I don’t know if I could’ve beaten him or not, but we beat everyone tonight and won.”
BERGH BESTS BELLANGER IN BANDITS
There is something to be said for patience. Some drivers are big fans of using the front bumper to make a move for position, especially the lead, in short track racing. Others, like Stephen Bergh, Jr. on Friday night, win races by a healthy balance of patience and a fast racecar.
While Bodie Bellinger checked out to an early lead in the 15-lap Bandolero Bandit feature, Bergh settled in and waited for the right time to pounce. That time came on lap nine, when Berg jumped to the inside of Bellinger in the third turn. Once the clean pass was made, Bergh checked out for the victory.
“I knew I had a good enough car to pass him clean,” said Bergh. “He’s an experienced driver and I knew he would try to block me, but I knew he wouldn’t hit me. There was a lot of rubber on the track, so our car was good and we were able to hold him off.”
THE ROCK STAYS TOUGH TO BEAT
Last Friday night, Casey LaJoie came up short on victory to Ronnie Bassett, Jr. This Friday night, Casey LaJoie came up short on victory to Ronnie Bassett, Jr. See a theme here?
Both Bassett and LaJoie have had fast cars so far this spring, but LaJoie nor anyone else in the Bandolero Young Guns have had anything for Bassett.
This time, LaJoie had the upper hand early in the race, but Bassett waited until LaJoie’s car slipped away just enough for him to get by for the top spot on lap five. For the last 10 laps, Bassett checked out and took his second-straight Concord win over LaJoie and Brandon Lloyd.
Ronnie Bassett, Jr. scored another Young Gun win
Jesse Kirila in Beginner Bandit victory lane
“Casey was good, but we were just a little bit better tonight,” said Bassett. “His car was getting a little loose and my car was great all day. I’m just excited about getting back here again next weekend and getting another win to make it three in a row.
With two straight wins, one would think “The Rock” would be happy with his racecar. Believe it or not, as strong as Bassett has been, the driver thinks it’s capable of more.
“We’ve got to get the car a little bit more dialed in. It was alright, but I think there’s a little bit more in it. We’ll go back and try to get a couple more wins out here and we’ll try to get another win at Lowe’s next Thursday too.”
Bandolero Outlaw Results
1. Kendall Sellers
2. Chris Morgan
3. Nathan Rodgers
4. T. J. Hicks
5. Kayla Turner
6. David Furr
7. Chris Beaver
Bandolero Beginner Bandit Results
1. Jesse Kirila
2. Chandler LeVan
3. Noah Triplett
4. Aaron Beaver
5. John Holleman
Bandolero Bandit Results
1. Stephen Bergh, Jr.
2. Bodie Bellinger
3. Tyler Lester
4. Jordan Stillwell
5. Dillon Bassett
6. Christian Thomas
7. Sean Shalvoy
8. Tristin Adams
9. Justin Carroll
Bandolero Young Gun Results
1. Ronnie Bassett Jr
2. Casey LaJoie
3. Brandon Lynn
4. Clint King
5. Dylan Pack
6. Robert Poole
7. Brett Pepicelli
8. Josh Langley
9. Dylan Barbian
10. Andy Brown
11. Daniel Gobeille
