Perfect weather set the stage for the 2nd installment of Sprint Series 2021 season here at CalSpeed on the Grande configuration. We previewed quite a few different drivers for this event, and once all was said and done, it sure showed that the season just might be seeing some new names hitting the top ranks for this year’s championship!
Qualifying
This round’s fastest qualifying once again went to the likes of Tommy Haake after scoring pole position in the previous round. His consistency just may start paying off as the rest of the season gets rolling.
Qualifying Top 5
| 1) | Tommy Haake | 1:10.866 |
| 2) | Jacob Reis | 1:10.970 |
| 3) | Matthew McCoy | 1:11.003 |
| 4) | Brett Lopinsky | 1:11.263 |
| 5) | Ronnie Swaim Jr | 1:11.295 |
Heat 1A
Heat 1A was a dominant run for pole position driver Haake. There was little contest to his driving as the ensuing battle behind him could not keep up with his lead. Fellow podium contenders John Rice and Michael Martin each vied for position, dispatching several drivers in the process. Ultimately the race would end with Haake’s win, followed by Rice 2nd and Martin 3rd.
Heat 1A Results
| 1) | Tommy Haake |
| 2) | John Rice |
| 3) | Michael Martin |
| 4) | Matthew Justmann |
| 5) | Jeremy Aldridge |
Heat 1B
The second heat of the day saw a lot of forward progression from a number of up and coming drivers in the field. None of the finishing top 3 had even started in the top 5– Quinn Allen-Riley, Frank Chen, and Carl Zhu all put on quite the show, making only moves to the front for heat 1B. The checkered flag would fall with Allen-Riley scoring the win ahead of Chen and Zhu.
Heat 1B Results
| 1) | Quinn Allen Riley |
| 2) | Frank Chen |
| 3) | Carl Zhu |
| 4) | Vince Azua |
| 5) | Jack McNeel |
Heat 1C
Heat 1C would see the return of 2020 Champ Diego Alvarado for one of his allowed 2 races in the season. Amongst the cluster of drivers nearby would be Leo Ovtcharov and Albert Yeh, who would both put on the pressure lap after lap. The top 4 would shuffle regularly, with Ovtcharov seeing the lead early on and Alvarado taking it back midway through. Yeh however made the pass with a lap to go and would be able to score the win in front of Ovtcharov and Alvarado for heat 1C.
Heat 1C Results
| 1) | Albert Yeh |
| 2) | Leo Ovtcharov |
| 3) | Diego Alvarado [2R] |
| 4) | Matthew McCoy |
| 5) | Tony Wika |
C-Main
The C-Main began with drivers shuffling at the front– due to a penalty earlier in the day, last month’s winner Ronnie Swaim was forced to start in the C and would make quick work of the field. He gained nearly 20 spots from his start but it would not be enough to reach the duo of David Ramirez and Kurt Niebuhr who were at the helm. Ramirez crossed the line first ahead of Niebuhr and Swaim to grab the C-Main win.
C-Main Results
| 1) | David Ramirez |
| 2) | Kurt Niebuhr |
| 3) | Ronnie Swaim Jr |
| 4) | Esteban Peinado |
| 5) | Adam Spalasso |
B-Main
The top 3 in the B-Main would be Juan Ricart, Chris Millar, and Mike Carlson gnawing at each other’s heels at the drop of the green. Millar quickly took command of the field 1 lap in but both Carlson and Ricart would not be easy to shake off. Millar’s lead extended to half a second, but Carlson would continue trying to reel him in. At the checkered flag however, it would be no dice for Carlson as Millar went off to win the B-Main and the transfer to the A.
B-Main Results
| 1) | Chris Millar |
| 2) | Mike Carlson |
| 3) | Juan Ricart |
| 4) | Jack Lofaro |
| 5) | Mark Kempkey |
A-Main
The A-Main began with Albert Yeh taking the reigns into the first go-around the Grande circuit. Early on in the race, the top group of 5 consisted of Yeh, Haake, Carl Zhu, John Rice, and Michael Martin and they would split off from the rest of the field. Yeh had a steady grip of the lead, keeping the rest of the pack off of him for the majority of the race. The infighting amongst them however was not quite enough to allow Yeh to get away. With only a couple laps to go, Martin laid out an attack on Yeh, landing in the coveted top spot. Yeh would try one last move at the final corner, but Martin maintained a steady hold on the lead, crossing the finish with very audible excitement for his very first Sprint Series win.
As we mentioned previously, new for this year is the Sportsman Experience subcategory in the Sprint Series– new leaders for this category are Frank Chen taking over ahead of Ethan Chen…
A-Main Results
| 1) | Michael Martin |
| 2) | Albert Yeh |
| 3) | Carl Zhu |
| 4) | John Rice |
| 5) | Tommy Haake |
| 6) | Diego Alvarado [2R] |
| 7) | Matthew Justmann |
| 8) | Matthew McCo |
| 9) | Jeremy Aldridge |
| 10) | Leo Ovtcharov |
Sprint Series 2021 Current Points Standings
| 1) | Tommy Haake | 565 |
| 2) | Matthew McCoy | 544 |
| 3) | Michael Martin | 532 |
| 4) | John Rice | 518 |
| 5) | Evan Lawrence | 516 |
| 6) | Chris Fox | 507 |
| 7) | Carl Zhu | 478 |
| 8) | Quinn Allen-Riley | 466 |
| 9) | Matthew Justmann | 462 |
| 10) | Brett Lopinsky | 455 |
CalSpeed is permanently closed
See the latest images and videos from CalSpeed Karting events