Roseville, Loomis drivers take local speedway wins

The grandstands at All American Speedway were abuzz with cheers and excitement Saturday night as an eight-division program provided plenty of spills and thrills in an event that saw several of Placer County's own in victory lane. Roseville resident Nathan Cleaver drove to his first victory in the F4 feature event. The opening of the 25-lap race saw fellow Roseville driver and 2020 champion Ray Molina hustle from fourth place into first on the opening lap. As Molina muscled into the top spot, trouble broke out behind him when Lincoln's Brandon Frantz and Rocklin's John Sproule tangled in turn three. Both drivers quickly returned to competition yet lost several positions as the race remained under the green. Cleaver set his sights on his prey early, as he tracked down Molina and took the top spot with an inside pass in the fourth turn. Tenth-place starter Matthew Fuhs charged into the top three by lap six and then passed Molina for second. Fuhs then looked to the outside of Cleaver for the lead but could not complete the pass. The top four ran closely together until a caution on lap 17 for fourth-place Stephen Crook stopping on the front stretch. Cleaver led the final eight laps for his first F4 win over Fuhs, Molina, Dennis Crook and Sproule. Josh Whitfield of Roseville won his fourth Riebes Auto Parts Super Stock feature of the season, as he overcame the 10-car invert to win. Roseville's Jeremy Fritts led the opening lap from the outside of Gary Eisenhour, who led lap two. Fritts then claimed the top spot on lap three. Fritts raced side-by-side with Tim Walters on a lap-eight restart before Fritts slid exiting turn four. 2020 champion Andrew Peeler knifed underneath to lead lap 11. Whitfield followed and pounced, moving underneath Peeler on the backstretch to lead lap 12. A caution fell on lap 25 when Brandon White and Walters got together in turn one. Whitfield maintained the lead over the final five circuits, topping Peeler, Roseville's Roy Smith, Roseville's Phil Wilkins and Fritts. Kenna Mitchell of Loomis led all 20 laps for her second Jr. Late Model win of 2021. Mitchell held off a close challenge from Lane Anderson of Fort Bragg while Trey Daniels of Fort Bragg finished third. Saturday's event included the Berco Redwood NASCAR Late Model features as Colorado's Cassidy Hinds and Napa's Dylan Zampa split the events, resulting in each driver earning their first Late Model event in Roseville. Hinds' win was a come-from-behind tale during a tumultuous opening contest. A 10-car invert placed Roseville's Lance Halm on the pole position and the caution flew on lap three for Aidan Daniels of Fort Bragg spinning on the backstretch. Hinds was part of a three-car spin in turns one and two on lap seven, which involved Colorado's Holly Clark and Fort Bragg's Kylie Daniels. All three restarted at the tail of the field. The caution flew again on lap nine when Hinds spun for a second time. Halm slowed from the lead in turn four on lap 15, surrendering the top position to Zampa. The 10th starting Zampa paced the field through several cautions, including an incident with Clark and Calvin Hegje on lap 20. Michael Mitchell collided with incoming points leader John Moore of Granite Bay on lap 22, bringing out the caution when Moore pounded the front stretch wall. Moore and second in points Aidan Daniels failed to continue. A red flag fell on lap 32 for Grass Valley's JJ Ferguson hitting the wall in turn two head on. Ferguson was uninjured in the damaging collision. Once the incident was cleaned up, Zampa's car would not restart for the ensuing restart, which handed the lead to Hinds. Hinds went back-and-forth with Loomis' Chris Scribner before wrestling the lead away on the final lap, winning her first NASCAR Late Model feature. Auburn's Thomas Martin finished third ahead of Kylie Daniels and Mitchell. Zampa earned the pole for the second feature after an eight-car invert. A shuffle of the order allowed Michael Mitchell to use the outside to lead lap one, before Zampa led lap two. Martin and Japanese driver Takuya Okada passed Mitchell for third and fourth. Hinds then jumped up to fourth by lap seven. The leaders encountered lapped traffic by the 15th lap. Hegje and Scribner collided in turn four on lap 16, with a spinning Scribner getting hit head-on by Lane Anderson to end Scribner's race. Anderson and Aidan Daniels then had an incident in turn one for a caution, erasing a 1.7-second lead Zampa accumulated over the field. Zampa held the lead over two restarts, including for contact between Moore and Hinds that relegated both to the rear of the field. Zampa topped Martin by 1.899 seconds, followed by Okada, Halm, and Clark in the top five. Eureka's Brandon White made his first start in the Jaws Gear & Axle Modifieds count as he led all 25 laps for the victory. White quickly nabbed the lead after starting fourth and never relinquished it in the NASCAR feature. 2020 champion Jason Philpot of Sacramento finished second, followed 2021 points leader Eric Price Jr. of Rio Linda, Rocklin's Tyler Wentworth and North Highlands' Rick Andersen as the top-five finishers. In the Mini Cup vs. Bandolero main event, Lucas Burton of Stockton avoided a late melee to take home the checkered flag. Burton led only the final lap to win his first career event. Anthony Bean of Lincoln made quick work to go fifth to first on lap one. Rookie Dayton Broyles of Auburn spun on lap two but continued. He then collided with Bean while being lapped, dropping Bean out of the lead. The race remained under green until 2020 champion Bella Thomsen of El Dorado Hills slowed on the backstretch on lap six. Bean and Lincoln's Joseph Elf battled for the lead on the final restart of the event. When Bean went to drive past Elf into turn one, the two collided, bringing out the yellow-checkered flag. Third-place Burton was declared the winner over Nelson, Broyles, Bean and Elf. Saturday's event included the return of the always entertaining Riebes Auto Parts Trailer Bash. Alan Bridgman claimed his second $1,000 victory when the checkered flag flew. Bridgeman managed to race several laps with his trailer on its side, not falling off until after the checkered flag. All American Speedway will take a few weeks off to allow for the arrival and operation of the upcoming Placer County Fair. Racing returns July 10 with NASCAR Berco Redwood Late Model Twin, North State Modifieds/Jaws Gear & Axle Modifieds 60, Riebes Auto Parts Super Stocks, F4s, Jr. Late Models, Mini Cup/Bando, and Riebes Auto Parts Trailer Bash. Tickets will be available soon at: www.AllAmericanSpeedway.com. Steven Blakesley of Blakesley Sports Media assisted Gold Country Media with the coverage of this event.