MADERA, Calif. — Former Mission Pro Late Model champion Austin Herzog swept around the outside of 2022 series champion Kyle Keller, then fended off Ethan Nascimento, to win the season-opening $5,000 to win, 100-lap feature at Madera Speedway.
“It feels awesome. We were struggling with the car…a little bit yesterday. Huge thank you to this group of guys,” Herzog said. “(The top) was just where the car liked it. I was just a little snug there on the bottom all weekend.”
The Madera SpeedFest saw Keller claim quick time and grab the pole position against a 15-car field of Pro Late Models.
Veteran driver Rick Thompson of Fresno drew the third position and held it throughout the opening green flag run. A lap 16 restart undid Thompson’s night when his car stumbled, collecting Jason Aguirre to bring out a caution flag.
Eighth-starting Herzog and 10th-starting Nascimento started to make progress, overhauling Glen Cook for fourth and fifth. Matt Erickson ran second throughout the first half of the race. Erickson chose the outside line for a lap 44 restart, working the outside of Keller to take the lead.
Erickson led Keller, Shelden Cooper, Nascimento and Herzog at the lap-50 break for adjustments.
Keller used the inside line on a lap 54 restart to retake the top position from Erickson. Erickson then battled hard with Nascimento for second. Nascimento and Erickson collided in turns one and two, sending Erickson into a spin on the exit of the corner for a lap 64 caution. Both drivers had to restart at the rear. Erickson then tagged Nascimento for a subsequent spin and caution on lap 69.
A lap 74 restart presented the opportunity for Herzog to take the lead from Keller. Herzog started outside of Keller with Bubba Nascimento on the inside of row two. Nascimento and Keller collided, allowing Herzog to sweep around the outside to lead lap 75. A quick caution gave Keller a chance to battle back on the inside to lead lap 76 before Herzog had the lead in hand on lap 77.
Glen Cook spun battling with Erickson for sixth, requiring a caution flag on lap 91. Ethan Nascimento built up a head of steam on the outside to drive past Keller for second. Herzog fended off Nascimento for the narrow victory followed by Keller in third. Bubba Nascimento and Matt Erickson rounded out the top-five.
Eli Black won his first career 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Series feature, leading the field of drivers ages 10-16 years old in a flag-to-flag performance after 70-laps of racing. Five drivers made their series debut and none of the feature starters had a career victory.
The race was started straight up off time trials, placing Black on the pole. Fourth starting Skyler Schoppe immediately jumped into second. Schoppe hounded Black throughout the non-stop opening 40-lap segment. Tight quarters racing in lapped traffic did not deter the young drivers, with Black leading Schoppe into the race break. Oregon’s James Hamlin, Madera’s Kellen Keller, and Washington’s Hunter Gates were the top-five at the break.
Schoppe continued to challenge Black in the second segment. The race’s only caution flew when 11-year-old Byron Borneman of Ramona, Calif. spun on the backstretch on lap 55. Black maintained the lead over Schoppe with Hamlin successfully winning third over Keller. Gates rounded out the top-five.
Logan Chambers of Bakersfield won the INEX Legends 30-lap feature after starting seventh. Kyle Labrie led the first two laps before Chad Nascimento took the lead on lap three. Chambers advanced up third by lap four. Nascimento slowed with a mechanical issue, allowing Colton Page to lead lap 10.
Page himself suffered a surprising loss of pace coming out of turn two, thrusting Chambers into the lead on lap 19. Chambers topped Brenden Ruzbarsky, Page, Eddie Garone and polesitter Daniel Shamoon at the finish.
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