DON MARTIN II
October 9, 2018
ACTION CAPTURED IMAGES PHOTO Tanner Thorson does a wheelie in celebration of his $5,000 Adobe Cup win.
Tanner Thorson came out the big winner in the 30 lap PitStopUSA.com Winged 360 Sprint Car Main Event on Saturday night at Petaluma Speedway. This was the eighth annual Adobe Cup, and Thorson earned $5,000 for his win.
Thorson put himself in a good position to win when he was one of the Top 8 qualifiers after heat races, and then timed second quick in the special qualifying session.
Thorson shared the front row with 2017 champion Geoff Ensign, and he raced into the lead ahead of Ensign and Sean Becker. Becker took over second on a Lap 3 restart with Kalib Henry following closely in third. There was one more yellow flag on Lap 7, and Thorson, Becker and Henry ran closely at the front of the pack. Henry slipped past Becker for second on Lap 27, and began to put the pressure on Thorson for the lead. However, Thorson just managed to hold off Henry at the checkered flag.
Becker settled for third, followed by Justyn Cox, new champion Jake Haulot, Justin Sanders, Billy Aton, Andy Forsberg, Colby Johnson and Norm Johns.
There were 28 competitors for the big money show, and they each ran two 10-lap heat races to determine points for who would run the qualifying session. The first round of heat races were won by Ryan Bernal, Ensign, Eli Deshaies and Haulot. Becker, Aton, Thorson and Klint Simpson won the second round of heats. Ensign had the quickest qualifying lap at 12.242 to grab the pole for the big money race. Thorson was second quick at 12.258. Justin Sanders won the 12-lap B Main ahead of Chase Majdic, DJ Freitas, Wayne Katen and John Clark.
Mike Learn picked up the $2,000 win in the 35-lap Bob McCoy Memorial Race for the Lumberjacks Restaurant Super Stocks. Richard Workman returned to his former home track and set the early pace ahead of Steve Studebaker and Learn. Learn and Richard Brace Jr. both got by Studebaker for second and third on Lap 6, and a caution flag waved a lap later. On the restart, Learn charged past Workman for the lead. Workman held second until being passed by new track champion Mitch Machado on Lap 14.
Brace quickly took over the third spot. Learn set a rapid pace during the second half of the race, and won by nearly a straightaway ahead of Machado, Brace, Studebaker, Tim O’Hara, Workman, Ryan Peter, Gary Newman, Bill Hall and Manny Avila.
Cabinets Plus put up $100 prizes for the heat race winners, and Learn and Marysville champion Chris Warner picked up those wins. Learn got the $100 bonus money for setting the quick time at 17.667, with Warner second quick at 17.728. Learn also received an additional $100 bonus from Cabinets Plus as the driver with the fastest lap in the Main Event. He was the only driver to crack the 17-second barrier at 16.924.
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