Fuel tank runs dry
leading Open Main

Lakeport, CA – ParkerStore Outlaw Sprint Kart driver Kyle Larson finished the month of January undefeated in the 125cc division as he swept the program inside the Lake County Pavilion at Lakeport on Saturday. Larson also had the open main event victory in sight until his fuel tank ran dry, ending a great drive from ninth to the lead.

The format at Lakeport calls for 2 sessions of heat races for each division with the lineups determined by a draw. Drivers race against the same competitors in each of their 2 heats and in the first heat line straight up with the lowest number drawn on the pole and highest number starting last. The 2nd heat the lineup is inverted and when both heats are complete finishing points are tallied to set the dash and feature lineups.

Eighteen 125cc karts appeared for the show and Larson started inside the second row in the first set of heats and wasted little time moving by last weeks 125 main winner, Cassie Millhouse, in turn two of lap two. He then opened a large lead and carried his ParkerStore QRC Factory Kart to the checkered flag. In the second set of heats Larson started outside the second row and took the lead from leader Michael Snider on lap five before again pulling away for the win.

At the conclusion of the heats Larson had a perfect score that placed him fourth in the fully inverted trophy dash, where the finish determines the front two rows of the main event. Pole sitter Mikey Lovell grabbed the early lead as Larson dove under outside front row starter Alissa Geving in turn one. Larson applied heavy pressure on Lovell and he maintained the lead until the Parker pilot dropped under him in turn three of the last lap. Lovell fought back but slid a bit exiting turn four and Larson edged by for a narrow victory.

The dash finish placed Larson on the pole for the A-Main event. Surprisingly, Lovell grabbed the lead at the start and tried to hold Larson at bay. However, by lap three Larson used his Banke Power to make the pass on Lovell in turn three. Between a couple of yellow flag periods Larson showed his dominance by opening large leads each time. He was able to negotiate lapped traffic and carried the ParkerStore colors to his fifth 125cc win in 2005. Larson also had another feature win at Lakeport New Year’s Day, two wins at Red Bluff and the OKS Nationals at DuQuoin, Illinois last week.

In the 500cc Open division that included 26 competitors Larson started on the outside of the front row for the first heat session. He took the lead from pole starter Jo Jo Helberg and went on to a convincing win.

In the second heat session Larson lined up sixth but was shuffled back to seventh on the start. He quickly moved by Helberg but could advance no further and finished sixth.

His combined finishes left him 10th in points for the main event. However, after an altercation with officials after the trophy dash second ranked driver John Bunch was placed at the rear of the main event order, moving Larson to the ninth starting spot of the 14 starters.

At the drop of the green pole starter McCormack took the lead while Larson moved ahead two places before slipping under Nick De Carlo for sixth on lap two. On lap three a yellow came out for Bunch and Chad Pace with Larson still in sixth. On the restart Nick De Carlo spun in turn four to bring out another yellow. Fourth running Michelle Argetsinger looped her kart in turn one on the restart and Larson moved up another place with Darin Snider taking over the lead. On lap four Larson passed Marcus Hardina before Snider gave up the lead when he slid into the turn one wall to bring out a yellow on lap 8.

Pole starter Noel Mc Cormack inherited the lead back with Glen Parman second and Larson third. After the race resumed Larson moved under Parman in turn three and set his sights on McCormack. By lap 15 Larson had caught McCormack and was pressuring for the lead. On lap 17 the yellow appeared for Mason Moore and during the slowdown McCormack’s header pipe disconnected causing it to exceed the decibel limit.

After a lengthy delay to get a disappointed McCormack to exit the track the race restarted with Larson leading. Larson’s Grandpa George power was evident on an open track as he opened a quick comfortable lead on Parman. Several yellows came out in the latter stages of the race and each time the ParkerStore kart would open a healthy advantage on the field after restarts. Finally, with three laps to go, the extra caution laps proved to be Larson’s undoing as his fuel tank emptied. Parman went on to win while Larson pushed back to his pit and finished ninth.

After the race the ParkerStore driver was still upbeat and said “I wish I could have finished the open main, but my dad and I are really happy because the kart ran so well. We came from a long way back to get the lead and the kart was working perfect. At most tracks we race to the yellow flag and you run a lot less laps under yellow because it’s easier to set the lineup. Today we topped the tank off until it overflowed, so I think I’m just going to have to remember to conserve fuel better under yellow at the tracks that don’t race to the yellow. Even my 125 didn’t have much fuel left either. Anyway, I am really happy about winning all the 125 races this month and I hope next month I can do it again.”

Race: January 29, 2005