ROSEVILLE — With air temperatures reaching 100 degrees and track temperatures pushing 110 entering Saturday night’s races at All-American Speedway, playing it smart and adjusting was crucial.

“They say the track tightens as it gets darker, you get more cooler air coming in,” Bombers points leader Mo Abhat said, “The adjustments we make are for 2:30 in the afternoon when track temps being 110.  You just have to just have to adjust on the run.”

 “It’s all adrenaline,” Bomber racer Matt Manolis added, “Once you out there, it helps you just focus on the race.”

Abhat mentioned that once the air goes through the car, you stop thinking about the heat and focus on the race.

Saturday’s events featured the Bombers, Street Stocks and F4s.

Bombers

The Bombers ran two 25-lap races Saturday and both were dominated by Joe Rhodes Jr. as he led and won both segments. He held at least a 10 car-length lead over Abhat and the rest of the Bomber’s field.

Abhat would outlast a constant bombardment of different racers to finish second in both races.

Street Stocks

It was the race of the season as Rich Lavalle rallied and channeled his inner Dale Earnhardt Sr. to use the popular “slingshot” maneuver coming off turn four to get by Chris Lambert. Lavalle won by just his front bumper for his fifth victory in eight races.

It had looked as if Lambert would pull off the victory after he grabbed the lead on lap 13 from Mark Blanton and began to build a lead on Blanton, Lavalle and Dan Farrington. 

As Farrington and Blanton began to battle for third/fourth place, Lavalle began to pressure Lambert for the lead at lap 28 and once both racers hit lap traffic a few laps later, it set up Lavalle for his moment under the stars.

F4

Cautions played a factor in the F4 race as four-lead changes were a result of the yellow flag in route to Keith Hopkinson Jr.’s victory.  Rob Adams would lead the first eight laps entering Lisa Young’s spin-out in turn four on lap six. 

Hopkinson Jr. would lead 23 of the final 24 laps in his victory, as he would surrender the lone lap to Vic Kassardjian following Keith Hopkinson Sr.’s caution in turn two on lap 27.

Hopkinson Jr. would recover from the challenge from Kassardjian after the caution and regained the lead and never surrendered it again.

Source:  http://www.placerherald.com/article/rhodes-takes-two-during-high-heat-all-american-speedway