HOLYOKE, Colo. — It was a rough start to the day for Patrick Bourke. He left his hometown in Colorado, only to have his rig suffer engine problems, forcing his return home after getting only 60 miles away. Four hours later, he was back on the road, finally arriving at Phillips County Raceway in Holyoke, Colo., at 6 p.m. Bourke didn't have much time between arriving and when the first race was to take the track. In the end, that time frame didn't matter much, and a victory at Holyoke helped Bourke forget about the truck problems earlier in the day. Bourke, last year's Colorado Region champion in the United Rebel Sprint Series, started the 2012 season strong with a victory in the region's opener Friday night.
He started outside the second row and bolted into the lead just a few laps later. “Once I took the lead, Mark Walinder challenged one time on the first restart,” Bourke said. “He showed me a nose, then I was able to check out for awhile until lap traffic. I got held up behind a car, and they were able to catch up.” Walinder pressured Bourke again and made the pass stick, but contact with the lap car sent Walinder into a series of violent flips. Bourke went underneath Walinder as he flipped, avoiding the accident.
After the stoppage, Bourke pulled away for the win. Luke Cranston made the long haul from southwest Kansas and finished second, followed by Adam Trimble in third and Ty Williams in fourth.
“It was a fun race track,” Bourke said. “I haven't raced there since they shortened it. It was a great race track. There was some moisture on the bottom, slick in the middle and something up top to work with.”
Heat race winners were Brian Hardman, Mark Walinder and Judd Schaeffer
The Keizer Wheels Hard Charger award went to Adam Trimble who moved up from 9th to 3rd
Feature results
1. Patrick Bourke, 2. Luke Cranston, 3. Adam Trimble, 4. Ty Williams, 5. Bob Schaeffer, 6. Judd Sheaffer, 7. Eric Miller, 8. Tim Perkins, 9. Tommy Williams, 10. Mike Saathoff, 11. Jeff Heffner, 12. Nate Berry, 13. Butch Hardman, 14. Monte Hein, 15. Tom Belsky, 16. Jake Bubak, 17. Brian Hardman, 18. Mark Walinder, 19. Blake Smith (DNS).
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