DEREK THORN/Sunrise Ford muscled past leader MICHAEL SELF/Golden Gate Meat Chevrolet and pole sitter CAMERON HALEY/No.24 Cabinets by Hayley Ford to win the aggressive and action-packed NASCAR K & N Pro Series West Carneros 250 race Saturday afternoon at Sonoma Raceway. For awhile, it seemed as though the Safety Car would finish second.
After Thorn maneuvered by Self and Haley in Turn Seven on the last lap, he stretched out his lead for a 1.493 second Margin of Victory. The Move was forceful, bold, daring, but not reckless. Onlookers said it was well thought out – he set it up for two laps.
This was Thorn’s second win this season, and fourth career victory. He finished second last year at Sonoma. He took back the points lead, with 258 points, ahead of Self with 255 points and Haley with 247.
The race was wild and crazy, with seven lead changes among six drivers, a red flag, seven cautions for 14 laps and three extra laps in the Green-White-Checker NASCAR finish. It took 2 hours 2 minutes 34 seconds to run.
Saturday’s victory was Thorn’s second win this season, fourth in his K & N series, and first on a road course. Afterwards, he said that the rivalry between the front-running Self and pole sitter Haley kept them busy with each other, so he just let them play with each other and then passed them.
Fourth and fifth were DAVID MAYHEW/Madoron Chevrole and Double Duty Driver, PAULIE HARRAKA/No.20 Crackle Toyota. Harraka is also running Sunday’s 25th Annual Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
Eighteen drivers were on the lead lap. Twenty-two of the thirty-five starters finished the race.
The weather was warm and sunny, with a desultory breeze.
Sonoma is the second of three road course races on the K & N schedule, and the sixth race this year out of fifteen. The next race is Colorado National Speedway on 27 July 2013.
The Carneros 200 race will air on SPEED TV Thursday 18 July 2013 at 3pm ET.
