8/24/2012
Caho Closes Gap With SCVR Win
With another field of 12 Traditional sprints in the pits at the St. Croix Valley Raceway on Friday night August 24, the GRP Motorsports Championship Chase continued to be a close one with Rob Caho, Jr. racing to his fifth TSCS win of the season. The victory allowed Caho to close within one point of Johnny Parsons III in the championship standings. Drivers are allowed to throw out their five lowest point scores in order to determine the 2012 Traditional Sprint Car Series Champion. Parsons has 116 points with Caho at 115 and Kevin Bradwell at 112.
For Bradwell, it was a tough night. Bradwell was battling with Parsons for second and third behind Caho when the lapped car of Tom Porter slid across the track and made contact with both Parsons and Bradwell. Bradwell's car sufferred a broken right front and needed wrecker assistance while Parsons raced the remaining seven laps with a flat left front tire, hampering his ability some and keeping him on the bottom of the track.
With Lucas Milz and Caho on the front row for the 20 lap feature, it was Caho immediately catapulting into the lead on the heavy cushion. Although Caho was not seriously challenged, his lead was never large at any point during the feature. The battle for positions behind him stayed close until the lone caution with 13 laps in changed the complexion of the race and the championship point standings too. Jeff Pellersels was able to get by Parsons on the restart for second, but Parsons was able to nurse his sprinter home with a decent third place finish after falling back to fourth and nearly fifth with three laps to go. Finishing behind the lead trio was a pair of rookies, Denny Stordahl in fourth and Lucas Milz in fifth.
Caho's fifth TSCS victory of the season allowed him to close in on Parsons and continues the fine championship battle between the top three drivers in the division with three races remaining on the 2012 schedule at SCVR. Stated series sponsor GRP, "this battle will come right down to the final night on September 22 between Parsons, Caho and Bradwell." Bradwell will be looking to gain back some of the points he lost when the TSCS sprints are back in action next Friday August 31 at the track along with the first-ever appearance by the WISSOTA late models and a return appearance by the modifieds.
TSCS SCVR Summary August 24, 2012:
Heat 1 (10 laps): Johnny Parsons III #12, Jeff Pellersels #1, Kevin Bradwell #95, Jack Clark #41s, Brad Nelson #7N, Ryan Olson #21.
Heat 2 (10 laps): Rob Caho Jr. #78, Denny Stordahl #34, Lucas Milz #60, Katrina Sautbine #13k, Mike Huesmann #71H, Tom Porter #53.
Sterling Bank A Feature (20 laps): Caho, Pellersels, Parsons, Stordahl, Milz, Clark, Huesmann, Bradwell, Sautbine, Porter, Nelson, Olson DNS.
Article Credit: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
