ANDERSON — With only 10 laps to go, Kyle Tellstrom of Ukiah passed leader Charlie Collins of Upper Lake in lapped traffic and drove the final rounds to win the North State Modified Series (NSMS) main event Saturday night at the Shasta Speedway in Anderson.
Up for grabs was the prestigious Lloyd Burton Against the Wind Modified Challenge trophy and a $2,000 payday in the richest event held in NSMS history to date. Defending series point champion Scott Winters of Tracy dogged Tellstrom all the way to the checkered flag and settled for second behind Tellstrom, who not only registered his second main event win this season, but his second straight victory in the Lloyd Burton Against the Wind Modified Challenge. Collins ended up in third place and three-time NSMS champion Darrin Knight of Kelseyville came in fourth.
Qualifying
A 10-lap qualifying heat sponsored by Economy Heating and Air took place with the fastest 10 cars inverted to determine the starting order for the 60-lap feature. Randy Houston led every lap to win the qualifier with Collins second, guaranteeing both drivers front-row starting spots. Knight finished second in the qualifier followed by Ian Elliott, Tellstrom, fast qualifier Winters (16.250 seconds), Simi Tour, Mike Sullivan, Cameron Austin and Darrin Sullivan.
Main event
At the drop of the green flag in the feature event, Houston powered into the lead with Collins second, Knight third and Elliot fourth. Both Tellstrom and Winters drove under Elliott on lap five just before Keith Bloom stalled on the front stretch with a flat tire, bringing out a yellow flag. Bloom went to the pits, changed the tire and returned at the back of the field.
The double-file restart saw Houston and Collins side by side for two laps before Houston reclaimed the lead. Five rounds later the race was slowed again when chunks of asphalt peeled out of the cracks in the race track. One of them hit the front of Elliott’s car, puncturing his radiator. Elliott pitted for repairs but the damage was too great and he had to retire from action.
This time Collins forged ahead on the restart and pulled away from the pack. Houston, Tellstrom and Knight rode nose to tail as Darrin Sullivan was challenging Winters on the outside. Winters finally prevailed and both Winters and Austin inched by Sullivan by lap 20.
Collins started lapping slower traffic on lap 24. At the halfway mark it was Collins, Houston, Tellstrom, Knight, Winters, Austin, Darrin Sullivan, Dustin DeRosier, Rich Cobb, Nick Lyons, Bloom, Tour, Chis Salmina, Jeremy Nowlin and Mike Sullivan.
Cody Braund dropped out on lap 33 as the three leaders were playing bumper cars trying to upset their fellow competitors. Lap 36 saw Winters dive under Knight for fourth place. On the following round Tellstrom swapped places with Houston.
Winters began pressuring Houston until Houston’s car finally pushed up the track enough for Winters to poke his nose into the opening and take over third on lap 41.
Collins was flawlessly driving through lapped traffic until the leaders caught two backrunners racing side by side. Collins choose one lane and Tellstrom took the other, and when traffic cleared Tellstrom was out in front. Winters followed Tellstrom’s line and moved into second, dropping Collins to third.
The final yellow came out on lap 54 when Houston was attempting an inside pass on Collins, drove off the track and into the infield. When his car returned to the track it was dropping grass and dirt the entire length of the back-stretch.
The final six laps were single file with Tellstrom taking the win and closely followed by Winters, Collins, Knight and Austin. Rounding out the top 10 were Darrin Sullivan, DeRosier, Lyons, Bloom and Cobb. Houston rebounded to finish 11th ahead of Tour, Nowlin, Salmina, Roy Ingalls, Robert Schmidt and Mike Sullivan.
Payouts
Economy Heating and Air donated $100 to every driver who ran the qualifying race. Mort Houston and Tour’s Great American Seed Company donated to the main event purse, making this year’s Lloyd Burton Against the Wind Modified Challenge the richest event in the history of NSMS. Besides $2,000 going to Tellstrom for his win, main event drivers each received a minimum of $400 for starting the race.
Nowlin also collected $100 for his win in the Lucas Oil Dash for Cash while Keith Bloom received $50 for finishing second. The $100 Jason Belveal Random Act of Kindness Awards were presented to Austin and Elliott. DeRosier earned the Naake Suspension Hard Charger award for passing the most cars. The $2,500 Lucas Oil Tow Money was shared by the top 15 drivers in the points standings.
Schedule
The final NSMS race for 2020 is the Bob Lehman Classic on Oct. 24 at Stockton 99 Speedway. Economy Heating and Air has added a $2,000 bonus to the winner’s share for this event, bringing the first-place money to $3,000. Another $1,000 donated by the Great American Seed Company will be distributed to other competitors.
Sponsors
The North State Modified Series is presented by Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Hoosier Tire West, Sunoco Race Fuels, Naake Suspension, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Mark & Sharon Baldwin, Scribner Plastics, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Economy Heating and Air, GASCO and Mort Houston.
