The October Classic has been a tradition in Bakersfield, Calif., since 1977, when Larry Phillips towed east from Missouri to win the inaugural 150-lap event at Mesa Marin Raceway.
The event ran at the East Bakersfield track until 2005, when the track closed.
Fast forward to this Sunday, Oct. 15, and the 35th annual October Classic is set to be held at Kern County Raceway Park, on the west side of the oil town. It will feature the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series, Spears Pro Late Model Series and Spears Modified Series.
The super late models will race in the “Bulwark/TenCate October Classic 135” for $10,000, the pro late models will seek $5,400 in the “Sigma Performance Services 54 presented by Motor City GMC,” and the modifieds will compete for $2,000 in the “Visit Bakersfield 60 presented by Fytron Software.”
Championship Battles Come To A Close
The 35th edition of the storied race will be the season finale for the super late models, pro late models and modifieds under the Spears banner. Each of the divisions will see champions crowned with two already decided.
The modified series crown will be clinched by Travis Thirkettle, merely by starting the feature. Jacob Gomes will tie Jim Pettit II with three Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series championships. Linny White will be the third different Spears Pro Late Model title holder in three seasons. It will be the first title for Thirkettle.
With Gomes in control of the super late model title, the fight for second will be settled between current runner-up and 2015 Pacific Challenge Series Champion John Moore and rookie-of-the-year leader Dylan Zampa.
Zampa enters the event with a 29-point deficit, with two victories to his name this year. Moore has consistency on his side, with seven top-10’s to Zampa’s four. Zampa should also earn the series rookie-of-the-year title over Nick Cooper, as Cooper will need to make up a 107-point deficit.
Scott Sanchez rounds out the top five in the championship points.
Holtz Reflects On Mesa Marin Memories
With the long history of the October Classic, there will be only one driver entered who participated in the NASCAR Southwest Tour Series October Classic at Mesa Marin Raceway, as well as the October Classic for the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series at Kern County Raceway Park.
That man is “Hollywood” Dan Holtz. Holtz has won in both series, but he will be seeking his first October Classic victory.
“Well, it’s that time of year again,” Holtz said. “The October Classic is here, and it marks the end of another great year of racing. On one hand, you can’t wait for this event to get here, and on the other hand, you hate to see the end of the season arrive.
“I’ve been participating in October Classic events since Mesa Marin back in the late 90’s, and it’s always been a real favorite event of mine. It’s a last chance to get a victory under your belt, before you go through several months of boredom, waiting for another season to begin.”
Holtz continued, “Kern County Raceway is such an incredible place for our cars because we are able to carry great speed on those long straightaways, and it really is an incredible event for us drivers who feel the need for speed. Willie Allen will be with us for that event, so we should be very competitive with him there.”
Hinds Pulls Double Duty
Cassidy Hinds made her Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series debut at Colorado National Speedway in August. This weekend, she will attempt to pull double duty in the Spears SRL Southwest Tour Series and Spears Pro Late Model divisions.
Hinds will be racing for Naake/Klauer Motorsports in both classes — a team she’s made five starts with at Kern County Raceway Park in a pro late model.
“I’m really excited to run the super late model at Kern for the first time,” Hinds said. “Ever since I started running super late models at CNS, I’ve wanted to know what it would be like to run it at Kern. I’m interested to experience the difference between the pro late model and super late model at the same track on the same night.”
Broadcast Details
Watch the 35th annual October Classic at 1 p.m. (PT) on SPEED SPORT affiliate LowBudget.TV.