The California RaceSaver Sprints presented by Quick Change Liquid Energy, roared into action on April 12th, 2025, as they stormed the newly reconfigured Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. Twelve fierce competitors took to the track, including three fresh faces making their series debut: Joe Delisle, coming out of retirement after more than 15 years, along with Jake Vemeer and Cole Danell. The night was packed with excitement, and to top it off, Hanford’s own Jeremy Alves, driver of the #81A, celebrated his 21st birthday in true racing fashion!
Qualifying began with Kyle Rasmussen from Clovis, CA, behind the wheel of the #38N. He laid down a solid first lap at 16.906 seconds, followed by a slightly slower second lap of 16.943. Kyle briefly held the top spot until the second car out, Jake Vemeer of Bakersfield, CA, driving the #87, turned a fast 16.413 on his first lap. Although his second lap was a bit slower at 16.602, his initial time was fast enough to secure the top position for the remainder of qualifying.
Qualifying Rundown:
- Jake Vemeer - #87 (16.413), 2. Rino Felicioni - #15 (16.527), 3. Davey Pombo - #2 (16.532), 4. Lance Jackson - #18 (16.641), 5. Phil Heynen - #31H (16.647), 6. Cole Danell - #5 (16.762), 7. Kyle Rasmussen - #38N (16.906), 8. Ty Hindman - #86 (16.932), 9. Tylor Henson - #11T (16.980), 10. Anthony Pombo - #3 (16.992), 11. Jeremy Alves - #81A (17.163), 12. Joe Delisle - #88J (17.340)
CRS heat races would then follow with Kyle Rasmussen and Cole Danell picking up the wins in their respective heat races.
Heat 1 started with the #38N of Kyle Rasmussen on the pole, the #31H of Phil Heynen to his outside, Davey Pombo in the #2 car to the inside of row 2, Jake Vemeer in the #87 and the #11T wrapping up the lineup for the first heat
Racing action got underway smoothly for the California RaceSaver Series, with just one hiccup early on, a spin in Turn 4 by the #87 of Jake Vemeer on the opening lap. On the restart, Kyle Rasmussen of the #38N would hold the lead but would also catch a little bit of heat on his rear bumper from the #2 of Davey Pombo on lap 5 as they would briefly battle for the lead but it was the #38N of Rasmussen who would prevail out of the first heat.
Heat 1 Rundown:
- Kyle Rasmussen - #38N (1st), 2. Davey Pombo - #2 (3rd), 3. Phil Heynen - #31H (2nd), 4. Tylor Henson - #11T (5th), 5. Jake Vemeer - #87 (4th), 6. Jeremy Alves - #81A (DNS)
Heat Race #2 for the CRS lined up with the #86 of Ty Hindman on the pole and Cole Danell in the #5 starting on the outside of the front row. Behind them, the #18 of Lance Jackson slotted into third, followed by the #15 of Rino Felicioni in fourth. Rounding out the field were Anthony Pombo in the #3, starting fifth, and Joe Delisle in the #88J, making up the final row for the second and final heat race of the night.
With only a couple spin-outs in turns three and four by the #86 of Ty Hindman. Cole Danell in the #5 would lead the opening lap but on lap 2, Ty Hindman would lose control in between three and four and spin to a complete stop, resulting in a revert back to the lineup on lap 1. On the restart, Danell would catch the lead once again, lead the second lap but Hindman would spin again in turn four, bringing another blanket of yellow across the track and another revert back to the lineup on lap 1 and Hindman heading to the pits. And on the restart, Danell would hold the lead without issue until lap 6 when Rino Felicioni in the #15 machine would give him a run for his money but in the end, Danell would come out victorious.
Heat 2 Rundown:
- Cole Danell - #5 (2nd), 2. Rino Felicioni - #15 (4th), 3. Lance Jackson - #18 (3rd), 4. Anthony Pombo - #3 (5th), 5. Joe Delisle - #88J (6th), 6. Ty Hindman - #86 (1st, DNF)
Feature Line-Up:
- Rino Felicioni - #15, 2. Davey Pombo - #2, 3. Lance Jackson #18, 4. Phil Heynen - #31H, 5. Cole Danell - #5, 6. Kyle Rasmussen - #38N, 7. Tylor Henson - #11T. 8. Anthony Pombo - #3, 9. Jake Vemeer - #87, 10. Joe Delisle, 11. Ty Hindman - #86, 12. Jeremy Alves - #81A
Unlike the season opening feature at Merced, the drivers went a full 25 laps without a single caution or red flag, but that didn’t mean it lacked action. At the drop of the green, Davey Pombo in the #2 jumped out front, while a heated battle for second unfolded between Rino Felicioni in the #15 and Kyle Rasmussen in the #38N. By lap 7, Rasmussen made the move to secure second and steadily began reeling in Pombo as the leader navigated through lapped traffic.
The fight for the lead came to life on lap 15, and just one lap later, Rasmussen made his move, slipping past Pombo on lap 16 to take the top spot, a position he wouldn’t give up for the rest of the race. Behind them, Phil Heynen worked his way into third and held steady to the finish.
In a repeat of the season opener at Merced, the top three crossed the line in the exact same order: Rasmussen scored his second win of the season, Pombo earned his second runner-up finish, and Heynen rounded out the podium once again in third.
Feature Rundown (25 Laps):
- Kyle Rasmussen - #38N (6th), 2. Davey Pombo - #2 (2nd), 3. Phil Heynen - #31H (4th), 4. Rino Felicioni - #15 (1st), 5. Tylor Henson - #11T (7th), 6. Anthony Pombo - #3 (8th) 7. Lance Jackson - #18 (3rd), 8. Joe Delisle - #88J (10th), 9. Ty Hindman - #86 (11th), 10. Jake Vemeer - #87, 11. Cole Danell - #5 (5th, DNS), 12. Jeremy Alves - #81A (DNS)
The promoters, drivers, and teams would like to thank the sponsors who make this happen; Quick Change Liquid Energy, MyRacePass, BR Motorsports, Sidewaze Designs and Rugged Radios.
Catch the California Racesaver Sprints again for their third race of the season at the infamous Tulare Thunderbowl for the “Chris and Brian Faria Memorial” alongside the winged 360 sprint cars and the winged 410 sprint cars for an amazing night of racing!!
- ALICIA GARGES on Apr 14, 2025
- Article Date: 4/14/2025 by Brandon Garges