SPOKANE, Wash. — In what was a wild race for the opening round of the Northwest Super Late Model Series, it was only appropriate that the winner was not declared until after the checkered flag flew on the 54th Annual Bonney’s Branson Tractors Apple Cup 125 at Tri-City Raceway. When the dust settled, Gomez would finish eighth, with Kleyn placed to the rear of the lead lap cars. Gomez dispatched of Brown and Garber to move to second by lap 10. The ensuing restart found Kleyn to the lead with Brown, Tellstrom, Plybon and Gomez battling side-by-side and nose to tail. On lap 102, Gomez began to flex his muscles, grabbing the runner-up position from Tellstrom. “He (Kleyn) was obviously pretty excited and led a lot of laps,” Tellstrom explained about the last lap incident between Gomez and Kleyn. I knew when he got to Gomez, he would try to run him over.

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