PETERSEN MEDIA- Reminding everyone just how talented he is aboard a sprint car, Ryan Bernal showed no signs of rust during his first weekend of action with Mike Phulps Motorsports as he picked up a sixth place finish on Sunday night at the Petaluma Speedway before working his way to a hard fought fifth place finish at the Placerville Speedway on Monday night.
“Both tracks were pretty hooked up and technical, and I was pleased with how well we performed both nights,” Ryan Bernal said. “My guys did a great job with our car, and I was happy to be back racing.”
Kicking his winged campaign off on Sunday night at the Petaluma Speedway, Bernal showed early speed on this night as he timed the Metal Works/Keizer Wheels/DMI backed No. 56 machine in fastest in time trials.
Lining up fourth in his heat race, the Hollister, CA driver would pick up a fourth place finish in his heat race, which would earn him a spot in the nightly redraw. Pulling the seven pill, the Fire Academy Graduate would grid the field from the fourth row on a track that was fast and a little rough.
Showing he had a strong car, Bernal would battle for a top five position during the fast paced feature event, as he chased after Michael Kofoid. Coming up just short of a Top-Five finish, Bernal would settle for a sixth place finish at the stripe.
Heading to Placerville Speedway to celebrate the fourth of July, Bernal would time his machine in seventh fastest during qualifying time trials. Lining up on the front row of his heat race, a Bernal would be called for a false start and would be penalized one row. Running third to Placerville stand outs, Andy Gregg and Greg DeCaires, Bernal would find himself in the fifth row for the 25-lap feature event.
Monday night’s Placerville Speedway surface would hold moisture much of the night making things tough through the field, but Bernal stayed persistent and his car came alive in the race’s closing laps.
Spending much of the race trying to get the top of the speedway to come in, Bernal’s persistence would work out as he got moving forward in the closing laps. Using the curb in turns three and four, Bernal would slowly pick up positions lap after lap as he took the checkered flag with a fifth place finish.
“To be pretty green in a winged car to begin with, and come out after such a long break and run well is a huge confidence booster,” Bernal said. “Most of these guys are in midseason form, so I am happy to run up front with them right out of the box.”
Bernal and the Mike Phulps Motorsports team would like to thank Keizer Wheels, DMI, S&S Automotive, King Racing Products, Metal Works, Hoosier Racing Tires, Core Power, ART Chassis, Tri-L Mandarin Ranch, Tel-Tac, Willwood, Joe Hunt Magnetos, Permatex, Alan Kaiser Construction, Outlaw Graphics, BR Motorsports, FK Rod Ends, STIDA, Rockwell Security, ButlerBuilt, GoScope, 4 Alarm Promotions, and Dean Dealy Motorsports for their support during the 2014 season.
2016 BY THE NUMBERS: Races-2, Wins-0, Top 5’s-1, Top 10’s-2.
ON TAP: Bernal and his Mike Phulps team will return to action on Friday night at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA and are considering running with the King of the West Series on Saturday and Sunday night.
STAY CONNECTED: For more information on the event be sure to follow Ryan Bernal on Twitter @Bernal_Ryan.
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