T.J. Ferrando of Canby races at the Salem Indoor on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015.
Kitty Taubenkrau was hard to miss at the races.
A long-time presence at race tracks in Oregon – most notably as the long-time starter at the Salem Indoor and Cottage Grove Speedway – she was missed at the Salem Indoor Saturday.
Taubenkrau died after a long battle with leukemia at the age of 46 on Dec. 9 and she was memorialized by multiple groups of drivers with memorial laps at the 1/10-mile clay oval at the Livestock Pavilion at the State Fairgrounds prior to the races Saturday night.
Tobey Ferrando of Salem came back from a mid-race hesitation to win his second straight Pro-4 Modified main event.
He led the first four laps from the pole position with nephew T.J. Ferrando right behind in second, but coming out of turn two his car momentarily died and slowed dramatically.
Salem Indoor Speedway enters its 10th season
T.J. Ferrando had to jam on the brakes to miss him and get by for the lead, but Tobey Ferrando got moving again without falling farther back from second.
Two laps later he passed T.J. Ferrando on the outside and a led the final 14 laps to win with T.J. Ferrando in second and Andrew Aaron managed to finish third.
Shane Youngren won his second dwarf car main event of the year, Nik Larson won the midget main, Eric Scofield of Albany won in Open Kage, Lindsay Barney continued her domination of the 600 micro class, winning the main event again, and Crystal Flath won the mini stock main event.
The next cars and karts race at the Salem Indoor takes place Jan. 9 and 10.
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler
Drivers take part in a memorial lap for former starter Kitty Taubenkrau, who died Dec. 9 of leukemia before the races at the Salem Indoor on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015.
Salem Indoor
Saturday’s results
Pro-4 modified
Main- 1. Tobey Ferrando, Salem; 2. T.J. Ferrando (Canby); 3. Andrew Aaron; 4. Rick Wagner.
Dwarf cars
Main- 1. Shane Youngren; 2. Greg Long; 3. Jim Paulson; 4. Dion Zelmer; 5. Bob McNeil; 6. Curtis Zelmer; 7. Rebecca Parsons (Lebanon); 8. Max White; 9. Bill Poehler (Salem); 10. Brian Hicks (Eugene); 11. Danny Altom (Sodaville); 12. Frank Pool.
Midgets
Main- 1. Nik Larson (Graham, Wash.); 2. Bailey Jean (Mt. Angel); 3. Kevin Larson.
Open Kage
Main- 1. Eric Scofield (Albany); 2. Duke Johnson (Portland); 3. Brenden Waterman (Bend); 4. Casey Smith; 5. Kevin Towne; 6. Cory Yeack (Brownsville); 7. Makayla Massey (Mt. Angel); 8. Brenden Bartlett (Eagle Point); 9. Kyle Comican (Vancouver, Wash.); 10. Kenneth Boardman; 11. Justin Jones (Lebanon); 12. Parker Stephens; 13. Dillion Lambirth; 14. Doug Pirtle (Gresham); 15. Johnny Burke (Eagle Point).
600 micro
Main- 1. Lindsay Barney (Eagle Creek); 2. Alysa Pyles; 3. Lynden Lebedynski (Langley, B.C.); 4. Doug Pirtle (Gresham).
Mini stocks
Main- 1. Crystal Flath (Troutdale); 2. Devon Traslavania; 3. Hal Farness; 4. Tracy Muse; 5. Ko Scott; 6. Kris Krebs (Gervais); 7. Tyler Pagel (Brightwood); 8. Jason Scheibel; 9. Eddie Farness; 10. Samantha Packard (Bend); 11. Kylee Pagel (Brightwood); 12. Hunter Johnson (Gresham).