4/8/2023
Vito Cancilla
Cancilla leads all 70 laps of Race 2
11-year-old Vito Cancilla of Martinez, Calif. became just the third driver to win the opening two rounds of the 51FIFTY Jr. Late Model Series in track history, leading all 70-laps for the decisive win.
The field of 10-16 year old drivers took their lumps with some spins throughout the race, but without much damage, for the crop of fresh rookie contenders. Wilton’s Chase Hand collided with Castro Valley’s Cam Carraway on the opening lap, with both drivers forced to restart at the rear of the pack.
Bakersfield’s Taylor Mayhew was in the center of much of the first half battling, falling as low as sixth when he was freight trained on the outside. Hand made quick work of the pack, driving from 11th to fourth by lap 11.
Joey Kennealy of Madera fell out of the second position with a flat right front tire. A pit stop saw him fall to the tail of the field. Mayhew and Skyler Schoppe collided for a caution on lap 19. Hand emerged in second position but was unable to wrestle the lead from Cancilla on the restart. Mayhew used a series of cautions to drive from seventh to third, then passed Hand for second before the lap 40 break. Cancilla led Mayhew, Hand, San Antonio’s Tristan Pena, and Kennealy at the stoppage.
After adjustments and MAVTV interviews, racing action resumed with Mayhew and Hand battling for second position while Pena and Kennealy dueled for fourth. Hand finally cleared Mayhew for second on lap 51 but was unable to claw back towards Cancilla. Vito Cancilla claimed the win by a 3.8 second advantage followed by Hand, Mayhew, Pena, and Carraway.
Article Credit: Steven Blaksley
Submitted By: Ron Cancilla
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