It was father versus son in a classic battle to win the second King of the West Sprint Car Series main event at Antioch Speedway Saturday night. Tim Kaeding, limping home on seven cylinders, still had what it took to top dad Brent, who got caught in lapped traffic.

“I had the better race car than he did,” Brent Kaeding said in victory lane. “Second (is unacceptable). I really wanted to win this thing.”

The elder Kaeding found himself blocked by lapped cars and wasn’t afraid to talk about it after the race. “I got hung up by a couple of cars that shouldn’t have made it out of the B-Main,” he said. “Tonight the car was right, and I went for it, but sometimes a good run gets ruined.”

Son Tim praised his dad, but felt his pain. “Hitting lapped traffic at the right time is the great divider in this sport,” he said. “If you get through it at the right time, you’re going forward.”

Brent chided his son: “I remember a few times when I kicked an old guy’s (butt). It must have felt good.”

Tim heaped praise back on his dad. “I wish I could kick his (butt). He can beat me by a mile,” he said. “He’s like an old quarterback. With his experience, he can throw touchdown passes all night long. Don’t let him fool you.”

In victory lane, Tim revealed that he was racing his dad so hard he broke a valve and was running with seven cylinders. But he didn’t back off. “I drive it until it dies,” he said. “We always seem to win when we break motors – and that’s not a good way to do it.”

Saturday’s Antioch Speedway event was the 13th race this season for the King of the West Series, and points leader Tim Kaeding has four wins.

“It was a points night for us, and we’ll take the win, even if it was on seven cylinders,” Tim said. “It’s a good thing the car was so free. I was able to move around a lot, and that made up for the lost cylinder.”

Nick Squatritto of San Jose returned to victory lane for the second week in a row in the Dwarf Car division feature event. Squatritto, who has moved to Ohio to attend school this fall, flies back to race at Antioch Speedway.

“When I came here last week, it felt great to be back in my race car,” he said. “It feels like home.”

His dad, Mark, is his crew chief. Due to the distance between them, the two prepare the car by phone conversation. “We bounce ideas off of each other,” he said. “He always tells me how enjoyable it is to watch me race.” His mom, Ute, is there to hand Mark parts and wrenches at home and at the track.

“I’m going to school, but I’m still racing,” Nick said. “I’ll be back. Eventually, I’ll be looking to move up to modifieds.”

On Saturday night, the All Star Wingless Sprints take center stage at Antioch Speedway. Also on the card are Limited Late Models, Mini-Trux, Four Bangers and BCRA Lites.

-Contributed by Mike Adaskaveg