Press Release by Jim Pluhar
Santa Maria, CA - June 27, 2009...

Twenty-six ground pounding West Coast Shootout Late Models invaded Santa Maria Speedway Saturday night for the Burke & Pace Lumber, Mega 97.1, Hyundai of Santa Maria sponsored event. MMI Factory Stocks, augmented by Bakersfield Hobby Stocks, and Toste Grading & Paving Mini Stocks completed the program.

Steve Drake, of San Luis Obispo, grabbed the lead at the start of the 30-lap West Coast Shootout "A" feature event and held it for the first 16 laps before being overtaken in traffic by Mike Kirby of Torrance. Kirby, the Shootout point leader, held the lead for the remainder of the event, coming home in front of Drake, El Segundo's Nick Bartels, Watsonville's Clay Daly, Castroville's A.J. Kirkpatrick. The event went flag-to-flag. Brian Wirtz, of Santa Barbara, won the 12-lap "B" main event while 8-lap heat races were won by Kirby, Daly, Ron Bartels, of El Segundo, and Chris Shannon of Merced. Drake set fast time of 15.907 seconds.

Factory Stocks also had enough cars to warrant a 12-lap "B" main event which was won by Brian Terry of Bakersfield. Eric Cimental, of Bakersfield, set fast time of 20.005 seconds and captured the "Last Man Standing" trophy dash, which starts with the four fast qualifiers, runs 4 laps, 3 laps and 2 laps, eliminating the last place car each time, until the winner is "left standing". Eight-lap heat races went to Bobby Boone, of Bakersfield; Gary Rayburn, Jr., of Grover Beach; Chuck Barfoot, of Pismo Beach; and, Kirk Morgan of Santa Maria. Kyle Camperud, of Watsonville, outlasted Rayburn in the 25-lap "A" main event. Boone was third, Cimental fourth, and Brian Puckett, of Bakersfield, fifth.

Tom Grzincic, of Atascadero, continued his domination of the Mini Stock division, scoring his fifth 20-lap feature victory of the season, out of seven events (his other two finishes were second and third). Grzincic's nearest pursuers were Santa Maria's Rob Gilbertson and Nipomo's Kurt Larsen. Ben Caswell, of Santa Barbara, and Robert Dye, of San Luis Obispo, rounded out the top-five. Grzincic, Gilbertson and Jeremy Heroux, of Nipomo, claimed 8-lap heat race wins.  

Next Saturday West Coast 360 Sprint Cars, Papich Construction IMCA Modifieds, East vs. West Super Streets, and Mini Dwarfs will take over the 1/3-mile oval. Admission prices will be: $16.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors and military, and $5.00 for children six to twelve. Kids five and under are free. Gates for Saturday night's event will open at 3:00 p.m., with qualifying at 5:00 p.m. and racing at 6:00 p.m. The Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the US 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.

RACE SUMMARIES:
West Coast Shootout Late Models: Fast Time - Steve Drake, 15.907.
Heat 1 - Mike Kirby, S. Drake, Bill Bartels, Dana Beattie, Brian Wirtz, Mike Riccardi.
Heat 2 - Ron Bartels, Nick Bartels, Rob Sanders, Zack Forster, Logan Drake, Johnny Malcolm, Anthony Barket.
Heat 3 - Chris Shannon, A.J. Kirkpatrick, Devin Crockett, Dino Napier, Jeffrey Priddy, Tom Malcolm.
Heat 4 - Clay Daly, Mike Johnson, John Lowrey, Nick Perivolaris, Jerry Stewart, Donnie Hampl, Carla Laney.
"B" Main Event - Wirtz, Stewart, Priddy, Laney, T. Malcolm, L. Drake, J. Malcolm, Barket, Riccardi, Hampl.
"A" Main Event - Kirby, S. Drake, N. Bartels, Daly, Kirkpatrick, Shannon, Sanders, Forster, R. Bartels, Perivolaris, Crockett, Napier, B. Bartels, Priddy, Wirtz, Laney, Johnson, Stewart, Lowrey, Beattie.

Factory Stocks: Fast Time - Eric Cimental, 20.005.
Trophy Dash - Cimental, Kevin Linson, Bobby Boone, Tate Loftis.
Heat 1 - Boone, Linson, Dale Sylvester, Loftis, Brian Terry, Robert Read, Tim Bennett.
Heat 2 - Gary Rayburn, Jr., Kyle Camperud, Lee Jensen, Brandon Brickey, Sr., Mike Johnson, John Hanson, Glen Sparks.
Heat 3 - Chuck Barfoot, Mike Leland, Brian Puckett, Mike Malcolm, Kevin Johnson, Dan Bryant, Pete Lethcoe.
Heat 4 - Kirk Morgan, Cimental, Michael Frazier, Matt Marchiando, Bill Spratlin, Derek Todd, Theo Van De Sande.
"B" Main Event - Terry, Spratlin, K. Johnson, Read, Sparks, M. Johnson, Hanson, Van De Sande, Todd, Lethcoe, Bryant, Bennett (DNS).
"A" Main Event - Camperud, Rayburn, Boone, Cimental, Puckett, Read, Sylvester, Loftis, Brickey, Terry, Frazier, Marchiando, Spratlin, Jensen, Malcolm, Leland, Morgan, Linson, M. Johnson n, K. Johnson, Sparks, Barfoot.

Mini Stocks:
Heat 1 - Tom Grzincic, Robby Cervantes, Taelor Janes, Travis Peterson, Kurt Larsen, James Gill, Robert Dye.
Heat 2 - Rob Gilbertson, Ben Caswell, Ed Rains, Evan Menane, Kevin Dye, Zack Miller, Korban Ensign.
Heat 3 - Jeremy Heroux, Dustin Ensign, Jeff Dye, Aaron Cervantes, Pat Fausel, Jeff Biggs, Dan Toste.
Main Event - Grzincic, Gilbertson, Larsen, Caswell, R. Dye, Heroux, Fausel, R. Cervantes, Rains, Peterson, K. Dye, James Gill, Janes, Toste, D. Ensign, Menane, Biggs, Miller, A. Cervantes, J. Dye.

POINT STANDINGS:
West Coast Shootout Late Models:
1. Mike Kirby, 612; 2. Steve Drake, 606; 3. Mike Johnson, 556; 4. Rob Sanders, 542; 5. Ron Bartels, 525.

SMS Super Late Models:
1. Steve Drake, 192; 2. Mike Kirby, 189; 3. Rob Sanders, 150; 4. Devin Crockett, 137; 5. Nick Bartels, 136.

Factory Stocks:
1. Dale Sylvester, 280; 2. Kevin Linson, 264; 3. Michael Frazier/Brandon Brickey, Sr., 262 5. Matt Marchiando, 258.

Mini Stocks:
1. Tom Grzincic, 346; 2. Jeremy Heroux, 305; 3. Rob Gilbertson, 304; 4. Kurt Larsen, 265; 5. Ben Caswell, 252.