Press Release by Jim Pluhar
Santa Maria, CA 8-12-09

Mega 97.1 FM and Hyundai of Santa Maria are sponsoring "Ladies Night" at Santa Maria Speedway Saturday night, with 25 lucky ladies receiving a gift. West Coast 360 Sprint Cars, Papich Construction IMCA Modifieds, Toste Grading & Paving Mini Stocks and NMRA TQ Midgets will be in action on the track.

Justyne Hamblin, of Hanford, and Peter Murphy, of Clovis, are tied for the lead in the Sprint Car championship points race. Bakersfield's Rusty Carlile is 20 points behind the leaders with Kerman's Davey Pombo another 3 points back. Fresno's T.J. Smith, in fifth, is 89 points out of first place.

After 10 races Chad Weber, of Arroyo Grande, is still in front in the IMCA Modified title chase. Tony Toste, also of Arroyo Grande, is 36 points in arrears with third place Doug Thornton 41 points behind. Danny Lauer trails by 56, and Daylan Coffey is 75 points back. The third through fifth place drivers all represent Santa Maria.

Mini Stock point leader Tom Grzincic, now of San Luis Obispo, has an impressive record in 2009. In eleven races Grzincic has won nine main events, finished second and third in the other two, and has ten heat race victories. His closest pursuer, Jeremy Heroux of Nipomo, is 67 points off the pace with two more Nipomo drivers, Kurt Larsen and Dustin Ensign, 119 and 149 points behind respectively. Santa Barbara's Ben Caswell and Arroyo Grande's Robby Cervantes are tied for fifth, 171 markers behind Grzincic.

Scott Dobson, of Newbury Park, leads the TQ Midget points by only 14 over two-time SMS feature winner Richard Ortega, Jr. of Camarillo. Third though fifth are: Bruce Hiroshima (-38), Camarillo; West Evans (-59), Moorpark; and, Kenny Wiley (-67), Sunland.

Gates for Saturday night's event will open at the new time of 4:00 p.m., with qualifying at 5:00 p.m. and racing at 6:00 p.m. Admission will be: $14.00 for adults, $12.00 for seniors & military and their spouses, $5.00 for kids 6 to 12, with children five and under free. SMS is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.