Press Release by Jim Pluhar
Santa Maria, CA - August 29, 2009

Thirty-Eight Papich Construction IMCA Modifieds, augmented by twenty-three MMI Factory Stocks and nineteen Toste Grading & Paving Mini Stocks showed up at Santa Maria Speedway Saturday night for the Five Star Grafix Modified Clash.

When Brad Pounds had problems with his own Modified it looked like the night would be a wash for the Bakersfield driver who borrowed his girlfriend's mount and had to start dead last in the 22-car field for the "A" main event. Pounds worked his way methodically through the field and, with five laps to go passed Santa Maria's Danny Lauer for the lead, only to have first place returned to Lauer by a yellow flag. Pounds again passed Lauer on the restart and once more the yellow flew. The third time Lauer found a grove that would keep Pounds at bey, but, two laps from the end of the 30-lap event, Lauer's engine failed and he pulled to the infield, handing the lead, and the $1,500.00 victory to Pounds. Second place went to Kenny Kirkpatrick, of Nipomo, and third to Joey Claborn of Santa Maria. Local point leader Chad Weber, of Arroyo Grande, placed fourth to clinch the 2009 IMCA Modified track championship at Santa Maria Speedway. He was followed by Santa Maria's Doug Thornton. The two 12-lap "B" main events were taken by Mike Johnson, of Lompoc, and Jimmy Reeves of Hanford. Eight-lap heat races were won by Pounds, Claborn, Thornton, and Jason Papich of Arroyo Grande. Larry Hood, of Bakersfield, set fast time of 16.182 seconds and won the 4-lap "Last Man Standing" trophy dash.

Atascadero's Mike Leland fought hard for his first 20-lap Factory Stock feature win of the season. Leland battled, first with three-time winner Gary Rayburn, Jr., of Grover Beach, and then with Carpinteria's Theo Van De Sande for the victory. Van De Sande placed second, his best finish of the season, and Rayburn third. Point leader Dale Sylvester, of Arroyo Grande, helped his cause by finishing fourth ahead of Santa Maria's Glen Sparks. James Cecil, of Bakersfield, Michael Frazier, of Santa Maria, and Kirk Morgan, of Santa Maria, all won 8-lap heat races.

Tom Grzincic, of San Luis Obispo, was back to his winning ways after losing a close decision two weeks ago to Jeremy Heroux of Nipomo. Grzincic, in keeping with his usual style, worked his way steadily through the field, taking the lead from Arroyo Grande's Taelor Janes on lap eight. At the finish it was Grzincic first gaining his third Mini Stock championship at SMS, Korban Ensign, of Nipomo, second and Robby Cervantes, of Arroyo Grande, third. Dustin Ensign, of Nipomo, and Heroux rounded out the top-five. Eight-lap heat race wins were scored by Grzincic, Heroux, and Kurt Larsen of Nipomo.  

Next Saturday night the track will be dark as preparations are made for the 16th Annual Danny Simkins Memorial. West Coast Shootout Late Model Stocks, East vs. West Super Streets, MMI Factory Stocks, and Mini Dwarfs will be on hand for this yearly Labor Day Weekend event. It will also be "Race to a Better Environment Night". Tickets will be priced at $16.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors and military and their spouses, and $5.00 for kids six to twelve. Youngsters five and under are free. Spectator gates will open at the 4:00 p.m., with qualifying at 5:00 p.m. and racing at 6:00 p.m. Parking and camping are always free. The Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the US 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.

RACE SUMMARIES:
IMCA Modifieds: Fast Time - Larry Hood, 16.182.
Trophy Dash - Hood, Doug Thornton, Bryan Clark, Josh Vogt, Danny Lauer.
Heat 1 - Joey Claborn, Hood, Dale Underwood, Cody Burke, Mike Johnson (Lompoc), Vogt, Paul Terrones, Shawn Calderwood, Scott Gatson, John Piker.
Heat 2 - Brad Pounds, Bob Diaz, Austin Burke, Kenny Kirkpatrick, Mike Johnson (Bakersfield), Tony Toste, Jay Marks, Ian Hunter, Tina McGowan, David Lord.
Heat 3 - Thornton, Jared Domingos, Chet Reeves, Chad Weber, Jimmy Reeves, Ken Kehs, Keith McIndoe, Jimmy Justice, Clark.
Heat 4 - Jason Papich, Lauer, Ricky Childress, Jr., Kyle Camperud, Robby Sawyer, David Mayhew, Kevin Fitzgerald, Nick Sylvester, Daylan Coffey.
"B" Main Event #1 - Johnson (Lompoc), Vogt, Toste, Marks, Hunter, Piker, Terrones, Gatson, Lord, Calderwood (DNS), McGowan (DNS).
"B" Main Event #2 - J. Reeves, Sawyer, Sylvester, Clark, Fitzgerald, Coffey, Hood, Kehs, Justice, McIndoe (DNS).
"A" Main Event - Pounds, Kirkpatrick, Claborn, Weber, Thornton, C. Reeves, Johnson (Lompoc), Toste, Underwood, C. Burke, J. Reeves, Domingos, Sylvester, Lauer, A. Burke, Papich, Childress, Vogt, Johnson (Bakersfield), Camperud, Sawyer, Hood (DNS), Diaz (DNS).

Factory Stocks:
Heat 1 - James Cecil, Kevin Linson, Jonathan LaRosa, Lloyd Wren, Tim Bennett, Robert Read, Dave Schuyler, Theo Van De Sande (DNS).
Heat 2 - Michael Frazier, Tom Renner, Pete Lethcoe, Bill Spratlin, Jeremiah VanScoy, Matt Marchiando, Gary Rayburn, Jr., Charlie Scovell.
Heat 3 - Kirk Morgan, Mike Leland, Dale Sylvester, Glen Sparks, Tim Correia, John Hanson, Dan Bryant.
Main Event - Leland, Van De Sande, Rayburn, Sylvester, Sparks, Wren, Morgan, Frazier, Spratlin, Linson, Cecil, Correia, Read, Renner, Bennett, Marchiando, Bryant, LaRosa, Hanson, Lethcoe, VanScoy, Brandon Brickey, Sr., Scovell (DNS).

Mini Stocks:
Heat 1 - Jeremy Heroux, Pat Fausel, Robby Cervantes, Robert Dye, Lorinda Kearns, Kevin Dye, William Chambers.
Heat 2 - Tom Grzincic, Korban Ensign, Dustin Ensign, Jeff Dye, Ed Rains, Adrian Guzman.
Heat 3 - Kurt Larsen, Ben Caswell, Travis Peterson, Phillip Sewell, Taelor Janes, Teri Guzman.
Main Event - Grzincic, K. Ensign, Cervantes, D. Ensign, Heroux, Larsen, Fausel, Peterson, R. Dye, J. Dye, A. Guzman, Sewell, Kearns, Rains, T. Guzman, Chambers, Janes, Caswell, K. Dye.

POINT STANDINGS:
IMCA Modifieds:
1. Chad Weber, 418; 2. Doug Thornton, 375; 3. Tony Toste, 372; 4. Danny Lauer, 353; 5. Daylan Coffey, 323.

Factory Stocks:
1. Dale Sylvester, 447; 2. Mike Leland, 412; 3. Michael Frazier, 405; 4. Kevin Linson, 399; 5. Brandon Brickey, Sr., 386.

Mini Stocks:
1. Tom Grzincic, 647; 2. Jeremy Heroux, 573; 3. Kurt Larsen, 509; 4. Dustin Ensign, 484; 5. Robby Cervantes, 461.