Press Release by Jim Pluhar
Santa Maria, CA - September 6, 2009

Large fields of West Coast Super Late Model Stocks, East vs. West Super Streets, and MMI Factory Stocks/Bakersfield Hobby Stocks made a showing for the 16th Annual Danny Simkins Memorial Sunday night at Santa Maria Speedway. Junior and Senior division Mini Dwarfs for kids 5 to 13 years old raced the small oval as well.

Nick Bartels, of El Segundo, made a strong start in the Late Model division, setting fast time of 14.725 seconds and winning an 8-lap heat race. That translated into a fourth place finnish in the 30-lap "A" main event, just ahead of Jeff Decker of Morgan Hill. The man-of-the-hour, however, was Mike Kirby, of Torrance, who outlasted local point leader Steve Drake, of San Luis Obispo, and Bakersfield's John Lowrey for his second straight West Coast Shootout feature victory at Santa Maria. Drake and Bartels won the other heat races and Tommy Malcolm, of Corona, came out on top in the 8-lap "B" feature.

Nipomo's Kyle Heckman won the 68-lap (in honor of Danny Simkins' #68) East vs. West Super Street main event, after earlier winning the 4-lap trophy dash and an 8-lap heat race. Last week's feature winner at Bakersfield, Chris Smith, of Trona, was second, followed by Santa Maria's Toby Randolph, Carpinteria's Ed Perry, and Bakersfield's Billy Simkins, who also set fast time of 16.292 seconds during the event honoring his father's memory. Lonnie Welch, of Bakersfield, and Tim Randolph, of Santa Maria, secured the other heat race victories.

Two-time (2007-2008) Factory Stock champion Kirk Morgan, of Santa Maria, topped a huge field of Santa Maria Factory Stocks and Bakersfield Hobby Stocks to secure the victory in their 20-lap "A" main event which required two "B" mains to set the starting field. Morgan grabbed the lead mid-way through the event from Jeremiah VanScoy, of Bakersfield, who was fourth at the checkers ahead of Santa Maria's Glen Sparks. Michael Frazier, of Santa Maria, placed second and Kyle Camperud, of Watsonville, third. Camperud won an 8-lap heat race as did Frazier, Chuck Barfoot of,Pismo Beach, and Bill Spratlin of Arroyo Grande. The 12-lap "B" mains were won by Roy Degeer, of Bakersfield, and Nick Collins of Santa Cruz.

Kyle Peterson captured the Junior Mini Dwarf feature for children 5 to 8 years old, and Ricky Lewis came out on top in the Senior Mini Dwarf main for youngsters 9 to 13. Both event went 15 laps on the small oval in the infield.  

Next Saturday night the track will be dark. Racing will resume on Saturday night, September 19, with West Coast 360 Sprint Cars, Papich Construction IMCA Modifieds, NMRA TQ Midgets, and MMI Factory Stocks.  Admission prices will be $14.00 for adults, $12.00 for seniors and military and their spouses, and $5.00 for children six to twelve. Kids five and under are free. Gates 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 1/3-mile oval is located 1/4-mile north of the US 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.

RACE SUMMARIES:
Late Models: Fast Time: Nick Bartels, 14.725.
Heat 1 - Mike Kirby, Dino Napier, Jeff Decker, Jason Selvidge, Ron Bartels, John Crow, Tommy Malcolm, Johnny Cardoza.
Heat 2 - Steve Drake, John Lowrey, Jerry Stewart, Kyle Heckman, Reldon Hatch, Kevin Nichols, Pete Van Idersfine, Carla Laney.
Heat 3 - N. Bartels, Rob Sanders, Bill Bartels, Dick Stevens, A. J. Kirkpatrick, Larry Childress, Doug Thompson, Logan Drake.
"B" Main Event - Malcolm, Thompson, Drake, Cardoza, Van Intestine, Laney (DNS).
"A" Main Event - Kirby, S. Drake, Lowrey, N. Bartels, Decker, Stewart, B. Bartels, Sanders, R. Bartels, Kirkpatrick, Heckman, Childress, Hatch, Selvidge, Napier, Thompson, Stevens, Malcolm, Crow, Nichols.

Super Streets: Fast Time: Billy Simkins, 16.292.
Trophy Dash - Kyle Heckman, Tim Randolph, Lonnie Welch, Simkins.
Heat 1 - Welch, Simkins, Tina McGowan, Jack Dodd, Brady Bell, Wayne Dotson, Morris Sealy, John Caley.
Heat 2 - Tim Randolph, Chris Smith, Rich Denman, Darren Thomas, Darrel Hood, Toby Randolph, Aaron Cervantes.
Heat 3 - Heckman, Chad Shaffer, Jimmy Irwin, Darrell Hughes, Ed Elliott, Ed Perry, Bobby Meneley.
Main Event - Heckman, Smith, Toby Randolph, Perry, Simkins, Shaffer, Denman, McGowan, Meneley, Bell, Irwin, Dodd, Caley, Elloitt, Dotson, Thomas, Hood, Cervantes, Sealy, Tim Randolph, Welch, Hughes.

Factory/Hobby Stocks:
Heat 1 - Bill Spratlin, Kirk Morgan, Glen Sparks, Kevin Irwin, Chris Graham, Lloyd Wren, Bryan Childress, Dan Bryant, Kevin Johnson, Charlie Scovell.
Heat 2 - Michael Frazier, Jeremiah VanScoy, Mike Leland, Dale Sylvester, Tim Correia, Bruce Johnson, Roy Degeer, Lee Jensen, Rick Childress.
Heat 3 - Kyle Camperud, Gary Rayburn, Jr., Theo Van De Sande, Robert Read, Nick Collins, Tim Bennett, Tom Renner, Pete Lethcoe, Kevin Linson.
Heat 4 - Chuck Barfoot, Bryan Terry, Jason Bannister, Richie McGowan, Brandon Brickey, Sr., Jonathan LaRosa, Eric Cimental, Jeff Berger, Thad Bennett.
"B" Main Event #1 - Degeer, B. Johnson, R. Childress, Bryant, Wren, B. Childress, K. Johnson, Correia, Graham, Jensen, Scovell (DNS).
"B" Main Event #2 -  Collins, Cimental, Renner, Brickey, LaRosa, Tim Bennett, Lethcoe, Thad Bennett, Linson, Berger.
"A" Main Event - Morgan, Frazier, Camperud, VanScoy, Sparks, Sylvester, Terry, Cimental, Rayburn, Leland, Van De Sande, Degeer, Irwin, Spratlin, Read, Brickey, Collins, R. Childress, Bryant, Barfoot, McGowan, Bannister, Renner, B. Johnson.

POINT STANDINGS:
West Coast Late Models:
1. Mike Kirby, 774; 2. Rob Sanders, 681; 3. John Lowrey, 662; 4. Ron Bartels, 661; 5. A.J. Kirkpatrick, 635.
                                 
SMS Late Models:
1. Steve Drake, 331; 2. Mike Kirby, 321; 3. Rob Sanders, 272; 4. Nick Bartels, 267; 5. Bill Bartels, 233.                                        

Factory Stocks:
1. Dale Sylvester, 487; 2. Michael Frazier, 452; 3. Mike Leland, 450; 4. Gary Rayburn, Jr., 425; 5. Kevin Linson, 424.