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Jim Pluhar
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (August 2) - Late Model Stocks, D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds, East vs. West Shootout Super Streets, and Factory Stocks did battle Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway.
Steve Drake, of San Luis Obispo, took his fast time of 15.009 seconds and converted it in to his third main event victory of the year in the Late Model Stock 30 lapper. The point leader started on the front row and held off Arroyo Grande's Devin Crockett and Mike Kirby, of Torrance, for the win. Everything almost came to naught for Drake who was involved in a fierce collision with a back marker on the front chute but somehow managed to keep going and control his mount going into turn one, setting up a 1-lap sprint to the finish. Billy Griffin, of Buena Park, and Nick Bartels, of El Segundo, were fourth and fifth. Crockett and Kirby managed 8-lap heat race wins.
Danny Lauer had to chase Watsonville's Clay Daly for 22 of the 25 laps before passing for the lead in the IMCA Modified feature event. It was the fourth win of the season for the Santa Maria driver, extending his championship points lead over Nipomo's Kenny Kirkpatrick who placed seventh. Kyle Camperud, of Watsonville, was third behind Daly, with Bakersfield's Larry Hood fourth and Santa Maria's Joey Claborn fifth. Claborn, Kirkpatrick, and Josh Vogt, of Santa Maria, captured 8-lap heat races.
Eric Cimental, of Bakersfield, took the top spot in the 30-lap East vs. West Super Street Shootout, with Santa Maria brothers Tim and Toby Randolph finishing second and third. Point leader Robby Sawyer, of Bakersfield, and Chad Shaffer, of Santa Maria, rounded out the top-five. Tim Randolph set fast time of 16.355 and won one of the 8-lap heat races. The other heat winner was Nick sylvester of Bakersfield.
Factory Stock point leader Kirk Morgan, of Santa Maria, took another hit in the point standings with a fifteenth place finish in the 20-lap main event. Arroyo Grande's Kevin Linson won his first feature of the season, followed by Charlie Scovell, of Atascadero, and Michael Frazier of Santa Maria. It was Ray Pezzi, of Terra Bella, fourth and Mike Leland, of Atascadero, fifth. Eight-lap heat races went to Morgan and Pezzi.
Next Saturday night Bandit Sprint Cars, D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds, Mini Stocks, and VRA Dwarf Cars will be on track at SMS. Gates for this event will open at 3:00 p.m., with racing at 6:00 p.m. Tickets will be $15.00 for adults, $11.00 for seniors (65+), $5.00 for children six to twelve, free for kids five and under. Credit cards are not accepted. The track is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.
RACE SUMMARIES
Late Model Stocks: Fast Time - Steve Drake, 15.009.
Heat 1 - Devin Crockett, David Childress, Carla Laney, Drake, Nick Bartels, Mike Riccardi, Danny Bohard.
Heat 2 - Mike Kirby, Chet Buckley, Bill Bartels, Willy Oathout, Anthony Barket, John Crow, Billy Griffin.
Main Event - Drake, Crockett, Kirby, Griffin, N. Bartels, B. Bartels, Laney, Oathout, Crow, Barket, Bohard, Buckley, Childress, Riccardi.
IMCA Modifieds:
Heat 1 - Joey Claborn, Danny Lauer, James Stowe, Ely Mendoza, Jr., Steve McGee, Paul Terrones, Bob Campitelli.
Heat 2 - Kenny Kirkpatrick, Clay Daly, Greg Mancebo, Gary Curtis, Jared Domingos, Chad Weber, Ken Kehs.
Heat 3 - Josh Vogt, Kyle Camperud, Tom Smith, Jim Bonetti, Tommy Laliberte, Larry Hood.
Main Event - Lauer, Daly, Camperud, Hood, Claborn, Smith, Kirkpatrick, Weber, Mancebo, Mendoza, Kehs, Stowe, Laliberte, McGee, Domingos, Bonetti, Curtis, Vogt, Terrones (DNS), Campitelli (DNS).
East vs. West Super Streets: Fast Time - Tim Randolph, 16.355.
Heat 1 - Tim Randolph, Darrel Hood, Chad Shaffer, Toby Randolph, Robby Sawyer, Brian Knight.
Heat 2 - Nick Sylvester, Kyle Heckman, Eric Cimental, Morris Sealy, Lonnie Welch.
Main Event - Cimental, Tim Randolph, Toby Randolph, Sawyer, Shaffer, Knight, Heckman, Hood, Sylvester, Sealy, Welch (DNS).
Factory Stocks:
Heat 1 - Kirk Morgan, Pete Lethcoe, Matt Marchiando, Theo Van De Sande, Kevin Linson, Dale Sylvester, Derek Todd, Bill Spratlin, Glen Sparks (DNS).
Heat 2 - Ray Pezzi, Mike Leland, Michael Frazier, Tim Bennett, Robert Read, John Hanson, Randy Obert, Charlie Scovell.
Main Event - Linson, Scovell, Frazier, Pezzi, Leland, Bennett, Read, Sylvester, Marchiando, Lethcoe, Todd, Spratlin, Van De Sande, Obert, Morgan, Hanson, Sparks (DNS).
POINT STANDINGS
Late Model Stocks
1. Steve Drake, 290 2. Devin Crockett, 262 3. Billy Griffin, 230 4. David Childress, 203 5. Anthony Barket/Willy Oathout, 201.
IMCA Modifieds
1. Danny Lauer, 461 2. Kenny Kirkpatrick, 440 3. Josh Vogt, 413 4. Chad Weber, 385 5. Doug Thornton, 384.
Factory Stocks
1. Kirk Morgan, 492 2. Michael Frazier, 468 3. Tim Bennett, 427 4. Kevin Linson, 415 5. Glen Sparks, 411.
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