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Jim Pluhar
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (August 31) - Car counts of 20 or more in each of the four divisions racing made for some exciting stock car action Sunday night at Santa Maria Speedway. It was the Labor Day weekend special, the 15th Annual Danny Simkins Memorial.
Super Late Model Stock point leader Steve Drake, of San Luis Obispo, started the evening off in fine style by lowering the one-lap track record he set in 2003, from 13.911 to 13.860 seconds. That's an average speed for the 1/3-mile oval of over 85 miles-per-hour. After winning an 8-lap heat race Drake's fortunes slumped a bit when he had to settle for sixth place in the 40-lap feature event. Lompoc's Mike Johnson appeared to have the field covered as he established a lead of over half-a-lap. At the mid-point of the race, however, Johnson came together with Johnny Cardoza, of Caruthers, forcing the past Speedway champ to pit several times for repairs and dropping him down the order. At that point early leader Ron Bartels, of El Segundo, reacquired the lead and went on to beat A.J. Kirkpatrick, of Prunedale, and Andy Obertello, of Hollister, to the checkered flag. El Segundo's Nick Bartels and Buena Park's Billy Griffin were fourth and fifth. Johnson and Kirkpatrick won the other two heat races and Nick Bartels took the 4-lap trophy dash.
Super Streets ran a 68-lap main event in honor of Danny Simkins long time car number. Yellow flags laps counted until the final ten circuits. Jeremiah VanScoy, of Bakersfield, broke on top at the green, and led most of the event. But, with four laps to go, VanScoy ran into problems and was passed for the lead by Nipomo's Kyle Heckman. Heckman led the final three laps, fighting off Eric Cimental, of Bakersfield, for the victory. Trona's Chris Smith, Santa Maria's Toby Randolph, and Bakersfield's Lonnie Welch rounded out the top-five in the East vs. West Shootout. VanScoy held on for sixth. Darrel Hood, of Bakersfield, set fast time of 16.235 seconds, Randy Schweitzer, of Bakersfield, won the 4-lap trophy dash, and 8-lap heat race victories were taken by Hood, Schweitzer, and Tim Randolph of Santa Maria.
Ray Pezzi, of Terra Bella, finally got his first 20-lap feature victory in the Factory Stock division, out-running Santa Maria drivers Glen Sparks, Kirk Morgan, and David Addamo. Fifth went to Matt Marchiando of Goleta. Pezzi, Addamo, and Arroyo Grande's Kevin Linson were first in 8-lap heat races.
Darrin Davis, of Atascadero, led seventeen of twenty laps to pickup his fourth Mini Stock main event win of the season. Point leader Justin Crockett, of Arroyo Grande, came in second to double his point lead over Nipomo's Justin Marsh, stretching his margin of lead to 16. Korban Ensign, of Nipomo, notched his first top-five of the season with third, followed by Santa Marians Daylan Coffey and Pat Fausel who was filling in for regular driver Rob Gilbertson. Davis, Fausel, and Arroyo Grande's Robby Cervantes captured 8-lap heat races.
Next Saturday night Factory and Mini Stocks return to join Bandit Sprint Cars and D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds on the Speedway's oval. Spectator gates open at 3:00 p.m., with racing at 6:00 p.m. Admission prices will be $15.00 for adults, $11.00 for seniors (65+), $5.00 for children six to twelve, with youngsters five and under free. Credit cards are not accepted. SMS is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.
RACE SUMMARIES…
Super Late Models:
Fast Time - Steve Drake, 13.860 (Record).
Dash - Nick Bartels, Mike Johnson, Drake, Chris Shannon.
Heat 1 - Drake, N. Bartels, Devin Crockett, Billy Griffin, David Childress, Zack Forster.
Heat 2 - Johnson, Ron Bartels, John Lowrey, Andy Obertello, Dana Beattie, Anthony Barket, Mike Riccardi (DNS).
Heat 3 - A.J. Kirkpatrick, Shannon, Dino Napier, Carla Laney, Phil Barrow, Johnson, Willy Oathout, John Piker (DNS).
Main Event - R. Bartels, Kirkpatrick, Obertello, N. Bartels, Griffin, Drake, Shannon, Lowrey, Barrow, Laney, Piker, Beattie, Childress, Johnson, Cardoza, Crockett, Forster, Oathout, Barket, Napier, Riccardi.
East vs. West Super Streets: Fast Time - Darrel Hood, 16.235. Dash - Randy Schweitzer, Eric Cimental, Hood, Tim Randolph. Heat 1 - Hood, Cimental, Lonnie Welch, Wayne Dotson, Morris Sealy, Brian Shepherd, Larry Blake, Danny Quinn. Heat 2 - Tim Randolph, Kyle Heckman, Toby Randolph, Doug Haggio, Chris Smith, Tim Bewley, Brian Knight. Heat 3 - Schweitzer, Jeremiah VanScoy, Nick Sylvester, Chad Shaffer, Ed Perry, Darrell Hughes, Andy Obertello (DNS). Main Event - Heckman, Cimental, Smith, Toby Randolph, Welch, VanScoy, Tim Randolph, Perry, Shaffer, Hood, Denman, Shepherd, Bewley, Quinn, Schweitzer, Hughes, Sylvester, Sealy, Dotson, Blake, Haggio, Knight (DNS)
Factory Stocks: Heat 1 - David Addamo, Matt Marchiando, Theo Van De Sande, Bill Spratlin, Tim Bennett, Mike Leland, John Hanson, Rick Childress, Jr. (DNS). Heat 2 - Ray Pezzi, Michael Frazier, Gary Rayburn, Jr., Glen Sparks, Jim Ford, Pete Lethcoe, Randy Obert. Heat 3 - Kevin Linson, Kirk Morgan, Charlie Scovell, Robert Read, Derek Todd, Kevin Irwin, Brandon Brickey, Sr. Main Event - Pezzi, Sparks, Morgan, Addamo, Marchiando, Leland, Frazier, Scovell, Lethcoe, Van De Sande, Read, Linson, Bennett, Rayburn, Todd, Ford, Hanson, Spratlin, Irwin, Brickey, Obert (DNS), Childress (DNS)
Mini Stocks: Heat 1 - Pat Fausel, Aaron Cervantes, Jeremy Heroux, Justin Crockett, Frank Nyback, Mike Weigel, Phillip Sewell. Heat 2 - Robby Cervantes, Korban Ensign, Daylan Coffey, Matt Sweeney, Jeff Biggs, Richard Stevens, Billie Smith. Heat 3 - Darrin Davis, Ben Caswell, Chuck Weber III, Greg Noah, Justin Marsh, Justin Klucker. Main Event - Davis, Crockett, Ensign, Coffey, Fausel, Heroux, Marsh, A. Cervantes, Weigel, Nyback, Weber, R. Cervantes, Sweeney, Caswell, Biggs, Noah, Smith, Sewell, Stevens, Klucker
POINT STANDINGS: Super Late Models - 1. Steve Drake, 377 2. Devin Crockett, 321 3. Billy Griffin, 297 4. David Childress, 270 5. Anthony Barket, 260. Factory Stocks - 1. Kirk Morgan, 585 2. Michael Frazier, 552 3. Glen Sparks, 496 4. Tim Bennett, 493 5. Kevin Linson, 490. Mini Stocks - 1. Justin Crockett, 586 2. Justin Marsh, 570 3. Daylan Coffey, 477 4. Jeremy Heroux, 469 5. Ben Caswell, 449.
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