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Jim Pluhar
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (September 13) - Super Late Model Stocks, D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds, Fox 11 First at Ten East vs. West Super Streets, and Mini Stocks raced in memory of Bill Baker for the 31st time Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway.
Steve Drake, of San Luis Obispo, led all 30 laps of the Super Late Model Stock feature event to clinch the 2008 championship and move into second place in career late model titles at SMS with four. This is second only to the legendary Danny Simkins of Santa Maria who scored eight stock car championships during his career, a record that may never be broken. Second in points Devin Crockett, of Arroyo Grande, who finished fifth in the event, said before the race "I kept waiting for him (Drake) to have a bad night, but he never did." Billy Griffin, of Buena Park, was second in the event, followed by Corona's Dino Napier and El Segundo's Nick Bartels. Bartels set fast time of 14.222 seconds and Drake, Griffin, and Napier won the 8-lap heat races.
Jake Jones kept his cool and fought off Joey Claborn for the victory in the 25-lap Modified main event as Santa Maria drivers swept the top-five places. Danny Lauer, came in third to pad his points lead over Nipomo's Kenny Kirkpatrick who finished a disappointing eleventh. Ian Hunter and Josh Vogt were fourth and fifth. Jones, Claborn, and Billy Griffin, who was doing double duty by running a Mod and a Late Model, captured 8-lap heat races.
Santa Maria's Randolph brothers, Tim and Toby, sandwiched Eric Cimental, of Bakersfield, at the top of the finishing order in the 30-lap East/West Shootout main event. Tim was first, keeping his championship struggle with Bakersfield's Darrel Hood, who was fifth at the finish, close with one event to go. Kyle Heckman, of Nipomo, was fourth. Randolph and Hood won 8-lap heat races. Robby Sawyer, of Bakersfield, was quickest in qualifying, timing in at 16.510 seconds.
In the closest points chase of the season Justin Marsh, of Nipomo, finished second behind Darrin Davis, of Atascadero, while Justin Crockett, of Arroyo Grande, was finishing fourth behind Pat Fausel of Santa Maria. That cut Crockett's point lead over Marsh to 3 markers with one race to go. Korban Ensign, of Nipomo, was fifth and won one 8-lap heat race and Fausel won the other.
Next Saturday night Bandit Sprint Cars, D&S Automotive IMCA Modified, NMRA TQ Midgets, and Factory Stocks will be on the 1/3-mile oval for the "2nd Annual Media Night" at the Speedway. Spectator gates will open at 3:00 p.m., with racing at 6:00 p.m. Tickets prices will be $15.00 for adults, $11.00 for seniors (65+), $5.00 for children six to twelve, with kids 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: Nick Bartels, 14.222.
Heat 1 - Dino Napier, N. Bartels, Carla Laney, David Childress, Jim Giardina.
Heat 2 - Billy Griffin, Devin Crockett, Dana Beattie, Willy Oathout, Anthony Barket.
Heat 3 - Steve Drake, Ron Bartels, Bill Bartels, Doug Thompson, Mike Riccardi.
Main Event - Drake, Griffin, Napier, N. Bartels, Crockett, Beattie, Childress, R. Bartels, Giardina, B. Bartels, Thompson, Oathout, Barket, Laney, Riccardi.
IMCA Modifieds:
Heat 1 - Joey Claborn, Clay Daly, Ken Kehs, Josh Vogt, Daylan Coffey, Shawn Calderwood, Jared Domingos.
Heat 2 - Paul Terrones, Kenny Kirkpatrick, Chad Weber, Bob Campitelli, Billy Griffin, John Geyer.
Heat 3 - Jake Jones, Danny Lauer, Doug Thornton, David Addamo, Ian Hunter, Cody Burke.
Main Event - Jones, Claborn, Lauer, Hunter, Vogt, Addamo, Weber, Geyer, Domingos, Calderwood, Kirkpatrick, Terrones, Kehs, Daly, Burke, Thornton, Griffin, Coffey, Campitelli (DNS).
Super Streets: Fast Time - Robby Sawyer, 16.510.
Heat 1 - Hood, Toby Randolph, Sawyer, Lonnie Welch, Brian Shepherd, Morris Sealy.
Heat 2 - Tim Randolph, Eric Cimental, Nick Sylvester, Kyle Heckman, Chad Shaffer, Brian Knight.
Main Event - Tim Randolph, Cimental, Toby Randolph, Heckman, Hood, Sylvester, Sawyer, Welch, Shaffer, Shepherd, Sealy, Knight.
Mini Stocks:
Heat 1 - Korban Ensign, Jeremy Heroux, Justin Marsh, Frank Nyback, Ben Caswell, Greg Noah, Mike Pezzi, Phillip Sewell, Justin Klucker.
Heat 2 - Pat Fausel, Justin Crockett, Darrin Davis, Mike Weigel, Matt Sweeney, Daylan Coffey, Chuck Weber III, Aaron Cervantes, Robby Cervantes, Kevin Vieweg.
Main Event - Davis, Marsh, Fausel, Crockett, Ensign, Weigel, R. Cervantes, A. Cervantes, Nyback, Sweeney, Heroux, Caswell, Coffey, Noah, Pezzi, Sewell, Klucker, Weber, Vieweg (DNS).
POINT STANDINGS
Super Late Models
1. Steve Drake, 428 (Champion) 2. Devin Crockett, 361 3. Billy Griffin, 344 4. David Childress, 308 5. Anthony Barket/Willy Oathout, 292.
IMCA Modifieds
1. Danny Lauer, 567 2. Kenny Kirkpatrick, 546 3. Josh Vogt, 505 4. Chad Weber, 489 5. Doug Thornton, 488.
Mini Stocks
1. Justin Crockett, 669 2. Justin Marsh, 666 3. Jeremy Heroux, 543 4. Daylan Coffey, 541 5. Ben Caswell, 518.
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