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Jim Pluhar
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (September 26) - Honcho Racing Engines sponsored an all stock car show Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway. Super Late Model Stocks, East vs. West Super Streets, MMI Factory Stocks, and Toste Grading & Paving Mini Stocks all decided their season championships.
San Luis Obispo's Steve Drake had a 10 point lead over Mike Kirby, of Torrance, going into the Super Late Model championship finale Saturday night. Drake knew he had to push from the start to clinch his fifth title and second in-a-row at SMS. Drake began the night by setting fast time of 15.583 seconds and winning an 8-lap heat race. Kirby countered by winning a heat race of his own. In the 30-lap feature event, however, Drake outpointed Kirby by placing third behind Zack Forster, of Bakersfield, and A.J. Kirkpatrick, of Castroville, while Kirby was finishing eighth. Clay Daly, of Watsonville, and Johnny Malcolm, of Corona, were fourth and fifth. Brian Wirtz, of Santa Barbara, captured the remaining heat race.
Tim Randolph, of Santa Maria, had a comfortable lead over Bakersfield's Lonnie Welch going into the final points race of the season in the East vs. West Super Street division. The highlight of the evening for Welch was a victory in the 25-lap main event, but, Tim Randolph's runner-up finish in the feature, a fast time of 16.687 seconds, and an 8-lap heat race win were more than enough to give him the crown. Third in the main went to Toby Randolph, of Santa Maria, followed by Nipomo's Steve Heckman who came out of retirement to drive his son Kyle's car, and Morris Sealy of Atascadero. The other heat race was taken by Welch.
Factory Stock point leader Dale Sylvester, of Arroyo Grande, played a game of "musical cars" to realize his first championship. Sylvester started the night in a borrowed car to replace his own ailing mount, then traded cars with Gary Rayburn, Sr. for the feature event. That switch turned out to be a good move for the point leader who wound up third at the end of the 20-lap run behind second in points Michael Frazier who scored his second feature win in as many weeks, and Kirk Morgan, another Santa Maria driver. Goleta's Matt Marchiando and Arroyo Grande's Robert Read filled in the top-five. Morgan, Tim Correia, of Nipomo, and Gary Rayburn, Jr., of Grover Beach, took the 8-lap heat races.
Tom Grzincic, of San Luis Obispo, already had the Mini Stock championship under his belt prior to the beginning of racing action but put an exclamation point on his third title by winning his eleventh 20-lap main event of the season. Rob Gilbertson, of Santa Maria, in one of his rare appearances this season, placed second, with second in points Jeremy Heroux, of Nipomo, third, Nipomo's Korban Ensign fourth, and Santa Barbara's Ben Caswell fifth. Grzincic, K. Ensign, and Hardy Ensign, of Orcutt, were first in 8-lap heat races.*
Next Saturday night the MMI Hobby Stock/Factory Stock Rumble will be the featured event with Hobby Stocks from throughout California expected to converge on the Speedway to take on the local factory stocks in a non-points special. Powder Puff races for Mini Stocks and a Rugged Rhino Exhibition Race are also on the schedule. 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. Youngsters five and under are free. Gates will open at the 4:00 p.m., for spectators, with qualifying at 5:00 p.m. and racing at 6:00 p.m. Parking and camping are always free. Santa Maria Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the US 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.
RACE SUMMARIES:
Super Late Models:
Fast Time - Steve Drake, 15.583.
Heat 1 - Drake, Johnny Malcolm, A.J. Kirkpatrick, Bill Bartels, Carla Laney, Dana Beattie.
Heat 2 - Mike Kirby, Jason Papich, Zack Forster, Rob Sanders, Dick Stevens, Logan Drake.
Heat 3 - Brian Wirtz, Clay Daly, Tony Toste, Jerry Stewart, Jim Giardina.
Main Event - Forster, Kirkpatrick, S. Drake, Daly, Malcolm, Sanders, Papich, Kirby, Toste, Bartels, Stewart, Wirtz, Laney, Giardina, L. Drake, Beattie, Stevens.
Super Streets:
Fast Time - Tim Randolph, 16.687.
Heat 1 - Tim Randolph, Billy Simkins, Chris Smith, Morris Sealy, Steve Heckman, Bobby Meneley.
Heat 2 - Lonnie Welch, Toby Randolph, Chad Shaffer, Ed Elliott, Mike Chambers.
Main Event - Welch, Tim Randolph, Toby Randolph, Heckman, Sealy, Simkins, Shaffer, Smith, Meneley, Elloitt, Chambers.
Factory Stocks:
Heat 1 - Tim Correia, Michael Frazier, Bill Spratlin, Jonathan LaRosa, Dave Thompson, Taelor Janes, Tim Bennett, Matt Marchiando.
Heat 2 - Kirk Morgan, Brandon Brickey, Sr., Derek Todd, Chris Graham, John Hanson, Theo VanDeSande, Dale Sylvester, Danny Sutton.
Heat 3 - Gary Rayburn, Jr., Mike Leland, Gary Rayburn, Sr., Robert Read, Dan Bryant, Rick Plumlee, Jr., Pete Lethcoe.
Main Event - Frazier, Morgan, Sylvester, Marchiando, Read, Todd, Correia, Lethcoe, VanDeSande, Sutton, Bryant, LaRosa, Leland, Rayburn, Jr., Bennett, Rayburn, Sr., Janes, Brickey, Plumlee, Thompson, Graham, Hanson, Spratlin.
Mini Stocks:
Heat 1 - Tom Grzincic, Robby Cervantes, Ed Rains, Robert Dye, Rob Gilbertson, Adrian Guzman.
Heat 2 - Korban Ensign, Kurt Larsen, Jeff Dye, Kevin Dye, Phillip Sewell, Teri Guzman.
Heat 3 - Hardy Ensign, Jeremy Heroux, Ben Caswell, Taelor Janes, Pat Fausel, Dakota Chambers.
Main Event - Grzincic, Gilbertson, Heroux, K. Ensign, Caswell, Fausel, R. Dye, Larsen, Janes, Rains, Sewell, A. Guzman, Cervantes, J. Dye, Chambers, H. Ensign, K. Dye, T. Guzman (DNS).
POINT STANDINGS:
Super Late Models: 1. Steve Drake (Champion), 376; 2. Mike Kirby, 359; 3. Rob Sanders, 311; 4. Bill Bartels, 268; 5. Nick Bartels, 267.
Factory Stocks: 1. Dale Sylvester (Champion), 561; 2. Michael Frazier, 552; 3. Mike Leland, 526; 4. Brandon Brickey, Sr., 478; 5. Tim Bennett, 460.
Mini Stocks: 1. Tom Grzincic (Champion), 698; 2. Jeremy Heroux, 616; 3. Kurt Larsen, 546; 4. Robby Cervantes, 493; 5. Dustin Ensign, 484.
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