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Ventura, CA....July 13......Greg Taylor won a tangle filled 30 lap feature for the VRA Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars on Saturday night at Ventura Raceway. It was his 7th $1,000 win of the 2002 season, but he continues to chase point leader Jimmy Crawford. Taylor's effort cut Crawford's point lead to 435 points as Crawford ran a $500 third behind Tony Dighera, who won $750. Crawford was debuting a new car. The Senior Sprint feature had a big first lap tangle that elminated six drivers. Dwarf Car graduate Ron Bach then charged from the very rear to win his third main event in his TCR mount. Mike Cook was second with Oren Prosser Sr third. Bach is fourth in points and gained some ground on point leader Wiley Miller, who was caught up in the first lap incident. It was a big night for IMCA Modified point leader Randy McGraw as he won for the third time in 2002 and his closest point rivals had problems. Second ranked Mike Furlong ran 11th and McGraw's lead is now a big 27 points in the IMCA system which has just a one point difference per position.
The regular unwinged 360 sprint car class had 28 entries in the heat action this week and they were divided into the usual four qualifying heats with four transfers from each. Gene Godepski came from 4th to win the first heat over Rob Kershaw. Third starter Steve Conrad won heat 2 with fellow second row starter Tom Stansberry second. Larry Lloyd took heat 3 from the pole with Crawford coming from sixth to place second. Taylor won heat 4 from third starting as Ronnie Case ran second. It was a tough night for top runner Chris Wakim as he ran last in his heat and then pulled off the track prior to the green flag in the B Main. Four transfers came out out of the B Main and 16 year old modified midget graduate Allan Ballard won with Chris Tramel second over David Sinsley and Ron Wade. This race also had a first lap tangle that saw Clark Templeman III towed off the track and Jake Ford's night also over. In the 30 lap feature, pole starter Stansberry ended up in the infield on the first start attempt after a tap from Taylor. Before the lap was completed, Taylor, Crawford, Kershaw, Luis Espinoza and Conrad had tangled. Stansberry was restored to the point and took an early lead only to be overtaken by Taylor. Stansberry, Sinsley, Ballard and Lloyd tangled for a caution, then Steve Gresham clipped Ronnie Case on the back stretch, sending Case flipping. This left just 11 cars running and Taylor charged to the win with Dighera winning a fierce duel with Crawford for second. Josh Ford ran fourth over Stansberry, Tramel, Santa Maria's Mike Knopf and Kershaw. Taylor started 4th, Dighera 10th and Crawford 2nd. While Crawford's point lead is just 435 over Taylor, third ranked Josh Ford is now 1505 points behind the point leader. 1050 points are available each night in the Ventura sprint competition.
The senior sprints had a 17 car turnout and Richard Terry won the first heat from third starting with Jim Porter second. Oren Prosser Sr won heat 2 from the pole with Ron Butler second. On the opening lap of the feature, point leader Miller ran over the rear of John Richards, causing Richards to flip. Eliminated in the incident were Miller, J Richards, Tim Moon, Mark Chuhaloff, Larry Otani and Terry. Bach had missed the heat action and he came from the very rear of the field to win the feature ahead of front row starter Cook, third starter Prosser Sr, Dayle Henry, Porter, John Woodward and Butler.
Miller ended the night with a 760 point lead on Porter, 1855 ahead of Butler and 1955 in front of Bach.
With three Bakersfield Speedway regulars joining the action, the IMCA Modifieds had a 18 car turnout. Regional rookie of the year hopeful Lee Jensen won the first heat with Don Wright Jr second ahead of Steve Greenland. Fast improving Paul Lane won heat 2 ahead of Mark Fullerton and Wes Richardson with McGraw in fourth. McGraw set his car up for a dry slick track in the main event and raced to his third win. Rookie Joe Porche enjoyed his best finish in 2nd as Wright ran third ahead of Lane, Jeff Graham, Bakersfield's Phil Cook, Brett Lynsky, Lyle Slater and Gary Curtis. The other Bakersfield runners were Brian Terry in 14th and Jensen in 16th. McGraw's point lead grew to 27 points over Furlong, 38 ahead of Richardson and 44 in front of Graham. Porche moved into the top 5 in points, just 9 points back of Graham.
The VRA sprint cars, IMCA Modifieds, VRA Modifieds and Pony Stocks race on July 20 and that will be the final event before the annual two night Fair show on July 31-August 1. This year, the traveling figure 8 series will be the featured attraction at the fair as they race on both the midweek shows.
Summary
IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1-Lee Jensen, Don Wright Jr, Steve Greenland, Joe Porche, Gary Curtis.
Heat 2-Paul Lane, Mark Fullerton, Wes Richardson, Randy McGraw, Donald Houghton.
Main-McGraw, Porche, Wright, Lane, Jeff Graham, Phil Cook, Brett Lynsky, Lyle Slater, Curtis, Greenland, Mike Furlong, Daman Redman, Richardson, Brian Terry, Fullerton, Jensen, Houghton, Randy Gens.
Senior Sprints
Heat 1-Richard Terry, Jim Porter, Tim Moon, John Richards, Rick Lewis.
Heat 2-Oren Prosser Sr, Ron Butler, Mike Cook, Wiley Miller, John Woodward.
Main-Ron Back, Cook, Prosser Sr, Dayle Henry, Porter, Woodward, Ron Butler, Mike Frith-Smith, Curtis Richards, Lewis, Sammy Iaconis, J Richards, Miller, Moon, Mark Chuhaloff, Larry Otani, Terry.
Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Gene Godepski, Rob Kershaw, Luis Espinoza, Steve Gresham, Renee Boudreau.
Heat 2-Steven Conrad, Tom Stansberry, Russell DeBlauw, Josh Ford, David Sinsley.
Heat 3-Larry Lloyd, Jimmy Crawford, Jeremy Ellertson, Steve Chuhaloff, Allan Ballard.
Heat 4-Greg Taylor, Ronnie Case, Tony Dighera, Mike Knopf, Oren Prosser Jr.
B Main-Ballard, Chris Tramel, Sinsley, Ron Wade, Bill Camarillo, Prosser Jr, Trevor Brillman, Boudreau, Ryan Devitt. Jake Ford.
A Main-Taylor, Dighera, Crawford, Josh Ford, Stansberry, Tramel, Knopf, Kershaw, Ellertson, Conrad, Chuhaloff, Gresham, Case, Ballard, Sinsley, Espinoza, Wade, Lloyd, DeBlauw, Godepski.
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