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Ventura, CA....April 24......Patiently working his way to the front through six yellow flags, Rob Kershaw was able to run the bottom line into the lead on lap 22 and he won his first 30 lap VRA unwinged 360 sprint car main event at Ventura Raceway on Saturday night. The $1000 win solidified his hold onto third place in season points as point leader Tom Stansberry was a $500 third behind Steve Conrad. Conrad led 10 laps during the race and collected $750 for second. The smallest VRA turnout in two seasons at Ventura allowed all the cars on hand to run in the feature event. Fifty year old Tony Lima moved his racing from the traveling SCRA unwinged sprint cars over to the Ventura senior sprint class two races ago and he turned an outside front row start tonight into his first VRA Senior Sprint main event win. He just nipped 70 year old Ron Butler who came from tenth. The race was called early when John Jewett flipped and had to be transported to the hospital for observation. Donald Houghton's tough luck 2004 season ended as he turned pole position starts into wins in both his heat race and the 20 lap main event for the IMCA Modifieds. D Houghton's attention has been divided in 2004 as young son Josh Houghton is enjoying a great rookie season on the dirt after being Kern County Raceway street stock champion in 2003. Third starter Kathy Pierson was second in the 20 lapper and Gary Curtis battled from 7th to 3rd to move into a tie for the point lead with Chris Tonoli, who ran 8th. Outside front row starter Ric Bronson won his first VRA Modified 20 lap feature and ended the night just 70 points back of point leader Rick Rodarte, who was eliminated in a midrace tangle. Marty McLaughlin and Joel Chavez were 2-3 at the checkered flag in the feature.
The VRA unwinged 360 sprint car action split the 22 cars into a three heat format. Stansberry beat Ron Wade and Mike Whitcomb in heat 1 while Conrad outraced Joe Henderson and Kevin Kierce in heat 2. It was Kershaw on top in heat 3 ahead of Blake Miller and Jonas Reynolds. Both Jim Thomson and Charles Turner were feature scratches to leave 20 cars to battle in the 30 lapper. Reynolds and Kierce shared the front row with Kershaw lined up 6th, Conrad 8th and Stansberry 7th. Kierce set the early pace from his outside front row start, then Conrad led for ten rounds before Agoura's Kershaw raced out front for the final 9 laps. Conrad raced to second ahead of Stansberry, 15th starter Mike Broome, Kierce, Whitcomb, 18th starter Bill Camarillo and Bill Welch. Stansberry's point lead is 735 over Welch. Kershaw is 675 behind Welch and 140 in front of Conrad. Chris Tramel stands fifth in points. The Senior division matched the regular VRA class with 22 entries. Oren Prosser Sr beat Wiley Miller in heat 1, Tim Moon beat Danny Miller and Lima in heat 2 and Dave Marini outraced Jewett and Bob Hedlund in heat 3. Lima was expecting easier competition in the Senior Sprints than what he experienced with SCRA, but has found the older set truly competitive. Lima turned an outside front row start into the feature win with Butler second ahead of W Miller, D Miller, point leader Bruce Douglas, Moon, Dayle Henry, Hedlund and Curtis Richards. Douglas holds just an 85 point lead on W Miller with Ron Bach 425 more back in third. Dale Harwood and D Miller round out the top five in points.
The IMCA Modifieds had a 14 car turnout and D Houghton won the first heat from the pole with son J Houghton coming from 4th to finish second ahead of Curtis. Pierson started third in her heat 2 win ahead of pole starter Brad Prows and Wes Richardson. After five events, the top six in the point standings are only separated by a grand total of 9 points. D Houghton won the 20 lapper from the pole with Pierson second ahead of Curtis, Richardson, J Houghton, John Aitken and Mark Fullerton. Joe Porche was a main event scratch and Steve Greenland fell out early. The top ten finished on the lead lap. Curtis and Tonoli are tied for the point lead, just one point ahead of Richardson, 5 ahead of J Houghton, 7 ahead of Pierson and 9 in front of Will Smith. The VRA Modifieds had 11 entries and their feature action also tightened their point battles. Dave Lidren beat Jody Davis in heat 1 and Bronson outraced Rodarte and Joel Chavez in heat 2. Lidren and Mark Gallimore were eliminated in a first lap feature incident and Rodarte got tangled up with Davis on lap 9. Bronson won the 20 lapper ahead of McLaughlin, Chavez, Jeff Goddard, Bruce Blackman Jr and Andy Frank. Rodarte came out of the night with a 35 point lead on Gallimore, 50 ahead of Lidren, 60 ahead of McLaughlin and 70 ahead of Bronson.
The May 1 race will see the VRA unwinged 350 sprints, Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds and Pony Stocks in action.
Summary
VRA Modifieds
Heat 1-Dave Lidren, Jody Davis, Andy Frank, Travis Wickenden, Mark Gallimore.
Heat 2-Ric Bronson, Rick Rodarte, Joel Chavez, Marty McLaughlin, Jeff Goddard.
Man-Bronson, McLaughlin, Chavez, Goddard, Bruce Blackman Jr, Frank, Wickenden, Davis, Rodarte, Lidren, Gallimore.
IMCA Modifieds
Heat 1-Donald Houghton, Josh Houghton, Gary Curtis, Mark Fullerton, John Aitken.
Heat 2-Kathy Pierson, Brad Prows, Wes Richardson, Steve Greenland, Will Smith. Main-D Houghton, Pierson, Curtis, Richardson, J Houghton, Aitken, Fullerton, Chris Tonoli, Smith, Prows, Luke Ailken, Steve Bulpit, Greenland.
Senior Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Oren Prosser Sr, Wiley Miller, Rick Lewis, Ron Butler, Curtis Richards.
Heat 2-Tim Moon, Danny Miller, Tony Lima, Dayle Henry, Mark Chulahoff.
Heat 3-Dave Marini, John Jewett, Bob Hedlund, Ron Tjarda, Jim Porter.
Main-Lima, Butler, W Miller, D Miller, Bruce Douglas, Moon, Henry, Hedlund, C Richards, Marini, Bob Alderman, Ron Bach, Sparky Edmonston, Porter, Prosser Sr, John Richards, Tjarda, Jewett, Grady Winkler, Chulahoff, Dale Harwood.
Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Tom Stansberry, Ron Wade, Mike Whitcomb, Bill Welch, Tom Hendricks.
Heat 2-Steve Conrad, Joe Henderson, Kevin Kierce, Luis Espinoza, Chris Tramel.
Heat 3-Rob Kershaw, Blake Miller, Jonas Reynolds, Clark Templeman III, Mike Broome.
Main-Kershaw, Conrad, Stansberry, Broome, Kierce, Whitcomb, Bill Camarillo, Welch, Hendricks, Kim Lewis, John Nock, Tramel, Templeman, Reynolds, Wade, Chris Wakim, Brandon Thomson, Espinoza, B Miller, Henderson.
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