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| PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY SEVEN DIVISION RACE CARD – By Tim Kennedy |
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Perris, CA., Mar. 7 – Perris Auto Speedway staged a seven division racing program using both the half mile and quarter mile clay tracks on a chilly Saturday night. There were 107 racing cars in competition. Four classes, including the track's PASSCAR stock cars, raced on the busy half mile, while three classes used the seldom used quarter mile with the K-rail outside turn barriers removed. All seven divisions raced heat races starting at 4:00 pm and following the National Anthem at 6:30 competed in 20-lap main events. The top three finishers in each division received trophies after each main event. All stock cars pitted in the infield with the California Lightning Mini Sprints pitted in the pit parking lot beyond turn two.TQ Midgets and dwarf cars were all pitted together in the east end parking lot beyond the first turn under portable lighting. TQ MIDGETS: The touring NMRA-TQ (3/4) Midget Series started 11 cars on the quarter mile and ran a rapid, all-green flag 20-lap season opening point race for the TQs. The race took only six minutes and had two race leaders in the first race for the TQs at The PAS since a pair of races in 2003. Chuck West, the three-time NMRA-TQ champion (2002, 06 and 08), started eighth, took second on lap 10, and led the final six laps in a West Evans-owned Stealth chassis with a Kawasaki 836 cu. in. engine. It was his 16th TQ feature victory since NMRA resumed racing in 2002. West, from Clovis, won by ten yards over fifth starter Bruce Hiroshima, the 2004 NMRA rookie of the year, in his own Rick Stewart chassis with Honda 836 cu. in. power. Scott Dobson, the 2006 NMRA rookie of the year, brought Guy Barber's Stewart/836 cu. in. Honda home third, 40-yards in back of Hiroshima. Anthony Lopiccolo, the 22-year old co-rookie of the year for NMRA last season, and West Evans, in his Stealth/Suzuki, completed the top five. Dobson, from Newbury Park, and Hiroshima, from Camarillo, won the pair of six-lap heat races. Both drivers started from third grid position. DWARF CARS: The CDCRA dwarf cars started 18 cars on the quarter-mile. Pole starter Angel Figueroa took the lead on the second lap and led the final 19 circuits in his No. 1v sedan dwarf car. He won by 30-yards over Jimmy Arnsmeyer, who had a five yards advantage over Kevin Drake. Only one brief caution flag for a spun car slowed the race. The cars used 1,000 cc Yamaha R engines in the scaled-down, diminutive coupes and sedans that resemble 1930s American-made cars. LIGHTNING WINGED MINI-SPRINTS: A 21-car California Lightning Winged Mini-Sprints race ran 20-laps on the half-mile in the seventh and final feature of the night. It ran from 9:19 to 9:48 pm. There were six yellow flags and one red flag. On lap 9 Chris Dickey ran over a wheel and flipped several times in the third turn without injury. On lap 3 at turn two a two-car tangle involved Donny Kramer, who rolled his car onto its side. Pole starter Stuart Helscher, a 17-year old high school student from Murrieta, won his eighth race in the touring series. The 2008 season point leader, who fell to fourth in 2008 points with a DNF in the final race, led all but one of the 20 laps. Bobby Bender started fourth, took second place on lap 4 and battled closely for the lead to the finish. On lap 13 Bender nosed ahead of Helscher to lead that lap by a foot. Helscher then changed his racing line and led laps 14-20. He defeated Jarrett Kramer, of San Diego, by ten yards. A. J. Bender, a 16-year old from Ramona, finished third. His older brother Bobby Bender faded to sixth on lap 16 and finished sixth with 14 cars running at the finish. SUPER STOCKS: The ten-car PASSCAR Super Stock 20-lap main on the half-mile went to second starter Ed Perry, of Carpenteria, in the No. 3 Luke's Transmission car. He led all the way and won by a straightaway over fifth-starter James Kirk. The runner-up drove the No. 88 Dodd Racing car. Blaine Whitson, started sixth and finished third, ten yards in back of Kirk. The race had one yellow flag for a solo spin and clicked off 20 laps from 9:00 to 9:11 pm in the penultimate feature of the evening. Seven drivers finished. STREET STOCKS: A 22-car field of PASSCAR Street Stocks used the half-mile and ran fro m 8:14 to 8:53 pm with nine caution flags. Henry Weslowski, of Temecula, started his 1987 Buick Regal fourth and took command of the race on lap 10 after the race-long leading No. 45 Camaro hit the first turn wall and caved in its RF corner. Weslowski led the final 11 laps and won by 15-yards. Amazing Daniel Voyles, a 15-year old high school student from Temecula, stepped from his car and appeared to be about 10 or 12 years of age and stood well under five feet tall. However, the youngster used his heavy throttle foot and charged from 18th starting spot to finish second in a 1970s Chevy Monte Carlo. His happy family members and crew crowded around the trophy presentations to the top three finishers. Brian Tully's 1976 Chevy Nova smoked all 20 laps but finished third. The Ascot Park (Gardena) racing veteran in the 1980s cleaned dirt off the front grill of his overheated car before accepting his trophy. Twelve of the 22 starters reached PAS starter Ed Ramirez' checkered flag. PAS infield pit reporter Ronnie “the racing grandma” Everhart started second in her No. 17 Camaro and crossed the finish line fourth. Her husband Jake Everhart finished fifth in his No. 12 Camaro. Their son Dalton, 14, placed tenth in his No. 72 Camaro after starting 21st. MODIFIEDS: The IMCA Modifieds started 14 cars on the half-mile for the second 20-lap race on the program. Heavyset Larry Lord, a 54-year old business and car owner who had not raced in 15 years, got back behind the the wheel of a brand new modified constructed by his team. The Riverside resident and past track champion at the 1970s Cornoa Speedway and in the late Doug Fort's California Dirt Car Series at Santa Maria Speedway, started seventh, led lap 8-20 and won by 40-yards. Tom Smith, the 2006 Figure 8 champion at Irwindale Speedway, started second, led the first two laps and dropped to third on lap 3. He retook second on lap 14 and retained the spot to the finish. Middy Boggio started last and finished third in a 17-minute event. Tony Kinkade, a 25-year old Hesperia resident and the Route 66 Raceway (Victorville) track champion, came from third starting slot to lead laps 3-7. but he retired to the pits with a broken rear axle. FACTORY STOCKS: A PASSCAR Factory Stock field of eight reeled off 20 laps on the quarter mile in 14 minutes as the fourth main of the night. Donnie Fengler started fourth and drove his orange crush 1970 Chevy Impala to a solid victory. He paced the final 19 laps. Pole-man Mike Burks was 20-yards back in his 1972 Chevy Nova. Gary Keaster started second in a 1977 Olds Cutlass, led the initial lap and finished third, a straightaway behind the runner-up. All eight drivers finished with six of them on the lead lap, including Ramona resident Tom Gillum's big 1984 Lincoln Town Car. Gillum's brother Jeff, from Hemet, placed seventh in his big 1976 Ford LTD. PAS will host the SXS Stadium Off-Road Series racing Saturday, March 14 before taking an off-weekend on March 21. On March 28 PAS will host USAC-CRA Sprints, USAC Ford Focus Midgets, USAC Junior Ford Focus Midgets, and California Lightning Mini Sprints. |
