PERRIS, CA, SEPTEMBER 14, 2002 - Mike Kirby took the lead from Richard Griffin two laps from the finish of Saturday's NAPA Auto Parts / Auto Trader Magazines SCRA main event at the Perris Auto Speedway and went on to post his fifth victory of the season.

"We've had a great year," Kirby said after gathering his 41st career SCRA win.  "I kind of miss that car I tore-up in Vegas (in June), but this one is getting better.  We changed a few things this week and Richard Catton (RC Performance) worked his butt off tonight trying to get this motor to run cool and he had it dialed-in for the main event."

Rip Williams earned the pole for the 30 lap main event after a sensational win in the JE Pistons Dash from the sixth position and put his Sharon Jory / Tomarco Fasteners No. 3 Gambler into the lead at the drop of the green flag. Even though he started fifth, Kirby had the Brad & Nancy Geurin / Statewide Towing No. 5 Stinger up to second ahead of Steve Ostling, Griffin and outside front row starter Levi Jones at the end of the opening lap.

With Williams glued to the bottom line, Kirby and Griffin took to the high line on lap nine.  One lap later, Griffin brushed the front straight wall. Before the end of the lap, Kirby had pulled nearly even with Williams, but couldn't take the lead.  Just as Kirby was positioned to make another run at the lead, the red flag flew for Rickie Gaunt, who flipped entering turn three.  As the caution flag was coming out, sixth place Josh Wise, who was making his SCRA debut, spun to a stop along with Damion Gardner.  All three cars involved were able to restart.

During the stoppage, Griffin's crew, led by legendary Crew Chief Bruce Bromme, Jr., made some needed suspension repairs to the Ron Chaffin owed Arizona Race Mart No. 50 Jon Boy that resulted from "The Gasman's" earlier contact with the front straight wall. 

As Williams sped to the green on the restart, Ostling slipped ahead of Kirby for second place.  Sadly, Ostling's hopes for his first victory of the year ended on lap 18 after he suddenly slowed with a flat tire.  Thanks to a couple of caution periods, Ostling was able to return with a new tire to finish ninth. 

Even though Kirby was now back up to second place, he would again drop to third on the restart after Griffin passed him along the back straight.  Just when it looked like Griffin was about to take his first stab at Williams, the yellow flag flew for Jarrett Chaney, who stopped in turn three. 

Williams lost the lead on the subsequent restart after his car bounced up the banking entering turn one.  As Griffin jumped into the lead, Levi Jones darted past Kirby and Williams.  Williams would have more problems entering turn one on the following lap.  This time, it resulted in heavy contact against the wall that led to yet another caution period after Wise, Rick Becker and Ronnie Clark were also collected.  For Kirby, another caution
period wasn't exactly what he wanted to see.             

"Every restart it seemed like we lost a spot or two.  I guess we just needed it to go green to checkered without any stops," Kirby said. "I was running the middle once I got behind Rip and I started catching him.  After we had that red flag and I think they told Rip where to run because he was just driving away from me.  Then, they had all though yellow flags and I guess I got confused because I kept adjusting that shock and I kept making it worse,
so I just went back to the way it was when we started the race."

Looking for his second straight win at Perris, Griffin pulled away after the lap 20 restart.  Five laps from the finish, Kirby passed the Carol Crossno / Pase Hallmark No. 38 TCR driven by Illinois driver Levi Jones.  After the race, Griffin admitted that he might have been "a little conservative" in the closing laps.  Kirby was anything but conservative, and was in perfect position to make his race-winning pass on lap 29 after Griffin's car pushed
off the low line in turn one.

"I just kind of settled down a little bit for the last ten laps and started driving my own race without worrying about who was in front of me," Kirby said in victory lane.  "After I got by the 38 car, and I got close enough to Griffin, I figured I'd give it a shot.  I think he got into that water down there in (turns) one and two and pushed the front end.  I really didn't think
I'd get by Griffin, but I happened to be at the right place at the right time."      

On August 31st, Levi Jones earned his first SCRA podium finish at Ventura Raceway.  Jones equaled that accomplishment on this night with a third place finish behind Griffin.  Mike English started 10th and finished fourth.  John Scott finished fifth in his Pace Electronics No. 83 TCR after starting 14th and Brian Venard came from 10th to finish sixth.  As good as those passing jobs were, Tony Jones claimed the KSE Products Hard-Charger Award thanks to his 17th to seventh place run.  In Sander Engineering Time Trials, Granitize Products Rookie point leader, Bobby Cody, earned his first ever fast time
award.                                
   
SCRA RACE #32 - PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY, PERRIS, CA
Date of Race: 09/14/02

SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS
1. Bobby Cody, (R) Costa Mesa CA, Cody 41, 16.659 2, Damion Gardner, Concord
CA, Priestley 7 , 16.703  3. Brian Venard, Tustin CA, Venard 47, 16.706  4. Verne Sweeney, Lomita CA, Sweeney 98, 16.710  5. Mike English, Norwalk CA, Jory 6, 16.857  6. Rip Williams, Yorba Linda CA, Jory 3, 16.863  7. Richard Griffin, Silver City NM, Chaffin 50, 16.871  8. Steve Ostling, Corona CA, Fischer Mtrspts. 29, 16.908  9. Adam Mitchell, Escondido CA, Mitchell 99, 16.955 10. Mike Kirby, Torrance CA, Geurin 5, 17.015  11. Levi Jones, Olney IL, Crossno 38, 17.015  12. Josh Wise, Riverside CA, Argo 19, 17.020  13.  Jarrett Chaney, Clovis CA., Robison 42R, 17.031  14. Michael Hinrichsen, Lakeside CA, Lake Mtrsprts. 16, 17.070  15. John Scott, Hesperia CA., Scott Mtrsprts 83, 17.077  16. Rick Becker, Highland CA, Becker 67, 17.083  17. Steve Venard, Silverado CA.,Glover 49, 17.090  18. Rickie Gaunt, Torrance CA, Alexander 4, 17.095  19. Casey Shuman, Tempe AZ, Pratt 12, 17.211  20. Tony
Jones, Garden Grove CA, Vermeer/Jones 87, 17.247  21. Mike Spencer, Temecula
CA, Engstrom 44, 17.285 22. Gary W. Howard, Fontana CA, Ruth 25, 17.347  23.
Jordan Hermansader, Long Beach CA, Lancaster 14, 17.435  24. Lance Gremett, San Marcos CA, Gremett 85, 17.445  25. Dan Hillberg, Whittier CA, Hillberg 82, 17.515  26. Seth Wilson, San Clemente CA, Racing Optics 17, 17.722  27. Mel Murphy, Woodcrest CA, Murphy 62, 17.730  28. Tony Smiley, Buckeye AZ, Smiley 2, 17,748  29.  Eric Severson, (R) Westchester CA, Miller 66, 17.782  30. Ronnie Clark, Tucson AZ, Clark 33, 17.800  31. J.D. Vance, Peoria AZ, Wadsworth 45AZ, 18.077  32. Jimmy Thornell, Riverside CA, Thornell 80, 18.085  33. Mark Heidenreich, (R) Upland CA, Heidenreich 22, 18.379  34. Dan Tedrick, Hesperia CA, Tedrick 88, 18.532  35. Bob Ferro, Sherman Oaks CA, Ferro 91X, 18.625  36. Tom Wilhelm, (R) Temecula CA, Wilhelm 64, 19.010
 
HEDMAN HEDDERS HEAT 1
1. Mike Spencer, 2, Dan Hillberg, 3. Jarrett Chaney, 4. Adam Mitchell, 5. Mike English, 6. Bobby Cody, 7. Steve Venard, 8. Eric Severson,

SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2
1. Rickie Gaunt, 2. Mike Kirby, 3. Rip Williams, 4. Michael Hinrichsen, 5. Damion Gardner, 6, Seth Wilson, 7. Dan Tedrick, 8. Gary W. Howard,

SPIN TECH MUFFLERS HEAT 3
1. John Scott, 2. Jordan Hermansader, 3. Richard Griffin, 4. Levi Jones, 5. Mel Murphy, 6. Brian Venard, 7. Casey Shuman, 8. J.D. Vance, 9. Bob Ferro,

STINGER CHASSIS HEAT 4
1. Steve Ostling, 2. Tony Jones, 3. Lance Gremett, 4, Josh Wise, 5. Verne Sweeney, 6. Jimmy Thornell, 7. Tony Smiley, 8. Tom Wilhelm, 9. Rick Becker,

JE PISTONS DASH
1. Rip Williams. 2. Levi Jones. 3. Steve Ostling. 4. Richard Griffin. 5. Mike Kirby. 6. Josh Wise. 7. Jarrett Chaney. 8. Adam Mitchell.

B FEATURE
1. Mike English. 2. Damion Gardner. 3. Verne Sweeney. 4. Rick Becker.  5. Brian Venard. 6. Ronnie Clark. 7. Steve Venard. 8. Tony Smiley. 9. Eric Severson. 10.  Dan Tedrick. 11.  Bob Ferro. 12.  Tom Wilhelm, 13.  Bobby Cody. 14. Casey Shuman. 15.  J,D.  Vance. 16.  Jimmy Thornell. 17.  Mark Heidenreich. 18.  Gary W. Howard. 19.  Seth Wilson. 20. Mel Murphy.

A FEATURE (30 Laps)
1. Mike Kirby. 2. Richard Griffin. 3. Levi Jones. 4. Mike English. 5. John Scott. 6. Brian Venard. 7. Tony Jones, 8. Michael Hinrichsen. 9. Steve Ostling. 10. Lance Gremett. 11. Verne Sweeney. 12.  Dan Hillberg. 13. Rickie Gaunt. 14.  Damion Gardner. 15.  Ronnie Clark. 16.  Mike Spencer. 17.  Steve Venard, 18.  Rip Williams. 19.  Rick Becker. 20.  Josh Wise. 21.  Jarrett Chaney. 22.  Jordan Hermansader.
Laps Led: Williams 1-19, Griffin 20-28, Kirby 29-30

SCRA points as of: 09/14/02
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CAR            NAME                         HOMETOWN             STARTS POINTS
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    1.  50  Richard Griffin         Silver City NM          32  2025
    2.  87  Tony Jones              Garden Grove CA     32  1609
    3.  7   Damion Gardner          Concord CA              31  1603
    4.  1   Cory Kruseman           Ventura CA              29  1592
    5.  3   Rip Williams            Yorba Linda CA          32  1527
    6.  5   Mike Kirby              Torrance CA         30  1440
    7.  83  John Scott              Hesperia CA         31  1412
    8.  4   Rickie Gaunt            Torrance CA         32  1405
    9.  6   Mike English            Norwalk CA              32  1338
    10. 29  Steve Ostling           Corona CA               24  1335
    11. 38  Bobby Graham            Riverside CA            29  1038
    12. 7   Jeremy Sherman      Phoenix AZ              19  1007
    13. 61  Troy Rutherford         Ojai CA                 22  954
    14. 94  Charles Davis, Jr       Buckeye AZ          27  804
    15. 38  Levi Jones              Olney IL                17  742
    16. 19  Rodney Argo         Gardena CA          25  687
    17. 44  Mike Spencer            Temecula CA         31  664
    18. 99  Adam Mitchell           Escondido CA            26  602
    19. 41  Bobby Cody          (R) Costa Mesa CA       32  602
    20. 25  Gary W. Howard      Fontana CA              19  581