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*Special Thanks to Jim Naylor, Cliff Morgan, and the Ventura Raceway Staff.
HEAT RACE 2
HEAT RACE 4 (Shortened to 9 Laps) B-MAIN
A-MAIN (With Starting Positions) Ventura Raceway hosted both divisions of the VRA Sprint Cars on this night. Last week's winner Chris Wakim was looking to put his Carco Engines/Essengee Fine Woodwoorking #9 Stinger back in victory circle. With 28 VRA Sprinters signed in, the fans were in for a treat. In the first feat race, VRA Rookie of the Year candidate Alan Ballard took an early lead from his third starting spot. The 16 year old driver had checked out in his Ernie's Tong Service/ Matrix Process Systems backed #94 TCR. He was on the throttle and riding the cushion like a seasoned veteran until he bicycled hard and flipped. Ballard was ok, but was done for the night. Chris Wakim won and transferred to the main event, along with Jeff Wilson, Trevor Brilman, and Steve Gresham. The second heat featured VRA Main Event Winners Josh Ford, Ronnie Case, and Points Leader Jimmy "Neutron" Crawford. Santa Maria regulars Mike Knopf and Darren Simas joined the battle for a direct transfer. Ronnie "The Rocket" Case won in his 310 Web Hosting/Engle Cams #8 TCR and was joined by Crawford, Ford, and Knopf in the Main Event. Heat 3 was won by Steve Conrad in his SC Graphix #56 Ellis. Jeff Heaton, Greg Taylor, and Russell DeBlauw transferred to the Main Event. DeBlauw had his #65 backup/team car for sale as it was on display in the concourse area. The fourth heat was shortened to 9 laps, following an incident where VRA Rookie of the Year candidate Chris Tramel went out of the track exit at speed. His D&M Rebar/Del Mar Wire #77 Stealth was airborne as it left the racing surface. He was ok, and Tramel Motorsports had the car repaired and ready for the B-Main. Tony Dighera was the victor, and was joined by Luis Espinoza, Mike Davis, and Bill Camarillo in the feature. Oren Prosser Jr. won the B-Main in his Associated Construction/Raney Racing Engines backed #44 Stinger. Darren Simas, Chris Tramel, and Larry Lloyd made the main event, with AJ Reyer as the alternate. Jeff Heaton took the early lead and was determined to get his first main event win of 2002. He lead the majority of the race, but Ronnie Case caught him and made the pass with a slide job. The top 7 cars were in a pack that had close racing and any of them could have took the win. Greg Taylor had spun his Reid's Appliance/Jordan Brothers #7 Ellis on lap 14, tagged the rear and would finish 4th. Case took the win, second went to Heaton, and Chris Wakim was third. Wakim was momentarily airborne in the closing laps after contact with Jimmy Crawford and the front stretch wall. For Case, this was his second win of the year, with the first at Perris Auto Speedway. Ventura Raceway has been in the news as of late, due to it's possible closure and replacement with a concert venue. A website will be launched with news and information regarding the situation at saveventuraraceway.com. You can also check Message Boards and the websites of showmethespeed.com, www.wagtimes.com , and scrafan.com for periodic information and notes. |
