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*Special Thanks to Jim Naylor, Cliff Morgan, and the Ventura Raceway Staff.
HEAT RACE 2
HEAT RACE 4 B-MAIN #1 B-MAIN #2
A-MAIN (With Starting Positions) The VRA 360 Sprint Cars Pro Division had 37 cars entered for their Season Finale. Last week, Ventura's Jimmy "Neutron" Crawford clinched the championship and he wanted to close out the 2002 Campaign with a win. Tom Stansberry found victory circle on October 12th, but the team chose to race with USAC on the pavement at Irwindale. With SCRA off this weekend, veteran drivers Gary W. Howard and "The Mexican National Champion" Steve Ostling had signed in to challenge the VRA regulars. This division has had it most successful season to date with a record 101 drivers taking the green flag. Racing under a full moon, tonight's program was plagued by it's share of caution flags. The tone was set early in Heat One, as incidents claimed Steve Chulahoff and Camarillo's Jake Ford. Once racing got underway, Bill Welch took the early lead in the WTW Masonry #54 Stealth. A spirited battle was raging behind him between Jeff Heaton, Josh Ford, Mike Knopf, and Steve Ostling. Josh was able to catch and pass Welch in his WorldGate / Berry Pack #73J Ellis for the win. Following him to the feature was Heaton, Knopf, and Welch. The second heat saw Jeff Wilson take command in the Barnes Systems / Engle Cams #38 Gambler. Wilson was running the cushion as a hard charging Tony Dighera closed the gap and applied heavy pressure. At the white flag, Wilson still had the lead, but Thousand Oaks' Dighera was able to make the pass for the win. Wilson was second, Russell DeBlauw came in third, and "Hollywood" Luis Espinoza finished fourth in the Sparky Edmonston #33 Stinger. Gary W. Howard checked out in the third heat driving the Buzz Shoemaker / Blair's High Performance #0 entry for the win. Following him to the main event was Jimmy Crawford, Steve Conrad- who debuted a new car, and Ojai's Greg Taylor. Heat 4 had former track champion Kevin Kierce take the lead, but many eyes were focused on Ronnie "The Rocket" Case. Case drove the Engle Cams / Lucas Oil #8 TCR through the field with a series of huge slide jobs. Unfortunately, Case would have problems and have to make the show through the Semi. Kierce took the checkered flag, followed by Santa Clarita's Clark Templeman III, Oren Prosser Jr., and Rookie of the Year contender Chris Tramel. The first Semi-Main of the night had Rob Kershaw take the lead at the stripe and then spin in turn 4, collecting Steve Chulahoff. Multiple caution flags from spins and incidents would follow in this event. Once racing got underway, NHRA Pro Stock Driver John Geyer grabbed the lead, but it would not last as Steve Ostling passed him for the lead. Driving the Sandy & Jim Kroupa / Fab-Tech #14K Nygarrd entry, Ostling's lead was brief as he would spin and have to restart at the back. Simi Valley's Chris Wakim inherited the lead and Ostling charged into a transfer spot, before another incident- this time involving Steve Gresham and Bill Camarillo. Camarillo flipped his Agromin / Camland Motorsports #25C Sprinter and the race officials checkered the event. All of the drivers were uninjured and transferring to the main was Wakim and Ostling. Goleta's John Geyer was named the alternate for the Main Event. The second Semi-Main had a torrid battle for the transfer spots between Oxnard's Mike Davis, Larry Lloyd, 16 year-old Alan Ballard, and "Sheriff" John Wright. Davis withstood the challenges for the lead as contact between Lloyd and Ballard resulted in a spin for Lloyd's #52L Ellis. Ballard was sent to the back by officials before the restart. Davis held the lead and Sean Buckley quietly made his way through the pack in the Preiss Movius #23C Stealth. Buckley grabbed the lead as Ronnie Case came charging through the field. Case made a pass on the extreme outside line in turn four to get a transfer spot. As the checkered flags flew, it was Buckley and Case that would go on to the main event. The Main Event was also a qualifier for next week's Wagsdash as the winner and the hard charger would get invitations. The night's invert put Jeff Wilson and Mike Knopf on the front row of the 20 car field. As the green flag flew, it was Wilson that got the jump on Knopf. Early incidents and problems would claim points runner-up Greg Taylor, Jeff Heaton, Oren Prosser Jr., and Mike Knopf. Wilson took to the high line as he was looking for his first Sprint Car Main Event Win. Kevin Kierce gave chase and applied pressure to the leader. Kierce would close in, but Wilson was having the drive of his life and answered the challenges. Kierce then tried a pass on the extreme outside on the backstretch. He even climbed the wall for room and it paid off for the lead. Chris Wakim and Steve Ostling had made their way up to fifth and sixth from their 17th and 19th starting spots. Wakim would later drop a muffler and that ended his night. Kierce then extended his lead and Ostling rode the inside berm up to the second spot. At the end, it was Kierce, Ostling, and a photo finish for third between Wilson and Jimmy Crawford. An exciting race closed VRA's 2002 Season. Next Saturday, the SCRA Sprinters return to Ventura Raceway for the Annual Wagsdash Event. Festivities will start at noon with auctions, a chili feed, autograph sessions, and more for the fans to enjoy. |
