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See You At The Races!!! |
| TQ GRADUATE MCCORMICK TAKES
POINT LEAD WITH FIRST WIN by Gary Jacob |
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Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars, Street Stocks and Modifieds |
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Ventura, CA -March 24, 2001--A top runner with the
USAC TQ Midgets before he joined the Ventura Sprint Car scene midway
through the 2000 season, Richard McCormick charged forward from his
10th starting slot and scored his first ever unwinged 360 sprint car
feature win Saturday night at Ventura Raceway. The $1,000 win combined
with a fourth place finish in the season opener have placed McCormick
in the early season point lead with just a 10 point margin over Tony
Dighera, who was a $750 second from 6th starting. Ironically, the top
five finishers all started on the outside of the front five rows in
the 30 lapper as Jimmy May made his 2001 debut with a $500 third ahead
of Ronnie Case and Luis Espinoza. It was the best feature finishs for
the second year sprint car racers Dighera and Espinoza. The street
stocks made their 2001 debut and the hottest driver at the end of the
2000 campaign, Greg Raap of Somis, gained the 20 lap win as former
champion Paul Moore and Wayne Heurung tangled while dueling for the
lead on lap 17. Steve Bulpitt was second ahead of Harvey Jones.
Defending track champion George Kreider IV won the 20 lap main for the
VRA Modifeds with opening night winner Marty Desbrow sidelined after
problems in his heat race.
Another big 31 car unwinged 360 sprint car field was split into four qualifying heats with the top four finishers in each advancing into the rich 30 lap feature where they are joined by the top four finishers in the B Main. Heat winners were Chris Wakim, opening night feature winner Greg Taylor, Jimmy Crawford and McCormick. The draw format found the first heat filled with top runners and defending track champion Gary Howard missed the transfer with a sixth, but he raced to the win in the B Main over Rob Kershaw, Steve Conrad, Jeff Wilson and Josh Ford. This year, the highest possible inversion for the feature lineup is a 12 and it came up that this week, putting Taylor in the sixth row. May started 4th, Case 8th and Espinoza 2nd. Top runners Howard, Taylor, Wakim and Bob Moody were all crash victims in the 30 lapper with McCormick winning ahead of Dighera, May, Case, Espinoza, John Wright, Conrad, Kershaw, Crawford and Bill Welch. Legendary pavement late model ace Oren Prosser made his sprint car debut, but ran 11th in the B Main. Street stock heat winners included defending champion Craig Germanetti and Raap. The tangle between Moore and Heurung elevated Raap to the lead on lap 17, but both Moore and Heurung were able to finish the race. Bulpitt ran second over Jones, Stephen Suchowirsky, Erick Karlsen, Bradley Prows, Michael Lee, Heurung and Richard Johnston. The VRA Modifieds, formerly Pro 4 Modifieds, raced for the second straight weekend with a 12 car turnout. Joe Henderson beat Mark Joe in heat 1 and Marty McLaughlin won heat 2 over Kreider. Desbrow broke in heat 1 to leave 11 starters for their 20 lap feature. Kreider won the feature ahead of Henderson, McLaughlin, Rick Rodarte, Garret Pegler, Mike Schwellinger and David Lidren. The March 31 race date will include the debut of the track's new Senior Sprint Car class along with the Sprint Cars, CDCRA dwarf cars and street stocks. Summary VRA Modified Heat 1-Joe Henderson, Mark Joe, Garret Pegler, Rick Rodarte, David Lidren. Heat 2-Marty McLaughlin, George Kreider IV, Mike Schwellinger, Joshua Nice, Tommy Fowler. Main-Kreider, Henderson, McLaughlin, Rodarte, Pegler, Schwellinger, Lidren, Fowler, Joe, Nice, Ray Martinez. Street Stock Heat 1-Craig Germanetti, Frank Woodward, Stephen Suchowirsky, Erick Karlsen, John Hard. Heat 2-Greg Raap, Dennis Boyle, Wayne Heurung, Will Smith, Harvey Jones. Main-Raap, Steve Bulpitt, Jones, Suchowirsky, Karlsen, Bradley Prows, Michael Lee, Heurung, Richard Johnston, Paul Moore, Germanetti, Tracey Pallais, Dennis Boyle, Paul Jankovskis, Joe Porche, Woodward, Smith, Chris Tramel, Hard. Unwinged 360 Sprint Car Heat 1-Chris Wakim, Tony Dighera, Jimmy May, John Wright, Steven Conrad. Heat 2-Greg Taylor, Bob Moody, Mike Davis, Sparky Edmonston, Rob Kershaw. Heat 3-Jimmy Crawford, Ronnie Case, Luis Espinoza, Russell DeBlauw, Jeremy Ellertson. Heat 4-Richard McCormick, Jeff Heaton, Bill Welch, John Woodward, Steve Hess. B Main-Gary Howard, Kershaw, Conrad, Jeff Wilson, Josh Ford, Jim Thomson, Kenny Brown, Gene Godepski, Mike Cook, Hess. A Main-McCormick, Dighera, May, Case, Espinosa, Wright, Conrad, Kershaw, Crawford, Welch, Woodward, Edmonston, Davis, Moody, Wakim, DeBlauw, Howard, Taylor, Wilson, Heaton. |
