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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| CASS AND SHERIDAN GET $1000
WINS AT SANTA MARIA by Gary Jacob |
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IMCA Modifieds, Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars and Factory Stocks |
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Santa Maria, CA..April 30..Former Kings Speedway track champion Brian
Cass from Livermore was the $1000 winner in the 30 lap feature as Santa Maria
Speedway staged it's first ever IMCA sanctioned modified event. There are only
three dates on the Santa Maria schedule for 2005 as they were required to find
dates that didn't conflict with the IMCA action at Hanford, Oildale and Ventura.
Watsonville Speedway's Joe Antonetti led much of the 30 lapper, but had problems
with his car jumping out of gear in the closing rounds and he faded to a $350
third behind runnerup Brad Pounds, who won $500. Pounds' father Scott Pounds
returned to west coast action with a $1500 win in the Western Dirt Late Model
Tour event at Bakersfield Speedway Park on Saturday night and Brad was trying to
join him with a win, but fell just short. Having earlier won his heat race,
Santa Maria's own Danny Sheridan stopped Davey Pombo Jr's big for a clean sweep
with a hard fought win in the Bandit unwinged 360 sprint car main event.
Defending series champion Pombo had turned quick time and won his heat. Young
Evan Suggs from Scotts Valley, a graduate of the quarter midget ranks, ran
third. Michale Frazier from Santa Maria won his first ever 20 lap factory stock
main event ahead of point leader Gary Rayburn Jr and point runnerup Dale
Sylvester. The first IMCA race in Santa Maria drew top cars from throughout the state, but the overall count of 15 cars was disappointing considering the $3000 purse. Double division racer Jimmy Reeves won heat 1 over Keith Brown Sr and new track manager David Addamo, a recent winner in Hanford in his Jet Mod. Antioch's Ed Daviess won heat 2 ahead of Pounds and Cass. Kings Speedway regular Gerard Felipe was the only scratch from the feature. Antonetti has a history of success at the high speed 1/3 mile clay oval and he dominated the 30 lap feature after finishing fourth in his heat race. His car began jumping out of gear in the final 7 laps and Cass, also with a history of success here, drove by for the win. Cass has not had a home track since his Kings Speedway championship year as he samples all of the area tracks and also runs specials like Elma WA, Cottage Grove OR and annually travels to Iowa for the IMCA SuperNationals. Pounds also got by Antonetti to claim second and Antonetti salvaged a third ahead of fellow Watsonville racer Andy Obertello. Daviess rounded out the top five ahead of Addamo, former Merced champion Paul Stone and Ventura's Randy McGraw. McGraw has returned to the IMCA ranks in a former Darrell Hood car. Doug Thornton was 9th and IMCA superstar Mike Brumit came out of retirement to finish 10th. A pair of new Santa Maria based teams debuted, Ryan Dale and former mini stock star Jeremy Heroux. Pombo was the quickest of the 14 Bandit sprint cars in time trials with a 13.420 lap. He also won heat 1 over Reeves, Suggs and Joey Layman. Sheridan outraced Thad Bennett, Greg Porte and Patrick Frisco in heat 2. Jason Montgomery was sidelined before the feature action and Sheridan drove to the $1000 win ahead of Pombo, Suggs, Porte, Reeves, Bennett, Bobby Elliott, Frisco, Layman and Dennis Rodriguez Jr. Reeves had posted his first Bandit win in the earlier Santa Maria date in 2005 for the traveling series. Reeves and Pombo are tied for the track point lead, just 7 points ahead of Porte and 17 ahead of both Bennett and Suggs. It was also the second race night of 2005 for the factory stocks and the addition of Bakersfield invaders Eric Cimental and Steven Helms gave them 14 cars. Rayburn Jr won heat 1 over Cimental and Brent Pinnette. Frazier outraced Sylvester and Doyle Graham Jr in heat 2. The heat winners dueled for the win in the 20 lap feature and Frazier won for the first time in his career. Rayburn Jr ran second ahead of Sylvester, Matt Marchiando, Tom Breshears, Cimental, Michael Hyland, Glen Sparks, Pinette and Mike Cavalier. Rayburn Jr is 11 points up on Sylvester and 15 ahead of Frazier. Summary Factory Stocks Bandit Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars IMCA Modifieds |
