HICKS, UNRUH WIN SECOND FEATURE AT LAKEPORT

After battling with Richie Potts for 21 of the 30 laps in the modified feature event, Aaron Hicks of Grass Valley finally took the lead on a lap 22 restart and went on to capture his second season win at the Lakeport Speedway Saturday night. Hicks held off the late-race challenges of point’s leader Rick Rose on his way to victory.

Point’s leader Peter Unruh of Middletown lapped all but the top four contenders to win his second season mini stock feature. And both Don Baker of Lower Lake and 16-year-old Julie Sylva of Kelseyville set fast time and went on to win their feature events, Baker in the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa division and Sylva in the NCI-4 modified class.

The modified feature began with Potts taking the lead away from pole setter John Tredway with Hicks following Potts to the front. Pat Hinchcliff swapped places with Tredway for third on lap four and Terry McIntire picked off Tredway on the ninth go-round. As Potts, Hicks and Hinchcliff pulled away from the pack a tight battle for fifth was being waged with Tredway, Thomas Wright and trophy dash winner Gary Lowblad. Wright passed McIntire for fourth on lap 14 and the mid-race standings showed Potts, Hicks, Hinchclliff, Wright and McIntire in the top five.

The first of three cautions came on lap 20 when Don Miller spun on the front stretch. Potts held off Hicks on this restart, but the following round saw the yellow fly again for McIntire’s badly smoking car. This time Hicks beat Potts to the jump and pulled into the lead. Mark Marek and Chuck Pruett gained ground as Hinchcliff faded in the high groove. Rose moved into the top five with a pass on Marek on lap 26.

With only two laps to go, Potts and Wright made contact with both spinning in front of the charging pack just passed the start-finish line. Rose beat Pruett to the line, putting him in second. The final double-file restart saw fast action and great concentration, but Hicks managed to hold off Rose for the win. Rose finished second with Danny Bishop moving ahead to finish third, Pruett fourth and David Furia fifth.

Andrew Snider jumped ahead of Glenn Koeppel to lead the first four laps of the mini stock 30-lapper, but his reign ended on five when Redwood Acres visitor Jerry Shaha and Snider made contact resulting in Snider spinning in turn two. Both drivers restarted in the back, giving the lead to Stuart Lydon. Unruh moved through traffic swiftly, coming from ninth to take away second from Robert Schmidt on the seventh lap. Unruh set his sights on Lydon and made the winning pass on lap eight.

The race went non-stop from there with Unruh and Lydon weaving through lapped traffic. Shaha and Snider worked their ways back to the front but on the white-flag lap, Snider clipped Shaha coming out of turn four. Shaha straightened out and drove to the checkers, but Snider spun and was later penalized by speedway officials for rough driving. Unruh accepted his second win followed by Lydon and Shaha. Finishing one lap down in fourth and fifth were Ron DeKeyser III and rookie driver Jeremy Lemos.

Once again a full field of bombers were on hand with 29 timing in and 18 starting the main event. Chuck Maves lead the first four laps until the only caution of the race came on lap four when Peggy Hawthorne and Wayne Bates crashed in turn one. The restart saw Rick Tellstrom take control with Maves second, Ruben Serrano third and Kevin Waycik fourth. Don Baker and Chuck Pruett used the outside lane to gain position with Baker passing Waycik for fourth on lap 24 and Serrano for third the following round. Baker continued his outside charge and stole second away from Maves on lap 26. Darren Knight came from nowhere to enter the top five, and passed both Pruett and Maves on the final lap.

Tellstrom fought hard but did not have quite enough to hold off Baker. Baker beat Tellstrom to the line by about a half a car length for the win. Tellstrom settled for second with Knight taking third, Pruett fourth and Maves fifth.

Michael Bishop won the 15 lap "B" main ahead of Peggy Hawthorne, Nick Kirby, Wayne Bates and Carl Whitaker. Jeff and Tammy Davis won the trophy dash.

In special events action, Chic Beck lead the first 12 laps until relinquishing the number one spot to Janice Buschiazzo. Sylva was on the prowl coming from 10th to second in 13 laps. Lap 14 saw the first caution when Stockton visitor Jeff Tucker spun, and Sylva pulled ahead of Buschiazzo on the restart. The final yellow fell on 25 when Robert Snow spun while running third. When the green fell again Virgil Coklely snuck under Buschiazzo for second and at the checkered flag it was Sylva, Coklely, Buschiazzo, John Barker and Snow.

Auto racing returns to the Lakeport Speedway on Saturday, July 22 with the Airport Auto Brokers late models joining the NCRA modifieds, mini stocks and bombers. Gates open at 5:00 pm.

MODIFIEDS
Fast Time: Rick Rose, 13.024
Trophy Dash: Gary Lowblad, Rose, Thomas Wright, David Furia
Heat 1: John Tredway, Mark Marek, Aaron Hicks, Don Miller, Richie Potts, Freedom Hawthorne, J.J. Offencach, Jerold
Heat 2: Danny Bishop, Wright, Rose, Pat Hinchcliff, Doug Denton, Terry McIntire, Chuck Pruett, Gary Lowblad, Furia
Main Event: Hicks, Rose, Bishop, Pruett, Furia, Lowblad, Hinchcliff, Denton, Tredway, Offenbach, Hawthorne, Miller, Marek, Wright, Potts, McIntire

MINI STOCKS
Fast Time: Kelly Gray, 13.868
Trophy Dash: Kevin Barba, Gray, Robert Schmidt, Peter Unruh
Heat 1: Andrew Snider, Ron DeKeyser III, Pat Lucas, John Gregory, Tom Burger, Glenn Koeppel, Jeremy Lemos
Heat 2: Barba, Gray, Jerry Shaha, Unruh, Stuart Lydon, Rod Gard, Schmidt
Main Event: Unruh, Lydon, Shaha, DeKeyser, Lemos, Burger, Lucas, Snider, Gard, Schmidt, Koeppel, Gray, Barba, Gregory

BOMBERS
Fast Time: Don Baker, 14.872
Trophy Dash: Jeff & Tammy Davis, Mark Maines, Chuck Pruett, Baker
Heat 1: Nick Kirby, Carl Whitaker, George Abella, Cassie Sterrett, Jason Mincey, Peggy Hawthorne, Jimmy Sorrels, Kenny Grinols, Steve Sprague
Heat 2: Chuck Maves, Kevin Waycik, Rick Tellstrom, Wayne Bates, Michael Bishop, Tommy Gard, Ruben Serrano, Arlene Pruett, John Ward, Charles Beck
Heat 3: Lex Burger, Dustin Knight, Chuck Egger, Eric Unruh, Darrin Knight, Davis, Jeremy Nowlin, C. Pruett, Maines, Baker Semi Main: Bishop, Hawthorne, Kirby, Bates, Whitaker, Mincey, Abella, Sterrett, Sorrels
Main Event: Baker, Tellstrom, Darrin Knight, C. Pruett, Maves, Egger, Serrano, Nowlin, Waycik, Unruh, Maines, Dustin Knight, Davis, Kirby, Bishop, Bates, Burger, Hawthorne

NCI-4 MODIFIEDS
Fast Time: Julie Sylva, 13.298
Trophy Dash: Tiger Fernandez, Sylva, John Barker, Robert Snow
Heat 1: Gina Buschiazzo, Jeff Tucker, Shelton Evans, Darren Woodruff
Heat 2: Virgil Cokeley, Sylva, Fernandez, Barker, Snow, Janice Buschiazzo
Main Event: Sylva, Cokeley, J. Buschiazzo, Barker, Snow, Chic Beck, Evans, Tucker, G. Buschiazzo, Fernandez, Woodruff

N.C.R.A. POINTS STANDINGS
LAKEPORT SPEEDWAY
07/16/00