DARREN YOUNG DOMINATES SPEED TRUCK FEATURE AT ORANGE SHOW SPEEDWAY

Source: Jim Short
Date: 09/16/2006

SAN BERNARDINO, California -- ASA Speed Truck Challenge points leader Darren Young moved one step closer to his first championship by winning round nine of the series Saturday night at Orange Show Speedway.

The win, Young's sixth of the year and third in a row, also gave him a sweep of the three 100-lap events on this quarter-mile oval at the National Orange Show Events Center. Young won the season-opener here April 8 over Scott Dodd and scored again July 1 over teammate Lee Hatch. This time, Hatch wasn't around for the finish and Dodd limped home nine laps down in 14th after the two collided between Turns 1 and 2 on lap 80 to bring out the last of the four caution flags.

Young, of Gilbert, Ariz., started on the pole in the 16-truck field and led every inch of a race in which the top three positions never changed after the first lap. Jim Putman, of Ontario, was second and Randel King, 15, of Riverside third.

The 12-race series resumes Oct. 7 at on the road course at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz.

Jason Patison, who was competing in both the Speed Truck and Modified classes, won the 20-lap Modified main in wire-to-wire fashion after setting fast time in qualifying and also capturing the heat race. It was the second victory of the year for the Corona driver. But the big winner was Michael Jackson, of Bonita, who effectively clinched the class championship with his runner-up finish. Jackson leads Patison, who missed one of the nine races, by 42 points with only the Oct. 7 season finale remaining.

Don Minut did clinch the Pro-4 championship with a dominating win in that 25-lap main event. It was the Riverside driver's fourth straight win and his sixth in eight races. He leads Highland's Kendal Scheidecker, who finished fifth, by 52 points with just one race remaining (Sept. 30) and a maximum of 50 points available.

Highland's Kyle Meyer continued to show that he could be a contender for next year's ASA Street Stock title by winning his second in a row. Meyer, 18, took the lead on the third of 20 laps and never relinguished it despite constant pressure from veteran Cliff Conklin, of Big Bear, who finished second and trimmed two points off the lead of third-place Johnny Russo, also of Big Bear. Russo holds a 6-point edge with two races to go.

The first main event of the night produced a first-time wiinner in Fontana's Jim Holland, who took the lead midway through the 20-lap contest and watched in his mirror as Jered King, of Victorville, and Art Ramirez, of Walnut, battled for second. King, who set fast time and won the trophy dash and heat race, also won that battle, by about 6 inches. Holland, the class leader with two of 10 races remaining, had finished second twice this season. The results: ASA SPEED TRUCK CHALLENGE (100 laps) -- 1. Darren Young, Gilbert, Ariz., Chevrolet S-10; 2. Jim Putman, Ontario, Dodge Dakota; 3. Randel King, Riverside, Dodge Dakota; 4. Victor Pfluger, Morristown, Ariz., Dodge Dakota; 5. Todd McLauchlan, Santee, Toyota Tacoma. Trophy dash winner -- Lee Hatch, Fontana, Chevrolet S-10. Fast qualifier -- Hatch. ASA MODIFIEDS (20 laps) -- 1. Jason Patison, Corona; 2. Michael Jackson, Bonita; 3. Doug Carpenter, La Mesa; 4. Tim Morse, Burbank; 5. Shea Kennedy, Sunland. Heat race winner -- Patison. Trophy dash winner -- Carpenter. Fast qualifier -- Patison. ASA STREET STOCKS (20 laps) -- 1. Kyle Meyer, Highland, Chevrolet Nova; 2. Cliff Conklin, Big Bear, Chevrolet Camaro; 3. Johnny Russo, Big Bear, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 4. Ted Reich, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 5. Nathan Gruwell, Yorba Linda, Chevrolet Camaro. Heat race winner -- Russo. Trophy dash winner -- Conklin. Fast qualifier -- Russo. PRO-4 STOCKS (25 laps) -- 1. Don Minut, Riverside, Ford Fusion; 2. Bryan Glidewell, Riverside, Ford Taurus; 3. Derek Becker, Highland, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 4., John Soares, San Bernardino, Ford Taurus; 5. Kendal Scheidecker, Cabazon, Oldsmobile Cutlass. Heat race winners -- Scheidecker; Glidewell. Trophy dash winner -- Becker. Fast qualifier -- Minut. SPORT COMPACTS (20 laps) -- 1. Jim Holland, Fontana, BMW 318i; 2. Jered King, Victorville, BMW 318i; 3. Art Ramirez, Walnut, Toyota Celica; 4. Gerrit Hodge, Moreno Valley, Honda CRX; 5. Steve Hodge, Moreno Valley, Honda CRX. Heat race winner -- King. Trophy dash winner -- King. Fast qualifier -- King.

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