Leading wire to wire, Mark Marek of Lakeport held off the challenges of Shawn Bertam and David Furia to capture his first season modified victory at the Lakeport Speedway Saturday night.
Kevin Barba of Windsor set fast time, started at the back of the pack, and went on to win his first mini stock feature, points leader Mark Maines of Clearlake also set fast time and won the main event in the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa bomber division, and Ukiah’s Virgil Cokeley had a near clean sweep in the NCI-4 modified class, winning the dash, heat race and 30 lap feature event.
Marek and Bertram shared the front row in the modified feature and ran side-by-side the first twelve laps with Mike Smithart third and Randy Houston fourth. Semi-main winner Doug Denton lost power and stalled his car on the front stretch to bring out the first of two cautions on lap 13. Mike Smithhart retired to the pits at the same time with front-end problems.
Houston advanced to second when the green fell again as Bertram faded in the outside groove. Pat Hinchcliff gained position and was running third by the 19th round and David Furia followed Hinchcliff to the front. Houston moved to the outside in an attempt to pass Marek, but his efforts failed allowing Hinchcliff to slip into second. Furia and Terry McIntire also drove under Houston and Rick Rose picked off Houson on lap 26.
With only three laps to go Houston’s car overheated and stalled on the front stretch to bring out the final caution. The white flap lap saw Hinchcliff’s car slow causing a chain reaction with Rose running into Hinchcliff and Bishop hitting Rose. The rest of the scattered pack raced to the yellow checkered flag with Marek winning over Furia, McIntire, Chuck Pruett and Bishop.
Heat wins went to Freedom Hawthorne, Marek and Houston. Richie Potts won the dash and Rose set fast time of 13.019 over the 21-car field.
The mini stock feature began with Ericka Scatena taking the lead away from Robert Schmidt on the second lap with Kelly Gray passing Schmidt for second on lap five. Lap six saw Scatena spin while leading and Gray took over the number one spot on the restart. Heat winner Rod Gard assumed third on seven and both Gard and Barba picked off Schmidt the following round. Two laps later Peter Unruh and Glenn Koeppel came together with Koeppel hitting the wall. Both cars were towed to the pits.
The yellow fell again two laps later when Jeremy Lemos and Gard made contact turning Gard around. Barba and Gray battled for the lead the next four laps with Barba pulling ahead for good on lap 14. Trophy dash winner Andrew Snider and Dean Reep joined the front runners and at the checkers it was Barba, Snider, Reep, Stuart Lydon and Lemos. After the race Snider protested point’s leader Unruh’s car and the results are pending appeal.
Bomber action saw George Abella and Bill Peters running one-two with Kenny Grinols a stong third. Grinols drove under Peters for second on lap five and assumed the lead on six when the pack was approaching slower traffic. Two laps later Peters and Abella made contact with both spinning. Ruben Serrano moved ahead of Grinols on the restart and Chuck Egger followed his lead. Maines worked his way to the front and at the half way mark it was Serrano, Egger, Maines, trophy dash winner Chuck Pruett and Jeremy Nowlin. Egger used the high groove to assume the lead on lap 17 with Maines and Nowlin also slipping by Serrano. Lap 20 saw Tommy Gard and Darren Knight tangle on the back stretch with Bill Peters also involved.
Maines forged ahead on the restart with Egger in second and Nowlin third. Nowlin passed Egger on lap 25 but lost control and spun coming out of turn four. The final five laps were caution-free with Maines the winner over Egger, Pruett, Jeff Davis and Serrano. Jimmy Sorrels won the semi main, heat wins went to Rod Harper, Peters and Pruett. Sadie Heavner of Clearlake won the ladies’ powder puff race.
The NCI-4 modified 30-lapper saw Cokeley come from sixth starting to first in only four laps with John Barker following him to the front. Defending champion Janice Buschiazzo drove the outside groove to the front and stole second away from Barker on the ninth go-round. Fast qualifier Robert Snow also used the high side to gain position and picked off Barker on lap 19. The race was stopped the following round for an air cleaner on the track, and when racing resumed, Cokeley pulled away again. The final 10 laps went without incident with Cokeley accepting his first season victory. Janice Buschiazzo finished second with Snow third, Hernandez fourth and Barker fifth.
Racing resumes at the Lakeport Speedway this Saturday night, August 12, with the Robinson Rancheria Bingo and Casino Tri-State Super Stock Challenge. This will be the first appearance of super stocks in six years, and they will join the modifieds, mini stocks and bombers.
MODIFIEDS
Fast Time: Rick Rose, 13.019
Trophy Dash: Richie Potts, Rose, Thomas Wright, David Furia
Heat 1: Freedom Hawthorne, Gary Lowblad, John Tredway, Don Miller, Doug Denton, Lance Blacker, J.J. Offenbach
Heat 2: Mark Marek, Chuck Smithhart, Chuck Pruett, Shawn Bertram, Terry McIntire, Mike Smithhart, Bernie Simpson
Heat 3: Randy Houston, Furia, Wright, Danny Bishop, Rose, Pat Hinchcliff, Potts
Semi-Main: Denton, Miller, Lowblad, Blacker, Tredway, Offenbach, Hawthorne
Main Event: Marek, Furia, McIntire, Pruett, Bishop, Bertram, Rose, C. Smithhart, Miller, Potts, Simpson, Blacker, Hinchcliff, Wright, Lowblad, Houston, M. Smithhart, Denton
MINI STOCKS
Fast Time: Kevin Barba, 143.051
Trophy Dash: Andrew Snider, Barba, Jeremy Lemos, Peter Unruh
Heat 1: Dean Reep, Doug Turner, John Gregory, Robert Schmidt, Ericka Scatena, Tom Burger, Kelly Gray, Ty Ligon
Heat 2: Rod Gard, Unruh, Barba, Snider, Glenn Koeppel, Stuart Lydon, Lemos
Main Event: Barba, Snider, Reep, Lydon, Lemos, Gard, Turner, Schmidt, Ligon, Burger, Gregory, Scatena, Gray, Unruh, Koeppel
BOMBERS
Fast Time: Mark Maines, 14.816
Trophy Dash: Chuck Pruett, Maines, Darrin Knight, Jeremy Nowlin
Heat 1: Rod Harper, Jimmy Sorrels, Carl Whitaker, Cassie Sterrett, Harley Sharp, Peggy Hawthorne, John Ward
Heat 2: Bill Peters, Kenny Grinols, Ruben Serrano, Chuck Maves, Janson Mincey, Michael Bishop, George Abella
Heat 3: Pruett, Nowlin, Don Baker, Chuck Egger, Jeff Davis, Maines, Tommy Gard, Knight
Semi Main: Sorrels, Hawthorne, Mincey, Sharp, Whitaker, Ward, Sterrett
Main Event: Maines, Egger, Pruett, Davis, Serrano, Baker, Maves, Knight, Bishop, Grinols, Gard, Hawthorne, Sorrels, Mincey, Nowlin, Peters, Sharp, Abella
NCI-4 MODIFIEDS
Fast Time: Robert Snow, 13.807
Trophy Dash: Virgil Cokeley, Tiger Fernandez, Janice Buschiazzo, Robert Snow
Heat 1: Jeff Tucker, Gina Buschaizzo, Darren Woodruff, Chic Beck, Julie Sylva
Heat 2: Cokeley, J. Buschiazzo, Snow, John Barker, Fernandez
Main Event: Cokeley, J. Buschiazzo, Snow, Fernandez, Baker, G. Buschiazzo, Tucket, Beck, Woodruff, Sylva
