SAN BERNARDINO – John Manke obviously has figured out the best way to get around the quarter-mile oval track at Orange Show Speedway.
Saturday night, for the second week in a row, Manke led all 40 laps and won the ASA Super Late Model main event. It was the fifth win of the year for the defending class champion and it kept him on the list of drivers with a mathematical chance of winning the title with two of the 14 races remaining.
The next Super Late Model race, on Oct. 14, will be a 100-lap affair with $2,500 in added purse money and NASCAR Craftsman Truck series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. scheduled to be among the competitors.
Manke started on the pole alongside Lakeside’s Rick Chavez and those two ran 1-2 throughout a race in which none of the top five changed positions in the final 35 laps. Riverside’s Mark Shackleford was third, followed by points leader Glen Cummings of Highland, Frankie Gould of Woodland Hills and Ron Overman of Lakeside. Cummings leads Overman by 10 points and Manke by 36.
Don Minut completed a dominant Pro 4 season by driving his sleek Ford Fusion to his fifth straight and seventh in nine races overall. The Riverside driver had to work a little longer this time, with the race stretched to 50 laps, but he also made more money, thanks to $750 in added money.
The fast qualifier and Trophy Dash winner, Minut started 10th in the 14-car field, but was third by lap 2 and second on lap 10. He took the lead from Bloomington’s Eddie Secord on lap 25 and had lapped up to sixth place by the time he took the checkered flag. Secord was second, with Riverside’s Bryan Glidewell third.
Kyle Meyer of Highland won his third straight 20-lap Street Stock main, over 2005 champion Tom Gilstrap, but third-place Johnny Russo was the big winner. Russo, a former champion, went into the evening leading Big Bear neighbor Cliff Conklin by six points. An oil pressure problem prevented Conklin from starting the main, however. He fell to third in the points, 22 behind, and Russo now leads Ted Reich of Riverside by 16 with only the Oct. 14 season finale remaining.
Sport Compact points leader Jim Holland, of Fontana, inherited a win in the 20-lap main for that division after Gerritt Hodge and Ed Hill collided just after taking the white flag and Tony Dumont slid wide in the final turn.
The Mini-StocKars closed their eight-race season with 12-year-old Benjamin Mahan completing a sweep of the Junior division main events and the husband and wife team of Patti and Dean Caskey of Grand Terrace both celebrating after the Senior division’s 15-lap main. Patti Caskey got her second win of the year and Dean formally claimed the championship with a third-place finish. Patti was second.
Tyrone Klingbeil, a visitor from Iowa, outlasted nine rivals to win the Demolition Derby.
ORANGE SHOW SPEEDWAY
Saturday’s results
SUPER LATE MODELS (40 laps) – 1. John Manke, Ramona, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 2. Rick Chavez, Lakeside, Ford Taurus; 3. Mark Shackleford, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 4. Glen Cummings, Highland, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 5. Frankie Gould, Woodland Hills, Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Heat race winners – Brian Fitzgibbons, El Cajon, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; Manke. Trophy dash winner – Gould. Fast qualifier – Manke.
PRO 4’S (50 laps) – 1. Don Minut, Riverside, Ford Fusion; 2. Eddie Secord, Bloomington, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 3. John Soares, San Bernardino, Ford Taurus; 4. Jim Mardis, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 5. Kendall Scheidecker, Cabazon, Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Trophy dash winner – Minut. Fast qualifier – Minut.
STREET STOCKS (20 laps) – 1. Kyle Meyer, Highland, Chevrolet Nova; 2. Ton Gilstrap, Riverside, Chevrolet Camaro; 3. Johnny Russo, Big Bear, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 4. Ted Reich, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 5. Logan Mainella, Lancaster, Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Heat race winners – Nathan Gruwell, Yorba Linda, Chevrolet Camaro; Cliff Conkllin, Big Bear, Chevrolet Camaro. Trophy dash winner – Reich. Fast qualifier – Conklin.
SPORT COMPACTS (20 laps) – 1. Jim Holland, Fontana, BMW 318i; 2. Tony Dumont, Costa Mesa, Mercedes-Benz; 3. Art Ramirez, Walnut, Toyota Celica; 4. Steve Hodge, Moreno Valley, Honda CRX; 5. Gerritt Hodge, Moreno Valley, Honda CRX.
Heat race winner – Dumont. Trophy dash winner – Ed Hill, Santa Ana, Mercedes-Benz. Fast qualifier – Dumont.
MINI-STOCKARS (15 laps) – 1. Patti Caskey, Grand Terraced; 2. Mike O’Hara, Canyon Country; 3. Dean Caskey, Grand Terrace; 4. Rick Walton, La Crescenta; 5. Dick Laycock, Santee.
Heat race winner – Mike O’Hara, Canyon Country. Fast qualifier – O’Hara.
JR. MINI-STOCKARS (15 laps) – 1. Benjamin Mahan, Hesperia; 2. Joey McKeag; 3. Tony Forfa IV, San Bernardino; 4. Toby Becker, Highland; 5. Taylor Hede, Riverside.
Heat race winner – Mahan. Fast qualifier – Mahan.
DEMOLITION DERBY – 1. Tyrone Klingbeil; 2. Stan McDonald; 3. Dan Pachella; 4. Steve Cook; 5. John Mes.
