HORNADAY HOGS HOMECOMING SPOTLIGHT BY WINNING AT ORANGE SHOW SPEEDWAY

Source: Jim Short
Date: 10/15/2006

SAN BERNARDINO, California -- Ron Hornaday Jr. didn’t have to win Saturday night’s race at Orange Show Speedway. But since the Super Late Model event was named the Hornaday 100, it would have been embarrassing to have someone else walk off with the trophy. So Hornaday made sure that didn’t happen.

The two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck series champion made his return to his short track roots by leading all but about six inches of the 100 laps over Orange Show’s quarter-mile paved oval.

Hornaday qualified fifth, but started on the outside of the front row thanks to a six-car inversion and roared past pole-sitter Brian Fitzgibbons when the green flag waved to take a lead he never relinguished. Brett Edwards of Yucaipa was second, followed by fast qualifier Charles Price of Redlands, Mark Shackleford of Riverside and Keith Spangler of Chatsworth.

Seven of the 20 starters finished on the lead lap in a race slowed by four caution flag periods (for eight laps) that afforded Hornaday an opportunity to demonstrate his acknowledged mastery of the green flag restart.

Hornaday was driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo owned by Gary Stockman, whose son, Danny, is on Hornaday’s truck crew at Kevin Harvick, Inc., his NASCAR team. He reportedly had lapped at under the track record in practice on Friday, but qualified only fifth on Saturday, when inclement weather and freeway closures combined to keep both the entry list and attendance lower than anticipated for the race presented by radio station KCAL (97.1 FM). Once in front, however, he never was threatened, although Edwards was closing slightly at the finish.

An extra $2,500 for the race purse made the win worth $1,500, and a starting spot was worth $200. There were 23 cars on hand for qualifying, with 18 advancing to the main on time and through the promoter’s provisionals and the final two spots going to the top finishers in the 20-lap B main.

Ramona’s John Manke wasn’t one of the qualifiers. The track’s 2005 Super Late Model champion and this year’s top winner with five main event victories encountered engine problem in practice and withdrew. Also missing due to health problems was main event winner Rick Chavez, of Lakeside, although he was on hand to help Fitzgibbons.

“It’s pretty cool to come back out here and win,” said Hornaday, who celebrated his win by doing a quarter-mile burnout while circling the track backward and said that victory lap was in honor of the late Ivan Baldwin, a former Orange Show champion who helped bring the West Coast drivers to NASCAR’s attention.

Earlier in the evening, Big Bear’s Johnny Russo secured the Street Stock championship by finishing second to Big Bear neighbor Jim Conklin in their 25-lap main event, 2005 Sport Compact champion Jered King won the final 20-lap main event of the year for that class and handed the title over to teammate Jim Holland of Fontana, and Austin Murphy of Lancaster and Jimmy Rouse Jr. of San Bernardino won the Legend Cars and Bandoleros mains, respectively.

ORANGE SHOW SPEEDWAY

Saturday’s results

SUPER LATE MODELS (100 laps) – 1. Ron Hornaday Jr., Mooresville, N.C., Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 2. Brett Edwards, Yucaipa, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 3. Charles Price, Redlands, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 4. Mark Shackleford, Riverside, Pontiac Grand Prix; 5. Keith Spangler, Chatsworth, Ford Taurus.

6. Chris Oddo, Corona, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 7. Brian Fitzgibbons, El Cajon, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 8. Glen Cummings, Highland, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 9. David Ross, Colton, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 10. Wade Riddering, Highland, Pontiac Grand Prix.

B main (20 laps, top 2 to main event) – 1. Riddering; 2. Oddo; 3. David Kingsboro, Murietta, Cheverolet Monte Carlo; 4. Bob Bruno, Glendora, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 5. A.C. Cambric, Menifee, Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Trophy dash winner – Edwards. Fast qualifier – Price.

STREET STOCKS (25 laps) – 1. Jim Conklin, Big Bear, Chevrolet Camaro; 2. Johnny Russo, Big Bear, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 3. Ted Reich, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 4. Kyle Meyer, Highland, Chevrolet Nova; 5. Cliff Conklin, Big Bear, Chevrolet Camaro.

Heat race winner – Conklin. Trophy dash winner – Reich. Fast qualifier – Russo. Class champion – Russo.

SPORT COMPACTS (20 laps) – 1. Jered King, Victorville, BMW 318i; 2. Gerritt Hodge, Moreno Valley, Honda CRX; 3. Art Ramirez, Walnut, Toyota Celica; 4. Tony Dumont, Costa Mesa, Mercedes-Benz; 5. Jim Holland, Fontana, BMW 318i.

Heat race winner – King. Trophy dash – Holland. Fast qualifier – Dumont. Class champion – Holland.

LEGEND CARS (25 laps) – 1. Austin Murphy, Lancaster; 2. Jonathan Mawhinney; 3. Justin Kommel, Canyon Lake; 4. Chad Schug, Oak Hill; 5. Ryan O’Conner, Vista.

Heat race winners – Austin Grabowski, Upland; Murphy. Trophy dash – Mawhinney. Fast qualifier – Murphy.

BANDOLEROS (15 laps) – 1. Jimmy Rouse Jr., San Bernardino; 2. Andrew Anderson, Lancaster; 3. Jack Madrid, Duff Canyon, Calif.

Heat race winner – Madrid. Trophy dash winner – Jeremy Birch, Lancaster. Fast qualifier – Anderson.

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