INDUSTRY, California — Gary Hicks turned a speedway cycle hat trick at Industry Speedway Wednesday night in front of about 1,200 spectators in a five-rider, four-lap Division 1 main event. It was his third consecutive feature victory at the start of the sixth season of motorcycle racing on The Grand dirt track of the Industry Hills Expo Center. The 40-year old from Ventura returned to racing this season after a shoulder injury caused him to sit out a year and a half. He rode a 2005 JAWA 500cc cycle owned by former rider and sprint car competitor Steve Gresham. His chief mechanic is Jimmy Crawford, a current 360 and 410 cu. in. sprint car racer.
As high point rider in preliminary races, Hicks chose the inside lane in the five rider lineup with past track champion Charlie Venegas, Mike Faria, 17-year old first-time D-1 feature rider Jason Ramirez and Buck Blair to his right. When the race started Blair shot from the outside, beat the field into the first turn and out-dragged Hicks down the backstretch. Blair led lap 1, but he drifted high in the second turn on lap 2, allowing Hicks to blast past him on the inside. Faria shot past Blair on the final lap and fell two lengths short of Hicks and half a length in front of Blair. Ramirez was fourth. Venegas touched the starting line tapes before they raised and had to start ten yards behind the other riders on a restart. He took fourth on lap 2 and fell in the third turn on the final lap without injury.
Joe Jones and his sidecar swing-man Jimmy Olsen led all four laps of a four-team sidecar final race. Earlier they finished second to Dave Alexander and Matt Davis in both heat races in the closest sidecar races this season. Joey Holt, a 14-year old Oak Hills resident and 2008 Junior rider, stepped up to the D-2 level and a JAWA 500cc cycle from Team McConnell this year. He won his first D-2 main impressively in his second D-2 start. Tim McGrath, of San Gabriel, led all four laps in a six rider field of D-3 (beginning level) riders.
During D-1 heat races Shawn McConnell and Jimmy Fishback crashed hard into the fourth turn crash-wall in solo mishaps. Both riders were able to walk to the pits after several minutes on the ground. Only McConnell continued racing. Hicks and Venegas won all three of their heat races for the maximum nine points. They both won their semi-mains to qualify for the feature. Orange resident Sammy Ramirez, 9, won the four-rider 200cc Junior Division final race after winning two of the three earlier heats. Blair made a perfect start from the gate and led all four laps of the last chance race to edge McConnell for the final starting position in the main. Their exciting race had fans standing and applauding the two veteran riders afterwards.
The Aflac Night at Industry Speedway had a demonstration run around the track by the No. 99 Aflac-sponsored Ford Fusion show car owned by Roush-Fenway and driven by Carl Edwards on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit. During the evening promoter Jeff Immediato had volunteers from the stands give their best imitation of the Aflac duck on radio and TV commercials. The winner, selected by applause from the grandstand, received gifts worth about $500. Week four of local speedway cycle racing will begin at 7:00 pm June 17 at Industry Speedway--”The only reason for Wednesday nights”--as the track motto proclaims this year.
