SAN BERNARDINO, California — Kim Marzullo said she and Dwayne Blay are good friends who talk often. Then she laughed and added: “But I’ll put him in the wall. I’ve got no problem with that.”
Blay responded with a laugh of his own and said, “Yeah; like I’d hesitate doing that to her.”
Both are joking (we think) about how far they would go to win the Interstate Batteries Factory Fours championship. But with the two tied atop the standings and just three races remaining, it’s clear the lines are drawn for this Battle of the Sexes with the eighth of 10 rounds scheduled for Saturday night (July 31) at Orange Show Speedway.
The Interstate Batteries Factory Fours will be joined by the Super Late Models, Team Too Pony Stocks, Budweiser Legends Cars, M.C. Erectors Bandoleros and Stock OHV Karts for a busy night of racing at the ASA Member Track.
Spectator gates will open at 4 p.m., with the first race at 7 p.m. However, changes were made in the race day schedule (the competitor gate opens at 1 p.m. and practice begins at 2:30 p.m.) in anticipation of extreme heat that resulted in the on-track autograph session being at least temporarily suspended.
Best in the West Racing is not forgetting its fans, however. This week, there is a unique two-for-one promotion in which everyone purchasing a general admission ticket for Saturday’s races and presenting the coupon available on the web site (www.bestinthewestracing.com) also will receive a free ticket for the Aug. 7 races.
Tickets are priced at $10 for general admission and $8 for seniors (60 and older), students 11 to 18 and military personnel with valid identification. Children 10 and under are admitted free. A Family Pack, which includes admission for four plus a hot dog and small soft drink for each person, is priced at $45.
Parking is $5, with entry through Gate 4 off Mill Street.
This is the second time this season Blay and Marzullo have been tied for first in the class. Blay took the early lead when he and Marzullo finished one-two March 20. Marzullo took over April 10 with the second of her three straight runner-up efforts while Blay finished 13th and she had built a 26-point advantage after three races.
Blay cut 10 points off the lead by winning while Marzullo was sixth on May 22 and pulled into a tie with his second to Marzullo’s 10th on June 12. Marzullo went up by 4 with her win and Blay’s third-place finish June 26, and they were tied again when Blay finished second and Marzullo fourth in the most recent outing, July 17.
A victory is worth 50 points and there is a drop of 2 points per finishing position after that.
Blay does have a tiebreaker advantage, though, with his two wins to one for Marzullo, and he said that the fact he won the championship last season doesn’t lessen his desire for this one.
“I got a taste of blood and now I want it again,” he said. But Marzullo hopes to send him home for the winter with his hunger being satisfied and become the first woman to win a class championship since Cindy Spies captured the Street Stock title earlier this decade.
“I told him ‘you’re not going to win this year, I’m just not having it. I’ve been too close,’” she said. “He just laughed and said do the best you can, blondie.”
Marzullo, a teacher and coach at San Bernardino High School, was third in the final standings last season and second in 2008.
“I want this championship badly this year,” she said. “This will probably be it for me and I want to go out winning this division. Either way I probably won’t be back. I’ve been in this division long enough (four years) and I don’t think it’s right to keep coming back. It’s a beginner division. After a while you should either move up or move out, and I can’t afford to move up.”
Blay, an automobile service writer from Riverside (Ca.), understands Marzullo’s quandary. He said he definitely would move up if the opportunity arose, but isn’t able financially to do it on his own. He’s not thinking of retiring, though – and he’s not thinking of conceding the title to Marzullo, either.
“Any way it pans out is fine. We’ll deal with it as we go along,” he said. “These last three races are going to be tight.”
“It’s nice to know it’s just he and I, but I’m definitely worried. He’s really a good driver,” Marzullo said. “I always give him a hard time, like ‘C’mon now, you won it last year. I try everything I can to make him feel guilty, but nothing seems to bug him.”
The Blay-Marzullo battle isn’t the only interesting one in the division. Third place is a tie between 56-year-old veteran Victor Garcia and 12-year-old Tony Forfa IV, who missed the opening race. They trail the leaders by 52 points and are 22 ahead of fifth-place Gary Mendoza.
David Ross has a 14-point lead over reigning champion Mark Shackleford in the Super Late Models, Robby Hornsby Jr. is 36 ahead of Jeremy Perez in the Team Too Pony Stocks, Steven Larson is 6 up on Nevada Chovan in the Stock OHV Karts, Parker Malone has a 22-point advantage on RJ Stearns in the M.C. Erectors Bandoleros and Riley Sawyers is 152 points in front in the Budweiser Legends Cars.
Best in the West Racing’s promotions at Orange Show Speedway are sponsored by Lucas Oil Products, Budweiser, San Bernardino Pick-A-Part, Team Too Termite and Pest Control, JAM Sportswear, Interstate Batteries, MC Erectors, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Rockstar Energy Drinks, Hoosier Tire West, KCAL 96.7 Rocks, Best Buy, Tri-City Towing, Pacific West Interiors (PWI), Luke’s Transmission, Print Depot, Riverside Mission Florist, Wayne’s Engine, Cal’s Towing, JP Striping, K1 Speed, Jerry’s Brake and Wheel, and Arrow Track GPS.com.
For information on sponsorship and promotional opportunities, please contact Best in the West Racing by telephone at 909-885-9000 or visit the new web site at www.BestInTheWestRacing.com.
For all other information, please contact Jim Short by telephone at 951-203-2649 or by e-mail at jimshort65@sbcglobal.net
