HICKS, LOVEROCK WIN FEATURES AS SPEED JAMS CONCEPT DEBUTS AT ORANGE SHOW SPEEDWAY

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif — (April 9) – California Speed Jams 2011, a new concept in short-track auto racing promotion, made its debut Saturday night at Orange Show Speedway with a program of five races on the quarter-mile oval and a Quiet Riot concert in an adjacent building.

Matt Hicks (Super Late Models), Brandon Loverock (Late Models), Steve Smith (Super Stocks), Robby Hornsby Jr. (Pony Stocks) and Danny Gutierrez (Factory Fours) were the winners on the ASA-sanctioned race track. California Event Management officials Mark and Bonnie Brinksma and Fred Zermeno were the winners everywhere else as their first California Speed Jams program, a marriage of racing and concerts, went off without a serious glitch.

The Brinksmas and Zermeno were introduced to the crowd during a ribbon-cutting opening ceremony highlighted by Sheila Ray Charles, the daughter of the legendary Ray Charles, singing “America the Beautiful” while the concert group, Quiet Riot, looked on.

Also on hand for the first of this year’s 12 Speed Jam events were San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris, Colton (Calif.) Mayor David Zamora, San Bernardino Chambers of Commerce President Jack Naukian, City Councilman Tobin Zrinka and National Orange Show General Manager Dan Jiminez.

The second Speed Jams program is scheduled for April 23, with Saturday’s five classes being joined by the Stock Cars USA and Stephen Pearcy, the Voice of Ratt, in concert afterward. Tickets, good for both the races and the concert, are $15 for adults.

Hicks, of Santee, Calif., started his day by setting the pace in both practice sessions and Super Late Models qualifying in his Chevrolet-powered Dodge Charger. He started fifth in the 60-lap main event, but was second to Riverside’s Mark Shackleford by lap 10.

Hicks made an unsuccessful bid for the lead on lap 21, then got the top spot with an inside pass in Turn 2 on lap 26 and drove away from the field for his first main event win. Hicks finished 5.6 seconds ahead of two-time class champion John Manke of Ramona (Calif.), who sat out last season, with Shackleford third.

Loverock, of Highland (Calif.), won the contentious 40-lap Late Models main by nudging pole-sitter and race-long leader Jim Conklin out of the way in Turn 4 on lap 36 and took the checkered flag ahead of Matt Goodwin of Wildomar (Calif.) and Jesse Lawson of Big Bear City (Calif.), who was making his debut in the class.

Smith, of San Bernardino, was sixth after the opening lap of the 35-lap Super (Street) Stock feature, but had moved into second behind Cliff Conklin by lap 10 and took the lead at the start-finish line on lap 17. Smith was unchallenged the rest of the way, finishing 3.88 seconds in front of reigning and six-time champion Johnny Russo.

The 30-lap Pony Stock main was a replay of most of last season’s events, with Robby Hornsby Jr. of Yucaipa (Calif.) leading and Kevin Meador of San Bernardino doing everything he could to try to change that. Hornsby got the lead from Beaumont’s Erik Spring on lap 4 and he and Meador ran in tight one-two formation for the final 20 laps, Hornsby winning by 0.73 seconds.

Late last season the Factory Four races turned into a showcase for Claremont’s Dan French in his yellow Toyota and Saturday’s 30-lap contest was beginning to take on the same hue when French, who had moved from seventh to second, was involved in an accident with the slower truck of rookie Tommy Reed on lap 20 and sidelined.

Guiterrez, of Redlands (Calif.), who led from the start, then held off the challenge of 14-year-old Tony Forfa IV, who hit the Turn 1 wall when his throttle stuck on the final lap, and won by 1.3 seconds over reigning champion Dwayne Blay of Riverside (Calif.).