INDUSTRY, California — Jimmy Fishback started from lane three in a five-rider field and shot under Billy Hamill and Charlie Venegas in the second turn. The 30-year old rider from Rancho Cucamonga went on to win his second four-lap main event in six-weeks of Wednesday night speedway cycle races at Industry Speedway in the Industry Hills Expo Center. Joe Jones and his sidecar rider, Jimmy Olsen, led all four laps to earn victory in a four-team sidecar feature. Six sidecar teams competed in two rounds of heat races and a consolation race to determine the four highest point teams for the main event.
Both Hamill, the opening night feature winner on June 1, and Venegas, a two-time Industry feature winner on June 8 and 22, had been perfect all night until they met each other and Fishback in the feature. With 16 Division 1 riders present, Hamill and Venegas were undefeated entering the feature. Each rider won all three of his heat races, scoring 9 points. They each started from lane one in the two semi-final races and won to go four for four on the night for a perfect 12 points. A coin toss determined which rider would have first lane choice. Venegas won the toss and selected lane one. Hamill took lane two, with Fishback, Mike Faria and teen Austin Novratil in the outside lane five.
At the start, Venegas entered turn one first, but Hamill got under his cycle by turn two. As they fought for the lead and drifted up the track a bit, third place Fishback pounced and swept under Hamill and Venegas entering the backstretch. He beat pressing Hamill by one length, with Venegas two lengths back at the checkered flag after four suspenseful laps. Novratil was fourth. Last chance race winner Faria dropped out on lap 2.
Rick Valdez raced for the first time this season at Industry and won the 500cc Support A main. Newcomer Chris Sprecher earned his second Support B victory. Sammy Ramirez, 11, of Orange, led all four laps of the Youth 250cc race on his JAWA. It was his first victory of the 14-week Industry Speedway season. Kurtis Hamill, 12, from Carlsbad, was a close second. Shea Bendykowski, 11, from Temecula, won his fourth main event at Industry in the Youth 200cc main. Lakewood's Alyssa Smith, 9, won a seven-rider pee-wee main event on her 50cc mini cycle. She remains undefeated at Industry this season.
Military veterans were honored and saluted Wednesday night at the National Anthem by speedway cycle fans on Armed Forces Night. Promoter Jeff Immediato presented special plaques to military veterans who regularly attend Industry Speedway. WWII Navy veteran George Rich, 90, is a past AMA Speedway Cycle official and received one of the plaques. It was announced that next Wednesday night during an intermission, Wally Pankratz will have two famous USAC open-wheel race cars from Tom Malloy's museum on the Industry Speedway dirt track for hot laps. The cars are the 1950's No. 25 Bill Cheesman 255 Offy built by Wally's dad Bob, and the 1970 Viceroy Special champ dirt car that Al Unser, Sr. drove to many victories.
