SAN BERNARDINO, California — Stephen Peace hadn’t been to victory lane in several years, but Saturday night at Orange Show Speedway no one could keep him out of it.
By the time he was finished, he had swept the board in the Super Late Model class by posting the fastest qualifying time, winning the 4-lap Trophy Dash and capturing the 50-lap main event and the $1,800 bonus sponsor 1-800LoanMart was offering to anyone who could do just that on Crazy 8 Night at the ASA-sanctioned quarter-mile oval.
Peace wasn’t one of the favorites because he had missed three of the six races and finished no better than sixth in his three starts. But he started his evening by taking the pole away from Matt Hicks, then won the Trophy Dash by 0.334 seconds over Kenny Smith.
His fast qualifying effort put the El Cajon (Calif.) driver on the pole for the main event. He relinquished the lead to Travis Stockman in the early laps of a race that featured two restarts, the second of which eliminated potential contenders John Manke, Linny White and Smith, but was untouchable once he got inside Stockman to take the lead on lap 15.
The second of two yellow flags gave points leader Mark Shackleford a chance with three laps remaining, but Peace was able to pull away handily and got his yellow Ford Fusion to the finish a little over a second ahead of Shackleford, with Anthony Mainella third.
The hat trick earned Peace the big bonus from 1-800LoanMart. He also got the usual $700 for winning and another $200 bonus the sponsor gave to each of the top four finishers, so the night was worth $2,700 to him.
No one in the Late Model class was able to collect any of the bonuses available to them. Tim Smith of Bakersfield (Calif.) won the pole, but his bid for the trifecta was lost when Brandon Loverock won the Trophy Dash. That gave Loverock a chance to pick up $800 by adding a win in the 40-lap main event, but his chance of doing that ended suddenly and dramatically when a collision on the front straightaway sent his car into the wall.
Smith, who had battled Loverock up to that point, assumed the lead and held off Matt Goodwin and Jesse James Lawson to take the win.
The racers weren’t the only beneficiaries of 1-800LoanMart’s generosity, either. Several in a crowd of about 3,500 spectators were winners as well. Shelly Smith of Riverside had a chance to pick an envelope worth $25,000 during an intermission. She didn’t, but still took home $800 as a consolation prize. And Crystal Dawson won $800 by drawing the name of Disc Jockey Challenge winner Oscar Rodriguez before “Cash Daddy Show” host Rodriguez beat track announcer Greg Cozzo in that 10-lap race.
When the next round of the California Speed Jams season is held Aug. 27, a car will be given away.
There was an abundance of racing activity in addition to the Super Late Models and Late Models.
Jim Mardis, who started on the pole, seemed on his way to an easy win in the 30-lap Pony Stock feature until Erik Spring, of Beaumont (Calif.), worked his way through traffic with the help of some yellow flags. Spring, who had had to replace a crank shaft after practice, pressured Mardis constantly over the final 13 laps, but never could get in position for a pass. Mardis, of Moreno Valley (Calif.), took the checkered flag 0.399 seconds in front.
Kyle Meyer, a former Street Stock champion, got his second win in a row in the Super Stock division. Meyer started third, but moved into second immediately and pressured fast qualifier Steve Smith continuously until he was able to make an inside pass in Turn 1 on lap 21 of 30. Once in front, Meyer pulled away to win by 4.6 seconds. Smith, who slowed considerably, held off Jeff Lawson for second.
Steven Clark, of Riverside (Calif.), was the fast qualifier in the Stock Cars USA class and parlayed that into his first main event win by holding off Shawn Estes, of Riverside, for 30 laps.
There was a first-time winner in Factory Fours, too, with Tim Cox, of Claremont (Calif.), holding off neighbor Danny French and Danny Gutierrez, of Redlands (Calif.). Cox, who started sixth, took the lead on lap 21 of 30 and won by 0.166 seconds.
Factory Four driver Greg France, of Claremont (Calif.), drove his Toyota truck to a win over Pony Stock driver Josh Hodges, of Adelanto (Calif.), in a 12-lap Figure 8 featuring entries from both those classes and Estes outlasted Larry Well Jr., of Riverside, in a 12-lap Figure 8 for the Stock Cars USA.
CALIFORNIA SPEED JAMS
At Orange Show Speedway
Race Results
Saturday, August 6, 2011
SUPER LATE MODELS (50 laps) – 1. Stephen Peace, El Cajon, Ford Fusion; 2. Mark Shackleford, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 3. Anthony Mainella; 4. Travis Stockman, Highland, Monte Carlo; 5. Dennis “JR” Stout, Riverside, Chevrolet Impala; 6. Gary Rodriguez, Bonita, Monte Carlo; 7. Dee Cable, Santee, Monte Carlo; 8. Brett Edwards, Yucaipa, Monte Carlo; 9. Dave Scheidecker, Rialto, Monte Carlo; 10. Kenny Smith, Bakersfield, Chevrolet Impala;
11. John Manke, Ramona, Ford Fusion; 12. Linny White, Colton, Monte Carlo.
Margin of victory – 1.044 seconds. Average speed – 24.510 mph. Trophy Dash winner – Peace. Fast qualifier – Peace,13.019 seconds/69.130 mph.
LATE MODELS (40 laps) – 1. Tim Smith, Bakersfield, Chevrolet Impala; 2. Matt Goodwin, Wildomar, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 3. Jesse Lawson, Big Bear City, Impala; 4. Jacob Bishop, Vista, Impala; 5. Jim Conklin, Big Bear City, Monte Carlo; 6. Jeremy Perez, Chino, Monte Carlo; 7. J.D. Reyes, Riverside, Ford Taurus; 8. Brandon Loverock, Highland, Toyota Camry/Chevrolet; 9. Stan Chatwood, Blooomington, Monte Carlo; 10. Michelle Williamson, Huntington Beach, Ford Fusion.
Margin of victory – 1.169 seconds. Average speed – 20.445 mph. Trophy Dash winner – Loveroock. Fast qualifier – Smith, 13.577/66.289.
PONY STOCKS (30 laps) – 1. Jim Mardis, Moreno Valley, Ford Pinto; 2. Erik Spring, Beaumont, Pinto; 3. Mike Reid, Orange, Ford Mustang; 4. Joe Fernandez, Fontana, Pinto; 5. Jack Hughes, Beaumont, Pinto; 6. Evan McCray, Riverside, Pinto; 7. Bud Smith, Orange, Pinto; 8. Steve Patterson, Riverside, Pinto; 9. Josh Hodges, Adelanto, Pinto; 10. Darrell Kelsoe, San Bernardino, Piinto;
11. John Soares, San Bernardino, Mercury Capri; 12. Nevada Chovan, Rialto, Pinto.
Margin of victory – 0.399 seconds. Average speed – 17.002 mph. Fast qualifier – Mardis, 14.964/60.144.
FACTORY FOURS (30 laps) – 1. Tim Cox, Claremont, Chevrolet; 2. Dan French, Claremont, Toyota; 3. Danny Gutierrez, Redlands, Toyota; 4. Dwayne Blay, Riverside, Toyota; 5. Tony Forfa III, Redlands, Ford Courier; 6. Tommy Reed, Riverside, Toyota; 7. Gary McLaughlin, Garden Grove, Toyota; 8. Victor Garcia, San Bernardino, Toyota; 9. Tony Forfa IV, Redlands, BMW 318i; 10. Greg France, Claremont, Toyota;
11. John Long, Yorba Linda, Toyota; 12. David Rice, Wildomar, Ford Escort; 13. Jay Verdusco, Fontana, Ford Escort.
Margin of victory – 0.166 seconds. Average speed – 20.882 mph. Fast qualifier – French, 16.013/56.204.
SUPER STOCKS (30 laps) – 1. Kyle Meyer, Highland, Chevrolet Nova; 2. Steve Smith, San Bernardino, Nova; 3. Jeff Lawson, Big Bear City, Chevrolet Camaro; 4. Ralph Adams, Oak Hills, Camaro; 5. Cliff Conklin, Big Bear Lake, Camaro; 6. Marissa Henson, Oak Hills, Camaro; 7. Jerome Gipson, Highland, Nova.
Margin of victory – 4.651 seconds. Average speed – 53.680 mph. Trophy Dash winner – Smith. Fast qualifier – Smith, 14.690/61.266.
STOCK CARS USA (30 laps) – 1. Steven Clark, Riverside, Chevrolet Monte Carlo; 2. Shawn Estes, Riverside, Monte Carlo; 3. Mark Fletchall, Riverside, Chevrolet Chevelle; 4. Dave Foster, Riverside, Monte Carlo; 5. Donny Rudd, Riverside, Chevrolet Malibu; 6. Scott Groom, Anaheim, Chevelle; 7. Larry Well Jr., Riverside, Chevrolet Nova; 8. Brian Fenton, Hesperia, Chevrolet Caprice; 9. Dwayne Blay, Riverside, Chevelle; 10. Dave Vreatt, Riverside, Nova;
11. Leon Schrader, Mentone, Chevelle; 12. Blake Usilton, Corona, Chevelle; 13. Brian Maza, Glendora, Chevrolet Camaro.
Margin of victory – 1.984 seconds. Average speed – 40.819 mph . Fast qualifier – Clark, 15.159/59.371.
FACTORY FOUR/PONY STOCK FIGURE 8 (12 laps) – 1. France (F Four); 2. Hodges (Pony); 3. Gutierrez (F Four); 4. Mardis (Pony); 5. Kelsoe (Pony); 6. French (F Four); 7. Blay (F Four); 8. Reid (Pony); 9. Patterson (Pony); 10. Cox (F Four);
11. Garcia (F Four); 12. Lucas McCray, Corona, Ford Pinto (Pony); 13. Smith (Pony); 14. Fernandez (Pony); 15. Kim Marzullo, San Bernardino, Toyota (F Four).
Margin of victory – 6.382 seconds. Average speed – 45.510 mph.
STOCK CARS USA FIGURE 8 (15 laps) – 1. Estes; 2. Well Jr.; 3. Groom; 4. Rudd; 5. Vreatt; 6. Usilton; 7. Foster; 8. Schrader; 9. Fletchall; 10. Blay.
Margin of victory – 1.304 seconds. Average speed – 46.185 mph.
