It's time for the Coors 100 at Cajon Speedway. The last stock car race of the year and the last stock car race of the millennium is just a few ticks away at the 3/8 mile paved oval. The race features the largest first place payoff for sportsman in the track's history. This Saturday night Cajon Speedway will ring down the curtain on their 1999 auto racing season with the annual fall open competition event for late model sportsman. A 100-lap main event with first place money of $2500 is on tap for the NASCAR late model sportsman at the Gillespie Field oval. The Winston Racing Series card will also include the Spec Trucks. The final event of the night will be Train World Championship. Race time is 7:00 P.M. Qualifying runs which will set the lineup for the Coors contest will start at 5:15.
This will be only the second appearance of the season for the Spec Trucks. That organization helped open the season last March. That night 32 trucks timed in for a 25-lap contest. Steve Smith of Escondido was victorious. He took the checkered flag ahead of Riverside's Tim Clark and Temecula's Tim McGill.
Extra money will also be on the line for the Train Race. Last month's contest drew a season high eight trains for their crowd pleasing event on Cajon's figure eight course. A train consists of three cars tethered together. The engineer in the front car has full control of the train while the conductor in the back has only a steering wheel and a brake to help guide the car around the corners. Near misses at the intersection are the rule. The event always leaves the fans talking to themselves. But the focus of the night will be the Coors 100-lapper. The track's rules are loosened up a bit to allow competitors from other short tracks in Southern California and Nevada to battle the best that Cajon has to offer. Defending champion for the event is Santee's Mike Mendenhall. But topping the local entry list is Gary Tamborelli, who just became the first late model sportsman driver at Cajon to claim three consecutive championships. Tamborelli has never prevailed here in a 100-lapper. But he is contemplating retirement after this season and would like nothing better than to go out with the biggest and richest win of his career.
Most of the Cajon locals are expected to try to keep Tamborelli out of victory lane. Eric Ferguson, who led all drivers at the track this year with six victories, is posed for a strong challenge. Other hopefuls should include Jerry Gay, winner of the 1996 open comp and the last driver to win a championship other than Tamborelli. John Borneman III will be back hoping to take his second Coors trophy. He won in 1997.
Heading the list of out-of-town challengers should be Chuck Trickle, who isalso the sentimental favorite to take home the first place trophy. The 55-year-old Las Vegas racer enjoyed his finest season on the 3/8 mile track in the gambling capital. He won the first three main events of his career and ended up third in that track's point standings. Trickle is the brother of Winston Cup driver Dick Trickle and the father of the late Chris Trickle, who won the 1993 Coors Cajon contest. That talented young driver died in March, 1998, 13 months after being the victim of a yet unsolved highway shooting.
CAJON SPEEDWAY WINSTON RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS
LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN
1 Gary Tamborelli Escondido 2 wins 1012
2 Eric Ferguson El Cajon 6 wins 914
3 Jerry Gay San Diego 3 wins 913
4 John Tyczki Jr Lakeside 1 win 867
5 Todd McLauchlan Alpine 1 win 821
6 Arnie Fry Ramona 1 win 748
7 Don Kerr El Cajon 2 wins 733
8 Jeff Wright San Diego 692
9 Rich Green Jr. Santee 1 win 687
10 Russ Gregson La Mesa 512
GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIED
1 Lance Biggers Alpine 7 wins 262
2 Bo Lemler Bonita 241
3 Jimmy Dickerson Lakeside 2 wins 223
4 Scott Brown El Cajon 208
5 Mike Salm Fallbrook 202
6 Dave Van Riper Escondido 195
7 Steve Luecht Chula Vista 181
8 Randy Keatts Santee 145
9 Mark Walton San Juan Capist 144
10 Harry Lockmann Santee 110
STREET STOCK
1 Danny Gay Lakeside 8 wins 565
2 Richard Hinze Lakeside 3 wins 413
3 Eric Evans Imperial Beach 1 win 367
4 Scott Moses Chula Vista 363
5 Douglas Carpenter La Mesa 2 wins 359
6 Jimmy Villa El Cajon 1 win 317
7 John Ahrendt Imperial Beach 298
8 Ivan Harrison Santee 1 win 275
9 Doug Catania El Cajon 2 wins 251
10 Gordon Anderson Lem Grv 175
PONY STOCK
1 Rob Overman Ramona 477
2 Ed Hale El Cajon 3 wins 450
3 Jimmy Kyte Lakeside 1 win 414
4 Hector Leon San Diego 362
5 Ralph Smith Santee 5 wins 357
6 Neil Rodvold Santee 1 win 244
7 Bob Cloke El Cajon 3 wins 243
8 Marty Schmidt El Cajon 228
9 Andy Papp La Mesa 1 win 211
10 Ben Carver El Cajon 1 win 210
BOMBER STOCK
1 Randy Wallace El Cajon 422
2 Rick Hagen Alpine 2 wins 375
3 Pat Garity El Cajon 340
4 Arne Knufman San Diego 336
5 John Luecht Chula Vista 6 wins 335
6 Mark Holland Chula Vista 2 wins 304
7 Bob Wickey Spring Valley 3 wins 295
8 Jamey Long Fallbrook 2 wins 276
9 Rich Serrano San Diego 1 win 273
10 Bill Holland El Cajon 1 win 246
