Taking advantage of the situation when leader Jim Stillman, Jr. drifted high, Jeremy Hopkins of Lakeport poked his nose into the hole and never backed off to steal the lead and claim the win in the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model Series at the Lakeport Speedway Saturday night. It was Hopkins first series win and it concluded the Airport Auto Brokers series with Robert Loucks of Ukiah the overall winner. Mike Doss earned enough points to take the Lakeport Speedway late model championship.
In NCI-4 modified action, Tiger Fernandez inherited the lead when leaders Robert Snow and Julie Sylva crashed into the wall on lap 16 and went on to win his second feature event at Lakeport.
Twenty-two late models clocked in with 20 cars taking the green flag in the 30 lap feature. Bruce Clark lead the first seven rounds until the race was slowed when Junior Roddy blew a tire and hit the turn three concrete. Stillman took control on the restart and two laps later Clark’s car broke loose resulting in a pile-up that eliminated fast qualifier Dan Knight, Pascual Puertolas and Clark. At the same time Loucks pitted with a flat tire but rejoined the pack on the same lap.
Al Vogel and Hopkins battled for second behind Stillman with Mike Rose and Mike Swaney next in line. Hopkins passed Vogel for second on 16 and Rose drove by Vogel on 17. Six laps later the yellow flew when Janice Buschiazzo and Matt Barker spun on the front stretch. With only two laps to go the race was slowed again when Vogel looped his car in front of the crowd. The white-flag lap saw Hopkins make his move and drive to the checkers. Rose followed him to the front to finish second, Stillman finished third ahead of Doss, Swaney and Don Austin.
The NCI-4 modified 25 lap event saw Gino Buschiazzo the early leader but on the ninth lap points leader Robert Snow made a charge and took control. Julie Sylva worked the outside groove and passed Buschiazzo for second on the 11th round. Five laps later Snow’s car jerked to the left, and when he over-corrected his car shot hard into the turn four wall. With no where to go, Sylva slammed into the rear of Snow and both cars were towed to the pits.
This left Fernandez in the lead where he drove to victory. John Barker finished second, Virgil Cokeley was third followed by Gina Buschiazzo and Janice Buschiazzo.
The NCI-4 Modifieds return to Lakeport Speedway as part of the 5th annual Bomber Bash on September 16. Both the Late Models and the NCI-4 modfieds will also be back at Lakeport for the 11th annual October Classic on October 14-15.
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LATE MODELS
Fast Time: Dan Knight, 12.948
Heat 1: Keith Shoffeitt, Matt Barker, John Callas, Janice Buschiazzo, Robbie Robinson, Matt Timmons, Bruck Clark, Joe Trongo
Heat 2: Jim Stillman, Jr., Todd Schnieder, Pascual Puertolas, Joedy Admirla, Mike Swaney, Don Austin, Andy Layton
Heat 3: Mike Rose, Al Vogel, Jeremy Hopkins, Robert Loucks, Mike Doss, Junior Roddy, Knight
Main Event: Hopkins, Rose, Stillman, Doss, Swaney, Austin, Loucks, Schnieder, Vogel, Admiral, Barker, Buschiazzo, Timmons, Shoffeitt, Callas, Clark, Puertolas, Knight, Roddy, Robinson
NCI
-4 MODIFIES
Fast Time: Julie Sylva, 13.677
Heat 1: Virgil Cokeley, Gina Buschiazzo, Darren Woodruff, John Barker, Janice Buschiazzo
Heat 2: Tiger Fernandez, Robert Snow, Sylva, Chic Beck, Eddie Driskoll
Main Event: Fernandez, Barker, Cokeley, G. Buschiazzo, J. Buschiazzo, Driskoll, Woodruff, Snow, Sylva, Beck
*eot
LAKEPORT SPEEDWAY NEWS F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E
RACE DATE: AUGUST 26, 2000 BY NADINE STRAUSS, (707) 274-2844
McINTIRE ON TOP FOR McKINNEY MEMORIAL AT LAKEPORT
LAKEPORT, CA. August 26, 2000 ... Inheriting the lead after Thomas Wright bumped Aaron Hicks from behind taking took both cars out of the top two positions, Terry McIntire of Lakeport drove the remaining three laps to capture his first season victory at the Lakeport Speedway Saturday night.. The event was the 2nd annual Jim McKinney Memorial and the final night of the Northern California Racing Association points battle.
Kelly Gray of Clearlake took the lead away from points leader Kevin Barba on a lap 19 restart to collect his eighth mini stock feature, and Jeff and Tammy Davis lead all but the first seven laps to lay claim to their second main event in the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa Bomber division.
A wreck in the preliminary heat race reduced the modified field to only 15 starters and it was Redding visitor Jack Epperson who pulled ahead of John Tredway at the drop of the green flag. Mike Smithhart and Thomas Wright battled for third and as Tredway lost ground, Wright settled into second and McIntire passed Smithhart on the outside for third.
Wright drove the high side and motored by Epperson for the lead on lap six and pulled away from the pack. Last week’s winner Aaron Hicks maneuvered through traffic quickly and passed McIntire for third on lap eight and picked off Smithhart the following round. By this time Wright was way out in front and Hicks had to play catch-up.
The first yellow came on lap 18 when Gary Lowblad lost an engine and stalled on the back stretch. The double-file restart saw Hicks take control, dropping Wright to second. Wright rode tight on Hick’s tail the next 10 laps with an occasional nudge to Hick’s rear end.
With only five laps to go Wright tagged Hicks, Wright’s car veered to the right making contact with points leader Rick Rose’s car and Rose suffered a flat tire. Two laps later Wright tagged Hicks again and this time both cars spun in front of the grandstand. Wright was disqualified for rough driving.
This left McIntire out in front where he drove to victory. Danny Bishop finished second in front of Chuck Pruett, David Furia and Smithhart. Rick Rose of Lakeport earned the 2000 NCRA modified championship.
In mini stock action Andrew Snider lead the first seven rounds until the race was red-flagged when Snider tagged the lapped car of Ty Lygon sending Lygon’s car into on-coming traffic. With no where to go, Wade Whitman hit the Lygon car and it pinched him against the turn one wall. Whitman’s car then climbed over Lygon and rested on top of the wall.
After a lengthy cleanup, Snider was sent to the rear leaving points leader Kevin Barba of Windsor out in front. Barba led until 18 when Gray stole the lead on the restart. Gray won the race but Barba took the championship. Barba finished second with Peter Unruh third, Snider fourth and Stuart Lydon fifth. After the race Snider protested all the cars who finished in front of him and the legality will be decided later this week.
The bomber division saw thirty-two cars time in with 18 starting the main event. Kevin Waycik pulled ahead of Kenny Grinols on the start with Davis sneaking under Grinols for second. Arlene Pruett also gained position on the inside groove and Rick Tellstrom picked off Grinols for fourth on lap five. Grinols spun on the front stretch to slow the race on lap six, and two laps later Davis drove around Waycik for the lead.
A Bill Peters spin brought out the next yellow and on the restart Pruett moved into second. Pruett attempted an outside pass for the lead at the mid point of the race but could not make her car stick and lost second to Tellstrom. Preutt regained the number two spot on a lap 19 restart but fast qualifier Kevin Schafer was on the prowl and passed Pruett for second on 25. Schafer chased down Davis but time was up and Davis crossed the line first for the win. Pruett finished behind Schafer for third with Tellstom fourth and Chuck Egger fifth. Mark Maines of Clearlake was crowned NCRA bomber champion.
Auto racing returns to the Lakeport Speedway on September 16 for the 5th annual bomber bash with 100 laps of bomber racing. NCI-4 modifieds and mini cup cars will also be competing.
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MODIFIEDS
Fast Time: Rick Rose, 12.947
Heat 1: Chuck Pruett, Don Miller, Jack Epperson, Freedom Hawthorne, Jim Sozzoni, Mike Smithhart, Lance Blacker, John Tredway, Aaron Hicks
Heat 2: Thomas Wright, Rick Rose, Gary Lowblad, Bryan Denton, Danny Bishop, Pat Hinchcliff, Mark Marek, David Furia, Terry McIntire
Main Event: McIntire, Bishop, Pruett, Furia, Smithhart, Epperson, Sozzoni, Miller, Blacker, Hawthorne, Rose, Tredway, Lowblad
MINI STOCKS
Fast Time: Kelly Gray, 13.819
Heat 1: Glenn Koeppel, Pat Lucas, Justin Mincey, Ty Lygon, Tom Burger, Robert Schmidt, John Gregory
Heat 2: Andrew Snider, Kelly Gray, Kevin Barba, Wade Whitman, Peter Unruh, Stuart Lydon, Dale Preston
Main Event: Gray, Barba, Unruh, Snider, Lydon, Koeppel, Mincey, Burger, Preston, John DeKeyser, Gregory, Lucas, Whitman, Ligon
BOMBERS
Fast Time: Kevin Schafer, 14.756
Heat 1: Bill Peters, Mark Linnell, Peggy Hawthorne, Jimmy Sorrels, Carl Whitaker, Jason Mincey, Ann Furia, Nick Berzin, Shawn Keown, Mike Shoffeitt, Harley Sharp
Heat 2: Jeff Davis, Rick Tellstrom, Kevin Estep, Kevin Waycik, Rod Harper, Chuck Maves, Kenny Grinols, Chris Straka, Ruben Serrano, Kevin Minassian, Steve Haley
Heat 3: Darrin Knight, Arlene Pruett, Chuck Egger, Michael Bishop, Mark Maines, Schafer, Jeremy Nowlin, Sean Sweeney, Eric Unruh, Don Baker
"B" Main: Peters, Maves, Minassian, Harper, Straka, Sorrels, Hawthorne, Linnell, Sharp, Furia, Estep, Serrano
Main Event: Davis, Schafer, Pruett, Tellstrom, Egger, Sweeney, Maines, Knight, Nowlin, Bishop, Unruh, Baker, Peters, Maves, Harper, Waycik, Minassian, Grinols
