LAKEPORT, CA. April 14, 2001.... ...Veteran driver Bill Binns of Upper Lake came from13th starting, took the lead away from David Furia on the 25h lap, and went on to win the Northern California Racing Association season opener at the Lakeport Speedway in the modified division Saturday night. Binns earned $550 for his win and leads the way in the modified points race.
Kelseyville ace Mike Sullivan debuted his new late model and lead the feature wire to wire to collect his first victory in the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model series. Andrew Snider, also of Kelseyville, lead all but one lap in the mini stock main to capture that race, and mini stock driver Dale Preston of Kelseyville turned his car over to his son, Matthew, climbed back into a bomber and took home the number one trophy in the Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa bomber feature event.
Winners of the "Westamerica Bank Best Appearing Car Contest" were the #67 modified owned by David Furia, the #75 late model driven by Mike Doss, Rod Gard's #2 mini stock, and Kevin Medina's #18 bomber.
The modified feature began with Freedom Hawthorne taking the lead at the drop of the green flag with David Furia in second and John Tredway third. Furia moved his mount to the high side and drove to the front on the 10th lap. The race was stopped on 11 to penalize Tredway for hogging the track, and the rare single-file restart saw Aaron Hicks go to the outside and pass both Mark Marek and Hawthorne to move into second.
Meanwhile, Binns was weaving through traffic and by the 17th lap he was running fourth. The red flag waved on lap 18 when Mark Marek's car broke loose, and with no where to go, Richie Potts hit Marek and both cars slammed hard into the wall. Binns got by Hawthorne on the restart and Randy Houston followed him to the front.
Furia's tire lost pressure and he had to slow allowing Binns to pull ahead for the win. Hicks and Houston also gained position and at the checkered flag it was Binns, Hicks, Houston, Furia and Hawthorne. Mike Smithhart clocked in fast with a 13.020 lap over the 16 car field, Marek won the dash, and heat wins went to Steve DeKeyser and Hicks.
Late model action saw Sullivan pull ahead of Pascual Puertolas at the drop of the green flag, with Mike Rose in second and Mike Doss third. Puertolas got sideways on lap three and was t-boned by Kevin Estep with Mike Swaney collected in the melee. The red was displayed while all three cars were towed to the pits.
When racing resumed, Thomas Wright drove the high side and slipped by Rose on lap six and moved ahead of Doss on 10. Four rounds later Mike Martin tagged Stillman with Stillman spinning and Jeremy Hopkins was involved also. The race was yellow checkered on lap 20 when Eddie Robinson's car darted hard into the turn two concrete. Sullivan was credited with the win, Wright was second, Doss third, Robert Loucks fourth and Stillman fifth.
Stillman was fast time of the night with a 12.802 second lap, Doss captured the dash, and Mike Swaney and Sullivan won the heat races.
The mini stock feature ran without caution for 29 of the 30 laps with Snider and fast qualifier (13.957) Kelly Gray fighting for the lead on every round. Defending champ Kevin Barba joined the leaders and the trio weaved in and out of lapped traffic the entire distance.
On the final lap, Gray and Barba made contact and both cars slammed into the turn three wall. NCRA 2001 rules have all divisions racing to the yellow and the entire pack avoided the stalled cars on their way to the checkered flag. Snider accepted his first season win with Stuart Lydon the only other car on the lead lap. Gray was credited with third, Barba fourth and Jake Tillman finished one lap down in fifth.
Lydon was the trophy dash winners and heat races were claimed by Tillman and Snider.
Twenty-five cars clocked in with the top 14 qualifiers and four "B" main transfers making up the field in the bomber feature event. Rookie driver Mike Collins, Jr. lead the first three rounds before being overtaken on lap four by Chuck Maves. Preston came from ninth startilng to third in only four laps and drove by Collins for second on lap five. Two rounds later Preston pulled into the lead, but Maves took it back on a lap 11 restart.
Trophy dash winner Jeff Davis entered the picture and at the mid point in the race it was Maves, Davis, Kevin Minassian, Peston and Pete Stillman. Maves bobbled on 19, with Minassian darting by both Maves and Davis to take the lead. Preston also took advantage of Maves misfortune and passed Davis for second on lap 20.
The final yellow fell on 21 when Preston went three wide, made contact with the lapped car of Richard Schwarm and pinched Davis off, ending Davis' run. Preston went on to win the race but was penalized one-half his main event points for causing the incident. Minassian finished second with Stillman third, fast qualifier ((14.951) Eric Unruh fourth and Don Baker fifth.
Richard Hadley won the 15 lap "B" main over rookie driver Kevin Medina, Schwarm and Rod Harper. Heat wins went to Schwarm, Minassian and Arlene Pruett.
Auto racing returns to the Lakeport Speedway this Saturday night, April 21, with the NCI-4 modifieds joining the NCRA modifieds, mini stocks and bombers.
MODIFIEDS
Fast Time: Mike Smithhart, 13.020
Heat 1: Steve DeKeyser, David Furia, Chuck Pruett, Freedom Hawthorne, John Tredway, Jamie Gallant, Jeremy Nowlin, Richie Potts
Heat 2: Aaron Hicks, Randy Houston, Mark Marek, Bill Binns, Bob Strauss, Terry McIntire, Smithhart, Danny Bishop
Main Event: Binns, Hicks, Houston, Furia, Hawthorne, Tredway, Pruett, Smithhart, Bishop, McIntire, DeKeyser, Strauss, Gallant, Marek, Potts, Nowlin
LATE MODELS
Fast Time: Jim Stillman, Jr., 12.802
Heat 1: Mike Swaney, Eddie Robinson, Pascual Puertolas, Kevin Estep, Justin Offenbach, Brett Freeman, Travis Manion, Dan Harris
Heat 2: Mike Sullivan, Mike Rose, Mike Doss, Robert Loucks, Mike Martin, Jeremy Hopkins, Thomas Wright, Stillman
Main Event: Sullivan, Wright, Doss, Loucks, Stillman, Martin, Rose, Freeman, Robinson, Hopkins, Manion, Puertolas, Estep, Swaney, Offenbach
MINI STOCKS
Fast Time: Kelly Gray, 13.947
Heat 1: Jake Tillman, Patt Lucas, Juntin Potter, John Gregory, Tom Burger
Heat 2: Andrew Snider, Gray, Kevin Barba, Stuart Lydon, Rod Gard, Matthew Preston
Main Event: Snider, Lydon, Gray, Barba, Tillman, Lucas, Preston, Potter, Gregory, Gard, Burger Gregory, Lucas, Whitman, Ligon
BOMBERS
Fast Time: Eric Unruh, 14.951
Heat 1: Richard Schwarm, Jimmy Sorels, Harley Sharpe, Bert Galli, Kevin Medina, Rod Harper, Rob Bouscal, Alisha Hopkins
Heat 2: Kevin Minassian, Chuck Maves, Richard Hadley, Peggy Hawthorne, Mike Collins, Jr., Wayne Bater, Darren Tubbs
Heat 3: Arlene Pruett, Don Baker, Michael Bishop, Kenny Ginols, Pete Stillman, Jeff Davis, Unruh, Darrin Knight, Dale Preston
"B" Main: Hadley, Medina, Schwarm, Harper, Sorrels, Bouscal, Sharpe, Hopkins, Galli, Hawthorne
Main Event: Preston, Minassian, Stillman, Unruh, Baker, Bishop, Pruett, Medina, Harper, Hadley, Maves, Tubbs, Sorrels, Schwarm, Davis, Grinols, Collins, Knight
