EL CAJON, CA (04/28/01). Scott Holmberg has led nearly 90% of the main event laps at Cajon Speedway so far this year in the street stock division. Saturday night the 35-year-old service station owner took home his second straight Exide Shortrack Racing Series contest on the 3/8 mile paved oval. Holmberg sat on the pole and led all 25-rounds.
The victory came on the heels of his opening night win two weeks earlier. That night he started fifth and took over the number one spot when Brian Brown's engine gave way six laps into the event. Those were his second and third visits to victory lane during his four year career here.
Holmberg's triumph Saturday night came by seven lengths over street stock sophomore Charles Nevin. Three divisional rookies completed the top five. Pony stock graduate Neil Rodvold ran third ahead of Frank Stielau and bomber graduate Todd Phelps.
The pony and bomber stocks easily got the blue ribbon for having the best races of the night. Douglas Wright Jr. edged out opening night winner Ed Hale for honors in the pony stocks. That was one of only two main events that ran non-stop and it just beat out the 11:00 curfew. Just before that race, Randy Wallace nipped Mark Holland for the first place trophy in the bombers. Chris Hines took over the top spot on the next to the last lap of the 50-lap Mechanix Wear Speed Truck challenge and claimed his second straight Cajon win. Lyndon Dysinger captured the 15-lap mini-stockar feature, which also was caution free.
Holmberg had little trouble in the street stocks. He started on the pole. Rookie Brian Brown challenged early. But he was bumped by third place Randy Buell on the ninth round and spun in turn two. That put Rodvold in second, but he was unable to stick with the leader. Nevin got by Rodvold for second with about eight laps to go and stayed about five to seven lengths behind the leader the rest of the way. The event was interrupted by four slowdowns.
Decuir, who started on the outside of the front row, had paced the opening 48 rounds of the Speed Truck event before giving way to Hines. Hines started fifth and moved onto the leader's tail following a lap 45 caution flag. He dogged Decuir for three circuits before slipping underneath the leader in turn four on lap 48. He made that low groove work in turns one and two to gain a clear advantage. Seven yellow flags punctuated the contest.
Wallace got a good bite in the low groove as he powered off the final turn to edge out Mark Holland in the bombers. Holland had led from the fifth round. Wallace, Holland, and Chris Boyer were actually three wide for an instance entering the third corner on the last lap. Cool heads prevailed. There was no contact but Boyer had to settle for fourth when Bob Wickey slid underneath him in a tight two-by-two finish. Eric Seene had the best seat in the house for the tussle up front. He finished fifth. There were two yellow here.
Even though Wallace, the 1999 champ, sits atop the current standings, he is not chasing points this year. "It was an awesome race," Wallace chimed in after the race. "I think I beat him (Holland) by about three feet at the most. He had a little push going and I had him on the inside. So I got the bite coming off the last corner and he didn't. We got him at the end."
"The car is still not 100% right. But I'm making the best of it out here. When she is right you'll see more of this. And even though I'm first place in points I'm tossing it out next week. We're off next week and Jay (McKellep) will be driving the car in two weeks. These guys have been with me for ten years. They deserve a piece of this. I have the garage and they have the know-how. They are the Goodwrench guys. So let them roll."
Pony stock victor Douglas Wright Jr. had a mirror full of Mr. Cajon Speedway, Ed Hale for the final half of the pony stock 20-lapper. The two sliced through lapped traffic lap after lap with Hale making bids in vain for the number one spot. Hale looked both high and low. But Wright, who purchased the former Billy Hoagland Mustang during the off-season after destroying his Monza at Orange Show last fall, never faltered. Behind the duo were Hale's two teammates, Marty Schmidt and Jimmy Kyte. Kyte paced the field for the first half of the 20-lapper until Wright, who started eighth, roared past. Andy Papp was fifth.
"Somebody had to beat him," Wright beamed in victory lane. "It was a great race and we both ran clean. Lapped traffic helped me out and held him up a little bit. It was a great night - first in the heat and first in the main. You couldn't ask for anything more. There isn't even a scrape on the car. I like this car a lot. This Mustang is a lot faster than the Monza. It's a lot more drivable."
Wright hopes to unseat Hale from the championship table at the banquet this year. But he knows he faces a daunting task. "That is our goal this year," he notes. "We have a good chance. I have to beat Ed on a consistent basis. That's not easy to do. He's a great racer."
PIT NOTES: Glen's Racing Tires, who is a tire vendor at the track, put up one tire for each Cajon division for the Hard Charger Award. Getting the free rubber for earning the most passing points for the night were Rick Hagen in the street stocks, Hale in the pony stocks, and Bob Wickey in the bombers. . The train race ended with a giant thud on the final lap at the intersection when Bob O'Hanlon and first-nighter Rudy Ludeke slammed together. It was scary for an instance but O'Hanlon was only dazed.
CAJON SPEEDWAY NASCAR WEEKLY RACING SERIES RESULTS
STREET STOCKS Fast Time - Rick Hagen, Alpine; Time - :17.855. 1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Scott Holmberg, San Diego; 2. Brian Brown, San Diego; 3. Randy Buell, San Diego; Time - 10:57.15. 2nd Heat (8 laps) - 1. Charles Nevin, El Cajon; 2. Richard Hinze, Lakeside; 3. Dave Arce, Santee; Time - 2:27.20. Main (25 laps) - 1. Scott Holmberg, San Diego; 2. Charles Nevin, El Cajon; 3. Neil Rodvold, Lakeside; 4. Frank Stielau, El Cajon; 5. Todd Phelps, El Cajon; 6. Richard Hinze, Lakeside; 7. Rick Hagen, Alpine; 8. Dave Arce, Santee; 9. Scott Moses, Chula Vista; 10. Rob Overman, El Cajon; 11. Rich Green Jr., El Cajon; 12. Brian Collins, Encinitas; 13. Eric Evans, Imperial Beach; 14. Gordon Anderson, Lem Grv; 15. Bill Sanchez, Santee; 16. Randy Buell, San Diego; 17. RJ Stockman, Lakeside; 18. Dan Roberts, Lakeside; 19. Rob Freeman, Santee; 20. Matt Arnold, San Diego; 21. Brian Brown, San Diego; Time - 28:58.50.
PONY STOCKS Fast Time - Ed Hale, El Cajon; Time - :18.446. 1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Jimmy Kyte, El Cajon; 2. Debi Urioste, Poway; 3. Lou Tompkins, San Diego; Time - 4:47.97. 2nd Heat (8 laps) - 1. Douglas Wright Jr., Rancho SD; 2. George Behlman, Santee; 3. Neil Rodvold, Lakeside; Time - 2:30.91. Semi (5 laps) - 1. Scott Ohlhauser, El Cajon; 2. Pete Franke, Lakeside; 3. David Pardo, Encinitas; 4. Jack Shirey, San Diego; 5. Andre McKay, San Diego; Time - no time. Main (20 laps) - 1. Douglas Wright Jr., Rancho SD; 2. Ed Hale, El Cajon; 3. Marty Schmidt, El Cajon; 4. Jimmy Kyte, El Cajon; 5. Andy Papp, La Mesa; 6. Neil Rodvold, Lakeside; 7. George Behlman, Santee; 8. Debi Urioste, Poway; 9. Lou Tompkins, San Diego; 10. Mike Weimann, Temecula; 11. Kenny Hall, Lakeside; 12. Frank Stangler, El Cajon; 13. Victor Clark, Lakeside; 14. Scott Ohlhauser, El Cajon; 15. Pete Franke, Lakeside; 16. Craig Pippin, Vista; 17. Carole Schacher, San Diego; 18. David Pardo, Encinitas; 19. Andre McKay, San Diego; 20. Ken Wikoren, El Cajon; 21. BC Conard, Santee; Time - 6:19.30.
BOMBER STOCKS Fast Time - Bob Wickey, Spring Valley; Time - :19.923. 1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Mark Wendell, Santee; 2. Allen Basile, San Diego; 3. Mark Holland, San Diego; Time - 2:47.51. 2nd Heat (8 laps) - 1. Jeff Coskey, Santee; 2. Bill Holland, El Cajon; 3. Eric Seene, Santee; Time - 2:45.48. Main (20 laps) - 1. Randy Wallace, El Cajon; 2. Mark Holland, San Diego; 3. Bob Wickey, Spring Valley; 4. Chris Boyer, San Diego; 5. Eric Seene, Santee; 6. Joey Schneider, Escondido; 7. Mark Wendell, Santee; 8. Greg McCown, El Cajon; 9. Allen Basile, San Diego; 10. Scott Denton, Fallbrook; 11. Bill Holland, El Cajon; 12. Thomas Osborne, San Diego; 13. Hayden Smith, San Diego; 14. Alex McKay, San Diego; 15. Jeff Coskey, Santee; 16. Gary Lamb, El Cajon; 17. Mike McGlone, Fallbrook; 18. Mike Johnson, Spring Valley; 19. Arne Knufman, San Diego; 20. Bob Blew, Santee; 21. Marty Lehrke, San Diego; Time - 12:08.79.
SPEED TRUCKS Fast Time - Darren Young, Glendale, AZ; Time - :17.140. Dash (6 laps) - 1. Doug Ingraham, Westminster; 2. Jeff Rocheleau, Bullhead City, AZ; 3. Bob Hillis, Phoenix, AZ; 4. Troy Anderson, Ontario; 5. Dan Digiacomo, Laguna Hills; 6. Gary Bryant, Alhambra; Time - 3:19.62. Main (50 laps) - 1. Chris Hines, Chandler, AZ; 2. Troy Decuir, Pinon Hills; 3. Jeff Davis, Orange; 4. Richard Franz, Glendale; 5. Darren Young, Glendale, AZ; 6. Bobby Sayers, Riverside; 7. Jim Perry, Oak Hills; 8. Andy Bargaehr, Covina; 9. Donny Goodwin, San Clemente; 10. Kerry Steen, Victoria, BC; 11. Doug Ingraham, Westminster; 12. Bob Hillis, Phoenix, AZ; 13. Jeff Rocheleau, Bullhead City, AZ; 14. Randy Brown, Santa Fe Spgs; 15. Dan Digiacomo, Laguna Hills; 16. Dave Hartsook, Palm Springs; 17. Gary Bryant, Alhambra; 18. Scott Saunders, Palm Springs; 19. Steve Prescott, La Quinta; 20. Scott Rueschenberg, Mesa, AZ; 21. Peter Guy, Fresno; 22. Ron Nava, Encinitas; 23. Troy Anderson, Ontario; 24. John Holmes, Riverside; Time - 35:10.02.
MINI-STOCKARS Fast Time - Lyndon Dynsinger, Corona; Time - :19.800. Dash (4 laps) - 1. Lyndon Dynsinger, Corona; 2. Mike Brown, Barstow; 3. Harold DeWitz, Simi Valley; 4. Chuck Orr, Lake Isabella; Time - 1:22.30. 1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Lyndon Dynsinger, Corona; 2. Mike Brown, Barstow; 3. Kit Cooney, Santa Ana; Time - 2:39.67. Main (20 laps) - 1. Lyndon Dynsinger, Corona; 2. Mike Brown, Barstow; 3. Kit Cooney, Santa Ana; 4. Randy Shields, Camarillo; 5. Bob Stout, Vista; 6. Harold DeWitz, Simi Valley; 7. Jeff Smith, Oceanside; 8. Doug Evans, Bloomington; 9. James Brosius, Victorville; 10. Marty George, Los Angeles; 11. Chuck Orr, Lake Isabella; Time - 4:57.58.
TRAIN RACE - Tim Neuhaus, Lakeside and James Boissier, Santee ATTENDANCE - 2456
