CAMARILLO, Calif. – When it comes to leading the standings, Charles Utts, driver of the Lucas Oil Products Chevrolet Monte Carlo, has been there and done that.
But it’s been a while.
By virtue of his ninth place finish in Irwindale Speedway’s Food 4 Less Super Late Model Division’s 75-lap race, Utts now leads the standings in that division.
“We hoped for a better finish in the race,” Utts said, “but we’ll take the points lead and be happy.”
Utts is a two-time former NASCAR Weekly Racing Series champion and Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. He also won a championship at Ventura Raceway in Ventura, Calif., but this is the first time he has been atop a division points race since the final race of the 1994 season, when he was the champion of the Modified Stock Division at Mesa Marin.
Since the 1994 campaign, the likeable veteran has switched to Super Late Models and tried his hand at NASCAR’s Featherlite Southwest Series. He has raced his Super Late Model to victories at Mesa Marin, Tucson Raceway Park in Tucson, Ariz., and at Irwindale.
The next race for Utts will be at Irwindale Saturday, May 5.
Utts works at the family-owned Custom Printing in Oxnard, where he directs the sales department. He is married to Kristen Utts, a former True Value Mechanic of the Year Award winner, and they have a daughter, Ashley.
Editors Note: Photo is that of Utts and one of the great engine builders located in the west, Bill Maropulos. 
