Less than one week after the 2001 San Bernardino County Fair finished up with mountains of festivities; the Route 66 Raceway was back in action-Action in every aspect of the fans, the track, and all the divisional races.
Starting the celebration of Memorial Day Weekend at the track seemed to be on everyone's mind Saturday night. With the stands nearing capacity, the fans showed up carload after carload to kick the weekend off right-A little action and a whole lot of excitement when five divisions hit the dirt after two weekends off.
After the intense heats for track positioning, the five divisions really stirred up the dust with headlight to headlight vying for first place. The All Americans were the first to get things heated up with a spectacular showdown between the four top placers, #61 Rob MacDonald, #55 Mark Bandelin, #187 Mike Olson, and #8 Brandon Bennett. Age has no bearing on the intensity of these drivers. Brandon, the youngest of the All American Drivers is still ranked #2 in total points among twenty-two other drivers (according to points accrued as of 5/5/01 race). And Brandon gives them a race for their money every time. The All Americans never disappoint and always set the stage for an evening of excitement and pure adrenaline.
Mini Stocks ran second Saturday night, but by no means second in action. These cars may be smaller, but there is no indication of lack of ability. In fact, this division is one of the most aggressive divisions ever to hit the Route 66 Raceway! With a close beginning with front positioning, #70 Robby Cockrell held off #2 Mike Gibson for as long as he could. Finally taking first, Mike was right on his bumper for second with #17 Mark Nustad and #7 bill Watson pushing third and fourth, respectively.
The I.M.C.A. Modifieds entered the track and the crowd never stopped screaming. All warmed up by the two previous races and the wonderful desert evening breeze, the fans were presented with one of the most action filled and edge-of-your-seat excitement races ever. It seemed that the entire Southern section of the grandstands was there to cheer on their favorite, #04 Jimmy Barttelt. With precision driving and positioning by every driver in this division, the race was truly neck and neck competition. At every turn, there was Jimmy vying for the next position up over his competition. With a few lucky turns and a clear straightaway, #04 was able to overtake his competitors with a fourth placement. Not to be outdone, #65 John Linn, kept his placement ahead of the pack and then some with his superb victory over #A5 Mark Allison, and #5 Al Bernal, second and third respectively. All drivers but the winner are ranked in the top seven in overall total points (as of 5/5/01). These are the drivers to watch, but as this race shows the fans, there is always competition lurking in the pits.
Super Streets and Street Stocks took the fans into the final two races of the warm Saturday evening. With fenders crashing and pieces falling off, these two divisions are sure to thrill for the die-hard racing fan. These divisions never let up and the winner has to stay strong, focused, and free of debris to take the first place spot.
Placements for divisions are as follows:
Minis 1st-#70 (Robby Cockrell), 2nd-#2 (Mike Gibson), 3rd-#17 (Mark Nustad ), 4th-#7 (Bill Watson)
All American 1st-#61 (Rob MacDonald), 2nd-#55 (Mark Bandelin) 3rd-#187 (Mike Olson), 4th-#8 (Brandon Bennett)
Street Stock 1st-#24 (Randy Vogel), 2nd-#7 (Mark Forbes), 3rd-#01 (Gary Owen), 4th-#8 (Jimmy George)
Super Streets 1st-#18 (Danny Queener), 2nd-#60 (Chris Smith), 3rd- #9 (Jay Ownbey), 4th-#78 (Ralph Cook)
Modified-IMCA 1st-#65 (John Linn), 2nd-#A5 (Mark Allison), 3rd- #5 (Al Bernal), 4th-#04 (Jimmy Barttelt)
The Route 66 Raceway was at its hottest Saturday and the fans enjoyed every dirt throwing, smashing, crashing minute of it! The summer is here and it only gets better! For more information contact the fairgrounds at (760) 951-2200 or Business Builders at 760/961-2002 or check Route 66 Raceway out on the web at sbcfair.com/r66r/ or read the articles published on racingwest.com.
