VICTORVILLE: Saturday afternoon brought sun, fun, and lots of race fans to the Route 66 Raceway season opener. The first set of heat races started at 1:30pm and the track was buzzing all afternoon with excitement. The hot laps for the four divisions started out with a fury. The street stocks took the track first in the heats and immediately put the competition to the wall, several times. There is no guess that this season will be even more competitive as they get back into their positions for end of the season top drivers. This year there is a new Director of Operations, Rob MacDonald and Track Manager, Bob Scott. Losing Bob Forster and Gary Lane after the 2001 season will be difficult to overcome after such a great first season, but the new guys are setting new rules and new standards that have already begun to pay off. This year should be exciting and challenging for the drivers.
First up for the main event were the Mini Stocks. Thirteen started out and several were lost in the first few laps. The addition of a mini truck was new to the track this year. However, the truck made only a few laps in the main before being towed off the track. Opening cars in the top six positions were #17, Mark Nustad, 27, Chris Hibshman, 75x, Sands Sprague, #13, Dan Clark, #39, Jim Bard, and #8, Marvin Grinder. This was not to stay for long. Nustad kept his lead with turmoil behind him all the way. #75x and #07 switched second and third for several laps. Car #1, Paul Bender, moved up from the middle of the pack and vied for third position. #75x ran into problems (and the competition) and Bender claimed second with #07 on his heals at third. #11L, Rick Lapka, held onto fourth and leaned towards the head of the group. Lapka tried to overtake the leader, Nustad, but lost his position and moved back a few spots. Finally moving from ahead again, the final results were Nustad, Lapka, Bender, #27, Chris Hibshman, and #13, Dan Clark.
Super Streets rumbled onto the track with a fierce pack mentality known only to this division. Friends in the pits, competitors on the track, the super streets always please the race fans. Rumbling and roaring engines possess the ground under the supervision and direction of some of the fiercest competitors known to the track. The season opener held true to this. Car #18, Danny Queener, #44, Mike Miller, #31, James Moore, #17, unknown, #13, (need name), and #60, Chris Smith held top six positions at the beginning of the main. #17 and Moore traded places over several laps with commotion ongoing in the rest of the ranks. #37, Mike Morris, continually trying to sneak up from the eighth position in the pack. #17 pulled up from fourth into second and battled Queener for the right to lead over several near misses, hits, spin outs and restarts. Final ranking for main event was #18, Danny Queener, #17, Unknown, #44, Mike Miller, #60, Chris Smith, and #31, James Moore.
Street Stocks capture the fans and the flags every time they hit the ground. And they always hit the ground running. Stricken by some desire to push pain and pleasure into one emotion on the track, street stocks rival any division with pure "no guts, no glory" attitude. Anytime there are twenty street stocks on the track there will be ferocious driving. Twenty entered the track and only a few made it out for the final. Top six positions were held by #0, Scott McDonald, #01J, Chad Johnson, #7, Mark Forbes, 3D, David Tomkins, #51Rick Gillmore, and #42, Scott Stevens. Not one from the top six finished in the final five. This is primarily due to the horrendous crash between 01J and 7 bumping into each other. This started a series of events that took out most of the front runners. 7, bumped, spun out and then faced west ahead of a southbound pack. 01J and another leader t-boned 7 and flipped him over a few times in which landed back southbound. The engine caught fire and the stands were on their feet. Fast acting fire extinguishers and personnel saved the day with one lucky driver popping out of the car. Towed off and moving on, the race ended up with the middle and rear of the pack prevailing this time. #17, Brian Nelson, #3w (ninth in the first line-up on first lap), Woody Sabers, #2, Mike Milender, #8, Jim George, and #33, Lonnie Skillman.
The all Americans showed their stuff this Saturday. Eighteen rolled out and dominated the turns with several position changes throughout the main event. Hitting and bumping is no stranger to this division and they proved that well on Saturday. This is the best way for the all Americans to get to the front of the pack and keep their lead. #511 started out in third at the first lap, second lap he was in second and shortly after that he took first and held this throughout all the turmoil behind him. Final results were #511, Tony Warner, #19, Daivd Anderson, #21, Billy Lyons, #88, Jim Cox, and #22, Nathen Grewell.
Placements for divisions are as follows:
Minis 1st-#17 (Mark Nustad-Johnson Valley), 2nd-#11L (Rick Lapka-Apple Valley), 3rd-#1 (Paul Bender-Inyokern), 4th-#27 (Chris Hibshman-Big Bear), 5th-#13 (Dan Clark-Riverside)
All American 1st-#511 (Tony Warner-Yucca), 2nd-#19 (David Anderson-Victorville), 3rd-#21 (Billy Lyons-Hesperia), 4th-#88 (Jim Cox-Hemet), 5th-#22 (Nathen Grewell-Yorba Linda)
Super Street 1st-#18 (Danny Queener-Torrance), 2nd-#17 (No Information), 3rd-#44 (Mike Miller-Barstow), 4th-#60 (Chris Smith-Trona), 5th-#31 (James Moore-Riverside)
Street Stock 1st-#17 (Brian Nelson-Hesperia), 2nd-#3W (Woody Sabers-Apple Valley), 3rd-#2 (Mike Milender-Barstow), 4th-#8 (Jim George-Apple Valley), 5th-#33 (Lonnie Skillman-Riverside)
For more information contact the fairgrounds at (760) 951-2200 or Business Builders at 760/961-2002.
