MIKE BOAT NOSES BURNEY LAMAR FOR USAC WIN AT MESA

Source: Judy Salamacha
Date: 04/15/2000

Bakersfield, CA – For thirty-eight laps there was no question Mike Boat of Phoenix was destined to win the inaugural USAC Sprints main event at Mesa Marin Raceway. But Boat had to have been asking himself where had that #3 Sprint come from.

On lap 20, Burney Lamar of Sacramento was not even in the top five; then by lap 26 he was up to 4th and on lap 33 he had pulled into 2nd place and was nipping on Boat’s bumper by lap 38.

On the last lap Lamar made a "last chance" move coming out of turn 4. He gently nudges Boat’s tail end, gets up to his side-door but runs out of time to take the checkered away from Boat. It was a crowd-pleaser!

Troy Cline of Santa Clarita, Davey Hamilton of Las Vegas, and Jimmy Sills of Anaheim rounded out the top five.

In other action, Rick Grissom of Bakersfield jumped to an early lead in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Acell Modified Stocks and held on. Behind him was all the action between Gene Fife of Tehachapi and Brian Richardson of Bakersfield. Fife had to earn 2nd place from Richardson on lap 6 and then keep as Richardson challenged him the rest of the 25-lap main event. Richardson had to settle for 3rd. Kevin Sevenich of Rosamond and Marlin Gill of Burbank rounded out the top five.

In the NASCAR Exide ShorTrack Series it was the Bakersfield "Mike and Mike" show with Mike Riale taking the checkered. Rookies Lloyd Wren, Jr. and Anthony Gillespie of Lake Isabella finished 3rd and 5th with Mark Tenhet of Tulare taking 4th. Gillespie spent last season in the Campus Motorsports High School Series and he and his dad built a Street Stock over the winter. A surprise contender in the race was the sponsor’s guest driver, Prime Equipment’s Charlie Evans in the Time Warner Cable #00. He moved up to finish 6th with good driving and staying out of trouble. "I’ve ready to get me a car," he said after the race.

It was a wild 911 Race for Youth 12-lap main event. Dan Gates the instructor who had trained the students at Camp Erwin Owen School to build the 911 race cars was driving well and took an early lead for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. But the CHP and BPD with flashing lights were closing in on him. They may have gotten a bit over-anxious. The BPD was black flagged to the back. Gates ended up hitting the wall hard, but the entire eight-field series made it to the winner’s circle to congratulate the County Rangers and County Fire, who had held their line , stayed out of trouble and finished #1 and #2 followed by the Sheriff’s and DA’s car.

In a special feature of the Western Racing Association, nineteen Vintage cars showed up to race Mesa Marin and 70-year old Marv Richert of Torrance was the victor.

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