WOODWARD, ABRIGHT, CLARK AND ANDREWS SCORE WINS AT ROUTE 66 RACEWAY

Source: Calvacca/Route 66 Raceway Public Relations
Date: 08/08/2004

VICTORVILLE, California -- - There may have been a big national AMA motorcycle meet going on at the track next door but it wasn't of much concern to the fans who gathered for the second straight week of racing Saturday night at Route 66 Raceway at the Fairgrounds in Victorville. It was a full card of races, but a decision was made early on to combine the Hornet and Hornet Junior classes to allow them to race together, shortening the field just a bit.

Things got off to a tumultuous start with the Mini Stock Main Event, during which Riverside's Dave Clark and Johnson Valley's Mark Nustad literally hooked up, bumper-to-bumper, on the back straight early in the race. After a bit of bouncing around on various parts of the cars they were once again separated and when racing resumed it appeared to be all Clark, Nustad and Victorville's Andy Moreton scrambling for the finish line. Riverside's Rob Pekarske and Apple Valley's Chris Peterson tangled a bit in Turn 4 midway through the race causing one of the very few caution flags to be thrown during the race. In the end it was Clark taking the win, with Nustad and Moreton finishing two and three. Clark has been knocking on the door of the points leader Moreton lately and just may have walked on through with this win.

It was a small field that took to the track in the 250 Sprint class, with El Cajon's John "The Weapon" Wilcox sweeping the field, taking both the heat and Main Events. Just six cars were on hand tonight and Wilcox, currently with a commanding lead in the points race, seemed to have total command of the track in both races. In the Main Event El Cajon's Charlie Andrews and San Bernardino's Tommy Berry followed Wilcox across the finish line to take second and third, respectively. The 250 Sprints will return to Route 66 Raceway on August 21st and will be joined in mid-October by the bigger 500 Sprint cars.

Super Street provided a surprise or two for followers of the hotly contested points race in this class as Frank Woodward, who hails from the West Hills area of Los Angeles, held on to snatch the victory from reigning points Champion Mike Morris and his back-and-forth rival all season Chris Smith. "I'm still in shock!" said Woodward in a post-race interview. Woodward's win, however, did little to affect the points standings, since both Morris and Smith won their respective heat races and finished two and three in the Main Event. Woodward finished second to Smith in their heat race. At this point, a little past midway in the racing season, just who will emerge on top of the points race is still too close to call.

In Street Stock it was an Abright night as Apple Valley's John Abright led the way to the finish line following the failure of Norco's Chris Tooley's car. Tooley, who had led the Main Event race for 17 out of the total 20 laps, suddenly slowed down on the back straight, allowing Abright, who had been hot on his heels all race, to fly by along with the rest of the field. "It had to be some kind of intermittent electrical problem. I was really hooked up after about the third lap and the car and I felt like one for most of the race. All of a sudden the car just died. The funny thing is that when we got it back to the pits it ran just fine again," said Tooley after the race. "It was very disappointing to me and to Danny." Danny is Danny Queener of Torrance, the owner of the car who also drove it in the Super Street race.

It was also announced following the race that the familiar number 10 Street Stock car previously owned and driven by Barstow's Roger Gordon, has been sold to veteran asphalt track driver Robbie Brand, also of Barstow. "This is my first time driving on the dirt, and I'm having fun with it," said Brand. "We'll be changing the color scheme and number on the car to match my late-model car, and I plan to be racing here as often as my schedule allows it."

The IMCA Modifieds returned after a week away and it was Apple Valley's Bob Forster who captured the checkered flag in the Main Event, completing a sweep in this class after winning his heat race earlier in the evening. Second place went to Riverside's Dale Underwood and third belonged to Hesperia's Mike Olson. Underwood was also victorious in his earlier heat race, with Olson finishing third to Underwood in that heat race. It was clearly the largest field of Modifieds seen here so far this season and they had the crowd fired up, as they do each time these fast and furious cars appear. The "Mods" will be back on the track here in mid-September.

Even fill-in Track Announcer Travis Squier, who came aboard to announce the races here on the spur of the moment, got into the spirit of it all. Squier, by the way, is the son of legendary NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier. Seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as the younger Squier did an outstanding job in the booth. Track officials are hoping that Squier will be able to fit another visit or two to the Victorville facility into his busy schedule later this season.

Due to the small field in both the Hornet and Hornet Junior classes, they were combined into one class and raced together for both the heat race and the Main Event. Stan Youngblood, racing out of San Bernardino, came across the finish line first in this field of six cars. Riverside's Chip Tanke crossed the line in second position, while Temecula's Bobby Kimbrough took third honors. The only "Junior" Hornet in the race, Hesperia's young Tony Vanillo finished the race in fourth place. Track officials continue to encourage participation by both the older drivers as well as the youngsters in these "entry-level" classes.

This exciting night of racing concluded with the popular All Americans, and it was current points leader Jason Andrews led the way to the finish line once again followed across by Johnnie Little. Both drivers hail from Hesperia and Little is currently holding on to second place in the All American points race. Third place belonged to JR Steele who coincidentally also resides in Hesperia. The All Americans are the only class of cars that allow a passenger to ride along during both the heat races and the Main Events. In Andrews' case the honor belonged to young Tim, or was it Tom Wampler, a family friend who had just returned from duty aboard a tank in Iraq. The other Wampler, they are in fact identical twins, will be deploying for duty in the Gulf this coming January.

By the way, fan favorite "Grandma" Diann Abright, who was slightly injured in a crash here on July 17, will be returning ready to race in just two weeks in a brand new car. "The car should be done on Wednesday and she's been released by her doctor, so everything's a go," said son John at the track this week.

Racing will return to the Fairgrounds facility on August 21, with gates opening at 3pm and heat races beginning at the usual 5pm time. It will be "Faster Pastor" night, with area clergymen racing for the title of the area's "Fastest Pastor." For more information or directions to the track, call the Fairgrounds at 760-951-2200.

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