Source: Tim Kennedy
Date: 07/30/2007

INDUSTRY, California -- Charlie Venegas, 40, won the annual California State Championship title race for AMA Speedway Cycle Division 1 riders Saturday night on his JAWA 500-cc cycle. An enthusiastic Industry Speedway crowd of 1,200 was the largest in two years at the Industry Hills Expo Center Grand Arena for the AMA stars. Sixteen invited D-1 riders competed in the $5,500 event. Each rider raced in five heat races with the championship winner determined by total points earned on a 3, 2, 1, 0 basis for the four riders in each heat race.

Venegas won four of his five heat races and finished second in the other for a winning total of 14 points. The 2006 Industry Speedway track champion and current point leader earned $1,400 for his victory. Mike Faria finished second with 13 points and Buck Blair placed third with 12 points. Ricky Wells, a first-year D-1 rider who turned 16 Friday, was fourth with 10-points. Five riders tied for fifth place. Venegas, from San Bernardino, missed the last race at Industry on July 14 because he was in Europe racing at Coventry, England as part of the United States team that finished fourth in a semi-final race. He had won six of 15 features at Industry Speedway prior to his European racing trip.

The California State Championship victory Saturday was the second for Venegas in 32 state title races since the inaugural event in 1968. He also won in 1997state title as the 13th different winner of the event since former CRA sprint car driver/AMA Speedway rider Sonny Nutter won the initial race in 1968. Other winners of the state title include six-time winners Steve Bast and Mike Bast, four-time winners Mike Faria and Steve Lucero and double winner Bobby Schwartz. No California State Championship events were held from 1998-2005. As winner of the prestigious event, Venegas received the traditional six-foot grandfather clock trophy as a reminder of his accomplishment.

Josh Larsen won the revived state title race at Industry Speedway July 15, 2006 when the current track promoters, American Speedway Coalition, began their promotional run at Industry Speedway. The promoters--Hugh Randolph, Lee Crecelius and Kelly Inman--are all present or past speedway cycle racers. Larsen was unable to compete this year for back-to-back championships because he is still recuperating from injuries suffered in a crash last month at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Bryan Yarrow, a three-time main event winner at Industry last year, broke an ankle in the same crash that injured Larsen and also was unable to compete for the state title.

Sixteen invited Division 2 riders raced in heat races, consolation races and main event. Rick Valdez took the trophy. During an intermission in the 30-race program, Division 3 Speedway Cycle rider Hugh Randolph, 72, took some laps as the sidecar passenger in a demonstration of sidecar racing. It entertained the largest crowd at the track since 1,400 persons witnessed motorcycle ramp trick jumpers and a speedway cycle racing dual show at Industry Speedway during 2005. AMA Speedway Cycle racing will return to its usual Wednesday night racing schedule for the next seven weeks from August 1 through September 12.

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