JODY HENDERSON, PAUL TAYLOR, MIKE BRAY AND BRENDA WRIGHTSMAN SCORED MAIN EVENT WINS IN FRIDAY NIGHTS RACES AT MANZANITA SPEEDWAY.

Source: Windy McDonald
Date: 08/12/2007

HENDERSON GETS FOURTH WIN THE HARD WAY

Jody Henderson was involved in a crash in his heat race leaving him with a sixth place finsh and was forced to run the semi main to qualify for the 20 lap factory stock car feature. He started on the pole in the semi and made it look easy in taking the win. His win gave him an eighth row starting berth in the main event.

Larry Olney started on the outside of the front row in the feature and beat Marlowe Wrightsman into the first turn and led the first lap.

Reed Veralud spun while working the second lap and that triggered a multi-car crash that took Richard Kirn and Brent Radtke out of the race. Matt Martinez and Larry Price were also involved in the crash but were able to continue after tagging the field for the restart. Olney blew a tire before the green flag fell on the restart and also had to tag.

Wrightsman led the way for three laps and then gave way to Paul Arseneau who had started eighth but made the high side of the one third mile track work to get to the front. Arseneau led until the 15th lap when he lost control and dropped far back in the field.

Henderson then took control and after waging a side by side duel with Bobby Taylor. He crossed the finish line with his fourth win of the year. Even with the win Henderson failed to gain on the top three point leaders. Taylor, who was ranked second, earned 58 points, three more than the points leader Justin Upton swho finished fourth and two more than third ranked Larry Price who finished fifth.

Martinez made a great drive after tagging the field following the early crash as he drove his way to a third place finsh. Rounding out the top ten were Wrightsman, Arseneau, Veralud, Bobby Erdman and Justin Thornton.

The three heat races were won by Martinez, Price and Taylor. Price also won the Apache Auto Wrecking trophy dash.

TAYLOR GETS SECOND DESERT DWARF CAR WIN OF THE YEAR

Paul Taylor also came from deep in the field to win the 15 lap Desert Dwarf Car main event, his second victory of the 2007 season. Taylor, who was rookie fo the year in the dwarf cars in 1993 when he won four main events, used his years of experience to work his way through the field. He took the lead from Greg Loper on the ninth lap and then held off Kelly Jenkins for the win. Loper had his best finish of the year with a third place finish after leading four laps. Brian Stehr celebrated his birthday with a fourth place finish after starting 16th. Fifth went to Randy Johson. Rounding out the top ten were Kevin Stalbaum, Rick Kochanowski, Sandy Matthews, Jim Gemmell and Steve Davis. Matthews increased his points lead slightly as second ranked Chris Snyder had problems and finishe 15th.

Jenkins won the first six lap heat race and Stalbaum crossed the line first in the second heat. Taylor took heat #3 which was halted when Bob Shackelford's car virtually exploded and the entire car was engulfed in flames. Shackelford hit his onboard fire extinguisher and the fire was out almost as quickly as it started and he was uininjured. The final heat went to Kochanowski.

Rookie driver Steve Moriarity posted a wire to wire win in the semi main and another rookie, Taylor Cusick won the Iron Man Fence/Gorilla Powdercoating trophy dash.

BRAY WITHSTANDS HEAVY TRAFFIC TO TAKE HIS THIRD WIN OF THE YEAR

For the first half of the 15 lap bomber main event Mike Bray was unchallenged. He had a comfortable lead until the lapping process started and the traffic almost cost him his third win of the year as Kevin Czoka, who had shared the front row with Bray at the start, almost pulled of a late race win. However Bray found a way through the traffic and narrowly beat Czoka to the checkered flag. Mike Donnick crossed the finish line in third ahead of Toby Webito and Aaron Oachs. Behind the top five were Robert Taylor, Daniel Romero, Tom Kozak, Todd Bireman and car number 07, driver unknown.

The 27 car field ran three heat races with the top five from each heat going to the feature. Bray beat Randy Allen, Donnick, Kozak and #07 in the first six lap heat. Czoka easily won the second heat over Oachs, Taylor, Marty Tait and Howard Lindsay. The third heat put Webito, Jesse Johnson, Rex Hasley, Romero and Estaban Dino in the main. Allen Hakes won the semi main and Hasley took the trophy dash.

WRIGHTSMAN AND ODOM PUT ON A SHOW IN THE LADY STOCK CAR FEATURE.

Brenda Wrightsman won a race long side by side duel with Tammy Odom in the Lady Stock feature race. The two share the front row for the eight lap race and were never more than a car length apart as they pulled away from the field. Wrightsman had the lead at the white flag but Odom made it another side by side show on the final lap. However Tammy could not get the Bud Hamblen car in front of the Wrightsman family factotory stock. Amanda Lilly held off Linda Price for third and Heather DeBeaux finished fifth. Behind them were Amber Taylor, Randi Iskiw, Tammy Wall, DeAnn Vance and Rhonda Gill.

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