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By: Gary Jacob Where: Watsonville, CA On: 08/11/2000 |
Watsonville, CA --
Gaining the lead when George Penney slowed with a flat tire on lap 13, NASCAR street stock point leader Dennis Pelphrey gained his 6th win of the season in Friday night's 25 lap main event. Fast timer Steve Ewbank chased Pelphrey to the win with Ricky Sanders third ahead of the fast closing Penney. It was the last tuneup for the teams before the biggest race on their 2000 schedule, the Mike Cecil Memorial 100 lapper. In a crash shortened 17 lapper, second year racer Toby VanLangen gained his first feature win with Rick Ray second ahead of point leader Sam Kennedy.
There was a 29 car street stock field and Ewbank's fast time was a quick 16.677 lap. John Harville was second fast at 16.775, Pelphrey ran a 16.783, Ken Gregg a 16.832 and Penney a 16.844. Greg McGregor, Scott Fuhrman and Sanders were also in the 16's. Ewbank came from last starting to win the dash over Pelphrey. Heat winners were Gene Blakeman, Sanders, Mark Acosta and Mike Malone. Malone also won the B Main with Kelly Knight second over Chris Kulvicki. The ten fastest qualifiers were inverted at the front for the 20 car, 25 lap A Main, but second fast Harville crashed hard into McGregor in his heat and was done for the night. Cindy Clark took the lead over Chris Messmer. Penney gained third on lap 3 and took over second when Messmer crashed on lap 4. On the restart, both Penney and Pelphrey got around Clark with Sanders into fourth. As Penney and Pelphrey checked out on the field, Sanders took over third on lap 10. A badly smoking Patrick Sandoval stalled for a lap 12 yellow. On the restart, Penney's right front tire went flat and he stalled with Pelphrey the new leader over Fuhrman and Sanders. Ewbank was able to gain third on lap 15. Blakeman moved into fifth, but spun on lap 18 and collected Gregg as he tried to race back onto the track. Pelphrey paced the remaining laps with second place Fuhrman slowing late in the race. Ewbank climbed to a 2nd ahead of Sanders, Penney, McGregor, Travis Sugden, Messmer and Malone. The track has pre-qualified ten cars for the Mike Cecil 100 by taking the top two finishers in the events between June 30 and tonight. That ten is Pelphrey, Penney, Harville, Rich Firato, McGregor, Messmer, Ewbank, Blakeman, Sanders and Sugden.
The American Stocks had a 22 car field and Bruce Pestana won the dash after heat wins went to Chris Juhl, Paul Duncan and point leader S Kennedy. Point runnerup Danny Scott was fighting car problems and appeared in the feature just long enough to take the green flag after missing his heat. Joey Golz led the first 8 laps of the scheduled 20 lapper. Both Sheila Wallace and Pestana lost wheels early and Van Langen leaped from 4th to 2nd on a lap 3 restart. Steve Remde was flying and he gained third on lap 5. Remde got by Van Langen on lap 8 and went underneath Golz for the lead on lap 9. The race was redflagged a lap later when Matt Valignette spun right in the groove exiting turn 4. Leader Remde ignored the many red lights and raced all the way around the track. That resulted in him being ejected from the race and Golz had a flat on the restart to hand the lead to Van Langen. Kennedy briefly got second, but got out of shape on lap 12 and lost the spot to Ray. When J J Keldsen, Joel Allen and Golz tangled for a lap 16 yellow flag, the officials made the call to end the race on the next caution flag. Wallace returned to the action and lost her second wheel to force the early checkered flag with the excited VanLangen winning over Ray, Kennedy, Duncan, Andrew Peckham, Jennifer Rood, Bill Hyland and Valignette.
Summary American Stock Dash-Bruce Pestana, Sam Kennedy, Joel Allen. Heat 1-Chris Juhl, Toby VanLangen, Jennifer Rood, Steve Remde, Mike Medrano. Heat 2-Paul Duncan, Pestana, Joey Golz, Bill Hyland, Sheila Wallace. Heat 3-Kennedy, Allen, Rick Ray, Andrew Peckham, Kim Gillespie. Main-VanLangen, Ray, Kennedy, Duncan, Peckham, Rood, Hyland, Matt Valignette, Melanie Penney, Golz, Rich Altamirano, Allen, Juhl, Reynaldo Morano, J J Keldsen, Medrano, David Freil, Gillespie, Remde, Wallace, Pestana, Danny Scott. Street Stock Fast Time-Steve Ewbank 16.677 Dash-Ewbank, Dennis Pelphrey, John Harville. Heat 1-Mike Malone, Mike Franco Sr, Travis Sugden, Carlos Costa, Mike Finlen Sr. Heat 2-Mark Acosta, Jim Gillespie, Kelly Knight, John Keldsen, Mike Bradley. Heat 3-Ricky Sanders, Lynn Darton, Greg McGregor, Ken Gregg, Rich Barbaccia. Heat 4-Gene Blakeman, Pelphrey, Cindy Clark, George Penney, Ewbank. B Main-Malone, Knight, Chris Kulvicki, Acosta, Franco, Costa, Finlen, Mitch Lettunich. A Main-Pelphrey, Ewbank, Sanders, Penney, McGregor, Sugden, Chris Messmer, Malone, Darton, Scott Fuhrman, Clark, Acosta, Blakeman, Gregg, Franco, Barbaccia, Finlen, Knight, Carlos.