InsideGroove - Race Report

MICKEY, LARGE AND OATHOUT SHARE SANTA MARIA DON ROBERTS HONORS

Santa Maria, CA -- Nipomo's Larry Mickey, Watsonville's Bobby Large and Santa Maria's own Bob Oathout shared the honors Sunday night as Santa Maria Speedway staged the 10th Annual Don Roberts Memorial Street Stock Grand Prix. Each won one 25 lap leg of the event's unique triple feature format. Former track champion Larry Mickey drove his Ray Marroquin owned mount to a win in the first 25 lapper after setting fast time and was especially proud that his young son was there to witness his first feature win since becoming a father. Having collected late model wins at the 1/3 mile track previously, Large debuted a new car that was completed in the race track parking lot with a win from 11th starting in the second 25 lapper. Both Mickey and Large were racing for the first time in year 2000 and both were eliminated in a fierce lap 2 crash in the third segment that young second generation racer Willy Oathout won from the pole. Oathout had captured the last point race at the track in August. Each of the wins was worth $300, but Jason Selvidge emerged as the night's biggest money winner by combining two seconds and a third for a $510 payday. Another driver with three top fives was Tulare dominator Karl Noland Jr, who ran 4th, 3rd and 5th for a $325 night.

Mickey was the first of the 32 entries to run in time trials and his 16.842 lap broke the event track record, but was slower than the 16.582 lap that Joey Claborn turned in the California State Street Stock Championship event in May. California State Street Stock Championship Champion Brandon Cortner was unable to race tonight as his team couldn't complete repairs from a rough outing in that series' final race in Hanford last week. Billy Simkins was second fast at 17.004, Hanford winner Selvidge ran a 17.100, Raymond Noland a 17.120, Charles Paul at 17.234 and Oathout a 17.258. Large was 12th fast at 17.515. The 18 fastest went straight into the A Mains where they were joined by four transfers from the 12 lap B Main. Tom Renner took the lead from Mike Calhoun on lap 3 and won the B Main ahead of Calhoun, Rick Watterworth and Dino Napier. Bay Area racers Calhoun and Watterworth along with Corona's Napier were the events three longest tows. Ed Perry had climbed to third on lap 11, but his outside groove effort on the final lap dropped him to a fifth. Rich Denman broke in hot laps, Charlie Dowdy broke in time trials and Doug Hagio was a crash victim in the B Main. Hagio's car owner John Kolesar came to the rescue as his electrical expertise got the track's safety lights back in operation at the start of the night.

The first 25 lapper is started straight up off time trials and Mickey raced into the lead over Selvidge, Simkins, R Noland and Oathout. Bakersfield point leader Lonnie Welch moved into fifth on lap 3 and Selvidge became a strong inside groove challenge on leader Mickey. Welch's strong run ended when he broke a rear end on lap 16 and stalled for a yellow flag with Oathout back in fifth. Large spun for a lap 19 yellow flag and Don Moshier spun in a tangle with Paul on lap 21. Keith Heaslet had to pit with a flat tire and the leaders had taken the white flag when Renner and Jeff Stickler tangled to force a lap 24 caution. Selvidge had lost second to Simkins when he got out of shape in turn 4. On this last restart, Simkins was slow to come to speed and he lost second back to Selvidge, but was able to hang on for a $140 third. K Noland Jr drove around Oathout for 4th and Oathout was fifth ahead of R Noland, Dave Franey and Elton Shaffer. Simkins' car was found to have a stripped header bolt and he elected to sit out the remainder of the night, joining Welch and Renner as scratches from the second 25 lapper.

Three alternates were added to fill the 22 car grid for the second 25 lapper and the lineup was completely inverted, putting Mickey in 19th starting. The race had to be restarted after Mickey and Oathout tangled. Saturday night Bakersfield winner Heaslet raced into the lead over Steve Cargill, Napier and Dave King Jr. As Moshier slowed with a flat right front, he got tangled with Mickey and Perry blew for a lap 7 yellow with Oathout retiring. Second place Cargill had to pit with a weight dangling from the rear of the car. Napier inherited second, but lost the spot to Large on lap 9. Large got underneath Heaslet in turn 3 for the lead on lap 10 and fourth place Napier had to pit with a flat when a spinning Jeff Stickler clipped Paul for a lap 11 yellow. R Noland raced into third on lap 12, but lost the spot to his brother K Noland Jr on lap 15. Selvidge climbed into fourth on lap 17. First race winner Mickey, missing a vital piece from his rear suspension, finally climbed into sixth on lap 20 and a lap 21 caution for Mike Calhoun's flat nullified a pass that Selvidge had made into third. Heaslet continued to run second at the white flag only to have Selvidge, K Noland Jr and R Noland all slide past him on that final round. Heaslet did salvage a fifth ahead of Mickey, King and Franey. Perry was the only scratch from the 3rd 25 lapper, but a second alternate was added when Calhoun was collected in a first lap incident and dropped out.

Again, the lineup for the 3rd segment was a complete inversion off the finish of the 2nd segment and Moshier led the opening lap over Oathout and Cargill. On lap 2, Moshier slowed coming off turn 2. Cargill ran up and over the drivers' side of Moshier's car and Mickey clipped the stalled Moshier, who was then hit hard by Large. No one was hurt, but the cars of Mickey, Large and Moshier were heavily damaged and unable to continue. The R Noland car also lost laps making repairs after being involved. Oathout led lap 2 ahead of Shaffer, Paul and Watterworth. When King and K Noland Jr tangled on lap 7, K Noland Jr t-boned Heaslet and Hanford ace J T Contente was eliminated with wall contact as Heaslet blew. A lap 10 restart saw Paul take over second with Napier into fourth. Steve Dietrich took over fifth when Watterworth spun on lap 12 and Shaffer retook second from Paul on lap 18 with Selvidge climbing into fourth. A tap from Cargill sent Napier spinning for a lap 20 caution and Selvidge took third from Paul on the restart. The final caution of the night came on lap 23 when Dave Soito Jr spun and was hit by R Noland. Oathout, the son of long time late model ace Bob Oathout, continued his flawless run and collected the win in front of Shaffer, Selvidge, Paul, K Noland Jr, Franey, Dietrich and Cargill. Franey managed to string together three top 8 runs despite several third race incidents.

Summary Fast Time-Larry Mickey 16.842 B Main-Tom Renner, Mike Calhoun, Rick Watterworth, Dino Napier, Ed Perry, Steve Dietrich, Ken Olsen, Lee Jenson, Tim Bewley, Glen Hughes, Chad Weber, Doug Hagio. 1st A Main-Mickey, Jason Selvidge, Billy Simkins, Karl Noland Jr, Willy Oathout, Raymond Noland, Dave Franey, Elton Shaffer, Charles Paul, Bobby Large, J T Contente, Dave King Jr, Don Moshier, Dave Soito Jr, Jeff Stickler, Napier, Renner, Watterworth, Keith Heaslet, Calhoun, Lonnie Welch, Steve Cargill. 2nd A Main-Large, Selvidge, K Noland Jr, R Noland, Keith Heaslet, Mickey, King, Franey, Dietrich, Contente, Stickler, Watterworth, Soito, Paul, Napier, Calhoun, Olsen, Cargill, Shaffer, Moshier, Ed Perry, Oathout. 3rd A Main-Oathout, Shaffer, Selvidge, Paul, K Noland Jr, Franey, Dietrich, Steve Cargill, Napier, Olsen, Stickler, Watterworth, Bewley, Soito, King, Heaslet, Jenson, Heaslet, Contente, Moshier, Mickey, Large.

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