InsideGroove - Race Report

FUHRMAN AND KENNEDY WIN FOURTH FEATURES

Watsonville, CA --

The only street stock racer at Watsonville Speedway with more than one feature win this season, Scott Fuhrman visited victory circle for the 4th time after leading the final 15 laps of Friday night's NASCAR Street Stock 25 lap feature. When point leader Ken Gregg made an inside run at Fuhrman, he managed to lose second place to George Penney and settled for a third place finish. Two time defending American Stock champion Sam Kennedy also made it four feature wins in 2001 by capturing the crash shortened 17 lap main event for the American Stocks. Paul Duncan was second ahead of visiting Steve Bisordi Jr and Joel Allen.

The 19 street stocks were split into three qualifying heat races. Last week's California State Championship feature winner Chris Messmer won the first heat over Fuhrman and Dennis Pelphrey. Penney also started outside front row in his second heat win with Patrick Sandoval second. Gregg easily won the third heat from the pole with Bruce Pestana second. Sandoval claimed the first trophy dash win of his career with Fuhrman second. Their feature lineup was an invert 10 off the heat race finishes. The race was redflagged on the opening lap as Mark Cooper got too high in the second corner and then climbed the backstretch wall as he tried to rejoin the action. Both John Harville and Messmer spun. Dennis Pelphrey raced into the lead as the first lap was scored with Pestana second. The yellow fell on lap 2 for a crash between Tony Oliveira and Reynaldo Moreno. Fuhrman took second from Pestana on the restart and Messmer, Harville and John Prentice crashed. Penney was now third and Sandoval advanced to fourth on lap 5. Doug Snodgrass, Steve Casner, Kim Gillespie and Richard Keldsen all dropped out and Fuhrman gained the lead on lap 11 when Pelphrey got out of shape. Jeff Buckner parked his mount and Gregg passed Sandoval for fourth on lap 16. Working lapped traffic, Penney took second from Pelphrey on lap 20 and the final yellow came on lap 21 when Johnny Howaard spun and Mike Franco Sr tangled with Pelphrey. Gregg used his outside starting slot for the final restart to follow leader Fuhrman into second. Gregg then tried to make the bottom groove work for a pass on Fuhrman, but he couldn't pull it off. Penney was able to work the outside to retake second from Gregg. Fuhrman, Penney and Gregg were trailed by Pelphrey, Messmer, Prentice, Sandoval, Pestana and Howard as just 10 cars saw the checkered flag.

The 21 American Stocks saw Bill Sorg win the first heat over S Kennedy. Melissa Fuhrman took heat 2 with Andrew Peckham second. Outside front row starter Allen won heat 3 over pole starter Duncan. Duncan then won the dash and the $50 bill from sponsor Watts Stereo. Their feature lineup was an invert 6 off the heat results and was similar to the street stock action with numerous caution flags and tangles. The race got off to a ragged start as Rod Herrick lost a wheel. The loose wheel was run over by both Chris Juhl and Melanie Penney with Mike Vukelich hitting the back wall. Wally Kennedy pitted his badly smoking mount to join Herrick and Vukelich on the sidelines. A yellow slowed the action with Duncan leading on lap 1 and the red flag then fell when Fuhrman, Rick Ray and Sorg tangled. David Freil was done. S Kennedy led lap 2 over Duncan and Allen. Toby VanLangen crashed his damaged car for a lap 5 yellow and Norm Ayers dropped out. Megan McCluney moved into fourth, but spun on lap 9. The next caution came on lap 14 with McCluney parked in the pit entrance. The officials made the call to end the race on the next caution flag and that came on lap 17 when Peckham stalled. S Kennedy won over Duncan, Bisordi Jr, Allen, Juhl, last week's winner Bill Hyland, Ray and Sorg.

Summary American Stock Dash-Paul Duncan, Sam Kennedy, Andrew Peckham. Heat 1-Bill Sorg, S Kennedy, Norm Ayers, Rod Herrick, Mike Vukelich. Heat 2-Melissa Fuhrman, Peckham, Tracy Cotten, Bill Hyland, Melanie Penney. Heat 3-Joel Allen, Duncan, Steve Bisordi Jr, David Freil, Rick Ray. Main-S Kennedy, Duncan, Bisordi, Allen, Chris Juhl, Hyland, Ray, Sorg, Penney, Peckham, Cotten, Megan McCluney, John Dawson, Ayers, Toby VanLangen, J J Keldsen, Fuhrman, Freil, Wally Kennedy, Herrick, Vukelich. Street Stock Dash-Patrick Sandoval, Scott Fuhrman, Ken Gregg. Heat 1-Steve Messmer, Fuhrman, Dennis Pelphrey, John Prentice, Mike Franco Sr. Heat 2-George Penney, Sandoval, John Harville, Ray Moreno, Tony Oliveira. Heat 3-Gregg, Bruce Pestana, Mark Cooper, Johnny Howard, Jim Gillespie. Main-Fuhrman, Penney, Gregg, Pelphrey, Messmer, Prentice, Sandoval, Pestana, Howard, Franco, Jeff Buckner, Mike Bradley, Harville, Richard Keldsen, Kim Gillespie, Doug Snodgrass, Steve Casner, Moreno, Oliveira, Cooper.

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