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By: Gary Jacob Where: Merced, CA On: 05/30/2004 |
Merced, CA -- Having finished third in the series opener at Santa Maria Speedway the previous night, defending California State Street Stock Championship Series titlest Rich Denman from Coalinga stayed on track to repeat as he paced every lap of Sunday night's 30 lap leg 2 at Merced Speedway after lining up outside front row in the 20 car feature. Denman was the 2003 Kings Speedway champion also and he is getting an opportunity to try some dirt late model racing in 2004 as a teammate to Clovis star Mike Johnson. Denman's win paid $500. It was a 1-2 finish for cars built by Coalinga's Paul Pelletier as Atwater's Darren Thomas drove from 11th starting to finish a $350 second. A former Merced champion, Thomas had debuted his new car the previous night in Santa Maria. Merced track regular Aaron Barker was a $250 third and Watsonville regular Philip Priddy made a successful return to his former home track with a $150 fourth ahead of Merced's own John Clarke. Santa Maria winner Rick Wilkinson from Paso Robles made the long tow to try leg 2, but was a crash victim in the feature after winning the B Main. New clay has made Merced Speedway tougher to pass on, but 2003 champion Ramie Stone showed everyone how to ride the top as he won the special 40 lap IMCA Modified feature ahead of point leader Bob Williamson Sr and Johnnie Baptista. Having swept all three hobby stock races on Saturday night, Raul Rodriquez nearly pulled off a weekend sweep as he won the main event after placing second behind Andy Welch in the dash. It took an official's call through as Los Banos racer Shawn Bryant was removed from the win. The track officials had requested that Bryant replace a wobbly wheel for safety reasons, but the only spare wheel that he had was too wide and the officials discovered that fact after he led the pack to the checkered flag for his first win. He was dropped to last in the 12 car rundown. Rookie David Todd from Atwater got wins in both the dash and feature for the Valley Sportsman as Tim Goodson ran second in the main event.
The 24 car street stock turnout included 10 cars that raced in leg one at Santa Maria. They were timed with a stop watch to handicap the heat action, but the feature inversion was based on the heat race finishes. Denman posted the quickest time, but ran third in heat 3 and that put him outside front row when a ten car inversion was drawn for the 30 lap feature. Perris Auto Speedway regular Ed Perry from Carpenteria won the first heat ahead of Carruthers star Johnny Cardoza and Randy Brewer. Steve Ewbank from Santa Clara wheeled his street stock truck to a win in heat 2 ahead of track regulars Ricky Thatcher and Barker as Thomas settled for fourth. Clarke won heat 3 ahead of Priddy, Denman and the 2004 debut race for 2003 Merced titlest Tim Ragsdale. The ten car inversion put teammates Pelletier and Denman in the front row with heat victors Perry, Ewbank and Clarke in the 4th and 5th rows. Wilkinson was a crash victim in the heat action, but won the B Main ahead of Petaluma star Mitch Machado, Danny Baldridge Jr, Greg Schwerdtfeger and Brian Folkner. A scratch by Buddy Thatcher allowed Merced point leader Jimmy Lust to be the final A Main starter as the top five transferred from the three heats and the B Main. Putting the fastest car in the field on the front row in a ten car inversion eased Denman's task as he was never headed in the 30 lapper. Thomas methodically worked his way to second ahead of Barker, Priddy, Clarke, Perry, 20th starter Lust, Gary Tucker, Ramon Neilson and Cardoza. Ewbank finished 12th, Pelletier 14th and Wilkinson 17th. Round three of the four track, four race series will be June 12th at Antioch and Denman holds a 15 point lead on Perry, who was sixth both nights. Both Thomas and Wilkinson are one point behind Perry and 5 ahead of Cardoza. Priddy is 25 points out of first, 3 ahead of both Ewbank and Pelletier. Lust is 9th in the series, 34 behind leader Denman. Denman then finished off his solid weekend with an $800 win in the Freedom Series opener at Chowchilla Speedway on Monday night.
The IMCA Modifieds had an 18 car turnout on Sunday night. Tuning up for the Chowchilla action, Jack Stanford won heat 1 ahead of Mike Gillard and Ray Mayer. Dirt late model racer wheeled his former Bart Reid mount to a win in heat 2 over Johnnie Baptista and Garrett Steitz. Rookie Monty Tomlinson Jr put the former Steven Williams D&M in the winner's circle for heat 3 with Williamson second. Mike Gillard beat Tim Porter in the trophy dash. No one in any division can rim rid the Merced Speedway 1/3 mile clay oval like R Stone does and he put on a show again as he won the long distance feature ahead of Williamson, Baptista and Steitz. Tomlinson ran fifth ahead of Aaron Barnell, Beltran, Mark Hamblin, Andrew Krumm and Saturday night winner Bill Saltzman.
The hobby stocks had 3 Chowchilla regulars in their 12 car field for a second straight night. Welch beat Rodriquez in the dash and Bryant appeared to have posted his first ever feature win only to be penalized to last in post race tech. That handed Rodriquez his second win of the weekend ahead of Chowchilla regular Dan Stephens, rookie Ryan Porter, Chowchilla racer Mike Stockton, James Hall, Jeff Christensen, Deak Sherrell and Marc Key. The Valley Sportsman had the same four car turnout as the previous night and Todd won the dash over Saturday night winner Kevin Freitas. Freitas ran last in the feature as Todd won ahead of Goodson and Jason Belton.
Summary Valley Sportsman Dash-David Todd, Kevin Freitas, Jason Belton. Main-Todd, Tim Goodson, Belton, Freitas. Hobby Stock Dash-Andy Welch, Raul Rodriquez, Ryan Porter. Main-Rodriquez, Dan Stephens, Porter, Mike Stockton, James Hall, Jeff Christensen, Deak Sherrell, Marc Key, Welch, Lester Odishoo, Lester Beavers, Shawn Bryant. Street Stock Heat 1-Ed Perry, Johnny Cardoza, Randy Brewer, Paul Pelletier, Ramon Neilson. Heat 2-Steve Ewbank, Ricky Thatcher, Aaron Barker, Darren Thomas, Gary Tucker. Heat 3-John Clarke, Phillip Priddy, Rich Denman, Tim Ragsdale, Buddy Thatcher. B Main-Rick Wilkinson, Mitch Machado, Danny Baldridge Jr, Greg Schwerdtfeger, Brian Folkner, Jimmy Lust, Debbie Taylor, Mikol Westling, Gary Filpula. A Main-Denman, Thomas, Barker, Priddy, Clarke, Perry, Lust, Tucker, Neilson, Cardoza, Ragsdale, Ewbank, Brewer, Pelletier, Folkner, R Thatcher, Wilkinson, Baldridge, Machado, Schwerdtfeger. IMCA Modified Dash-Mike Gillard, Tim Porter, Ray Mayer. Heat 1-Jack Stanford, Gillard, Mayer, George Nevatt, Ramie Stone. Heat 2-Vance Beltran, Johnnie Baptista, Garrett Steitz, Mark Hamblin, Andrew Krumm. Heat 3-Monty Tomlinson Jr, Bob Williamson Sr, Tim Porter, David Jelen, Robert Marsh. Main-R Stone, Williamson, Baptista, Steitz, Tomlinson, Aaron Barnell, Beltran, Hamblin, Krumm, Bill Saltzman, Mayer, Nevatt, Porter, Troy Stone, Stanford, Marsh, Gillard, Jelen.