See Also REEVES $1000 WINNER AT SANTA MARIA 09/05/2004

Santa Maria, CA -- Leading just the final two laps after race dominator Rick Wilkinson spun in turn 4 racing to the white flag, Bakersfield Speedway Park super street stock point leader Robby Sawyer gained the $1000 win in the 14th Annual Don Roberts Memorial Street Stock Grand Prix Sunday night at Santa Maria Speedway. Sawyer struggled early in the night with 9th quick time and a 4th in his heat. He lost a power steering belt on lap 3 of the first 30 lap segment, but the team got a new belt on the car at the midway work break. Sawyer raced into second on lap 39 when Kings Speedway star Rodney Sullivan spun out of 2nd and took Watsonville's Philip Priddy with him. The win was Sawyer's tenth of his rookie super street stock season and the team is excited to be traveling to a $5000 to win special in Lubbock TX in two weeks. Sawyer's sponsors include Rosedale Automotive, Arrow Plumbing and Flameco. The car is crew chiefed by Robby's father Kelly Sawyer, a former dirt late model racer. Priddy ended up a $750 second and Wilkinson was able to drive through his lap 59 spin and just nip Willy Oathout at the checkered flag for the $500 third. Wilkinson had beaten Sawyer in the California State Street Stock Championship Series race at the track back on Memorial Day. Oathout earned $250 for fourth and MoPar racer Eric VanHooser was a $200 fifth with Tim Breshears the final lead lap finisher. The marathon race was slowed 18 times by yellow flags. Six different drivers had the lead during the event.

California State Street Stock Championship Series titlest Rich Denman paced the 26 car turnout in time trials with a 16.360 lap on the 1/3 mile clay oval, but his borrowed transmission was stuck in 4th gear. Wilkinson was second quick at 16.388 and Santa Maria Speedway point leader Kenny Kirkpatrick ranked third at 16.413. Another division rookie Tim Breshears was fourth at 16.466, Oathout ran a 16.580, Billy Simkins a 16.660, Bakersfield's Brady Bell subbed in the Bill Little car with a 16.724 and another Santa Maria rookie David Addamo ran a 16.772. Both Sawyer and the defending race winning car, now wheeled by Garold Shaffer, turned in 16.810 laps. The field was divided into four straight up qualifying heat races with the top four finishers in each moving into the long distance A Main. Oathout beat Denman on the start and won heat 1. Denman ran second over Sullivan and Sawyer. Simkins outraced Wilkinson for the heat 2 win with Charlie Dowdy third over Priddy. Kirkpatrick ran a quick lap of 16.02 in his heat 3 win over Bell, Watsonville's Tim Clark and Ian Hunter. Breshears was also quick at 16.09 as he won heat 4 over pit mate Addamo, Bakersfield rookie Zach Forster and Petaluma's Mitch Machado. Simkins held off Kirkpatrick for the dash win with a best lap of 16.16. The 12 lap B Main determined the other six transfers into the 22 car A Main. G Shaffer led all 12 laps for the win in the car that Elton Shaffer won this race in in 2003. Joey Silva outdueled VanHooser for second and another Watsonville racer Doug Hagio was fourth ahead of Mitch Caldwell and Bakersfield Speedway racer John Romero. Ed Perry was penalized to the rear for his role in Robert Meneley's flat tire on lap 2 and he then spun before settling for a 7th place run. Tom Renner also failed to transfer and Dave Soito Jr fell out at midrace.

The 60 lapper saw the fast timers started at the front as Denman and Wilkinson shared the front row ahead of Kirkpatrick and Breshears. Three laps were completed with Denman leading Wilkinson, Kirkpatrick, Simkins and Breshears before the first multi-car incident. Sullivan and Hunter tangled to trigger a melee that involved ten cars. On the restart, Denman's transmission blew and he spun in turn 4 to trigger another huge melee. Bell's car broke and Silva lost laps making repairs as top runner Kirkpatrick had to pit to get his battery back in the car. Wilkinson paced the next four laps before he was forced to pit with a flat tire while leading under yellow. Hagio had climbed the fence in turn 3 and caught fire, but he continued in the race. With Wilkinson now in the back, Addamo paced three laps before he spun and got hit by Oathout and Forster. All three were sent to the rear for the restart. After starting 16th, Machado now found himself leading, but Breshears raced by him on the restart. Breshears led laps 12-13 before the race ended for both Shaffer and Addamo in a crash. Oathout stalled, but remained on the lead lap and Sawyer got as high as third before making one of his many pit stops in the first 30 lap segment. Machado regained the lead on lap 14 and paced the remainder of the first 30 laps. Hagio raced all the way back to second before breaking an engine on lap 17. That put Breshears back in second and third place Sullivan spun. Sullivan t-boned Clark in the right front wheel and Clark's race was over. Dowdy lost a couple laps making repairs and the final 13 laps of the first segment were ran without a caution. Simkins and Wilkinson worked their way back to the 2nd and 3rd slots behind Machado and the work break came with Machado leading Simkins, Wilkinson, Breshears, Hunter, Forster, Sullivan, Priddy, Oathout, VanHooser and Sawyer.

Breshears was forced to re pit and restart in the rear when his crew forgot to replace the trunk lid when they refueled the car at the break. Action resumed with Machado leading Simkins, Wilkinson, Hunter and Sullivan. On lap 34, Machado slipped into the turn 3 infield. As he tried to race through the incident, he and Simkins made contact and Simkins crashed hard into the front fence. Machado's race was over and Simkins lost a couple laps making repairs with Wilkinson the new leader ahead of Priddy, Sullivan and Sawyer. Sullivan raced into second on lap 37, but the Kings Speedway rookie spun again in turn 4 and briefly trapped Priddy, allowing Sawyer to race back by into second. Hunter spun for a lap 45 yellow with Wilkinson leading Sawyer, Priddy, Breshears and Sullivan. Sullivan pitted with a flat tire on this restart to move Oathout back into the top five. A loose body part fell off the Sawyer car for a lap 54 yellow and Hunter had to pit with a flat tire. Oathout took fourth from Breshears on this restart and Forster climbed back into the top five before he spun for the last yellow flag on lap 58. Breshears spun to avoid Forster. Wilkinson again commanded the restart and appeared headed to the $1000 win, but he spun into the turn 4 infield racing to the white flag and Sawyer drove by for the win. Priddy also got by for second and Wilkinson recovered in fourth. On the final straight, Wilkinson was able to nip Oathout for third with VanHooser gaining fifth ahead of Breshears. The top ten was rounded out by Dowdy, Kirkpatrick, Simkins and Hunter.

With Sandy Bainton's Pacific Coast 100 dirt late model race being run for the first time at Santa Maria Speedway on Oct 1-2, the super street stocks get another special that weekend as they race 40 laps for $2000 to win, $1000 for second and $800 for third as part of the first ever three division, two day special in track history.

Summary Fast Time-Rich Denman 16.360 Dash-Billy Simkins, Kenny Kirkpatrick, Willy Oathout. Heat 1-Oathout, Denman, Rodney Sullivan, Robby Sawyer, Joey Silva. Heat 2-Simkins, Rick Wilkinson, Charlie Dowdy, Philip Priddy, Garold Shaffer. Heat 3-Kirkpatrick, Brady Bell, Tim Clark, Ian Hunter, Eric VanHooser. Heat 4-Tim Breshears, David Addamo, Zach Forster, Mitch Machado, Dave Soito Jr. B Main-Shaffer, Silva, VanHooser, Hagio, Mitch Caldwell, John Romero, Ed Perry, Tom Renner, Robert Meneley, Soito. A Main-Sawyer, Priddy, Wilkinson, Oathout, VanHooser, Breshears, Dowdy, Kirkpatrick, Simkins, Hunter, Forster, Sullivan, Silva, Machado, Clark, Hagio, Shaffer, Addamo, Romero, Caldwell, Denman, Bell.

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