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Press Release
Santa Maria, CA - July 26, 2008...The Bandit/VRA Grand Slam Sprint Car Challenge drew a massive field of 41 sprinters to Santa Maria Speedway Saturday night. They were joined by D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds and Mini Stocks.
*It took five 10-lap heat races and two 12-lap semi mains to set the 23 starters for the 30-lap Grand Slam feature event. Three scary looking flips took Adam Frith-Smith, of O'Neals, out of a heat; T.J. Smith, of Fresno, out of a semi; and Greg Porte, of San Luis Obispo, out of the feature, while running in the top-five and contending for the win. All three drivers crawled out of their mounts under their own power.
*SMS Bandit, Bandit Series and Bandit/VRA point leader Peter Murphy, of Clovis, spent only three laps catching and passing Taft's Jason May for the lead in the feature event. Murphy was able to hold his advantage until the eighteenth circuit when he was passed for the lead by Tipton's Danny Faria, Jr. Murphy kept Faria in his sights for the remainder of the run, but couldn't get back around. May finished third ahead of Troy Rutherford, of Ojai, and Davey Pombo of Kerman. Jeff Fiscus, of Nipomo, and Kevin Kierce, of Reseda, won the semi's and heat race wins went to Faria, D. Pombo, Porte, Santa Maria's Danny Sheridan, and Easton's Albert Pombo.
*IMCA Modifieds were led to the checkers by Clay Daly, of Watsonville, who passed early leader Ron Wiley, of Santa Maria, on lap fifteen of the 25-lap event. Santa Maria's Joey Claborn chased Daly for the rest of the event before settling for second and Chad Weber, of Arroyo Grande, came home third. Point leader Danny Lauer, of Santa Maria, was fourth and second in points Kenny Kirkpatrick, of Nipomo, fifth. Lauer, Doug Thornton, of Santa Maria, and Tommy Laliberte, of San Jose, captured 8-lap heat races.
*Mini Stocks had a wild finish in their 20-lap feature event with Justin Crockett, of Arroyo Grande, trying to get under Daylan Coffey, of Santa Maria, coming out of turn four on the final lap. Their front bumpers locked together and the two cars came across the finish line locked together. Fortunately for Crockett, his bumper was ahead of Coffey's giving him the win and moving him back into the point lead ahead of Justin Marsh, of Nipomo, who finished third. Mike Weigel, of Lompoc, and Darrin Davis, of Atascadero, placed fourth and fifth and won 8-lap heat races as well.
*Next Saturday night Late Model Stocks will be back in action along with D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds, East vs. West Super Street Stocks, and Factory Stocks. Also on the schedule is the "Rabobank Nickel Scramble" for kids under 42 inches tall. Gates for this event will open at 3:00 p.m., with racing at 6:00 p.m. Tickets will be $18.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors (65+), $5.00 for children six to twelve, kids five and under are free. Credit cards are not accepted. The Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.
RACE SUMMARIES...
Bandit/VRA Grand Slam Sprint Cars: Heat 1 - Danny Faria, Jr., Rusty Carlile, Tyler Schmidt, Jeff Culver, Guy Woodward, Brandon Thomson, T.J. Smith, Geoffrey Strole, Clark Templeman III. Heat 2 - Danny Sheridan, Jason May, Jonathan Henry, Jace VanderWeerd, Jeff Fiscus, Kevin Kierce, Steve DeMott, Cliff Warren. Heat 3 - Davey Pombo, Peter Murphy, Rick Hendrix, Kevin Barnes, Michael Faccinto, Ryan Guy, Derek Buckley, Dennis Rodriguez. Heat 4 - Albert Pombo, Troy Rutherford, Justyne Hamblin, Eric Severson, Brian Camarillo, Hobie Conway, Mike Cook, Adam Frith-Smith. Heat 5 - Greg Porte, Greg Taylor, Richard VanderWeerd, Mike Larsen, Richard McCormick, Bill Jones, Chris Ennis, Rick Eberhardt. Semi 1 - Fiscus, Camarillo, DeMott, Thomson, Culver, Barnes, Templeman, Larsen, Guy, Cook, Jones, Strole, Frith-Smith. Semi 2 - Kierce, McCormick, Faccinto, Conway, Warren, J. VanderWeerd, Ennis, Buckley, Eberhardt, Smith, Woodward, Severson, Rodriguez. Main Event - Faria, Murphy, May, Rutherford, D. Pombo, Hamblin, R. VanderWeerd, Carlile, Camarillo, Kierce, Fiscus, Conway, Taylor, Thomson, DeMott, Schmidt, McCormick, Henry, Hendrix, Porte, Sheridan, A. Pombo, Faccinto.
IMCA Modifieds: Heat 1 - Doug Thornton, Clay Daly, Kenny Kirkpatrick, Bob Campitelli, Paul Terrones, Greg Markarian (DNS). Heat 2 - Tommy Laliberte, Josh Vogt, Ron Wiley, Randy Thornell, Ken Kehs, Chris Harwin. Heat 3 - Danny Lauer, Joey Claborn, Chad Weber, Jared Domingos, Kenny Rayner, Steve Greenland. Main Event - Daly, Claborn, Weber, Lauer, Kirkpatrick, Vogt, Thornton, Laliberte, Thornell, Wiley, Domingos, Rayner, Campitelli, Kehs, Terrones, Harwin, Greenland.
Mini Stocks: Heat 1 - Darrin Davis, Justin Crockett, Wade Bognuda, Daylan Coffey, Bill Jewell, Martin Nehring, Phillip Sewell, Pete Lethcoe, Richard Stevens, Chuck Weber III. Heat 2 - Mike Weigel, Pat Fausel, Matt Sweeney, Ben Caswell, Frank Nyback, Greg Noah, Jeff Biggs, Robby Cervantes, Justin Klucker, Justin Marsh (DNS). Main Event - Crockett, Coffey, Marsh, Weigel, Davis, Nyback, Fausel, Jewell, Caswell, Sweeney, Bognuda, Noah, Cervantes, Lethcoe, Nehring, Biggs, Sewell, Stevens, Weber, Klucker.
POINT STANDINGS:
SMS Bandit Sprint Cars - 1. Peter Murphy, 420 2. Albert Pombo, 362 3. Justyne Hamblin, 329 4. Rusty Carlile, 318 5. Richard VanderWeerd, 290.
IMCA Modifieds - 1. Danny Lauer, 421 2. Kenny Kirkpatrick, 406 3. Josh Vogt, 390 4. Doug Thornton, 384 5. Chad Weber, 352.
Mini Stocks - 1. Justin Crockett, 450 2. Justin Marsh, 447 3. Daylan Coffey, 356 4. Bill Jewell, 352 5. Ben Caswell, 350.
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