BACH, ALDERMAN IN RACEWAY’S FIRST-EVER MAIN EVENT TIE
by Lee Elder
VENTURA, Calif. (May 3, 2008) – If a tie is like kissing your sister, then Ventura Raceway drivers Ron Bach and Bob Alderman need to find a sibling and pucker up.
Bach (Ventura) and Alderman (Calabasas) finished in a dead heat and were both awarded first place points after a wild finish in the Ventura Racing Association’s Senior Sprint Car division main event Saturday. It was the first main event tie in the 31-year history of the track at Seaside Park.
Raceway officials reviewed video showing the end of the race and found the evidence inconclusive.
“There was no way for us to be sure who won,” said Raceway Promoter Jim Naylor. “We decided to declare both of them first place finishers. It’s the right thing to do.”
The other winners included Kevin Kierce (Reseda) in Sprint Cars, Darren Gunnell in the Sport Compacts, Brian Saxton (Mentone) in the Pro Dwarfs, El Cajon’s Jim Scribellito (Senior Dwarfs), Brennan Rogers (Camarillo) in the Junior Midgets, Cameron McCauley (Westlake) in the Mini Dwarfs-Pistons and Devin McCree (Ventura) in the Mini Dwarfs-Superchargers.
The Senior Sprint Car finish came down to a drag race off the final corner of the last lap. Alderman was slightly ahead as the leading pair caught a slower car that was a lap behind the leaders. Alderman went toward the outside to get around the third car and Bach cut low. The three cars passed under the checkered flag at the same moment.
Alderman, who had not won a race in a season and a half, had no doubts about the Senior Sprint finish. “I won,” he said. I was definitely in front of (Bach). I was sideways, so I had a great view of him.”
Bach said, “We had a slow car in the middle of us. We were all tight. I don’t know.”
“It was a dead heat,” race director Cliff Morgan said after reviewing the video.
Kierce and Scribellito got their wins after leading the early laps, surrendering the top spot and then going back in front with a few laps left.
The eight-division race card drew 128 entrants to the .20-mile clay oval.
