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Cajon Speedway results 2003-09-13

EL CAJON, CA (09/13/03). Eric Ferguson ended up buried in mid-pack five laps into the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series main event at Cajon Speedway Saturday night. But the veteran racer had a never-say-die attitude. So he still ended up in victory lane ...

EL CAJON, CA (09/13/03). Eric Ferguson ended up buried in mid-pack five laps into the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series main event at Cajon Speedway Saturday night. But the veteran racer had a never-say-die attitude. So he still ended up in victory lane after nipping Richard Hinze in a final sprint to the line in the 25-lap street stock contest on the 3/8-mile paved oval.

It was the sixth victory of the season for Ferguson, who widened his lead in the divisional point standings with just two races remaining on the schedule. Ferguson, who sat sixth on the starting grid, took the checkered flag less than a car length in front of Hinze, who probably saw his title hopes go down the drain with a blown motor two weeks earlier. Rob Freeman, who broke in qualifying, ran third. Mark Holland was fourth and Gordon Anderson was fifth. Ferguson's point lead expanded from 34 to 72 over Rich Green. Green had to make a trip to the pits on lap 7 to replace a flat left front tire and ended up 12th.

Mike Salm had a hard night as well in the Grand American modifieds. His engine blew in hot laps. After his crew made the motor swap, Salm came back to have second fast time and then stormed to victory in their 25-lap feature. Art Nevill lost and then regained the lead to take honors in the legend cars. Ernie Teixeira had the only easy run of the night. The rookie paced all 20-rounds of the factory stocks to claim his first career victory.

Josh Green looked well on his way to his initial victory in the street stocks. He started on the pole and pulled well away from the pack once the race got underway. Ron Nava and Bob Meese battled for second early-on. The remainder of the field backed up behind them. That multi-care debate was finally settled in turn two on lap 5. Nava, Green, and Ferguson all came out on the losing end. This is when Green's tire started going down. Ferguson ended up getting kicked back to about 8th. And Nava had to go to the pits for repairs as well. Hinze ended up in second as a result of this scramble.

Josh Green meanwhile was cruising. But he lost his 20-car lead on lap 12 when the pace was slowed after Nava's car stalled in the track entrance while trying to return to the fray. This put Hinze on Green's tail. Hinze was out front two rounds later and then Josh Green slowly slipped back into the pack. He ended up eighth. Ferguson slowly worked his way back into contention and was on up to second by lap 18. It took him six more laps to catch Hinze. As he had done most of the race, Ferguson took to the tall side to try to make the pass. The duo was nearly side-by-side down the back chute. They both tried to keep their foot in it through the final turn but Ferguson was able to nose in front off the final turn.

"Starting up front that far, we thought maybe (things would be smooth)," a tired, but relieved Ferguson related after the race. "But we got taken to the back. The last lap was lots of fun. Richard gave me a lot of room on the outside. He had a good lead going into one. I just dumped it in. The car stuck and he gave me the room off of two. We raced side-by-side down the back. We both went in pretty hot into three and had a good side-by-side race coming off for the checkered. I had to get off the gas a little bit, but we got it."

Salm came from eighth starting position in the Grand American modifieds. It marked his first main event victory of the year. Andy Papp was out front for the opening three rounds before he ceded the top spot to Pat Garity. By the tenth round, Salm was pressuring the leader after moving up through traffic in the high groove. Not changing what was working, Salm stayed high and powered around the outside of Garity.

Once in front Salm moved away from his rivals. Point leader Jimmy Dickerson moved into second on lap 13 but he was unable to eat into Salm's margin. At the end of the 25-lapper, Salm was a dozen length behind. Mike Jackson was third ahead of Lou Tompkins and Garity. Dickerson's run leaves him just 14 markers ahead of Salm with one race remaining in the season for the modifieds. But Dickerson started the night only 9 tallies in front of Jackson, who is now third 25 points in arrears to the leader.

"We had the car hooked up on the outside tonight," Salm related after his ride. "We burned a piston (in the other motor). It might have been running a little lean."

"We've been fighting and fighting it this year. It has been frustrating. We' ve been asking ourselves if racing was still fun. We set a record (back in 2000) with five wins in a row. But this year it looked like we would be dry. But this will bring us back up again. (After the motor swap), we didn't have a lot of time to work on setup, so maybe that was good."

In the factory stocks, Teixeira got a break when the 20-lap affair ran non-stop. But still the fastest qualifiers who started in the back half of the field never seemed to be able to make their way forward. The battle behind Teixeira was intense with Lyle Driscoll, Ryan Gay, Matt Arnold, David Liedike, and Vernon Gilmore battling tooth-and-nail. The second through fifth positions were changing nearly every lap. Gay finally took second while Liedike had the best run of his career to come home third. Driscoll and Gilmore ended up fourth and fifth.

The story of the night in the factory stocks was the drive that racers Jimmy and Michelle Rouse and John Kelley made to get to the track. They all live in Fontana, which is about 110 miles north of El Cajon. They set off north Saturday morning to race at Willow Raceway in Lancaster. When they arrived at the track 70 miles later, they found out they weren't running. So they headed southeast 60 miles to Victorville. But alas they were racing either. So they hauled the 150 miles down I-15 to El Cajon and arrived after qualifying was underway. Despite the fact that their cars and tires were not legal, track officials let them qualify and then run in the 15-lap C-Main. But they were not eligible to transfer out of that race. Jimmy Rouse, making his third start as a racer, lapped up to fourth place in that race while Michelle Rouse, who has run about ten times at Orange Show and Blythe, was second behind her husband. Kelley in just his second race was fourth.

In the legends, the old veteran Art Nevill outsmarted the competition to win for the second straight time at Cajon. Nevill gained the point from Tom Skahill on lap 8. Then he lost the advantage to John Isabella after a four lap side-by-side duel. Nevill, whose car stuck like glue on the bottom of the track, didn't give up and stayed right on Isabella's tail. He kept getting great runs off the corners, especially turn four. He was back out front by the end of lap 23. Then he stole Isabella's mid-track groove for the last two rounds to cement his sixth Cajon victory. Nevill was five lengths in front of Isabella at the line. Donnie Akers, Skahill, and Bob Graham III rounded out the top five.

PIT NOTES: Congratulations to Chuck Trickle, who laid claim to his first track championship at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Chuck ran tenth in their season finale to take home the Super Late Model championship trophy at that 3/8-mile paved oval. Chuck says he will be down to Cajon on October 4 for the Budweiser Open Competition race.

RESULTS FOR THE NASCAR DODGE WEEKLY SERIES

GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIED
Fast Time - Jimmy Dickerson, El Cajon; Time - :16.814.
1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Andy Papp, La Mesa; 2. Pat Garity, El Cajon; 3. Douglas Carpenter, La Mesa; 4. Dave Wade, Lakeside; 5. Matt Pate, San Diego; 6. Randy Hart, National City; Time - 2:17.93. 2nd Heat (8 laps) - 1. Mike Jackson, Bonita; 2. Doug Catania, El Cajon; 3. Lou Tompkins, San Diego; 4. Jimmy Dickerson, El Cajon; 5. Mike Salm, Fallbrook; 6. Steve Dickerson, El Cajon; 7. Brian Pusey, Lemon Grove; 8. Bobby Roland Jr., Jamul; Time - 2:17.95.
Main event (25 laps) - 1. Mike Salm, Fallbrook; 2. Jimmy Dickerson, El Cajon; 3. Mike Jackson, Bonita; 4. Lou Tompkins, San Diego; 5. Pat Garity, El Cajon; 6. Steve Dickerson, El Cajon; 7. Andy Papp, La Mesa; 8. Brian Pusey, Lemon Grove; 9. Douglas Carpenter, La Mesa; 10. Matt Pate, San Diego; 11. Hector Leon, Santee; 12. Dave Wade, Lakeside; 13. Randy Hart, National City; 14. Doug Catania, El Cajon; 15. Bobby Roland Jr., Jamul; Time -- 13:20.82.

STREET STOCK
Fast Time - Rich Green Jr., El Cajon; Time - :18.002.
Dash (4 laps) - 1. Eric Ferguson, El Cajon; 2. Rich Green Jr., El Cajon; 3. Mark Holland, San Diego; 4. Jason Pontsler, Poway; Time - 1:11.02.
1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Josh Green, San Diego; 2. Bob Meese, Poway; 3. Ron Nava, Encinitas; 4. DJ Weinman, Vista; 5. RJ Stockman, Lakeside; 6. Tom Jaggi, Campo; Time - 2:27.79.
2nd Heat (8 laps) - 1. Richard Hinze, Lakeside; 2. Eric Ferguson, El Cajon; 3. Gordon Anderson, Lemon Grove; 4. Rich Green Jr., El Cajon; 5. Dave Arce, Santee; 6. Mark Holland, San Diego; 7. Rob Freeman, Santee; 8. Jason Pontsler, Poway; Time - 2:27.30.
Main event (25 laps) - 1. Eric Ferguson, El Cajon; 2. Richard Hinze, Lakeside; 3. Rob Freeman, Santee; 4. Mark Holland, San Diego; 5. Gordon Anderson, Lemon Grove; 6. Jason Pontsler, Poway; 7. Dave Arce, Santee; 8. Josh Green, San Diego; 9. Ivan Harrison, Santee; 10. Bob Meese, Poway; 11. Tom Jaggi, Campo; 12. Rich Green Jr., El Cajon; 13. Ron Nava, Encinitas; 14. RJ Stockman, Lakeside; 15. DJ Weinman, Vista; Time -- 10:30.92.

FACTORY STOCK
Fast Time - Brian Fitzgibbons, El Cajon; Time - :21.282.
1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Lyle Driscoll, Lakeside; 2. Ernest Teixeira, Vista; 3. Ryan Gay, El Cajon; 4. David Liedike, El Cajon; 5. John Robinson, Ramona; 6. Kelly Krueger, Fallbrook; 7. Mike Rumbaugh, Poway; 8. Rick Lloyd, El
Cajon; Time - 4:56.07.
2nd Heat (8 laps) - 1. Matt Arnold, San Diego; 2. Vernon Gilmore, Santee; 3. Aaron Reid, El Cajon; 4. Blaine Sharp, Jamul; 5. Eric Sweetman, Santee; 6. Pat Bradley, San Marcos; 7. John Krempp Jr., El Cajon; 8. Brian Fitzgibbons, El Cajon; Time - 2:56.51.
Consolation (15 laps) - 1. Jimmy Rouse, Fontana; 2. Michelle Rouse, Fontana; 3. Paul Bethel, San Diego; 4. Robert Hughes, Campo; 5. John Kelley, Fontana; Time - 5:20.79.
Semi (15 laps) - 1. Jim Tucker, Spring Valley; 2. Keri Griffin, Santee; 3. Martin Kepler, El Cajon; 4. Mike Ellis, Lakeside; 5. Steve Bergman, San Diego; 6. Glen Davis, La Mesa; 7. Eric Shockey, Santee; 8. Keith Krueger, Fallbrook; 9. Paul Bethel, San Diego; 10. Ed Valenzuela, Santee; 11. Mark Littlepage, San Clemente; 12. Steve Abbott, Lakeside; 13. Robert Hughes, Campo; 14. Jim Crone IV, Escondido; Time - 5:41.15.
Main event (20 laps) - 1. Ernest Teixeira, Vista; 2. Ryan Gay, El Cajon; 3. David Liedike, El Cajon; 4. Lyle Driscoll, Lakeside; 5. Vernon Gilmore, Santee; 6. Pat Bradley, San Marcos; 7. Matt Arnold, San Diego; 8. Brian Fitzgibbons, El Cajon; 9. John Robinson, Ramona; 10. Eric Sweetman, Santee; 11. Blaine Sharp, Jamul; 12. John Krempp Jr., El Cajon; 13. Martin Kepler, El Cajon; 14. Rick Lloyd, El Cajon; 15. Jim Tucker, Spring Valley; 16. Keri Griffin, Santee; 17. Mike Ellis, Lakeside; 18. Kelly Krueger, Fallbrook; 19. Steve Bergman, San Diego; 20. Glen Davis, La Mesa; 21. Aaron Reid, El Cajon; 22. Mike Rumbaugh, Poway; Time -- 7:23.36.

LEGEND
Fast Time - John Isabella, El Cajon; Time - :18.974.
Dash (4 laps) - 1. Bob Graham III, Alpine; 2. John Isabella, El Cajon; 3. Art Nevill, Acton; 4. Donnie Akers, Anaheim; Time - 1:16.87.
1st Heat (8 laps) - 1. Frank Chavez, San Diego; 2. Bill Bonney, San Clemente; 3. Warren Merrifield, Pasadena; 4. Dave Riggs, Lakeside; 5. Mike Daniel, Alpine; 6. Don Stone, Lodi; 7. Billy Crisp, Galt; 8. Dennis O'Conner, Oceanside; 9. John McIntyre, El Cajon; Time - 2:38.41.
2nd Heat (8 laps) - 1. Gary Scheuerell, Murrieta; 2. Donnie Akers, Anaheim; 3. Fred Chavez, Santee; 4. John Isabella, El Cajon; 5. Mark Gaiser, Anaheim; 6. Bob Graham III, Alpine; 7. Chuck Carter, Spring Valley; 8. Tom Skahill, Duarte; 9. Art Nevill, Acton; Time - 5:50.15.
Main event (25 laps) - 1. Art Nevill, Acton; 2. John Isabella, El Cajon; 3. Donnie Akers, Anaheim; 4. Tom Skahill, Duarte; 5. Bob Graham III, Alpine; 6. Gary Scheuerell, Murrieta; 7. Mark Gaiser, Anaheim; 8. Mike Daniel, Alpine; 9. Dennis O'Conner, Oceanside; 10. Dave Riggs, Lakeside; 11. Bill Bonney, San Clemente; 12. Don Stone, Lodi; 13. Warren Merrifield, Pasadena; 14. Billy Crisp, Galt; 15. John McIntyre, El Cajon; 16. Chuck Carter, Spring Valley; 17. Fred Chavez, Santee; 18. Frank Chavez, San Diego; Time -- 21:05.26.

TRAIN RACE - 1. Ryan Gay, El Cajon; 2. Joe Totten, El Cajon; 3. Dan Hildebrand, El Cajon; 4. Drew Homan, El Cajon;

ATTENDANCE - 2483

-cj

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