LAKEPORT — A high temperature of 108 couldn”t match the hot action taking place on the track Saturday night at the Lakeport Speed-way.
Terry McIntire of Kelseyville set the fast time (12.753 seconds) and then went on to edge out Jeremy Nowlin and David Furia in the modified main. Also on Saturday, Charlie Collins of Nice won the the 14-car Guy Strohmeier Auto Center bomber main. He also won a heat race and set a track-record time that was later thrown out when his car failed technical inspection.
In other action, mini-stock points leaders Mitchell Preston and Rich Schramm Jr. doggedly hunted each other down in the main event, but it was Preston from Kelseyville who came out on top. And Bob Strauss of Lucerne beat Rick Bryant in the L.A. Cruiser division.
Modifieds
McIntire steadily moved his way up through the pack and made the winning pass on lap 22. He held the lead the rest of the way and took the checkered flag in front of Jeremy Nowlin and David Furia. Strauss came in fourth and Ron Conner was fifth.
Conner won the heat race and Derrick Crayford was first in the trophy dash.
Mini-stocks
Only three mini-stocks were on the track for the main event. Schramm started on the poll but lost the lead to Preston in lap 3. Schramm regained the lead as both he and Preston lapped Fred Schmidt on lap four. Preston pulled back in front on lap five and the two drivers battled each other for the top spot until lap 24, when Schramm spun himself around in turn two. That was it for him as Preston coasted in for the victory.
Schramm ended up second and Schmidt third. Schramm set the fast time (13.993) and Preston won the heat race.
Bombers
In a bomber main featuring 14 cars, points leader George Abella did his best to hold off the hard-charging Collins only to lose the lead on the final lap. Jimmy Sorrels finished third, Andy Norton crossed the finish line in fourth and Adam Oubre was fifth.
Sorrels set the fast time of 15.205, Roy Funderburk won the trophy dash, Collins was first in the fast heat and Robert Byers won the slow heat.
Cruisers
The L.A. Cruiser main started with Paul Lauenroth and Bob Strauss leading Rod Gard, who was driving the Mike Smithhart No. 75, and Rick Bryant. Bryant quickly found his way to the front and powered ahead of the field. After Bryant moved to the outside lane, the rest of the pack slowly made progress.
Lap 10 saw a yellow flag for smoke from Strauss” car. Strauss moved inside of Bryant on the restart. Strauss and Bryant traded positions over the next five laps but it was Strauss who gained the inside when Bryant had to move it on over and Strauss led from lap 19 until the checkered flag.
Bryant finished second, Lauenroth was third, and Rod Gard came in fourth.
Gard won the trophy dash as well as the soccer race, during which the Cruisers push paddle boats around the track. Gard completed 10 laps with his boat out in front before the other drivers.
Auto racing continues on Saturday night with the annual Kelseyville Lumber Deake Lyndall Memorial. The tribute race features the BCRA midgets, modifieds, mini-stocks, street stocks and bombers.
