LAKEPORT — Mark Blevine, all of 16 years old, won his first Legends Cars main event on Saturday night at the Lakeport Speedway, where he received a standing ovation.
In other action Saturday, age dominated youth in the modified division as the three oldest drivers Dan Bishop (55), Bob Strauss (62) and Mike Smithhart (61) finished 1-2-3; Jimmy Sorrels won the Guy Strohmeier Auto Center Bomber main event; Chris Salmina held that line against an aggressive pack to claim the street stock main event; and Rich Schramm Jr. took the checkered flag ahead of the field in the mini-stock main event.
Legends Cars
This is the first full season for Legends Cars driver Blevine as a semi-pro (he graduated from rookie status five races ago). Despite his young age, Blevine”s patience and skill served him well in the main event as he avoided spins and crashes during the first half of the race.
The Legends Cars randomly drew to invert the top-six fast qualifiers in the 11 car. This put David Ball and Kelly Martin out in front at the green flag. Martin quickly took and held it for 14 laps while Randy Fellman, Ball and Frankie Marhs battled for position just ahead of Blevine.
A quick yellow was thrown on lap 7 when Cody Berger spun in turn 3. On the restart, Blevine was passed by a hard-charging Jake Jackson.
Jackson made his way past Ball for fourth place when, on lap 14, Fellman tried an inside pass by Martin for first. The two tangled and neither Marhs and Jackson could avoid them. The ensuing collision sent Martin and Marhs to the pits for repairs before rejoining the race, but Jackson was forced to retire.
With the top four now at the back of the pack or out of the race, Ball and Blevine found themselves leading the lap-15 restart ahead of Jack Humphery and David Fisher. On lap 18, Ball got wide, allowing Blevine to make a fast inside pass for the lead.
Ball was unable to chase down Blevine while Humphrey and Fisher duked it out for third and fourth. However, Fellman refused to be left out as he steadily climbed through the field to take fourth from Fisher on lap 27.
At the checkers it was Blevine ahead of Ball, followed by Humphery and Fellman. Fisher was disqualified during post-race tech inspection for failing engine compression, which gave Kelly Martin fifth followed by Marhs, Keith Clement, Berger and Cynthia Fisher.
David Fisher set the fast time of 14.132, Martin and Humphrey won the heat races, and Fellman took the trophy dash.
Modifieds
Steve Taylor and Jonathon Reynolds were the earlier leaders in the modified main event, but Reynolds went high and allowed the faster pack to quickly pass him as Bishop and Smithhart passed Bob Strauss for second and third.
By lap four, the four leaders were running nose to tail and the two points leaders, David Furia and Terry McIntire, were moving up, passing Eric Johnson to grab the fifth and sixth slots. This line stayed tight until lap nine, when Taylor”s car broke loose and was freight-trained by five cars, all of which passed him on the inside.
By lap 12, the slower car of Rod Harper was lapped by the field, allowing Strauss to pin Smithhart behind Harper and make the pass for second. Harper retired to the infield on lap 15.
From that point on, Bishop, Strauss and Smithhart pulled away from the field while Furia and McIntire battled for fourth.
At the checkered it was Bishop, Strauss and Smithhart, Furia and McIntire.
Furia set the fast time of 12.931, Strauss won the trophy dash and Johnson the heat race.
Mini-stocks
Fred Schmidt and Harley Sharpe were in the lead at the start of the mini-stock main event. They were immediately passed by Rich Schramm Jr., Mitchel Preston and David Coyne. Schramm and Preston stretched their lead while lapping the cars of Richie Hoven, Schmidt and Sharpe.
Schramm held the lead on the inside against Preston who, while having the power to catch and stay with Schramm, could not maintain traction for the outside pass. Lap nine saw the first yellow as Coyne spun in turn two.
By lap 26, Preston was determined to make that outside pass on Schramm, but lost grip and spun in turn two. He quickly caught up to Schramm after the restart but did not have enough laps to try again.
Schramm claimed the win followed by Preston, Coyne, Hoven, Sharpe, Brad Laird and Schmidt. Schramm also won the heat race and Preston set the fast time of 13.946. He also won the trophy dash.
Street stocks
The street stock class, now lighter with a rule change that limits car to 3,150 pounds, fielded five cars. Kevin Waycik and Bill Mucci led the field early in the main event. Mucci was immediately hung out high by the pack as Sean Keown took the lead and then lost it just as quickly to Waycik and Chris Salmina.
Salmina powered out in the front while Waycik and Charlie Collins traded position and paint. Collins finally moved into second on lap nine and started to chase Salmina while Waycik found himself prey to Keown. Keown finally made the pass on lap 20 but slapped the wall in lap 22 to bring out the yellow.
The restart saw Salmina and Collins side by side as Collins tried to make the pass but he lost it and spun in turn 4 on lap 26.
Collins retired to the pits in lap 29 and Salmina went on the cross the finish followed by Mucci and Waycik.
Collins set the fast time of 13.799 and also won the heat race, and Mucci won the trophy dash.
Bombers
Adam Oubre and Robert Byers were ahead at the start of the bomber main event. Byers took the lead as Oubre was shuffled to the back by Ron Portlock, Mike Bray and Richard Schwarm.
Dave Jones retired to the pits on lap two. On lap three, Forrest Keucker got loose on the frontstretch after passing Jon Waner, spun and took Waner into the wall with him.
Byers and Portlock restarted the pack ahead of Schwarm and Bray. The two bomber points leaders, Jimmy Sorrels and George Abella, made their way up to fifth and sixth and Sorrels had moved up to second by lap nine, tearing half his front bumper away when Virgil Cokely spun in turn four to bring out the second yellow.
Byers, Sorrels, Bray, Abella, Portlock and Schwarm restarted the field in a tight pack. Just as Sorrels edged out Byers for the lead by a nose, Andy Norton and Portlock touched and Portlock spun into the infield for another yellow
What would have been a quick restart was brought to a halt when Willie Stephens lost a right-front brakeline and the brake fluid burst into flame around the wheel on the backstretch, sending him into the infield. The fire was quickly doused by the infield fire crew and Stephens and passenger were uninjured after a very quick exit from the car.
This set the stage for the two points leaders, Sorrels and Abella, to restart the field ahead of Schwarm, Byers and Keucker. Abella was working Sorrels hard from the outside while Schwarm looked for an opening. On lap 15, Cokely”s car broke loose, touched Portlock, spun and blew a right-rear tire.
After a quick tire change, the field restarted as before, but quickly shuffled Byers behind Keucker, Norton and Waner.
Sorrels and Abella raced for the lead side by side for two laps when Abella suddenly broke loose and spun in turn four. Portlock also took to the pits with a flat tire and Richard Bray for repairs. Both returned after a few laps.
This put Sorrels and Schwarm in the front for the restart. Sorrels moved ahead, bringing Keucker past Schwarm on the inside. Schwarm worked Keucker hard to regain second while Abella threaded his way through the field to pass Waner for fourth on lap 23.
Sorrels stretched out his lead, was slowed by lapped cars, but managed to make his way though to take the checkered ahead of Schwarm.
Keucker was running for fun while he works on his newly purchased car, so Abella took third followed by Waner, Norton and Byers.
Abella set the fast time of 15.046, Schwarm won the trophy dash, and Oubre and Cokely took the heat races.
Auto racing continues at the Lakeport Speedway on Saturday night when the visiting Westcar Late Models join the mini-stocks and bombers. Another installment of the “Eve of Destruction” Boat Race also takes place.
For more information, browse “http://www.LakeportSpeedway.com”.
