LAKEPORT — Matt Preston of Kelseyville finally had everything dialed in last Saturday during mini-stock action at the Lakeport Speedway, where he set the fast time, won the heat race and trophy dash and finished first in the main event to complete a clean sweep.
In other action Saturday, Jeremy Nowlin of Kelsey-ville won his second modified main event, Virgil Cokeley of Ukiah nailed down his first feature victory in the Guy Strohmeier Auto Center bomber division, and Mark Marek of Lakeport won the main event in the L.A. Cruiser division.
The annual “Kids Rides” parade was held before racing started. Kids were able to ride around the track in the favorite cars of their favorite drivers.
Another special event was an appearance by the Nostalgic Race Car Club, which put on a trophy dash and main event.
Included in the field was a replica of the No. 10 1935 Ford three-window coupe Bill France Sr. raced to a fifth-place finish in the first stock car race at Daytona Beach in 1936. France later went on to help found NASCAR and build Daytona International Raceway and its sister track at Talladega.
NCRA mini-stocks
Rich Schramm Jr. led Preston and the rest of the mini-stock field to start the main event but it was all Preston by lap four. He finished ahead of Schramm by almost half the track.
The lapped cars of Rick Reynolds, Brad Laird, and Fred Schmidt finished third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
NCRA modifieds
Ron Connor and Ben Nunnes led early on in the modified main event and quickly pulled away from a bunched group of cars driven by Justin Potter, Jonathon Reynolds, Nowlin, Bob Strauss and Dan Bishop. Nowlin and Bishop followed Potter past Reynolds on the inside, while Terry McIntire made it past Strauss.
By lap eight, Potter and Nowlin were running nose to tail and had caught up to Nunnes as Connor stretched his lead. Richie Potts, who had suffered wheel damage in an earlier heat race, fell off the pace and retired to the pits. McIntire ran on the outside of Bishop in a race for fourth as Strauss followed in fifth.
Nunnes” car broke loose on turn four of lap 17 and he was passed by Potter, Nowlin, McIntire, Bishop and Strauss.
On lap 20, Potter suffered the same fate as Nunnes as his car got loose in turn two. He was passed by Nowlin, Bishop, Strauss and McIntire.
Strauss worked the outside of Bishop for third while Nowlin found the rear end of Connor”s car. As Nowlin skillfully fenced Connor to the inside and made the outside pass, Strauss made a similar outside pass on Bishop. Strauss, Bishop, and McIntire all followed Nowlin past Connor.
David Furia, who had been struggling in the back of the pack, pinned Reynolds behind Connor and passed both to move into fifth.
At the checkered, it was Nowlin, Strauss, Bishop, McIntire and Furia.
Bombers
Adam Oubre and Ron Portlock led the field as the green flag flew. Oubre was running well off the pace and immediately faded back through the field as Cokeley, Danny Helm, Robert Byers, and Mike Bray bunched up in a fight for second through fifth.
Helm, new to the Lakeport track, had trouble entering the turns but managed to hold it together and keep third place.
By lap six, Chuck Hackbarth, who had given up the pole position, was lapped. Oubre broke loose in turn 2, fished through the backstretch, recovered in turn 3, but had to retire to the frontstretch infield.
Wendy Ray Pierce, who had threaded her way by Andy Norton, Oubre and Richard Bray, took to the outside of Mike Bray in a five-lap battle that finally gained her fifth position. Byers got loose behind Helm, drifted high, and Pierce passed him on the inside for fourth.
Meanwhile points leaders George Abella and Jimmy Sorrels had been trying everything they could to pass the middle pack of cars. The combination of Oubre”s retirement to the infield and lapping Hackbarth allowed Jon Waner to move up to the inside of Sorrels, just behind Abella.
As they were about to lap Hackbarth again on lap 12, Sorrels pinned Waner behind Hackbarth and started the outside pass. Waner saw room between them and made it three-wide. Sorrels held steady and made it to the inside ahead of Waner.
On the next lap, Waner moved to the outside of Sorrels and the two drivers made contact in turn two. Waner”s car fished and did a nose-and-tail dance on the right side of Sorrels, then spun on the backstretch, bringing out the first yellow flag of the night. Sorrels lost his right front tire to the fender damage and changed it in the pits.
Portlock and Cokeley led the lap-14 restart. Portlock broke loose in turn two, drifted wide and was passed by Cokeley, Byers and Abella. Pierce got stuck on the outside behind Portlock as he was passed, but she quickly regrouped and started battling Abella for fourth.
A night free of yellow flags was officially over. The new right-front tire of Sorrels was being scored by fender damage and he was directed to the infield to inspect it. Pierce suffered damage in her battle for fourth and retired out the turn-two gate, but stalled to bring out the yellow. While her car was pushed out of the way, Sorrels” fender was pulled away from the tire, which was scored into the white of the sidewall but was still good enough to run. Unfortunately, the delay left Sorrels two laps down.
Cokeley and Helm restarted the field on lap 23 and battled side by side for first ahead of Byers and Norton. Mike Bray was inside of Abella fighting for fifth followed closely by Waner. Behind them, Portlock and Sorrels both got loose in turn four, Portlock banged the wall and was passed by the rest of the field.
At the same time, Abella and Mike Bray went three-wide as they tried to lap Hackbarth. Abella”s car turned sideways in front of Waner and Sorrels, and the chain-reaction crash put Sorrels into Ron Bray.
During the yellow flag, Ron Bray and Portlock retired with damage, Abella had to change a left-front tire in the pits, and the abused right-front wheel of Sorrels was now bent but still runnable.
Cokeley and Helm led the lap-26 restart. Helm lost ground on the outside and Byers followed Cokeley past him. Cokeley took the checkered in front of Byers, Mike Bray, Helm and Norton.
L.A. Cruisers
In the L.A. Cruiser main event, Marek and Rod Gard led the field early on. Marek had to move to the outside on lap three and Gard took the lead on the inside and, on lap five, moved to the outside. Marek regained the lead at that point.
On lap seven, Jay Cookson retired to the pits after being lapped. Marek moved to the outside but this time kept a strong line and the lead.
When Marek had to move it on over after lap 11, Strauss moved to the front, but Gard reclaimed the lead two laps later.
Paul Lauenroth followed Gard past Strauss and, when Gard moved over, took the inside lead. Marek took advantage of this strategy, passing Strauss and following Lauenroth to the front with four laps remaining.
Marek regained the lead a short time later and held that outside line ahead of Strauss and Lauenroth all the way to the checkered. Strauss, Lauenroth, Gard and Cookson rounded out the top five.
Auto racing continues Saturday night when the North State Late Models join the NCRA mini-stocks, street stocks and bombers.
