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SANTA MARIA SPEEDWAY MAY 24TH RECAP

Santa Maria, CA - May 24, 2008...Bandit Sprint Cars, D&S Automotive IMCA Modifieds, Fox 11 "First at Ten" East vs. West Super Streets, and Factory Stocks took part in the 18th Annual Don Roberts Memorial Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway.

*With the 410 event rained out down south, Santa Maria's Danny Sheridan loaded up his 360 Bandit Sprint Car and came to Santa Maria to renew his rivalry with Bandit point leader Peter Murphy of Clovis. And, for the second race in-a-row the 30-lap main event turned into a two-car duel between Sheridan and Murphy with Sheridan taking the win and Murphy second. Justyne Hamblin, of Hanford, finished an impressive third, with second in local points Davey Pombo, of Fresno, fourth and Rusty Carlile, of Bakersfield, fifth. Pombo set fast time of 13.660 seconds and Sheridan, Carlile and Jason May, of Taft, won 8-lap heat races.

*Kenny Kirkpatrick captured his first 25-lap Modified feature of the season. The Nipomo driver outdistanced Santa Maria's Danny Lauer and Joey Claborn. Buellton's Chris Whitford was fourth and Santa Maria's Josh Vogt fifth. Doug Thornton, Santa Maria, Rich Denman, Coalinga, and Todd Hermosillo, Watsonville, captured 8-lap heat races. Hermosillo was on his way to victory in the main event, leading the first sixteen laps, before a mechanical failure put him in the pits.

*East vs. West Super Streets ran a 50-lap main event. After some early lead changes Santa Maria's Tim Randolph went to the point on lap 6, and stayed there until the 43rd circuit before being passed for the lead by Bakersfield's Larry Hood, who went on to the win. Randolph held on for second with Roy Duncan third, point leader Darrel Hood fourth and Santa Maria's Toby Randolph fifth. Tim Randolph set fast time of 16.260 seconds and won an 8-lap heat race. Elton Shaffer, of Santa Maria, won the other heat and Larry Hood took the 4-lap trophy dash.

*Factory Stocks completed the schedule for the Memorial Weekend event. Goleta's Matt Marchiando had no problem winning their 20-lap feature, leading flag-to-flag. Point leader Kirk Morgan, of Santa Maria, was second in the event, extending his championship point lead, especially since Theo Van De Sande failed to show for the event and dropped from second to seventh in the championship point standings. Atascadero's Mike Leland and Santa Maria's David Addamo and Glen Sparks placed third through fifth. Marchiando and Ray Pezzi, of Terra Bella, were first in 8-lap heat races.

*Next Saturday night Late Model Stocks, IMCA Modifieds, Factory Stocks and Mini Stocks will make up the racing program at SMS. Gates for the event will open at 3:00 p.m., with qualifying at 5:15 p.m. and racing at 6:00 p.m. Tickets will be $15.00 for adults, $11.00 for seniors (65+), $5.00 for children six to twelve, five and under free. Credit cards are not accepted. Santa Maria Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road.

RACE SUMMARIES...

Bandit Sprint Cars: Fast Time - Albert Pombo, 13.660. Heat 1 - Rusty Carlile, Pombo, Peter Murphy, Steve DeMott, Mike Larsen, John Iturriria. Heat 2 - Danny Sheridan, Justyne Hamblin, Kevin Barnes, Jonathan Logan, Richard Vanderweerd. Heat 3 - Jason May, Jace Vanderweerd, Wes Gutierrez, Bill Jones, Jeff Fiscus. Main Event - Sheridan, Murphy, Hamblin, Pombo, Carlile, Gutierrez, Barnes, May, R. Vanderweerd, DeMott, Logan, Fiscus, Iturriria, Larsen, J. Vanderweerd, Jones.

IMCA Modifieds - Heat 1 - Doug Thornton, Chad Weber, Ken Kehs, Paul Terrones, Ian Hunter, Shane Jones. Heat 2 - Rich Denman, Tommy Laliberte, Danny Lauer, Keith McIndoe, Chris Whitford, Josh Vogt. Heat 3 - Todd Hermosillo, Kenny Kirkpatrick, Joey Claborn, Junior Dawson, Jeff Mead, Ron Wiley, Michael Dalton. Main Event - Kirkpatrick, Lauer, Claborn, Whitford, Vogt, Dalton, Mead, Hunter, Wiley, Kehs, Laliberte, Terrones, McIndoe, Hermosillo, Jones, Thornton, Weber, Dawson, Denman.

East vs. West Super Streets: Fast Time - Tim Randolph, 16.260. Trophy Dash - Larry Hood, Robby Sawyer, Elton Shaffer, Randolph. Heat 1 - Tim Randolph, Tom Grzincic, Randy Schweitzer, Roy Duncan, Jeremiah VanScoy, Toby Randolph, L.. Hood, Morris Sealy. Heat 2 - E. Shaffer, Sawyer, Darrel Hood, Nick Sylvester, Brian Knight, Chad Shaffer, Eric Cimental. Main Event - L. Hood, Tim Randolph, Duncan, D. Hood, Toby Randolph, Schweitzer, Sylvester, E. Shaffer, Sawyer, VanScoy, Sealy, Grzincic, Knight, Cimental, C. Shaffer (DNS).

Factory Stocks: Heat 1 - Matt Marchiando, Charlie Scovell, Kevin Linson, Glen Sparks, Dale Sylvester, Bill Spratlin, Pete Lethcoe, Robert Read, Eric Standridge. Heat 2 - Ray Pezzi, Michael Frazier, Mike Leland, Kirk Morgan, David Addamo, Jim Ford, Tim Bennett, Brandon Brickey. Main Event - Marchiando, Morgan, Leland, Addamo, Sparks, Linson, Lethcoe, Frazier, Scovell, Sylvester, Standridge, Read, Spratlin, Pezzi, Ford, Bennett, Brickey.

POINT STANDINGS:

SMS Bandit Sprint Cars - 1. Peter Murphy, 187 2. Albert Pombo, 172 3. Richard VanderWeerd, 161 4. Jonathan Logan, 144 5. Rusty Carlile, 141.

IMCA Modifieds - 1. Danny Lauer, 191 2. Kenny Kirkpatrick, 174 3. Doug Thornton, 169 4. Rich Denman, 159 4.Josh Vogt 159 6. Chad Weber, 155.

Factory Stocks - 1. Kirk Morgan, 190 2. Kevin Linson, 163 3. Glen Sparks, 160 4. Michael Frazier, 159. 5. Tim Bennett, 148.

I wrote last year that I had seen the future of sprint car racing and her name was Justyne Hamblin.

Now I acknowledge I am the master of hyperbole, but with a third place finish behind Danny and Peter and just ahead of Davey and Rusty, all I can say about this young girl is wow!

I wish I had seen that race! Can't wait to check her out at the next grand slam event.

Someone needs to get their story strait its Albert Pombo not Davey

You are absolutely right.  The past couple of races Justyne was arguably the fastest driver or among them at the end of the race.  A couple of weeks ago Hamblin wrecked the car during qualifying and also missed the first race or the Driver 8 would be toe to toe with Peter Murphy.  Everyone on the track respects Hamblin because there is no dirty stuff, just clean racing. This driver will get some feature wins before the season ends. 

Here is the deal... although she is a great young woman, I truely hesitate to make anything out of her gender because she is achieving her success as a racer period and not a hyphenated racer just as anyother competitor is.  I do not want to demean her or her achievements.  I want to see this great person and race car driver recieve the credit do because there is a very bright future ahead. 

Others will make a deal of the gender just as some would about races or other ethnicities.  Racing is unique though, it is one of the few athletic competitions where both genders compete on an equal playing field.  There is no handicapping nor quarter given. 

Justyne is not the first woman with central california open-wheeled passion but as with others that raced with us in the past participate as racers.  Marie Schnieder(sp), Denise Bennett in the past and  Heidi Tressler, Nadine Keller are on a short list that Justyne is added to.  I do realize the significance because I understand the sport.   

As I see with the youngsters with the VRA mini divisions and the 600's there are so many fine young racers of both genders that they deserve all of the great things and the doors opened for them.  Justyne, like it or not is as much of a role model as any other of her contemporaries and that is fantastic great thing.

Not to take anything away from Justyne, as that is not my style, but Albert Pombo is doing a helluva job too. He is getting faster and learning more with each race. This kid is on the gas and is not tearing up other peoples stuff. And I'm not at all implying that Justyne is or does.

A couple of shows back at Hanford, Albert had to come from the back of the pack and was ridin' the rim like a veteran, and he never tapped out, which brought him a top-4 finish I believe. A very impressive run to say the very least.

Gary you are spot on too. "Fast" Albert is another fine young racer and a great person also. What is impressive about each and every young racer joining this series is the quality of their character and what great examples they are. Young master Pombo has been at this for a while and more traditionqal in his driving developement in that every season he has competed he has steadily improved. Last year he emerged as a weekly contender for victory and is truely in a duel with Hamblin that seems like one of the most friendly rivalry's out there. And that also speaks to the quality and class of these drivers. There are no temper tantrums from any of these racers.

One problem with giving props to one person it is misconstrued as coming at the expense of another. The great thing about racing is it is not a zero sum game when it comes to people and the qualities they bring to our sport. We don't have any 'prima Donna's" just a vast supply of good racers and good people. I know you know this but I cannot emphasis this enough because the quality of every racer in this series as people (teams included) cannot be over stated. And it has been this way for a while.

I will call SMS PR guy, annoncer Jim Pluhar and let him know of his error. Maybe Alberts shere speed causes the confusion? Hey, one thing that seems to be true...all Pombo's look alike....damn fast!

amen to that

whenever I see a Pombo at a track

I'm grinning like a damn fool