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2008 Local Track Articles
Regier, Stearns and DeGeorge
Earn the Checkers in Super Saturday
Triple Feature at Madera Speedway
It was evening full of racing action as Madera Speedway paid tribute to Father’s Day on Saturday evening, June 14 with Hoosier Tire Night, presented by the Madera Auto Center, the third installment of the popular Super Saturday Series. The dad pleasing, seven-division show featured the combined 410 and 360 Supermodifieds, Bay Area Racing Association (BCRA) Midgets, and Western Late Models in a triple header of main events plus the Legends of the Pacific, American Limited Stock Cars (ALSC), Hornets and Spectator Racing Series.
The winners of the two previous Super Saturday Supermodified features - Jeff Russell of Boise, ID and Troy Regier of Dinuba – squared off in a rubber match on Saturday.
After grabbing the lead from early race leader Bryan Warf, of Meridian ID, on lap 11, Russell and Regier quickly disengaged from the rest of the pack. Russell seemed to be getting the best of their head to head duel when the yellow caution flag popped out on lap 24.
The break gave Regier new life as he bolted past Russell soon after the race resumed. Russell valiantly fought back until he got high in turn three on lap 36 and hit hard into the concrete retaining wall. The race was red flagged as Russell’s heavily damaged car was taken off on the hook.
“It was a tough night. The car was loose and my hands are sore from turning so many knobs trying to make adjustments,” said Regier, who is closing in on 80 career victories. “It is pretty hard to make changes when you are going 130 mph so we were fortunate to have that yellow when we did.”
Regier was untouchable in the remainder of the 50-lap race although there was some excitement following the checkered flag when the second place car of San Martin’s Bobby Dalton erupted in flames as it came to a stop in front of the grandstands for the post race trophy presentations. Dalton scrambled out of the car unhurt as officials alertly doused the flames with their fire extinguishers.
Attrition may have been the biggest winner on the night in the Supermodifieds. Of the 14 cars that took to the track in qualifying only six were still running at the end of the main event due to a variety of accidents and mechanical failures throughout the evening.
Russell and Regier chalked up wins in the two Supermod heat races. Regier also set fast qualifying time and captured the trophy dash to complete a clean sweep of his night’s activities.
It took 17 laps for Stockton’s Joey Stearns to go from his fourth row starting position to the front of the field in the 50-lap Western Late Model main. After slipping past early race leader Trevor Schlundt, of Clovis, he simply said “see ya later” to the rest of the 13 car field as he cruised to his second feature win of the season in a race that went caution free.
“This was a tough field and I wanted to just get to the front as soon as I could before I wore the car out,” said Stearns, who earlier in the evening took the top spot in the trophy dash. “I pretty much used up the brakes. I was glad there weren’t any yellows because I am not sure if I could have stayed out in front.”
Although Stearns had firm control of the top spot, there was plenty of excitement behind him as Modesto’s Jeff Belletto and Dave Byrd, the defending Flashco SRL Touring Series champion out of Los Gatos, locked horns behind him for second place. On the final lap the two touched on the back straight causing the cars behind them to scramble in every direction. Miraculously, Belletto and Byrd were both able to recover and somehow hold on to second and third in the process with Belletto getting the best of it.
“That was some hard racing. It doesn’t get any better than that,” said Belletto. “I don’t think I had a car good enough to catch Stearns even with a yellow so we will take this and go from here.”
Season points leader Kyle Gottula, of Modesto, suffered a terminal mechanical failure in practice and was forced to borrow a ride from Oakdale’s Todd Corral. He was never a factor in the race as he struggled home ninth in the unfamiliar car, putting an unceremonious end to his four race winning streak and ten race string of top five finishes.
In a race much like the Supermodifieds, a yellow caution on lap 17 proved to be the undoing of early race leader Michael Faccinto, of Hanford, in the 30-lap BCRA Midget feature.
Faccinto was having his way with the rest of the 10-car field in the first half of the race until that yellow flag unfurled. With his once considerable lead having suddenly evaporated, Faccinto succumbed to Manteca’s Marco DeGeorge a few laps after the race restarted. Faccinto battled to regain the top spot until the end, but his efforts were in vain as he was forced to settle for second in front of Manteca’s Kyle Dickerson.
“My car was really loose and I wasn’t sure if I had anything for Faccinto,” explained DeGeorge after the race. “Luckily, I was able to reel him in after the restart and pull it off.”
Brentwood’s Daniel Bedford set fast time in the BCRA qualifying, Faccinto won the dash while DeGeorge and Nick Foster Jr. of San Carlos split victories in the two heat races.
The Legends of the Pacific always seem to put on an exciting show and once again they more than lived up to those expectations.
Pine Grove’s Matt Scott started the 14-car feature in the five hole. He survived several early race yellow-caution slowdowns to steadily work his way to second behind Kelly Martin, of Modesto, after eight laps before yet another yellow came out. Scott shot by Martin into the lead on the restart and looked to be on the verge of checking out on the field when Dylan Albani, of Modesto, made a late race charge on him.
Albani was able to slowly gain ground on Scott in the closing laps, inching his way up to Scott’s tailpipe, but he was never able to mount a pass attempt before the checkered flag came out to end the 30-lap race. Martin hung on to take third.
“We kept working on the car all night. It was a little loose for the heat race, but when we came back for main the car was great,” said Scott. “I saw Dylan coming hard back there and I was glad to hold him off.”
The winner of the May 10th Vukovich Classic, Robby Czub of Rocklin, earned Legend’s fast time, Scott won the dash while Martin and Stockton’s Keith Clement captured heat race victories.
In just his third start of his racing career third generation driver Nic Belletto, age 18 of Modesto, took advantage of some opening lap jousting to dart through the pack from his midfield starting position to suddenly find himself leading the American Limited Stock Car 30-lap feature.
However, Belletto’s dreams of a first ever victory were quickly dashed by division points leader Howard Holden, of Clovis, who calmly slipped by Belletto on lap six for the lead. Once in front, it was smooth sailing for Holden as he sped to his fourth win of the season in a race that went caution free.
“I was wondering how it would play out at the front. They were banging around and I checked up just enough to avoid any trouble,” said Holden. “Once I passed Belletto I was on Sunday drive.”
Belletto, showing a poise well beyond his limited racing experience, held off Stockton’s Brian Vosburg for a well-deserved second place. Modesto’s Dennis Saunders Jr. came home fourth, ending his two race-winning streak.
“The car started to fade away and get a little tight,” said the smiling Belletto as he stood next to his proud dad Steve Belletto. “We will try to get em next time.”
Racing grandpa and defending division champion Miles Humphreys, age 67 of Clovis, looked as though he would cruise to another victory as he marched from the back of the seven car starting field like a hot knife through butter to challenge early race leader Jeff Dizney, of Madera. Dizney did not go down easy as the two went at it side by side for over 10 laps before Humphreys was finally able to gain the upper hand and subdue him for a very hard fought fourth win of the season.
“These kids are getting better and better,” exclaimed Humphreys, who also set fast time in qualifying and won the trophy dash. “They are figuring out how to tune these babies and get them going faster.”
Humphreys was not only impressed with Dizney’s effort, but also the strong run of third place finisher Dillion Jackson, age 15 of Madera, as well.
“These new guys are good, especially Dillion,” complimented Humphreys. “He can’t even drive on the roads yet and here he climbs in a race car and after just three races he has become stiff competition.”
Madera Speedway will go dark next weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway near Sonoma before returning on June 28th with Summer Kick off Party / Hawaiian Shirt Night Concert Night. The event will mark the long awaited return of the Grand American Modifieds at the “Fastest 1/3 Mile in the West.”
This special program will
feature the Grand American Modifieds in a open comp twin
50-lap main format paying a total of $1,500 with $750 to win
in each 50-lap main. There is also a special set of rules
for this event that have been designed by feedback from many
of the car owners in this division. The Grand American
Modified rules can be found on the Madera Speedway website.
The June 28 card will also include the hard charging American Limited Stock Cars, Mini Super Toyotas, Toyota Sedans, and rising stars of tomorrow in the Mini Cup and Baby Grands. The fun will continue after the racing concludes with a concert featuring a live band on the Madera Speedway music stage behind the grandstands.
The Madera Speedway is conveniently located at the Madera County Fairgrounds just off to the west side of Highway 99 at the Cleveland Avenue exit.
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Madera Speedway Hoosier Tire Night, presented by the Madera Auto Center Media Release – Results for 6-14-08 Media Relations – Dale J Bosowski 410 SuperModifieds/360 Modifieds Fast Time – 410s – Troy Regier (Dinuba) – 12.342 seconds Fast Time - 360s – David Tuey (Bakersfield) – 13.676 410 Dash - Troy Regier (Dinuba), Jim Birges (Fresno), Kenny White (Fresno), Bobby Dalton (San Martin) 360 Dash – Kenny Kinchen (Madera), David Tuey (Bakersfield), Donnie Large (Fresno), Lance Tatro (Madera) Heat 1 - 8 Laps Troy Regier (Dinuba) Kenny White (Fresno) David Tuey (Bakersfield) Kenny Kinchen (Madera) Jim Birges (Fresno) David Prickett (Fresno) Larry Hinz (Fresno) Heat 2 - 8 Laps Jeff Russell (Boise, ID) Bryan Warf (Meridian, ID) Lance Tatro (Madera) Whitey Janssen (Dayton, NV) Donnie Large (Fresno) Lance Jackson (Kingsburg) Bobby Dalton (San Martin) Main – 50 Laps Troy Regier (Dinuba) Bobby Dalton (San Martin) Kenny White (Fresno) David Tuey (Bakersfield) Lance Tatro (Madera) Donnie Large (Fresno) Jeff Russell (Boise, ID) David Prickett (Fresno) Whitey Janssen (Dayton, NV) Bryan Warf (Meridian, ID) BCRA Midgets Fast Time – Daniel Bedford (Brentwood) – 13.966 seconds Dash – Michael Faccinto (Hanford), Marco DeGeorge (Manteca), Daniel Bedford (Brentwood), Justin Grant (Ione) Heat 1 – 8 Laps Nick Foster Jr. (San Carlos) Scott Nail (Visalia) Mike Donaldson (Pleasant Hill) Kyle Dickerson (Manteca) Dan Parker (Oakdale) Floyd Alvis (San Carlos) Heat 2 – 8 Laps Marco DeGeorge (Manteca) Michael Faccinto (Hanford) Justin Grant (Ione) Nick Chivello (Manteca) Daniel Bedford (Brentwood) Main– 30 laps Marco DeGeorge (Manteca) Michael Faccinto (Hanford) Kyle Dickerson (Manteca) Nick Foster Jr. (San Carlos) Scott Nail (Visalia) Nick Chivello (Manteca) Floyd Alvis (San Carlos) Mike Donaldson (Pleasant Hill) Dan Parker (Oakdale) Justin Grant (Ione) Western Late Models Fast Time – Harry Belletto (Modesto) –15.155 seconds Dash – Joey Stearns (Stockton), Dave Byrd (Los Gatos), Harry Belletto (Modesto), Jeff Belletto (Modesto) A Main – 50 Laps Joey Stearns (Stockton) Jeff Belletto (Modesto) Dave Byrd (Los Gatos) Trevor Schlundt (Clovis) Harry Belletto (Modesto) Vito Ranuio (Stockton) Rick Thompson (Madera) John Henry (Stockton) Kyle Gottula (Modesto) Carlos Vieira (Merced) Chris Hinkle (Lodi) Del McIntosh (Madera) John Henry (Stockton) Todd Corral (Oakdale) Legends of the Pacific Fast Time – Robby Czub (Rocklin) – 16.835 seconds Dash – Matt Scott (Pine Grove), Robby Czub (Rocklin), Dylan Albani (Modesto), Cole Cabrerra (Exeter) Heat 1- 8 Laps Keith Clement (Stockton) Ryan Reed (Bakersfield) Rick Clark (Bakersfield) Mike Firebaugh (Reno, NV) Donnie Darter (Manteca) Joe Le Duc Bob Kuebler (Reno, NV) Jack Humphrey (American Canyon) Heat 2 – 8 Laps Kelly Martin (Modesto) Matt Scott (Pine Grove) Cole Cabrerra (Exeter) Dylan Albani (Modesto) Fred Clement (Stockton) Robby Czub (Rocklin) David Ball (Stockton) A Main – 30 Laps Matt Scott (Pine Grove) Dylan Albani (Modesto) Kelly Martin (Modesto) Ryan Reed (Bakersfield) Robby Czub (Rocklin) Cole Cabrerra (Exeter) Keith Clement (Stockton) Donnie Darter (Manteca) Joe Le Duc Rick Clark (Bakersfield) Bob Kuebler (Reno, NV) Mike Firebaugh (Reno, NV) Jack Humphrey (American Canyon) Fred Clement (Stockton) American Limited Stock Car (ALSC) Fast Time -- Howard Holden (Clovis) – 16.036 seconds Dash – Dennis Saunders Jr. (Modesto), Brian Vosburg (Stockton), Howard Holden (Clovis), Nic Belletto (Modesto) A Main – 50 Laps Howard Holden (Clovis) Nic Belletto (Modesto) Brian Vosburg (Stockton) Dennis Saunders Jr. (Modesto) Matt Erickson (Coulterville) Thomas Vosburg (Stockton) Larry Pasquale (Fresno) Garland Tyler (Modesto) Lloyd Bamping (Clovis) Dustin Pickett (Fresno)
Hornets Fast Time – Miles Humphreys (Clovis) – 19.545 seconds Dash – Miles Humphreys (Clovis), Dillion Jackson (Madera), Jeff Dizney (Madera), Nolon Doss IV A Main – 20 laps Miles Humphreys (Clovis) Jeff Dizney (Madera) Dillion Jackson (Madera) Sheldon Phillips (Fresno) Nolon Doss IV () Jamie Sickler (Clovis) Theresa Aguirre (Modesto) Spectator Racing Series Fast Time – BJ Oaks – 18.560 seconds A Main - 15 Laps Tony Viduarri Lorri Coy Henry Coy BJ Oaks Jim Alvisi Vinnie Viduarri Steve Gwyn Chris Barton Dave Sawyer |
Pat Patnaude
Track Operator &
General Manager
Madera Speedway
Office 209-983-1689Fax 209-983-0967
Cell 209-479-0056
ppatnaude@racemadera.com