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BY: SCOTT DALOISIO
(APRIL 19, 2008, LAKE PERRIS, CA) Longtime off-road racing star Russ Wernimont came from the outside of row five to score his first win of the 2008 season in the Extreme Late Models at Don Kazarian’s famous Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday night.
The 25 lap main event started with a bang when point leader Jeff Dunham (Hemet, CA) was forced into the wall in turn three and was knocked out of the race and the series point lead. When the race restarted, Mike Hixson (Murrieta, CA) jumped into the lead from the pole ahead of outstanding 19-year-old driver Johnny “Lightning” Malcolm (Corona, CA). After Mike Kirby (Torrance, CA) was sent to the back for causing a yellow when a piece of body work fell off his car in the middle of the groove, all heck broke loose in turn three on the third lap when Malcolm slid to a stop near the crashwall. Fast qualifier Ron Meyer (Anaheim Hills, CA) had nowhere to go and slammed into Malcolm with Carla Laney (Torrance, CA) also getting involved. All three restarted, but Meyer lost two laps while in the work area for repairs.
Hixson sailed along in the lead until the seventh go round when he started having handling problems. Wernimont and veteran Bill Bartels (Marina Del Rey, CA) both went by. Malcolm, back after his crash, worked his way to third when he passed Hixson on lap eight.
The next yellow flag flew on lap 12 when Laney was forced to retire with a bent A-Arm. This allowed Bartels and Malcolm to close to Wernimont’s rear bumper for the restart, but once the green flew again, the Michigan native opened a small comfortable lead.
Late Model rookie John Crow (Fullerton, CA) had a good run early in the 25-lapper, but he dropped from the race on the 15th lap. Bartels began to inch closer to Wernimont on the 20th lap and got a break when Malcom spun in turn one on lap 22 and retired to the pits. This allowed Bartels to close to Wernimont’s back bumper, but when the final Vista Paint restart of the night took place with three laps to go, Wernimont again built a small lead which he carried to the checkered flag. Bartels maintained second to the finish with Kirby, who was debuting a brand new Rayburn car third, Hixson fourth and the ageless “Tooth Doc” Jim Giardina (Riverside, CA) fifth. Meyer brought his battered and beaten #18m home in sixth spot.
Hixson bested Meyer and Laney in the crowd pleasing first heat race with Malcolm, Kirby and Giardina taking the top three spots in the second heat. Meyer’s 18.61 topped the field in qualifying and he and Kirby, who qualified second at 18.82, each received an extra $25.00 from Ian McBride’s web site design for their timed lap efforts.
Veteran Joe Falduto (Santa Ana, CA) captured the PASSCAR Street Stock main over defending series champion Curtis Dietzsch (Moreno Valley, CA) and Chris “The Nice Guy” Thompson (Romoland, CA).
Ron Davis (Norwalk, CA) made it three wins in a row in a row in the Pick-A-Part Factory Stocks when he won both the makeup main event from March and the regularly scheduled main event later in the night. Darryl Kinnane (Riverside, CA) was second to Davis both times. Roger Young (San Bernardino, CA) was third in the first 20-lapper with Tom Gillum (Riverside, CA) third in the second race.
Young Stuart Hielscher Jr. closed the night of racing by passing veteran Brent Sexton to win his first ever PAS main in the 20-lap Lightning Sprint Car feature. Sexton stayed in second for the duration with point leader David Bezio, Shane Rosson and the winner’s father Stuart Hielscher Sr, rounding out the top five.
EXTREME LATE MODELS: 1. Russ Wernimont, 2. Bill Bartels, 3. Mike Kirby, 4. Mike Hixson, 5. Jim Giardina, 6. Ron Meyer, 7. Jeff Schumaier, 8. Johnny Malcolm, 9. John Crow, 10, Carla Laney, 11. Jeff Dunham
PASSCAR STREET STOCKS: 1. Joe Falduto, 2. Curtis Dietzsch, 3. Chris Thompson, 4. Carl Greene, 5. Ronnie Meyer, 6. Jim Rook, 7. Ronnie Everhart, 8. Jake Everhart, 9. Mike Poole, 10. Jim Pierce, 11. Walt Kelly, 12. Brian Tully, 13. Leroy Whitson, 14. Anthony Merritt, 15. Tommy Malcolm, 16. Stephan Davies, 17. Blaine Whitson, 18. Hap Vertich, 19. Henry Wesolowski Sr.
PICK-A-PART FACTORY STOCKS (make up main) 1. Davis, 2. Darryl Kinnane,
3. Roger Young, 4. Phil Holms, 5. Jim Ramsey, 6. Tom Gillum, 7. Gary Keaster, 8. Josh Warwick
PICK-A-PART FACTORY STOCKS (regular main) 1. Ron Davis, 2. Darryl Kinnane, 3. Tom Gillum, 4. Gary Keaster, 5. Josh Warwick, 6. Jim Ramsey, 7. Phil Holms, 8. Roger Young, 9. Donny Fengler
LIGHTNING SPRINT CARS (top 9 only): 1. Stuart Hieslcher Jr., 2. Brent Sexton, 3. David Bezzio, 4. Shane Rosson, 5. Stuart Hieslcher Sr., 6. Jarrett Kramer, 7. Seth Kramer, 8. Mike Valentine, 9. Alec Bender
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