VENEGAS WINS SPEEDWAY CYCLE MAIN ON LEGENDS NIGHT AT INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY AUG. 2011
By noderel:
Industry, CA., Aug. 3, 2011 – Charlie “the Edge” Venegas found the winning edge Wednesday night at Industry Speedway in week 10 of the 14-week motorcycle racing season eight at Industry Hills Expo Center. The 44-year old San Bernardino resident won for the third timer this year at Industry, and first time since week four, in front of 816 spectators in The Grand Arena. The third annual Bruce Penhall “Night of Legends” attracted 27 speedway cycle racing stars from past decades. The event had 18 legends present last year. Venegas experienced a lack of power off the corners from the engine of his JAWA cycle and placed third in his first heat race. In the pits he pulled the valve cover and determined the timing chain was too tight and needed more slack. He loosened the camshaft chain and found the power he needed. He won his second and third heats, his semi-final and the feature in dominating style.
Venegas started the main from the inside lane and led all four laps. He beat lane two starter/point leader Jimmy Fishback to the first turn. Four riders had scored seven points in their three heat races to tie for high point honors. Venegas and Fishback won the two semi-final events and tied at 10 points before the main. Fishback dropped to third on the first lap, moved to second on lap 2 and trailed Venegas by five lengths at the finish. Eddie Castro, Shawn McConnell and John Marquez followed. Venegas, Castro and McConnell were among the 27 legends present who still race. Mike Faria finished second to Marquez in the last chance race to just miss the main. Legend Bobby Schwartz also missed the main by finishing fourth in the LC race.
Joe Donaldson won the six-rider Support A feature and rookie Chris Sprecher, of Inglewood, took his third Support B main with a final lap pass in turn two. Tristan Britt, 8, from Huntington Beach, won his second 50cc pee-wee main this season. He then gave rival Luke Whitcomb, 5, a victory lap ride around the track with the checkered flag. Whitcomb fell on the final lap while challenging for the lead. Broc Nicol, 12, of Lomita, won both the youth division 250cc main and the youth first division 200cc main for the second week in a row in three rider fields. Shea Bendykowski, 11-year old first year youth rider from Temecula, took the second division 200cc junior main after leading the final three laps. It was his seventh feature victory at Industry after missing last week racing for a family vacation at the Kern River. His nine-year old sister races in motocross events.
Retired D-1 speedway cycle riders Andy Northrup and Doug Nicol raced a pair of match races on modern cycles with Northrup edging Nicol in both races. D-1 legends and current front-runners Castro and McConnell ran a match race on 1930-era J.A.P cycles without mufflers and on 22-inch tires. “Fast” Eddie led all the way with “Mad Dog” McConnell pressing at his back wheel. Sidecars were not scheduled this week. The annual Legends Night crowd included two of the three race promoting Agajanian brothers—Jay and Chris, sprint car owner Dwight Cheney, and past CRA sprint car feature winner Steve Howard.
A special eight-page Legends Night free eight-page printed program contained 28 head-shots or action photos of speedway cycle legends as they looked during their prime. Before racing started all the legends sat at a long table near the front entrance and autographed photo cards or programs for fans. At intermission all 27 legends posed for a group photo in the infield Legends present were: (Active riders) – Castro, Faria, Billy Hamill, McConnell, Schwartz and Venegas. (Retirees) – Jan Ballard, Pam Bennett, Tom Burba, Bill Cody, Dub Ferrell, Bruce Flanders, Dave Galvin, Billy Gray, Johnnie Griffitts, Bobby Hardison, Wayne Lewis, Steve Lucero, Andy Northrup, Sonny Nutter, Donnie Odom, Bruce Penhall, Dennis Sigalos, Scott Sivadge, Sammy Tanner, Patrick “Tumbleweed” Walton and Dean York.
Promoter Jeff Immediato has four more Wednesday nights remaining on his 2011 Industry Speedway schedule. August 31 will be the 36th running of the California State Championship, which has been run from 1968 through 1997 and again from 2006-2010 at Industry Speedway. Sixteen riders have won the prestigious event with Steve Bast the leader with six victories (1969 through 1972 and 74-75). Six of the past California State Champions (with 15 of the prior 35 race victories) were present Wednesday for Legends Night. They include: Nutter (1968), Penhall (1981), Schwartz (84 and 91), Lucero (85, 89, 95-96), Faria (1987, 90, 92 and 94), and Venegas (1997, 2007-08).