Industry Speedway
The Grand Industry Hills Expo Center
City of Industry, California

Harley Night
June 3, 2009 - Industry Speedway
By: Ryan Evans

A night of fantastic racing was highlighted by Gary Hicks taking home the main event victory for the second week in a row on Harley Night at Industry Speedway.

Hicks, who entered the main event via the Last Chance, started from gate five and went straight to the outside in turn one. Charlie “The Edge” Venegas, who had started in gate one challenged from the inside, but Hicks found more traction and led down the back straight. Hicks led entering turn one the second time while Venegas switched to an outside attack on the leader. That strategy was fruitless as he California State Champion lost ground to Hicks. Venegas never gave up and he mustered enough speed to get within striking distance again on the final lap. Hicks never folded under the pressure, though, and led to the checkered flag. Venegas settled for second, Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell was third, Jason Ramirez finished fourth, and Castro was fifth.

Hicks opened the heats the same way he ended the evening, with a victory. “Flyin” Mike Faria held off Jimmy Fishback to win the second heat. McConnell was spectacular on the outside and chased down Buck Blair to win the third heat at the line. Venegas ended the first round with a win over Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz.

Blair began the second round with a win over Ramirez. Hicks defeated Venegas for his second straight win. Castro beat Faria to win the next heat. Fishback and McConnell raced shoulder-to-shoulder in an awesome display of racing before the cushion proved to be more beneficial for McConnell as he surged ahead for his second win.

Round three started with McConnell using the outside to pass Castro, but before he could notch his third victory McConnell uncharacteristically fell and brought out the red. Castro won the restart, but McConnell managed to get second. Nate Perkins made the outside work and he held the lead until the final lap when Fishback got into him in turn one and brought Perkins down. The red flag never came out and Fishback claimed the victory. Hicks beat Blair in event 19 for his third consecutive win. Venegas beat Faria in the last heat for his second win.

Castro got the best start in the first semi and led for two laps before Venegas took over the lead that he never relinquished. Castro finished second to also make the main. Hicks got the best start in the second semi, but hooked up and went straight in turn two which took himself and Blair wide. Meanwhile, McConnell had already been setting up a cutback move that worked brilliantly when his foes went wide. Ramirez followed McConnell through the hole and into second. McConnell handily won the race and Ramirez held off Hicks for second. Blair led the Last Chance before Hicks charged into the lead at the end of lap two and won the final spot in the main.

Austin Novratil won the Second Division Main Event for the second time in as many weeks with a runaway victory. Gino Manzares finished second, Frank “The Italian Stallion” Pecce was third, and Steve “Rattlesnake” Bowen finished fourth.

Bander Alexander led the Third Division Main Event into the first corner but fell and handed over the lead to Butch Waymire. Waymire never turned a wheel wrong from there and was first to the finish line. Tim McGrath was second, Tony DeAlmeida finished third, Paul Thornton was fourth, Alexander remounted to finish fifth, and Ron Mongenel was sixth.

Joe Jones and Jimmy Olsen led from start to finish to capture the Sidecar Main Event for the second straight week. Dave Alexander and Matt Davis were second, Tommy Thornton and Gene Stone finished third, and Kurt Williams and Steven Bumpus were fourth.

Harley Night also included the ever-popular Harley Races in which people race their street-legal Harleys around the Industry Speedway oval. Fishback, who dominates this event, was victorious again.

The evening kicked off with speedway racer Jonni Jade, a member of the band Cast of Nasties, performing a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner on the electric guitar.

RESULTS

Sidecar Main Event
  1 - Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen
 22 - Dave Alexander/Matt Davis
 31 - Tommy Thornton/Gene Stone
  4 - Kurt Williams/Steven Bumpus

Youth Second Division Main Event
 22 - Samuel Ramirez
 41 - Nicky Reimer
356 - Maxwell Ruml
111 - Dillon Ruml

Youth First Division Main Event
  9 - Rocco Scopellite

Third Division Last Chance
298 - Bander Alexander
268 - DeWayne Stark
369 - Andy Schwarm
308 - Hugh Randolph

Third Division Last Chance
124 - Paul Thornton
231 - Gene Stone 
226 - Rick Huspek

Third Division Main Event
363 - Butch Waymire 		0
186 - Tim McGrath 		10
157 - Tony DeAlmeida 		10
124 - Paul Thornton 		10
298 - Bander Alexander 		0 	(fell, remounted)
158 - Ron Mongenel 		10 	(fell)

Second Division Semi
221 - Gino Manzares
141 - Josh Abbott
178 - Eloy Medellin
189 - Chris Thomas 		(fell)

Second Division Semi
234 - Frank Pecce
242 - Bruce Marteney
274 - Bubba Vazzana

Second Division Main Event
181 - Austin Novratil
221 - Gino Manzares
234 - Frank Pecce
177 - Steve Bowen

First Division Heat Scoring 	1 	2 	3 	T
  3 - Gary Hicks 		3 	3	3 	9
  6 - Shawn McConnell 		3 	3 	2 	8
  9 - Mike Faria 		3 	2 	2 	7
 11 - Bobby Schwartz 		2 	1 	1 	4
 13 - Nate Perkins 		1 	1 	F 	2
 14 - Eddie Castro 		2 	3 	3 	8
 19 - Dale Facchini 		0 	0 	0 	0
 22 - Mike Bloom 		1 	0 	1 	2
 25 - Jimmy Fishback 		2 	2 	3 	7 
 39 - Buck Blair 		2 	3 	2 	7
 41 - John Marquez 		0 	1 	0 	1
 43 - Charlie Venegas 		3 	2 	3 	8
 66 - Jason Ramirez 		1 	2 	1 	4
 86 - Neil Facchini 		0 	1 	2 	3
184 - Tyson Burmeister 		0 	0 	0 	0
321 - Russell Green 		1	0 	1 	2

Race Results
 1: Hicks, Castro, Green, Burmeister
 2: Faria, Fishback, Ramirez, D.Facchini
 3: McConnell, Blair, Perkins, N.Facchini (fell, remounted)
 4: Venegas, Schwartz, Bloom, Marquez. 
10: Blair, Ramirez, Schwartz, D.Facchini
11: Hicks, Venegas, N.Facchini, Green
12: Castro, Faria, Marquez, Bloom
13: McConnell, Fishback, Perkins, Burmeister
17: (restarted) Castro, McConnell (penalty line), Bloom, Marquez
18: Fishback, N.Facchini, Schwartz, Perkins (fell)
19: Hicks, Blair, Ramirez, Burmeister
20: Venegas, Faria, Green, D.Facchini

Semi #1: (restarted) Venegas, Castro, Fishback (retired), Faria (non starter)
Semi #2: McConnell, Ramirez, Hicks, Blair

First Division Last Chance
  3 - Gary Hicks
 39 - Buck Blair
 25 - Jimmy Fishback 		(retired)
  9 - Mike Faria

First Division Main Event
  3 - Gary Hicks
 43 - Charlie Venegas
  6 - Shawn McConnell
 66 - Jason Ramirez
 14 - Eddie Castro 		(fell, remounted)