Sapper Outlasts Field to Claim Winston 100 at Saugus Speedway

Saugus Speedway scheduled the Winston 100, an open competition for modified stock cars, a car-crushing exhibition and a giant destruction derby for Saturday night.

For the most part, it was hard to tell the difference between events.

Eleven caution periods accompanied the Winston 100, but, by the end, defending track champion Kenny Sapper of La Crescenta made it through the rubble to win the race in front of a capacity crowd.

“It was a race of patience,” Sapper said. “I just happened to be at the right spot at the right time and everything was perfect.”

Sapper, who has won the modified track championship for the last two years, held off Ray Hooper Jr. of Valencia in his bid to win his first open competition at the track.

Hooper, who won the pole position with a 15.64-second time on the one-third mile oval, led for 50 laps. But a well-timed jump by Dick Cobb of Las Vegas when a green flag appeared after a caution period put him to the inside of Hooper in turn one. Sapper and Jimmy Insolo of Mission Hills followed Cobb through the gap and Hooper dropped to fourth.

Cobb went off the track while passing Hooper and track officials penalized him two positions--which gave Sapper the lead and eventually the win.

Sapper earned $4,000 for the race, his third open-competition win at the track. Insolo, who was the 1968 track champion and has spent the time since racing NASCAR’s Winston West stock car circuit, was second. Cobb finished third.