Allison Wins Over Field, Fans at Saugus Speedway

Bobby Allison had barely climbed out of his car in the pits at Saugus Speedway on Saturday night when he was greeted by a congratulatory handshake from a man who moments earlier was trying to drive Allison’s doors off.

The man with the extended hand was Sportsman Division defending champion and points leader Dave Phipps, who chased the three-time Daytona 500 winner for 37 of the 40 laps of the Sportsman main event.

“I’m the guy,” Phipps said to Allison with a smile, “who was banging on your bumper.”

Answered Allison jokingly: “I tried not to back into you too much.”

With that remark, Allison was greeted with more applause. In fact, Allison was a big hit all evening, from the time he arrived 45 minutes late to qualify for the race to the time he sped away to Riverside Raceway for today’s Budweiser 400.

Allison, in his second career appearance at Saugus, made a nifty move to pass two competitors and win the Sportsman trophy dash before a season-high 4,468 spectators. After finishing third in the eight-lap heat race, Allison started third in the main event and zoomed past Jeffrey Phillips of Newbury Park on the third lap to take the lead for good.

It quickly became a two-car race, with Phipps trying to pass Allison at every turn and Allison giving him nothing.

“I looked up at the board and saw lap 35 and then looked at my gauges and everything was overheating,” Phipps said. “I just said ‘I ain’t stopping now.’

“I’m driving against a great driver. He keeps control and he doesn’t let the car get sideways.”

Said Allison of Phipps: “He was strong enough to keep me busy. He raced me hard at the end.”

Kenny Smith of El Monte won the 25-lap Mini Stock main event ahead of Dennis Andrews of Redlands. Smith took the lead on lap 14, when he passed Andrews in the backstretch.

The race had four leaders. Mike Frieson of Bakersfield led for the first nine laps before yielding to Gary Ebeling of Monrovia in the backstretch. Ebeling pulled out of the race three laps later and Andrews took over.

In the Sportsman semi-main event, Jerry Bosson edged Rich Wolfe of San Bernardino.