Rayburn Wins Eventful Street Stock Event at Saugus Speedway

A succinct recap of Saturday night’s 25-lap, 28-minute, yellow-flag-and-tow-truck-filled NASCAR Street Stock oval main event at Saugus Speedway--brought to you by Tom Kimmel of Sylmar.

“My right front tire decided to go flat on the 21st lap,” Kimmel said, sounding not a bit perturbed. “Don’t ask me why. I couldn’t make the turn.”

But Craig Rayburn of Simi Valley could. Rayburn, 25, who began the race third behind points leader Steve Nickolai of Simi Valley and pole-sitter Kimmel, nickeled and dimed his way to his second main event win of the season before 3,319 spectators.

The race featured six yellow flags (four in the first 13 laps) and no more than seven laps were recorded at one time in the 24-car race--25 if you count the track tow truck, which made three appearances.

A tow-by-tow description:

On Lap 8, Mike Mandel of Arleta spun out in Turn 2 and was hitched up and rolled away.

On Lap 13, Karl Lasater of Sepulveda slammed into the wall in the backstretch and was wheeled to the infield.

Eight laps later, Kimmel appeared to roll straight into the wall in Turn 1 while Rayburn and the rest of the pack made left turns.

“It would have been tough to have passed him,” said Rayburn, who survived a final yellow flag and coasted to the checkered flag. “I would have banged a little on him at the end. But they were waving the black flag at me earlier a couple of times because I was banging on him, so I figured I better mellow out.”

In a thrilling, 15-lap figure 8 Street Stock main event, Russ Beckers of Sepulveda and Rayburn dueled for the lead amid heavy traffic before Beckers, who began the evening sixth in the points standings, edged Rayburn at the checkered flag.

Rick Crow of Canyon Country finished third.

In the 40-lap Sportsman main event, Will Harper of Tarzana led from pole to checkered flag for the second time in as many weeks to post his second main-event win of the season.

Harper, 34, who began the evening fourth in the points standings, finished ahead of Keith Spangler of Northridge, who began the race in second position for the second consecutive week.

Garrett Yamada of North Hollywood won the 25-lap Mini Stock main event.

Frank White of Los Angeles won the Sportsman semi-main and Ken Wilson of Lancaster won the Street Stock semi-main.

Bob Estes and Roger Theobald, both of Saugus, and Pat Mintey Jr. of Canyon Country each won eight-lap Sportsman heat races.