Beginner’s Luck Helps Boles at Ventura

It took a little luck and some hard driving, but Allen Boles of San Fernando won the 15-lap Street Stock main event at Ventura Raceway on Friday night.

Boles, in his first race at Ventura, drove the one-fifth-mile dirt oval as if he had been driving the track the entire season. And a little bit of luck didn’t hurt either.

Street Stock points leader Charles Utts of Camarillo was leading the 17-car pack when a broken fan belt put him out of the race and allowed Boles to take charge in his 1968 Camaro.

Gary Curtis of Camarillo edged figure 8 points leader Rock Ake, Jr. of Moorpark by half a car length in the six-lap Mini Stock figure 8 main event. With the win, Curtis’ sixth, he ties Ake for the most figure 8 main event victories this season.

Richard Webster of Camarillo was third.

Curtis also won the 20-lap oval track main event. The victory was Curtis’ 14th main-event title of the season, which reached its midway point Friday.

John Christensen of Palmdale overtook Tom Stephens of Ventura on the final lap of the eight-lap Street Stock figure 8 main event to score his third such win of the season. Stephens and Don Famularo of Canyon Country finished second and third, respectively.

Utts continued his winning ways earlier in the evening with a hard-fought eight-lap heat-race victory. Utts overtook leader Mike Johannes of Van Nuys on Lap 6 after working his way up from the back of the pack. Johannes finished fourth after hitting the backstretch wall on Lap 7.

Phil Barrow of Oxnard and Boles finished second and third, respectively.

Camarillo’s Jeff Bosley won the other Street Stock heat race. Paul Moore of Oxnard and Nick Magley of Ventura won the Mini Stock heat races.

Sue Pittinato of West Hills captured the four-lap Street Stock trophy dash, and Curtis won the Mini Stock division.