Blankenship Stays Hot in Main Event at Saugus

Dave Blankenship of Reseda had a feeling that his summer racing days would be scorching indeed when he came within one one-hundredth of a second of the Street Stock division one-lap oval record in qualifying races Saturday at Saugus Speedway.

His time of 18.55 seconds was just shy of the mark of 18.54 set by Rick Crow of Canyon Country in 1989.

“I was on a roll,” Blankenship said.

So Blankenship’s Street Stock main-event win in front of 4,400 was no surprise. It was just a continuation of his hot driving.

“I credit it to a good old car,” he said. “This car’s been around this track a lot of times. It’s been racing out here about 10 years.”

Blankenship took the lead for good on Turn 2 in Lap 6 when he sneaked past John Kirby of Ventura.

“You take what you can get,” Blankenship said. “You don’t think. You just do it. If the opportunity is there, you just do it.”

The win was Blankenship’s first in a main event this season. Craig Rayburn of Simi Valley finished second, with Kirby third.

In the Sportsman division main event, John Cran of Reseda defied a recent Saugus trend in his 40-lap win.

In the last eight Sportsman races, the pole-position car never relinquished its lead. But on Laps 24 and 25, Cran pressured leader Rayburn with attempts to pass.

Then, on Turn 2 and the back straightaway of Lap 26, Cran whizzed past Rayburn--much to the delight of his fluorescent green-clad rooting section--and stayed in front for his third main-event win this season.

“I was taking a helluva chance,” Cran said amid backslaps from his pit crew. “But I figured, it’s now or never. Let’s go for it.”

Cran said that the track was slippery from a bang-up involving several cars, including points leader Will Harper of Tarzana. As a result, Rayburn could not drive exceedingly fast in the lead.

Rayburn, who raced in three main events Saturday night, finished second.

In earlier races, Garrett Yamada of North Hollywood started fast glided to an uncontested win in the 10-lap Mini Stock Main Event.

In the Sportsman fast-heat race, Rayburn started on the pole and led all the way, with Cran taking second.