Raschke Combines Luck, Skill to Post Win at Ventura Raceway

Chris Raschke of Ventura worked his way up from 16th place to win the roughly driven Mini Stock 25-lap oval main event at Ventura Raceway on Saturday.

Raschke needed more than just his driving skill to post the victory, however. He also needed a little luck--good luck for him and bad luck for season points leader Marty Desbrow.

Desbrow, of Ventura, took the lead on Lap 14 and held onto first place through 10 yellow flags. But coming off a yellow-flag start on Lap 23, Gary Curtis of Camarillo, who was a lap down, hit Desbrow hard in Turn 2, spinning him out to open the way for Raschke.

Raschke held on the final two laps for the victory.

It was the fifth main-event win for Raschke, who trails Desbrow in the season standings by only 40 points after his win in Saturday’s double-points race.

Richard Webster of Camarillo finished second and Mike Spencer of Oxnard was third.

Mike Downing of Lemoore won the 30-lap Winged Outlaw Mini Sprint main event. Rob Ely of Bakersfield was second and Monty Faccinto of Hanford was third.

Mini Sprint 10-lap heat-race winners were Faccinto, Kent Bowser of Bakersfield and Brad Evett of Fresno.

Mini Stock eight-lap heat-race winners were Russ Warren of Oxnard and Desbrow.

Ely led wire-to-wire to win the Mini Sprint 12-lap semi-main event, beating Jim Keener of Visalia (second) and Mark Pledger of Visalia (third).

Desbrow also drove to victory in the Mini Stock six-lap Trophy Dash and Faccinto captured the Mini Sprint race.

One-lap fast qualifying times were set by Russ Nickell of Bakersfield in the Mini Sprints, at 13.182 seconds, and by Desbrow in the Mini Stocks, at 18.024.