Desbrow Dusts the Competition at Ventura

The unusually hot temperatures quickly dried the track and turned the quarter-mile dirt oval at Ventura Raceway into a giant dust bowl.

And when the dust had cleared on Friday, Marty Desbrow of Ventura had won the 20-lap Mini-Stock main event for the third time in the last four racing dates.

Desbrow, the season points leader, started in sixth and took the lead on Lap 7 as he powered underneath Jeff Drake of Fillmore in the barely visible Turn 4. He was never challenged thereafter as Drake settled for second and Randy Bingham of Camarillo took third.

Don Green of Ventura won his first main event of the season in the Street Stock 20-lap race.

Green took the lead for good on Lap 8 when Ventura’s Mark Heurung fishtailed in Turn 2 and went head first into the wall. Green edged Lynn Brader of Somis by two lengths for the checkered flag. Jim Firsich of Port Hueneme was third.

Don Keeter of Ventura, the Street Stock season points leader, did not finish the race because of mechanical problems.

Firsich, the Street Stock figure-eight points leader, went low on Turn 1 of Lap 3 to skillfully get by Tom Stephens of Ventura and go on to win the six-lap main event.

Stephens was second and Mike Bryan of Santa Paula third.

It was the fourth figure-eight main-event victory for Firsich.

Russ Warren of Oxnard led wire-to-wire to take the checkered flag in the Mini Stock eight-lap figure-eight main event.

Bingham and Joe Silva of Port Hueneme were well back in second and third.

Stephens won his sixth heat race of the season in the eight-lap Street Stock event and Green won the other Street Stock heat.