Bingham Wins Main Events at Ventura

Randy Bingham of Camarillo certainly had the will and somehow he found a way to win Friday night, claiming his first Mini Stock 20-lap main event at Ventura Raceway despite traveling the final one-sixteenth of a mile on a flat rear tire.

Bingham took the lead from Oxnard’s Mike Spencer with six laps remaining when Spencer lost control in Turn 3, and had a big enough lead to hold off Spencer after the tire went flat in the checkered-flag lap.

John Petsco of Agoura Hills was third.

There were almost as many yellow flags in the Street Stock 12-lap main event as there were laps.

After six yellows and numerous lead changes due to multiple spin-outs, Mike Bryan of Santa Paula emerged to claim his first main-event win of the season.

Bryan nipped Jim Powell Jr. of Cypress by a half-car length. Season points leader Don Keeter of Ventura was third.

Bingham won his second main event of the night as he came from the fourth position to take the lead on Lap 2 and triumph easily in the Mini Stock eight-lap figure-eight race.

Russ Warren of Van Nuys was second and Fillmore’s Jeff Drake finished third. Season points leader Richard Webster of Camarillo was fourth.

Starting from the pole position, Port Hueneme’s Jim Firsich enjoyed a wire-to-wire victory in the seven-lap Street Stock figure-eight main event. Scott Olsen of Ventura finished second.

It was the fifth figure-eight main win for season points leader Firsich, who opened up a 380-point lead over the absent Tom Stephens of Ventura.