Harper Breezes Home in Winston 100

On Saturday night at Saugus Speedway, the only warmth Will Harper of Tarzana experienced was from the hot, clinging air of a Santa Clarita Valley night.

The heat he should have felt from hard-charging drivers challenging his Sportsman division points lead evaporated rapidly in his impressive win in the Winston 100 before 4,944.

Harper, whose points lead had been dwindling since his last main-event win April 21, started seventh in a 24-car field, charged to second by Lap 14, and passed Rod Johnson of Canyon Country on Lap 40’s back straightaway in cruising to the victory.

The win erased memories of last year’s Winston 100, when Harper, leading the race, tangled with a lapped competitor in Lap 92 and lost out to Dave Phipps of Simi Valley.

“I was panicked then,” Harper joked of his late-lap lead. “I want to thank my crew for not radioing me and telling me it was Lap 92.”

No warning was needed. By that point, almost a full straightaway separated Harper and second-place driver Rodney Peacher of Sepulveda. Phipps, who had won three consecutive Winston 100s, finished a strong third.

Larry Krieger of Reseda took fourth, and John Watkinson III of Canyon Country took fifth.

Meanwhile, whether Garrett Yamada starts on the pole or at the back of the pack seems not to matter to the North Hollywood driver this season.

Yamada, the runaway points leader in the Mini Stock division at Saugus Speedway, started eighth in a field of nine cars and took the lead on only the third lap before racing to his fifth consecutive win.

Yamada withstood a brief challenge from second-place finisher Rock Ake Jr. of Moorpark, who was unable to nose past the leader on the final turn.

But Yamada’s wasn’t the only hard-charging performance. In the 25-lap main event of the MSRA Pro Four West Outlaw Mini Stock division, Gary Ebeling of Monrovia started 10th in a 14-car field and triumphed.

Yamada was a distant second behind Tim Mitchell of La Crescenta but received a break when a yellow flag on Lap 16 caused the field to slow and bunch together before re-starting. After the green flag, Ebeling passed Mitchell within two laps to claim the victory. Mitchell took second place, with Kenny Smith of El Monte third.

A B main event allowed four qualifiers to advance to the Winston 100. Highlighting that race was the effort of Reseda’s John Cran, who led early but was forced to the pits with a leak.

When Cran re-entered the race, a chase ensued, and Cran weaved and maneuvered to secure the fourth position. He accomplished the feat on Lap 24 of the 25-lap race, taking fourth--much to the delight of a sizable Cran fan club.

Cran advanced to the 100-lap main event along with Marty Walker of Ventura, Ron Meyer of Lake Elsinore and Mark Austin of Burbank.

In the eight-lap Outlaw Mini fast heat races, Mal Border of Tujunga and Rick Nisbet of Lancaster took checkered flags.