Champions Installed at Ventura Track

Three new season points champions were crowned and one veteran driver repeated as a season points champion, in a different division, as the stock car racing series concluded Friday night at Ventura Raceway three weeks early because of rising fuel and operating costs.

Jim Powell Jr. of Cypress, a 17-year-old high school senior, won the Street Stock oval track division championship in only his second season of racing and his first at Ventura.

Port Hueneme’s Jim Firsich claimed his first title in the Street Stock figure-eight division, having led in that category the entire season.

Marty Desbrow of Ventura ran away with his first title, the Mini Stock oval track division, while Richard Webster of Camarillo was a repeat champion.

Webster, the 1988 Mini Stock oval track champion, running on borrowed cars this season, captured the Mini Stock figure-eight championship.

Powell came from 12th place and took the lead on Lap 5 to win the 15-lap Street Stock main event. Firsich was second and Bill Famularo of Simi Valley took third.

Jessie Verdun of Ventura moved from fourth place to the lead on the first lap and led the rest of the way to win the Street Stock 10-lap figure-eight main event. Randy Gens of Oxnard was second and Jon Christensen of Palmdale finished third.

Steve Boucher of Ojai led wire to wire to claim the Mini Stock six-lap figure-eight main event. Joe Silva of Port Hueneme and Terry Swauger of Ojai were second and third.

Ken Hewitt of Moorpark, Chris Raschke of Ventura, and Mike Raschke, Chris’ cousin, also from Ventura, each won an eight-lap Mini Stock heat race.

Eight-lap Street Stock heat races were won by David Cabel of Ojai and Powell.

Famularo overtook Joe Barreras of Sylmar on the final lap to win the four-lap Street Stock trophy dash, his fifth of the season. Doug Thornton of Ventura drove to his second win of the season in the Mini Stock six-lap trophy dash.