Traffic Jam Slows Races at Ventura

With more than 70 cars participating in Saturday night’s U. S. Auto Club’s National Midget points race at Ventura Raceway, traffic became a major problem--causing a delay of more than 1 1/2 hours.

With spin-outs in every preliminary race, neither the 50-lap Midget main event nor the 20-lap three-quarter midget main event had run as this edition went to press.

However, Jeff Gordon of Pitsboro, Ind., the national points leader with three races remaining in the season, avoided the jam-ups to record a wire-to-wire victory in the Midget 10-lap semi-main event and qualify for the main event.

Gordon is locked in a tight battle with Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind., and Mike Streicher of Findlay, Ohio. Only 47 points separated the three before Saturday’s action.

Jason Jonkman of Fountain Valley and Gary Howard of Anaheim also posted wire-to-wire victories in three-quarter Midget semi-main events to head a 12-car transfer field for the main event.

Eight-lap heat-race winners were Hank Butcher of San Leandro, P.J. Jones of Rolling Hills, George Ito of Oxnard and Lee Yetter of LaSelva Beach.