Pair of Delays Hold Up Racing at Ventura

It was another typical night of stock car racing at Ventura Raceway Friday. Once again, the races pushed the limit.

Not the speed limit, but the City of Ventura’s 11 p.m. curfew.

As it has throughout the season, the first race began 30 minutes late, then an injury accident caused a 40-minute delay, contributing to an almost main-event-less program. As this edition went to press, four of the five scheduled main event races had not been run, and all preliminary races had been shortened.

In the 15-lap Street Stock main event, Scott Olsen of Ventura drove to his first victory of the season. Tom Stephens of Ventura was second and Zeke DeRose of Sun Valley took third.

On the final lap of the first Street Stock heat race, Steve Morris of Ventura was all alone and a half-lap behind the field when he drove into the backstretch retaining wall and barrel-rolled his Chevelle onto its side. Morris was taken to Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura for observation.

John Aitken of Fillmore took the checkered flag in the heat. Other Street Stock heat-race winners were Ron Bartels of Canoga Park and Paul Moore of Oxnard.

Mini Stock six-lap heat race winners were Pat Garrety of Oxnard, Doug Thornton of Ventura, and Mike Raschke of Ventura. Leonard Rowe of Oxnard took the Modified Mini Stock heat race.

The U.S. Auto Club’s Western States Midget and Three-Quarter Midgets will return to Ventura tonight at 7.