MOTOR RACING / KIRBY LEE : Krieger Clipped by Misfortune Once More

The scene was all too familiar to Larry Krieger as he examined the damage to his Sportsman car Saturday night after colliding with Mark Austin during the sixth lap of the 40-lap main event at Saugus Speedway.

Krieger was driving in the middle of the pack on Turn 4, followed closely by John Redmond of Saugus and Gary Sigman of Carson when Krieger was clipped from behind and spun out.

Austin rear-ended Krieger, rupturing a fuel cell in Krieger’s car and spilling fuel on the track. Seconds later, Austin’s car burst into flames, bringing out a red flag.

“I could feel the heat of the flames and I just jumped out of my car and said ‘I am out of here,’ ” Krieger said. “As soon as I got out, I could tell my frame was trashed.”

Krieger was not able to walk away from his last accident during a practice run at Saugus in late March.

He slammed his car into a wall when his brakes locked. The Jaws of Life were needed to free Krieger from the vehicle.

Krieger, of Reseda, had no feeling in his hands and feet and was hospitalized for three days. The injury was diagnosed as a severe hyper-extension of his neck muscles. He did not return to racing until June 22.

“Man, this stuff never ends,” said Krieger, 25, who had turned in a personal best of 16.73 seconds, eclipsing his previous best of 16.90, in the one-lap qualifying Saturday.

“It seems like every time I go to Saugus, I wreck my car.”

His car was not totaled Saturday, but it sustained severe frame damage and will not be ready to run tonight. Whether he drives his vehicle or a loaned one, he vows to return to racing for the Winston 100 at Saugus on Aug. 10.

Krieger believes the accident was avoidable and resulted from Sigman’s reckless driving.

“I was helpless,” Krieger said. “It happened so fast that Mario Andretti could not have done anything. Most of the people (at Saugus) there will tell you that Gary Sigman is an enormous cause of accidents. He drives too dangerously and is just a menace on the race track.”

Sigman denied Krieger’s claim.

“Accidents happen all the time and it’s all part of the racing and I don’t think it was anybody’s fault,” Sigman said. “If (Krieger) wants to blame me for it, that’s his business.”

New kid on the track: It didn’t take long for Russ Beckers of Sepulveda to make an impact at Saugus in his first full season of racing in the Street Stock division in 1988 when he placed second in the points standings and won the most improved award.

Beckers, 25, moved up to the Sportsman division this season and is a strong candidate for rookie-of-the-year honors. He has yet to take the checkered flag, but has finished in the top 10 nine times in 13 starts, including four times in the top five. A seventh-place finish on Saturday boosted him into third place in the seasonal point standings with 171 points.

Doug Renno of Canoga Park, 10th with 142 points, is the only other rookie in the top 10. Lance Hooper of Palmdale is first with 250 points, a point ahead of Sigman.

“We were looking to be in the top five and get rookie of the year before the season,” said Beckers, who also placed second in the Street Stock standings in 1989.

Trivia time: Julianne Seeley and Mindy Drake became the second and third women to win main events at Saugus with victories in the Hobby Stock and Jalopy divisions during the past month.

Who was the first woman to win a Saugus main event?

Communication breakdown: Don’t hold your breath waiting for a renewal of the business partnership between Northridge residents Joe Heath, 26, and Keith Spangler, 21.

The former teammates were first and second on the 38th lap in the Saugus Sportsman 40-lap main event June 1 when Spangler clipped Heath’s car and spun him out. Heath ended up 14th and Spangler 15th.

Heath, who owns Spangler’s No. 37 car and claims the accident cost him nearly $5,000 in prize money, terminated the relationship and reclaimed the car, leaving Spangler, who was third in the points standings at the time, without a ride.

“He’s a poor businessman and I have no respect for him,” Spangler said. “I’m glad (the accident) happened because I learned who my real friends are.”

Beginner’s luck?: Heath drove Spangler’s No. 37 car, repainted with No. 90, to his first Sportsman victory Saturday. Heath netted nearly $7,000 for the victory, including a $1,100 bonus from the track for becoming the first driver in 11 weeks to win from the pole.

Starting on the pole, which is given to the driver who is 15th in the season points standings, has become a familiar position for Heath, who has held it the past seven weeks and will be there again tonight.

“Basically I’ve just had hard luck,” said Heath, who had been the victim of a flat tire, broken spark plugs and accidents in previous starts from the pole.

All in the family: Oren Prosser, 50, a five-time Saugus modified division champion in the 1960s and early ‘70s, will drive one of Heath’s cars for the Winston 100 at Saugus on Aug. 10. Prosser of Van Nuys is the father-in-law of Cal Northrop, Heath’s pit crew chief.

Staying on track: Spangler has been busy during his layoff, working on a new 1991 Lumina that he hopes to race on the Winston West circuit next season.

“Saugus is fun, but I’m just racing for experience before moving on to bigger and better things,” he said.

Spangler, who is 14th in the points standings, might return soon. Krieger, who loaned Spangler his car on June 15 for a one-race deal, said he will extend the loan if Spangler falls into 15th in the points standings and gains the pole.

Trivia answer: Linda Owens of Chatsworth won two Jalopy main events in 1987.