Phipps Becomes Class of a New Division at Saugus

Dave Phipps, a three-time winner of the Sportsman division at Saugus Speedway, has not had the best of success in his favorite class this summer.

His eighth-place standing, while respectable, is not the stuff to which Phipps is accustomed.

But Phipps of Simi Valley has not lost his winning touch. Saturday night in front of 3,634 fans, Phipps blew away the field in a 20-lap Grand American Modified main event to record his fifth main-event win of the season and strengthen his grip on first place in that division. At times, Phipps had more than a half-track lead over second-place driver Rusty Stewart of Redondo Beach. What’s more, Phipps tied his track record in a one-lap qualifying run earlier in the evening.

When the 40-lap Sportsman main event got under way after an early red flag, rookie Joe Heath of Northridge won his fourth main event of the season by holding off John Redmond of Saugus.

Perhaps most intriguing, though, was the driving of points leader Lance Hooper of Palmdale. Hooper, who started 14th, weaved and sped his way to an impressive third-place finish, passing Doug Renno of Canoga Park on Lap 38 for third.

The finish nearly sealed the points championship for Hooper, who has a large lead over Gary Sigman of Carson with two nights of Sportsman racing left.

The 25-lap Hobby Stock oval main event went to Joey Bolio of Sun Valley, who darted out to a sizable early lead. Slowly, though, points leader Mark Miller of North Hollywood closed the gap, until he raced up on Bolio’s tail from Lap 15 on. Bolio eventually held off Miller to notch his first main-event win of the season.

In the Jalopy main event, Jeff Saelid of San Dimas took the lead on Lap 7 en route to his first main-event win of the season. The race was stopped after 14 laps when an accident brought on a yellow flag just one lap shy of the finish. Points leader John Fleming of Simi Valley took second with Harrison Bartholomew of North Hollywood---in second place in the points standings--taking third.

The 20-lap Mini-Stock main event was won easily by Chuck Jezulin of Redondo Beach, another first-time main-event winner at Saugus.

Jezulin outdistanced Rudy Sandoval of North Hollywood.

Earlier in the evening, Heath sped away to a six-lap Sportsman fast-heat win.