Chrisco Wins Midget Main at Ventura

Keith Chrisco had competed in 10 Midget races on the U.S. Auto Club’s Western States Series without success before Saturday night.

But on his 11th try--before a Ventura Raceway crowd of 4,276 and a national cable television audience--Chrisco found the winner’s circle.

Page Jones of Torrance appeared to be on his way to a comfortable victory in the Midget main event before he lost control on Lap 28, allowing Chrisco, 35, to make up the distance between them. When Jones made the same mistake again in Turn 2 of the final lap Chrisco, a former motorcycle and sprint car racer from Huntington Beach, powered past on the backstretch and went on to take the checkered flag.

Jones finished second with Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind., third and Keith Rauch of Arvada, Colo., fourth.

Even though he completed only one lap in the main event, Joe Gaerte of Rochester, Ind., won the ESPN-TV series championship, which concluded its five-race series at Ventura on Saturday.

Rick Hendrix of Simi Valley won the three-quarter Midget 20-lap main event over Marc Hart and Kenny White, both of Ventura.

In Friday night’s program, Tim Gill of Camarillo won the 20-lap Mini Stock main event and also took the checkered flag in a heat race and in a trophy dash. Gill’s previous best performance was a heat-race win.

Zeke DeRose of Sun Valley led from start to finish to win the Street Stock 20-lap main event. Tom Stephens of Ventura and Jim Firsich of Port Hueneme were second and third.

Doug Thornton of Ventura won the Modified Mini Stock heat race and the 10-lap main event.