MOTOR RACING / VINCE KOWALICK : Horst, Dinger Sport Clashing Styles in Fierce Quest for Lead

Like the tortoise and the hare, Ed Horst and Scott Dinger make for an interesting race.

This season’s Pro Stock division points race at Saugus Speedway has become a two-driver dash between Horst, 39, a five-year track veteran from Reseda, and Dinger, 32, a five-year veteran from Simi Valley.

Dinger bolted from the gate in April with an opening-night main-event victory and held the points lead for three weeks. Horst has led since and holds a 17-point advantage over Dinger, who is second. Rip Michels of Arleta, 46 points out of first, is a distant third, and no one else is close.

“The other guys--if you look at how they’ve been finishing--have had accidents and mechanical failures,” Horst said.

For their part, Horst and Dinger have taken different routes to the head of the pack.

Dinger, the division’s runner-up last season, has posted an impressive six main-event victories, double the total of any other driver in any division. However, in three main events, Dinger has emerged with only one point.

Dinger was penalized once for rough driving, was levied a mechanical disqualification and was involved in an accident that kept him from finishing.

“I’d be in first if I could have those three races back,” Dinger said. “Winning the championship is what we’re after this season.”

Horst has made a case for the steady approach. He has won only one main event, but he has finished among the top 10 in every race and has 13 top-five finishes in 16 starts.

“Last year, I got kind of stupid because I tried to win every race instead of going for the points,” said Horst, who was fifth last season. “This year it’s been consistency more than anything. Sometimes, maybe it’s best to stay back and be fifth instead of beating up the guy in front of you.”

To each his own. Last week, Dinger dropped out of the 15-lap figure-eight main event after being involved in an accident with, of all people, Horst.

With Dinger trying to make a pass in a turn, his 1968 Chevelle came in contact with Horst’s 1984 Buick Regal. Dinger’s car sustained a broken axle, while Horst went on to finish fifth.

“I was a little bit upset with him,” Dinger said. “I didn’t talk to him after the race.”

Horst said Dinger has no one to blame but himself and his high throttle, bumper-banging approach.

“He likes to drive a pretty erratic line,” Horst said. “He maneuvers around quite a lot. That’s racing. But I know he’s upset a few guys.”

Sportsman series: Officials at Saugus, El Cajon Speedway in San Diego and Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield have organized a year-end, three-race championship series for Sportsman cars with a total purse of $2,000 per race.

The series is scheduled to begin Sept. 26 at Saugus during the track’s annual Fall Spectacular program. The next race will be Oct. 10 at El Cajon, followed by an Oct. 16 race at Mesa Marin.

The winner of each race will take home $1,500. A typical Saugus Sportsman main event pays $600 to win.

Motocross: Mike Kiedrowski of Acton finished second in the American Motocross Assn. 250cc national championship points race after finishing fifth last weekend at Kenworthy’s Motocross Park in Troy, Ohio. Kiedrowski, with one victory for the season, finished 56 points behind champion Jeff Stanton of Sherwood, Mich.

Jeff Emig of Highland finished first last weekend at Troy in the 125cc event. Emig, with two victories this season, is tied for second in points after six of 11 events.

Winston West: Bill Sedgwick of Granada Hills will attempt to become the first driver since 1974 to win a fourth consecutive NASCAR Winston West race as the series resumes tonight with a 200-lap race at South Sound Speedway in Tenino, Wash.

Jimmy Insolo, like Sedgwick, a former Saugus Speedway champion, was the last Winston West driver to win four in a row. The record for consecutive wins is five, set by Hershel McGriff in 1972.

Consistency has been a strength for Sedgwick, the series defending champion and current points leader. Since Nov. 4, 1990, he has finished 16 consecutive races.

Since 1989, when Sedgwick was the series rookie of the year, he has failed to finish only two races in 34 starts, a finishing percentage of .941.

Finishing percentage?

Said Sedgwick: “It isn’t anything I’m thinking about.”

Place and show: Ron Hornaday Jr. of Palmdale and Bob Lyon of Newhall finished second and third, respectively, behind Rick Carelli of Denver in last weekend’s 100-lap NASCAR Southwest Tour race at Redwood Acres Speedway in Eureka, Calif.

For Hornaday, second to points leader Doug George of Atwater, Calif., after 10 of 18 races, it was a disappointing finish, considering he set the evening’s best qualifying mark and lost to Carelli by only a quarter-second. Hornaday finished second for the third time this season after posting his only win in April.

Lyon’s finish was more satisfying because it was his best finish of the season and best performance since 1990.

The tour resumes next Saturday at Stockton 99 Speedway.