Hooper Narrows Deficit After Saugus Win

Lance Hooper of Palmdale continues to gain on Gary Sigman. Inches at a time.

Hooper sped to his fifth consecutive 40-lap Sportsman division main-event victory, before a Saturday night crowd of 3,216 at Saugus Speedway.

However, close behind was Sigman.

Sigman, the division points leader, finished third while continuing to hold off hard-charging Hooper, the division’s defending champion, who began the evening in second place.

In Hooper’s last three wins, Sigman has finished third twice and second once. Sigman, a Carson resident, entered the evening with a 36-point advantage over Hooper, who shaved only four points off the margin with his victory Saturday night. Only three main events remain this season.

“I ain’t getting enough,” Hooper said, breathing hard after climbing out of his car. “And I’m running out of time. I just gotta drive these last races as hard as I can.”

Hooper started seventh, then passed Sigman to move into second place on Lap 25. Hooper passed Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill for the lead at Lap 27. Mintey went on to finish second.

“We tried to run those last laps really smooth because Dave was behind,” said Michael Ayers, Saugus’ Sportsman champion in 1986. “This was a long time coming. It feels good.”

In other races, Ayers of Canyon Country made his best run of the season in the 25-lap Grand American Modified main event, holding off Dave Phipps of Simi Valley to record his first main-event win of the season.

Ayers entered the evening eighth in points and had finished no better than fourth in a main event this season. Ayers darted past Rusty Stewart of Redondo Beach on the 10th lap and led until the finish.

Phipps, the division’s points leader and defending champion, started 10th but was challenging Ayers for the lead by Lap 13.

Ayers beat Phipps to the finish by one car length. Stewart finished third and Dave Blankenship of Reseda finished fourth.

Jeff Saelid of San Dimas held off points leader Ron Cerven of Palmdale to win the 25-lap Street Stock oval main event and tie Cerven with a division-high three main-event victories.

Saelid, second in points, started 11th, moved to second after only one lap, then moved into the lead on the seventh lap. Saelid opened a five-second lead over Cerven, the margin narrowed only by three yellow flags.

Cerven was challenged on the final two laps by Mike McAtee of North Hollywood, who finished third. John Penning of Lebec edged Eric Sunness of Canyon Country for fourth.

In the 15-lap Hobby Stock main event, points leader Rich Ocheltree of Van Nuys stole the lead from newcomer Warren Anderson of Santa Monica with three laps to go and went on to win his second main event of the season. Anderson finished second ahead of Chuck Berry of Woodland Hills and Dana Moore of Valencia.

Heat-race winners included John Watkinson of Canyon Country and Harry Brady of Santa Clarita (Sportsman); Mike Kirby of Harbor City and Stewart (Grand Am); Penning and Richard Minor of Reseda (Street Stock) and Anderson (Hobby Stock).

Yagel Berkovitz of (Burbank) and Saelid won figure-eight heats.