Sigman’s Title a Tribute to His Finishing Power : Motor racing: Carson driver completed every main event and heat race he started in winning Sportsman championship at Saugus Speedway.

Gary Sigman did not win a heat race, never posted the evening’s top qualifying mark and won only one 40-lap Sportsman division main event this season at Saugus Speedway.

But Sigman never drove a lap he didn’t finish.

Thus, Sigman, a 53-year-old resident of Carson, captured his first Sportsman championship in the speedway’s 53rd year of stock-car racing.

Sigman, one of five first-time champions this season at Saugus, started and finished 16 main events and 16 heat races, driving a steady course to edge defending champion Lance Hooper of Palmdale for the title in his fifth season as a Sportsman competitor.

Sigman, who moved into the points lead to stay May 23, finished among the top 10 in every race and among the top five 12 times. He finished second twice and third six times.

“Our goal was to win the championship and we did what we had to do,” Sigman said. “I didn’t tear my car up. I ran the whole season with one fender. We had a good, solid car, but we didn’t have the fastest car out there.”

That was apparent throughout the second half of the season when Hooper stormed to five consecutive main-event wins to close the gap. Hooper, 25, the Sportsman rookie of the year in 1990, was in fifth place and trailing Sigman by 47 points on July 4.

Hooper’s streak began July 25 and included a pair of 50-lap wins Aug. 8 in the annual running of the Saugus Winston Twin 50s. However, Hooper was able to pare only 17 points off Sigman’s lead. During Hooper’s streak, Sigman finished second once and third twice.

On Aug. 22, Hooper’s bid for a record sixth consecutive main-event win--and another track championship--came to an end when he was involved in a crash during the trophy dash. Driving another driver’s car in the evening’s main event, Hooper finished 10th while Sigman finished eighth. Hooper finished the season second, 22 points behind Sigman.

“He finished them all and that was the difference,” said Hooper, who won a division-high eight main events but failed to finish two races.

Hooper said he plans to join the NASCAR Southwest Tour next season. Sigman, who also competed in the Grand American Modified division this season, said he likely will return to Saugus in both divisions.

Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill (fourth in points) and Sean Woodside of Saugus (ninth) each recorded two main-event wins. Doug Renno of Canoga Park, Craig Rayburn of Santa Clarita and John Higgins of Simi Valley each had one win.

The division’s qualifying record was broken three times during the season, most recently by Joe Heath of Northridge, who drove a 16.36-second lap on Aug. 29.

Ken Sapper of La Crescenta (16.41) lowered the standard in June, and Mintey Jr. (16.51) broke the track record on opening night in April.

Following is a glance at the track’s other divisional races:

GRAND AMERICAN MODIFIED

Dave Phipps of Simi Valley, Sportsman champion in 1984, ’87 and ‘88, has found a new division to dominate.

In the open-wheel Grand Am division’s second season at Saugus, Phipps coasted to his second consecutive championship and fifth track title since he began racing at Saugus in 1980.

Phipps, 44, the only driver to lead the Grand Am points race over the past two seasons, won five of the season’s 12 main events to raise his all-time total to 46. He also established the evening’s fastest qualifying mark 11 times. Phipps broke the division’s qualifying record five times, most recently with a 16.53-second lap Sept. 5.

The only other driver to win more than one main event was Doug Corning of San Diego, a Grand Am division racer at El Cajon Speedway. Corning made three appearances at Saugus this season but did not finish among the top 10 in points.

“It must be experience, that’s all I can think of,” Phipps said. “Every week, I work on the car, making some little adjustment to make it go faster.”

Mechanical failure forced Phipps from two races, and Dave Blankenship of Reseda, a former Hobby Stock and Street Stock champion, ran a consistent second throughout the season. Still, Phipps finished 17 points ahead of Blankenship, who did not win a main event but had eight top-five finishes. Both said they plan to return next season.

PRO STOCK

Like Sigman, Ed Horst of Reseda made a case for consistency en route to his first track title in five years at Saugus.

Horst, 39, completed all 26 main events--13 oval and 13 figure-eight--finishing among the top five 21 times. He also established the division’s current one-lap qualifying record (18.12).

“My crew kept the car in top-notch condition every week,” Horst said. “All I had to do was stay clean and keep my nose out of trouble.”

The only challenge to Horst came from Scott Dinger of Simi Valley.

Dinger, 33, who lost the points lead to Horst three weeks into the season, sped to a division-high seven main-event victories and finished among the top five 21 times.

However, Dinger emerged from four main events with only one point because of a rough-driving violation, two accidents and a mechanical failure. Dinger finished in second place, 33 points behind Horst.

“There’s no beating consistency like Ed’s,” Dinger said. “But we’ll be back next year to take the championship.”

STREET STOCK

Jeff Saelid of Covina stole the points lead from Ron Cerven of Palmdale on the season’s final evening to post his first title in two years at Saugus.

Saelid, 26, trailed Cerven by 10 points entering the final 25-lap oval main event. Saelid started last among 25 cars and went on to win, while Cerven dropped out of the race with transmission trouble.

Saelid won a division-high four main events, and Scott Roark of Agua Dulce set a track qualifying record (18.77) in July.

HOBBY STOCK

In the closest points race of any division, Rich Ocheltree of Van Nuys held off Chuck Berry of Woodland Hills to record his first track championship. Ocheltree finished five points ahead of Berry.

Of course, Ocheltree, who set a qualifying record (19.49) in June, gave the competition an edge by choosing to forgo several figure-eight races. He resumed racing in figure-eight events late in the season when his lead was dwindling.

Ocheltree, Berry, Rick Nyberg of Mission Hills and Mark Allen of Sunland all shared the division lead with two main-event wins.

MINI STOCK

Ed Fuller Jr., 24, who competed in only two races last season, led the points race throughout the second half of the season and clinched his first track title with three main events remaining. Fuller of Carson, whose father, Ed Sr., finished fourth, won a division-high three main events and finished among the top 10 in all eight main events.

Gregg Symonds of Agoura Hills and John Petsco of Newbury Park each won one main event. Damon Duckett of Acton moved from fifth to second in the standings last week with his second victory of the season, in the final week.

The Mini Stock was the only division this season in which the existing qualifying record was not broken. Rock Ake Jr. set the mark of 19.01 seconds in June, 1991.