Smith Dodges Debris in Wild Win

A thunderstorm pounded the pavement of Saugus Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

The track’s Pro Stock division took over Saturday evening.

In a wild, 50-minute, 25-lap oval main event in which fenders smacked against fenders, Richard Smith of Reseda drove through the scattered debris to record his first career Pro Stock victory before a crowd of 3,751.

In a fitting ending, Simi Valley drivers Craig Rayburn and Scott Dinger spun across the finish line. The photo finish for second went to to Rayburn.

Smith dedicated the victory to his grandfather, who died Monday.

“I went out and said, ‘I’m gonna do it for him,’ ” Smith said, his eyes filled with tears. “And that’s what I did.”

It wasn’t easy. Two red-flag collisions before the race was five laps old delayed proceedings considerably and shook up the grid. Three ensuing yellow flags didn’t help to speed things along.

Sean Monroe of Los Angeles and Niles Strever of Los Angeles were involved in a front-straightaway collision on Lap 3. Seconds after the restart, several cars exchanged paint in Turn 4, leaving Eric Sunness of Canyon Country in need of a tow.

Among the casualties was points leader Ed Horst of Reseda, who was in fourth place after 12 laps before a spin with Richard Karuasek of Reseda forced him to the rear.

However, Horst rallied to finish fourth and maintain his points lead over Gerrit Cromsigt of Palmdale. Cromsigt, who was forced to take the wheel of the car owned by Rick Hopkins of Simi Valley because of an oil leak, finished seventh.

An afternoon shower soaked the track and was the likely reason for several slower-than-usual qualifying marks. But traction was not a problem.

“If anything, I think the rain probably improved (conditions) a little,” Cromsigt said.

Said Smith: “I thought the track was OK. I was just wondering who was going to try and run me over next.”

The 40-lap Sportsman main event was not completed when this edition went to press.

In other races, the 20-lap Mini Stock main event featured a crash involving Robert Paglia of Simi Valley and Jim Click of North Hollywood eight laps into the race.

Damon Duckett of Acton, third in the division’s points race, went on to record his first main-event victory of the season. Chuck Jezulin of Redondo Beach finished second and Jeff McCall of Gardena finished third.

Sportsman heat race winners included Gary Sigman of Carson and Rodney Peacher of Sepulveda.

Other heat race winners included Rick Hopkins of Simi Valley, Chris Doyle of Canyon Country and Richard Smith of Reseda (Pro Stock oval); Earl Dorman of Saugus (Pro Stock figure-eight), Garrett Yamada of North Hollywood (Pro Four Modified), and John Petsco of Newbury Park and Gerry Mielke of Torrance (Mini Stock).