Home-Track Edge for Hornaday

Ron Hornaday Jr. has won two consecutive Featherlite Southwest Tour stock car races, and the defending series champion is headed for his home track this weekend in hopes of equaling the tour record of three in a row.

Saugus Speedway is where the 34-year-old Palmdale driver got his start, and Saugus is where the Miller Genuine Draft 100 will be run Saturday night.

Hornaday would appear to have a lot going for him: He is defending race champion on the one-third mile oval, he also won at Saugus in 1991 and he is the track record-holder at 78.125 m.p.h., a record sure to fall after Saugus’ repaving program last winter.

The record of three consecutive Southwest Tour victories was set by Dan Press in 1989 and equaled by Rick Carelli a year ago.

“We really want to be the first to win two championships,” Hornaday said. “We’d like to get the single-season win record, too.”

That record is eight, also by Press and Carelli. In seven years, no one has won two championships in the All-American Challenge series for late model stock cars.

Hornaday moved into the series lead last Saturday when he won the Budweiser 200 at Sears Point by 12.1 seconds over 1988 rookie of the year Ken Pederson of Kentfield, Calif. Although he drove a Pontiac to the championship last year, Hornaday switched to an Oldsmobile this season and in five races has victories at Stockton and Sears Point and two second-place finishes.

The record for the 33.3-mile race is 29 minutes 37 seconds, or 69.889 m.p.h. set April 27, 1991 by Jon Paques in a Chevrolet.

Motor Racing Notes

SPEEDWAY BIKES--International Speedway will introduce a new format--the KIK-FM Four-Team Shootout--Friday night at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The four-team format is similar to that used to determine the World Team Cup championship. Sixteen riders will be divided into four teams and will compete in 20 heat races, with one rider from each team in each heat. Captains will be former champions Bobby Schwartz, Steve Lucero and Mike Faria, and current champion Chris Manchester.

MIDGETS--The United States Auto Club western regional midgets and three- quarter midgets will share billing with modifieds Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway.

STOCK CARS--Sportsman cars of the NASCAR Winston Series will run Saturday night at Cajon Speedway. . . . The Kragen series for late models will continue Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway. . . . Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino will feature stock pony cars Saturday and a 50-lap sportsman race on Sunday.

OFF ROAD--Severe storms in Baja California have forced SCORE officials to shorten the course for the June 4-6 Tecate Baja 500 race. Nearly 60 miles have been cut to eliminate the last segment of the event. The start has also been changed to 25 miles east of Ensenada near Ojos Negros and the finish will be 25 miles south of Ensenada.

MISCELLANY--Ventura Raceway will present a motocross and stadium off-road program Saturday night. . . . The eighth annual La Carrera Classic, a 120-mile rally, including high-speed sections, will be held Saturday on the Ensenada-San Felipe highway. All cars equipped with a roll-bar are eligible.