A Year Later, Alexander Drives to Another Win

Steve Alexander of Torrance won the 30-lap USAC three-quarter Midget main event before 2,200 at Ventura Raceway on Saturday night.

It was Alexander’s first main-event win of the year and came exactly one year after his last feature win--at the Antelope Valley Raceway in Lancaster.

Alexander led wire to wire and held off Rick Hendrix of Simi Valley and Cory Kruseman of Ventura. In fifth place in the point standings before the race, Alexander jumped to third with 354 points behind J.J. Ercse of Bellflower and Kenny White of Ventura.

John Riley Jr. of Castro Valley won the 10-lap mini-sprint main event. It was Riley’s third win of the evening, having earlier won the mini-sprint Trophy Dash and a heat race.

Simi Valley’s Rob Hansen won the 15-lap Dwarf car main event. Mission Hills’ Richard McCormick took the 10-lap three-quarter semi-main event. El Segundo’s Angel Figueroa won the Dwarf car trophy dash.

Wilmington’s Ron Wade, points leader Ercse of Bellflower, Fullerton’s Rick Atkins and Kruseman each won three-quarter heat races.

Several accidents also occurred. Tim Moser of Ventura was involved in a three-car collision in a three-quarter heat race. Ad during the three-quarter semi-main event, Moser’s brakes failed on the final lap, sending him crashing into the boards. Malibu driver Lyle Slater walked away from a three-quarter heat wipeout in which his car overturned five times. Neither driver was injured.