In Victory, Weston Stays Out of Hole

James Weston turned his prophecy into reality Friday night at Ventura Raceway, winning the 20-lap Street Stock main event by one-third of a lap.

The Ventura resident blew a tire twice in last week’s main, the second one coming when he hit a hole in the track in the first turn on the last lap after charging from last place to fifth.

Afterward he vowed, “I’ll get them next week.”

Weston did just that, taking the lead on the start from the second position and running wire to wire for the victory.

“There’s still that hole there,” Weston said. “I just adjusted my setup and tried to stay out of the hole.”

Oak View’s Paul Moore, who won the main last week and won the championship last year by 15 points over Weston, charged from eighth place to finish second in the main event after defeating Weston by one length in the eight-lap heat.

Said Weston of his victory over Moore, “I didn’t have to battle with him, which made it a little easier.

“I like to think I had it set up right, but we’ll find out in two weeks when we run side to side.”

In the Mini Stock division, Ventura resident Gary Swenson went wire to wire in the eight-lap heat, and led all but the first two laps while winning the 20-lap main.

Swenson started on the pole in the feature, but slid into the infield on the first turn, allowing Camarillo’s Jim Tietz to take the lead.

It took Swenson one lap to catch Tietz. They passed the finish line side by side on the second lap, with Tietz ahead by a foot.

Tietz finished second in both the heat race and the main, Oxnard’s Jim May was third in the main and second in the heat, and Ventura’s Fred Woodward was fourth in the main and third in the heat.

Trish Remley of Oxnard won the 15-lap Pony Stock main event by one-third of a lap over Tracy Jewett, also of Oxnard.

Santa Maria’s Ryan Cole took the 20-lap IMCA Modified main event by one-half lap after winning the eight-lap heat.

Ron Bartels of Hawthorne was second in the main, just ahead of Ventura’s Doug Thornton and David Franey of Bakersfield. Thornton was second in the heat race.