Monroe Steals Show in Cameo : Auto racing: Malibu racer’s starts are infrequent but he makes an impact in rare appearance at Saugus.

Sean Monroe only enjoyed limited success on the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour heading into Saturday night’s race at Saugus Speedway.

The Malibu resident is the driver for Ron Hornaday Jr.’s car and only makes part-time appearances on the circuit.

But Saugus has been kind to Monroe, who is 39th in the Southwest Tour points standings.

Last season, his first on the tour, he made his debut at Saugus and set the fast qualifying lap.

“I only get to race in about eight or nine events a year,” Monroe said.

But Monroe, who regularly races at Mesa Marin Speedway in Bakersfield, continued to have success at Saugus by winning the trophy dash and $500 in a contest before the feature.

Results of the 100-lap main event were not available at press time. After 20 laps, Monroe was in second place.

Monroe’s pit crew earned some bonus money by defeating four other crews in a timed event to see which crew could prep a car in the fastest. Monroe’s crew changed four tires and filled it with the equivilent of 11 gallons of gas in 15.3 seconds.

“I owe that one to Lance Hooper,” Monroe said of his fellow competitor. “I think his car slowed up because they think we needed the cash more then his pit crew did.”

Hooper, who has an extensive racing history at Saugus, won his fourth pole of the season.

The pole was his 10th on the Southwest Tour which ties him for 5th on the all time list.

“The track was just like I expected,’ Hooper said. “Same old Saugus.”

Local drivers M.K. Kanke and Keith Spangler barely qualified for the main event.

Kanke, of Granada Hills, used a backup car in the race after breaking down in last weeks race at Las Vegas. He was in second place when the breakdown occurred.