Stocks on Rise in Bakersfield

Stock car fans can feast on four days and nights of racing this weekend in Bakersfield, where Mesa Marin Raceway will be host to the 21st annual NASCAR October Classic.

Starting with a Winston Racing Series late model race tonight on the half-mile paved oval, the series includes a Featherlite Southwest Tour race Friday night, the Spears Manufacturing 300 Winston West race Saturday night and the Ford Dealers 300 Craftsman Truck series race Sunday afternoon.

The truck race will serve as a homecoming for the Craftsman series as Bakersfield is where the truck racing craze started two years ago.

Mesa Marin officials estimated that there will be 1,000 laps of racing, with $400,000 at stake in the four days. On Saturday, the track will be busy for 12 hours, starting with Winston West practice at 10 a.m. and concluding about 10 p.m. with the finish of the 150-mile race.

All but tonight’s 75-lap race are 150 laps. Sunday’s truck race will be on TV live at 1:15 p.m. on the Nashville Network.

Ron Hornaday Jr., of Palmdale, driving a Chevrolet truck owned by seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, has a 96-point lead over Mike Skinner, a former Californian who now lives in North Carolina. It’s all in the family as Skinner drives for Ray Childress, who owns the Winston Cup car that Earnhardt drives. Skinner won the inaugural championship last year.

With three races remaining, Hornaday can win the championship by finishing sixth or better in all three. In the two races last year at Mesa Marin, Hornaday won in the spring and Skinner in the fall, also in a Chevrolet.

With a third-place check from last week’s race at Sears Point, Skinner broke his year-old season money-winning record at $432,510.

Motor Racing Notes

MOTORCYCLES--Scott Parker, perhaps the greatest dirt-track rider in motorcycle history, should reach another milestone Sunday when he and his Harley-Davidson go for their third consecutive win in the Del Mar Mile, which will be run on the horse racing oval. If Parker finishes 15th or better, he will win his seventh American Motorcyclist Assn. Grand National dirt track championship. No other rider since the AMA was founded in 1924 has won more than four. Only Kevin Atherton has a mathematical chance at dethroning the Swartz Creek, Mich., veteran. . . . A vintage race for pre-1972 bikes, featuring six-time world champion Jim Redman of South Africa, is scheduled Friday on the Del Mar road course.

SPRINT CARS--With five races remaining in the Sprint Car Racing Assn. season, Richard Griffin holds a narrow lead over former champion Ron Shuman, 1,816-1,797. Rip Williams, with 11 wins, is one win away from tying Shuman’s SCRA single-season record. The SCRA will be at Ventura Raceway on Saturday night.

SPORTS CARS--A number of Sports Car Club of America divisional champions are at the Mid-Ohio track this weekend for the SCCA Valvoline Runoffs, the amateur national championships. Mike Lewis of San Diego is defending champion in GT-1 and also will drive his Mazda RX7 in the GT-3 class. Other Southern Pacific champions expected to enter are Bill Gilcrease of Costa Mesa, GT-5; Justin Ferguson of Garden Grove, CSR; Scott Webb of Pasadena, Spec Racer; John Repar of Simi Valley, Formula A; Mike Williams of Valencia, Formula Continental; Bob Whyte of Malibu, Formula 440; Daniel Snow of Orange, FP; Bob Endicott of San Pedro, Touring 1; Tim Brecht of Escondido, SSA; Eric Morehouse of Fountain Valley, SSB; William Harrison of San Pedro, SSC, and Steve Tollefson of Woodland Hills, A Sedan.

JET BOATS--The 15th annual Skat Track World Finals, final event of the International Jet Sports Boating Assn., will be held this weekend at Lake Havasu City, Ariz. More than 700 professionals and amateurs from 34 countries will compete in a series of championship events. Defending champions include Japan’s Minoru Kanamori in pro runabout, and Tom Bonacci of Costa Mesa, in pro sport. All pro finals are Sunday.