Portenga Can Play With the Big Boys

The big boys of NASCAR came out West to make a big-time show of the Ford Los Angeles Street Race, and they did, but in the end Monday it was a Featherlite Southwest Series regular who took the checkered flag before a small but enthusiastic Exposition Park crowd.

Steve Portenga, the 1994 champion and current points leader from Sparks, Nev., survived a stirring duel with Winston Cup regular Mark Martin and then staved off NASCAR Craftsman Truck leader Ron Hornaday Jr. to take the record winner’s purse of $17,225 in the Kragen Z-One 200.

Portenga drove a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

After Martin brushed a wall at 100 mph and dropped out and Hornaday lost power on a restart two laps from the finish, road racing specialist Boris Said of San Diego finished second and Michael Alsup of Bakersfield third.

Martin, who drove Sunday in the Southern 500 in Darlington, S.C., started 26th after qualifying Monday morning. He patiently worked his way to the front despite the narrow, twisting street course that made passing difficult and took the lead on lap 52 of the scheduled 89-lap race.

Portenga took second two laps later and set out after Martin, who was in his familiar No. 6 Valvoline Ford.

“Once I got to second, I closed in behind Martin and I noticed that he was abusing his car pretty good, using up the tires,” said Portenga, who made his pass to the lead on the 66th lap as the cars sped up Figueroa Street.

Not one to duck a challenge, Martin tried to make a move on Portenga four laps later shortly after passing the start-finish line, but his bold move caused the Ford to clip the first turn wall. The impact blew a tire and Martin called it a day.

“I was trying to put more and more pressure on him trying to get him to slip,” Martin said, “but I was the one that did the slipping instead. I would have had to drive a lap on a flat so I just turned in [to the pits] right there.

“We had a lot of fun. I think Portenga had a little sweet revenge. The last time he and I raced on a road course, I beat him on the last lap. He did a great job out there today. The street course was a bit of a challenge for me. With a road course, I’m not used to having the walls. I’d used to being able to get right on the edge of the track without skinning the wall like I did today.”

The win was Portenga’s first on a road or street course and the sixth of his career. Curiously, in 1994 when he won the championship, he did not win a race.

Although 10 caution periods for 26 laps cut Portenga’s winning speed to 52.916 mph, the 64 green flag laps produced a highly competitive and entertaining race. The race actually went 90 laps because of a late yellow caution flag and a Southwest Series rule prohibiting races from finishing under caution.

Greg Pursley, the pole-sitter from Newhall, set a blistering early pace, leading for the first 31 laps before pitting. Six laps later he was sidelined by an accident. Other leaders included M. K. Kanke of Granada Hills, Doug McCoun of Prunedale, who was celebrating being named captain of the North County Fire Dept. in Monterey; Bob Lyon of Agua Dulce, the halfway leader; Hornaday Jr., Martin and Portenga.

Ken Schrader, who also drove Sunday in Darlington, moved up along with Martin and got as high as second before his Chevrolet Monte Carlo slowed to a crawl.

“I don’t know what happened,” the Winston Cup veteran said. “It just lost all fire.

Maybe it was a battery or something.”

Willy Ribbs, who was the first black driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, was impressive in his first race since 1994. He qualified 29th, but worked his way up to second and appeared ready to challenge Martin when the rear end of his Ford Taurus gave out.

“We came out of the fourth turn [on lap 56] and the whole chassis fell down on the ground,” Ribbs said. “We were running good up until then. This was a fabulous race. It should be an annual event and I hope it is. It couldn’t be in a better place.”

Dr. William Burke, the race promoter, thought likewise.

“I believe having NASCAR running here is as productive for the city of Los Angeles as NFL football would be,” he said.

“I would like to have everybody back next year. I look on this race today as an investment in the future.”