Hornaday Finally on Track in Grand National Division

Summer is the midway point of racing season and the perfect time to look at who is hot.

After struggling at the start of the season, Ron Hornaday Jr., formerly of Palmdale, has shown the form in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division that earned him two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championships.

Hornaday captured his second victory in four races Friday night in the Kroger 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, putting him two points behind Kevin Harvick of Bakersfield for first place in the rookie of the year standings and 17 points behind Harvick for fourth place in the championship standings.

Hornaday will substitute for Terry Labonte in the Hendrick Motor Sports Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Global Crossing at The Glen NASCAR Winston Cup race Sunday at Watkins Glen International Raceway in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Labonte’s streak of 655 consecutive Winston Cup starts ended Saturday when he sat out the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after experiencing dizziness. Doctors said it was a lingering effect of a concussion from a July 1 crash in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Predictions: Hornaday will finish in the top 10 at Watkins Glen, win three more Busch Series races, win rookie of the year honors in the Busch series and finish second in the standings to Jeff Green.

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Sean Woodside of Saugus, defending NASCAR Winston West champion who lost his ride to Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas, moved to six points behind Doug McCoun of Prunedale after finishing third in the Food 4 Less 150 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour race July 29 at Irwindale Speedway.

Matt Crafton of Tulare leads the 19-race series with 1,686 points after 11 races. McCoun has 1,503 and Woodside has 1,497.

Greg Pursley of Newhall is fifth with 1,415 points, followed by M.K. Kanke of Frazier Park with 1,346.

Predictions: Woodside will win twice and clinch the title at Mesa Marin in Bakersfield on Oct. 21 with one race left, one night before becoming the first four-time winner of the October Classic at Mesa Marin. Pursley will win two races and will finish third behind Woodside and Crafton. Gaughan will win one of the remaining four Winston West races and running away with the title.

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Cory Kruseman of Ventura is fifth in the Sprint Car Racing Assn. points standings and Troy Rutherford of Ojai is 10th.

Predictions: Richard Griffin of Silver City, N.M., will capture his third consecutive series championship, with Rip Williams of Lomita second. Kruseman will win three races and finish third.

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Greg Voigt of Goleta has a 48-point lead over Ben Walker of North Hills in the super late model standings at Irwindale Speedway, but Walker has three victories and a second in the last five races.

Voigt has one victory, five seconds and two thirds after 14 of 19 races, while Walker has five victories, two seconds and a third.

James Weston of Goleta leads Todd Burns of Riverside, 626-568, after 13 of 16 late model races.

Rip Michels of Mission Hills has seven victories in nine grand American modified races and leads Dean Kuhn of Oceanside, 462-368.

Jeff Green of Long Beach has two victories, six seconds and three thirds in the super stock class and leads T.K. Karvasek of North Hills, 526-458. Karvasek has seven victories and two seconds.

Bob Reed of Riverside leads the mini stock standings with 248 points. Terry Limberopoulos of Bellflower and Lee Ladd of Palmdale are tied for second with 222.

Predictions: Voigt and Walker will each win twice and Voigt will win the championship by two points. Weston will win two races to finish with 10 victories and the championship, while Michels will win twice more and the championship. Karvasek will win the last five races but won’t catch Green. Reed wins one race to finish with six victories, Ladd will get his second victory and finish second, with Limberopoulos third.

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Gary Howard of Ventura has four Ventura Racing Assn. sprint car victories in 16 races and leads Chris Wakim of Simi Valley and Greg Taylor of Ojai in the standings.

Rich Wolfe of Studio City leads the International Motor Contest Assn. modified standings with 414 points. Mike Furlong of Thousand Oaks is second at 407, followed by Steve Smith of Long Beach at 406, John Aitken of Santa Paula at 404 and Donald Houghton of Lancaster at 403.

George Kreider IV of Thousand Oaks leads the I-4 modified points with 1,815, with Marty Desbrow of Ventura second at 1,665 and Joe Henderson third at 1,650.

Defending street stock champion Craig Germanetti of Carpinteria leads John Uccelini of Lancaster, 1,975-1,835, with Tom Stephens of Ventura third at 1,820.

Rookie Mark Gillimore leads the pony stock points standings with 1,400, while Cliff Ashlock of Oxnard and rookie Wes Richardson are tied for second with 1,345 each.

Predictions: Howard wins two more races and becomes Ventura Raceway’s first two-time sprint car champion, Furlong wins once more and passes Wolfe. Germanetti will defend his title, Kreider wins one more race and the I-4 championship, and Ashlock will prevail in the pony stocks.