Advertisement

Woodside Steers Into Southwest Tour

Share

Defending NASCAR Winston West Series champion Sean Woodside of Saugus, whose Winston West contract with McAnally Racing was not renewed for the 2000 season, will compete in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour for the 2000 season in a car owned by Bob Farmer.

Woodside replaces Dennis Dyer of Palmdale, who finished sixth in the 1999 Southwest Tour points standings. Woodside learned his Winston West contract would not be renewed two weeks before he clinched the 1999 championship with a fifth-place finish in the season finale at Twin Ring Motegi, Japan, Nov. 21.

The first Southwest Tour race of 2000 is today at Phoenix International Raceway. The Southwest tour will make four stops in the Los Angeles area: April 29, July 29 and Oct. 7 at Irwindale Speedway, and the Los Angeles Street Race on a temporary course by the Coliseum in Exposition Park July 16.

Advertisement

Although this is Woodside’s first season competing in the Southwest Tour, which is considered a lower division than Winston West, he will be ineligible for rookie of the year consideration because of his Winston West experience.

Woodside also hopes to secure a deal to compete in Winston West events scheduled in June, August and November at Irwindale Speedway, in April at California Speedway, and in March and October at Mesa Marin Speedway in Bakersfield.

The Oct. 22 race is part of the October Classic, which Woodside has won three consecutive times, equaling two-time Winston West champion Bill Sedgwick of Acton.

“If I have to buy a car [to race in the October Classic], I will,” said Woodside, who has been frustrated in his attempts to line up deals to race individual races in the Winston West because the official schedule has not been released by NASCAR. “I can’t make any commitments without having an official schedule.”

Said NASCAR Winston West Series Director Mike Velotti: “It is very frustrating for us too. It is in the best interests of Winston West that [Woodside competes]. A couple of tracks have been dragging their feet as far as scheduling.”

Woodside also intends to compete in 12 Super Late Model races at Irwindale, just to keep busy.

Advertisement

“I thought after I won the championship that I’d be running the [NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series],” Woodside said. “What are you going to do? Just keep racing.”

* Kevin Kierce of Reseda, who won Ventura Raceway’s International Motor Contest Assn. sprint car championship in 1999 and finished ninth in the IMCA national points standings, will compete in the United States Auto Club Western Sprint Car series this year.

The 19-race USAC series, contested exclusively on asphalt tracks, comes to Irwindale Speedway on April 1, Sept. 23 and Oct. 14. Although team owner Ray Swann of Burbank sold Kierce’s championship dirt-track car, Kierce will race at Ventura in an entry fielded by Jim Thomson and Fred Thomson of Norwalk on nights when there is no conflict with his USAC schedule.

BASEBALL

* Matt Harrington, a senior pitcher at Palmdale High and perhaps the area’s best professional prospect, did not transfer to Thousand Oaks at the semester break as was widely rumored.

Harrington’s parents grew up in Thousand Oaks and plan to eventually return. But not now.

“Matt is very happy at Palmdale and he probably wouldn’t have gone with us if we had moved because he wants to graduate with his class,” said Sue Harrington, Matt’s mother. “We’ve been trying to move back to Thousand Oaks for years, but we haven’t been able to do it financially.”

* Mike Kunes, the two-time City Section player of the year from Chatsworth High, made his collegiate debut for UCLA on Thursday and pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief to pick up the victory in the Bruins’ 15-3 win over Hawaii in Honolulu.

Advertisement

Kunes struck out five, walked one and allowed one hit.

Former Alemany outfielder Bill Scott is off to a strong start. He homered and had three runs batted in for UCLA in the opener and came back Friday to go four for five with his second home run in a 10-3 victory.

Advertisement