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Industry, CA., May 28 - Charlie "The Edge" Venegas, 41, lived up to his long-time nickname Wednesday night at Industry Speedway in the Grand Arena of the Industry Hills Expo Center. The 2006-07 track championb from San Bernardino won 16 main events here last season. He won his fourth consecutive 2008 USA Speedway Division 1 (experts) main event in a five rider field in front of 620 spectators. He started from pole position, led all four laps and won by ten yards. The race had to be restarted with all five riders after two riders fell on the initial lap in the first two turns. Venegas, who scored eight out of a possible nine points in heat races, led 16 of the 20 laps he raced on his 500-cc, four-cylinder, single stroke JAWA cycle. His only loss came in the first of his three heat races when he ran second all four laps to Buck Blair.
Movie stuntman Shawn McConnell, from Brea, finished second to Venegas, with 16-year old Ricky Wells third and Blair fourth. Jimmy Fishback was third on lap 3 when he dropped out. Joe Jones and his sidecar swingman Jimmy Jones won the four-lap sidecar main event after capturing two earlier races. Five sidecar teams competed. J.C. Masters collected the Division 2 main when the other two riders had mechanical problems. Matt Davis, a 22-year old rookie from Riverside, won his third Division 3 (rookies) feature in his fourth race. Gino Manzares led all four laps in the youth main for riders 16 and younger on board 250-cc cycles. Cameron Dalby, from Seal Beach, celebrated his seventh birthday by starting 60-yards behind three other pee-wee riders on 50-cc cycles and winning his third consecutive trophy in the beginners division.
Racing during season five at Industry Speedway will continue every Wednesday starting at 7:00 pm until September at the 16200 Temple Ave., City of Industry site near the 11-story Pacific Palms Resort Hotel on Azusa Ave., between the I-10 (San Bernardino) and 60 (Pomona) freeways.
NOTES: Winner Venegas, a two-time California State Champion in 1997 and 2007, and two-time SRA U.S. National Champion (2000 and 2006), announced he will become a USA Speedway Cycle racing promoter. He will stage a series of Saturday night races in July at Vallejo, north of San Francisco on I-80. He is bringing in about 600 cubic feet of dirt to the Kingdom Road site near the large amusement park visible from I-80. Ricky Wells, 16-year old 2007 Under 21 National Champion and 2004-05 Youth National Champion, made his first racing appearance of the season at Industry on May 28. He has been in Europe racing speedway cycles in Germany and Sweden. The New Zealand-born, current Yorba Linda resident qualified to continue in coming weeks by finishing sixth, with eight riders advancing to further competition.
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