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INDUSTRY, CA., Jul. 22 � Charlie “the Edge” Venegas, of San Bernardino, won the Industry Speedway 500cc Speedway Cycle Division 1 main event late Wednesday night for the third time in nine events this season. About 700 spectators in The Grand arena at Industry Hills Expo Center watched the 42-year old speedway cycle racing veteran of two decades score eight points out of a possible nine in his three heat races in a 12-rider field. The 2007 track champion then won his semi-final race to qualify for the feature in which he led all four laps from the pole position. Runner-up Jimmy Fishback challenged Venegas closely for one lap, but he trailed Venegas by ten yards at the checkered flag. Eddie Castro, Mike Faria and Shawn McConnell followed.
Joey “the Bolt” Holt, a 14-year old 500cc Division 2 rookie from Oak Hill, won his fourth D-2 main event trophy this season after passing early leader Butch Waymire on lap 3 of 4. Waymire, a 53-year old B-777 captain on international flights and a three-time D-3 Industry feature winner as a rookie, finished second after being elevated to D-2. Brad Moreau, from San Pedro, returned to racing after breaking his clavicle in an opening night crash (May 27). Moreau won his first 500cc D-3 main trophy for newer riders.
Joe Jones and his sidecar passenger Jimmy Olsen sub-drove the No. 31 sidecar for the first time. They demolished their usual No. 1 mount last month in a crash at Costa Mesa after the throttle stuck. The husband/wife team of Shawn and Missy Driggers dropped out with a carburetor problem in both sidecar heat races. Jones/Olsen led three of the four laps in both heats. Gerard Jackson and his swing-man Dave German made inside passes in the third and fourth turns to win both exciting heats. In the sidecar feature the Jackson/German team was pressing Jones/Olsen for the lead on lap 2 when they pulled to the infield and did not finish. Jones/Olsen led all four laps.
Castro won the D-1 “last chance race” over Russell Green, 17, who had to win a run-off race with fellow teen Brad Pappalardo to earn the eighth and final starting position in one of two semi-final races. There were five pee-wee division (50cc) riders and five junior division (to 200cc maximum) riders present. Nicky Reimer, a 10-year old from Seal Beach, had cycles for both divisions and won both main events for the third time this season. It was Harley-Davidson Night and 20 Harley riders took parade laps around the dirt track. Eleven riders raced in a pair of four-lap heat races and then raced two Harley mains. Jimmy S and Joe Page won the two Harley mains in which there were four riders in the first and seven riders in the second main.
Three-time D-1 2009 Industry Speedway feature winners Billy Janniro and Gary Hicks did not compete this week. Northern Californian Janniro remained upstate to compete in the North vs. South special race Friday night in Auburn. Hicks received a shoulder injury last Friday in a race at San Bernardino. McConnell returned to action after missing last Wednesday because of a knee injury during the Long Track Championship race held July 11 in Perris.
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