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Industry, CA., Jul. 14 - Legendary Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz, 53-year old two-time US National Champion (1986 & 89) and two-time California State Champion (1988 & 91), enjoyed his most successful night of Wednesday night speedway cycle racing in seven years for the series at Industry Speedway. More than 800 fans of the sport cheered his perseverance and popular victory on $2.00 concession purchases night. Schwartz, who began racing speedway cycles 36 years ago, won two of his three heat races, placed second in the other, and was high point rider with eight points. The Costa Mesa resident parlayed that honor to victory in his semi-final race and selected the inside lane (pole position) for the five-rider feature. He shot into the first turn in a virtual three-way tie and used his inside position to emerge with the lead he held all four laps.
“This is my second win at this track and my first in four or five years here. I like the track when it is dry and slick the way it was tonight,” the winner said after posing for photos on the podium with his five-year old son Bobby, Jr. and the trophy.” Many fans came from the grandstands at The Grand to congratulate the popular veteran. Clearly enjoying the spotlight, Schwartz, who has raced at more than 20 tracks in the USA and countless more throughout Europe, posed for photos with winners of other main events and with all the pee-wee division riders in a group photo. He became the fourth different winner in seven D-1 features this season.
Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell pressured Schwartz intensely during the final three laps after second-running Mike Faria dropped out on lap 2 with a mechanical problem. Last chance race winner Buck Blair started from lane five and finished third. He is the only rider to qualify for all seven D-1 features this season. Charlie Venegas had qualified for all six and won four of the six D-1 mains, but he missed his flight south after preparing his track in Vallejo for its Saturday season opener and he was not present Wednesday. Teenager Austin Novratil made his first Industry D-1 main this season and placed fourth. Faria was fifth.
Eloy Medellin, 40, of Garden Grove, won the five rider Division 2 main on his 500cc JAWA. Dewayne “Sugar Daddy” Stark, 69, led all four laps and won his first D-3 main of the season in a six-rider field of newer riders. Stark, from Lake Forest, missed last week action with an exhaust valve problem. Max Ruml, 13, of Huntington Beach, won the first youth main on his 250cc cycle. Dillon Ruml, 11, followed his brother to victory by winning the second youth main for cycles up to 150cc. Sebastian Palmese, 6, of Santa Margarita, won his fourth pee-wee main in seven weeks. He led all four laps in a six rider field on 50cc mini cycles.
Joe Jones and his sidecar rider Jimmy Olsen won the three-team sidecar feature. Collisions in sidecar heat races earlier eliminated two teams from their main event. During the third sidecar heat, the Brian Motis (driver)/Brandi McElroy (sidecar swinger) hit the wall leaving the fourth turn and flipped. The rig landed on McElroy, who who remained on the ground with neck pain for several minutes. EMTs present put on a precautionary neck collar and wheeled her to the pits on a gurney. She said she was okay, declined transport to a hospital and remained in the pits.
During intermission before the third round of heat races, two USAC Ford Focus midgets took to the indoor dirt track for ten demonstration laps at speed. Wally Pankratz, USAC Western Midget Series 2000 champion, drove his blue No. 37 and Bruce Penhall, retired two-time National Speedway Cycle champion and TV show CHiPS actor in the 1970s, drove the yellow No. 8 midget. Pankratz uses both cars to train new drivers at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. From a side-by-side standing start from the starting line, inside driver Penhall led the first two laps and then spun in turn one. Pankratz spun into the stalled car. Both drivers used on-board starters and restarted. They reeled off five more hot laps with Penhall in front all the way. Pankratz closed to within three-quarters of a straightaway at the checkered flag. Penhall knocked over five of the orange cones used to keep the midgets higher than the speedway cycles dark groove. Both drivers came to The Grand and practiced Tuesday night from 5 to 7 pm. Penhall said he ran about 100 laps.
Penhall told the crowd that he drove Sleepy Tripp's midget during 1981 on a quarter-mile dirt track in Australia on a demo run. He praised Pankratz as “a great teacher” and added “running the midget is a lot like running a speedway cycle here.” Open wheel midget and sprint car drivers present included Tripp,two-time USAC Western midget champion Jerome Rodela, retired sprint car driver Steve Howard, plus Mark Dolacki, who lives in La Puente, a block from the Industry Hills Expo Center site. He said his nephew, Tyler Dolacki, 17-year old son of USAC Midget driver Robert Dolacki, of Madera, will be racing soon in USAC Ford Focus midget they purchased recently.
OTHER MOTORCYCLE RACING NEWS: Speedway cycle racing will switch to Friday night July 16 at Costa Mesa during the Orange County Fair at the fairgrounds. Speedway cycle racing will move from the usual Friday night action this week on the Inland Motorcycle Speedway at the Orange Show Fairgrounds in San Bernardino. ... For fans in Northern California, Fast Fridays Speedway in Auburn has its usual Friday night speedway cycle racing. Venegas will start his weekly Saturday night speedway cycle racing program July 17 at Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo. ... AMA Grand National dirt track motorcycle racing for the 750cc Harleys and other makes will race for the first time at the big half-mile, clay Calistoga Speedway at the Napa County Fairgrounds in scenic Calistoga on Saturday, July 31.
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