Drake Wins Pair of Races in a Saugus 1st

Barriers are falling as readily as checkered flags at Saugus Speedway this summer. Saturday night was no exception.

Earlier this season, Julianne Seeley of Canyon Country and Mindy Drake of Palmdale became the second and third women drivers to win main events at Saugus. Saturday, Drake set about making more history before a crowd of 3,239.

Drake, who was seventh in the points standings at the start of the night’s racing, won both the Jalopy division main event and the trophy dash, thus becoming the first woman to win both races on the same night on the one-third-mile paved oval.

“It’s nice, especially for all the people who have helped me,” Drake said.

John Fleming of Simi Valley, who was tied for first in the points standings with Harrison Bartholomew of North Hollywood, surged ahead with a second-place finish behind Drake.

Ron Cerven of Lancaster led the 25-lap Hobby Stock oval until Lap 17, when a yellow flag allowed Scott Wade of Burbank to surge past on the re-start. But Wade lost his rear right tire on Lap 19 and Russ Wolff of Palmdale sneaked in for the win, writing another page of history at the speedway: Wolff and Drake, who are engaged to each other, are believed to be the first such couple to win main events on the same night.

In the 25-lap Street Stock oval main event, points leader Dave Blankenship of Reseda ran away with the win. Blankenship made his big move on Lap 21, passing John Kirby of Ojai, who spun. Terry Custer of Northridge was second.

In 18 of Blankenship’s 19 starts, he has finished in the top 10.

Earlier in the evening, Seeley won the Hobby Stock oval trophy dash. Other trophy-dash winners included Ed Horst of Canoga Park (Street Stock oval), Garrett Cromsight of Antelope Valley in the Street Stock figure-eight and Wolff in the Hobby Stock figure-eight dash.

With the Sportsman cars taking the night off, the program’s fast time was turned in by Rip Michels of Arleta in a Street Stock car (18.49 seconds). Other fast times went to Chuck Berry of Canoga Park in the Jalopy (20.64) and Mark Miller of Chatsworth in the Hobby Stock (19.35).