Charlie Venegas, the dominant rider at the Grand Arena the past two seasons, opened the 2008 Speedway Motorcycle season by serving notice he plans to continue his mastery.

Venagas, of San Bernardino, used the outside line to outduel Buck Blair for the lead on the first lap of the four lap main event and held on for the win before a crowd of approximately 2000 spectators at the Industry Hills Expo Center facility.

“It was an awesome way to open the season,” Venegas said. “My start was right and I was able to capitalize on the dirt on the outside.”

Blair held on for second with Jimmy Fishback third. Blair had been the top qualifier with three heat wins and nine points (on a 3-2-1-0 basis).

Each rider rode three heat races against different opponents.

The results:
Race 1 – Shawn McConnell, John Marquez, Bobby Schwartz, Allen Doss
Race 2 – Nate Perkins, Charlie Venegas, Robbie Sauer, Travis Henderson
Race 3 – Jimmy Fishback, Neil Facchini, Marvin Sonnier, John Stasiefski
Race 4 – Buck Blair, Tim Gomez, Greg Ayers, Brad Sauer
Race 5 – Blair, Facchini, Henderson, Doss
Race 6 (two restarts) – McConnell, R. Sauer, Sonnier, Gomez (fell)
Race 7 – Venegas, Marquez, Ayers, Stasiefski
Race 8 – Fishback, Schwartz, Perkins, B. Sauer
Race 9 – R. Sauer, Sonnier, Fishback, Marquez (fell)
Race 10 – Blair, Ayers, Stasiefski, Perkins (fell)
Race 11 – Schwartz, McConnell, Facchini, Doss
Race 12 – Venegas, Gomez, B. Sauer, Henderson
Final – Venegas, Blair, Fishback, McConnell, Marquez