Charlie Venegas posted a wire-to-wire victory in his fifth and final heat race to accumulate the most points for the event and successfully defend his AMA/USA Speedway California State Championship Wednesday night at Industry Speedway.

It was the third state title overall for Venegas, 41, of San Bernardino. The all-time win leader at Industry Speedway also captured state laurels in 1997.

Venegas, who had nine wins during the regular season at the track in The Grand arena at the Industry Hills Expo Center, took four of his five heats races en route to the championship and a major portion of the $5,000 awaiting the top First Division finishers.

The total purse of just more than $9,000 in cash and prizes was the largest in the five-year history of Industry Speedway and the largest in recent memory for the State Championships, which were being run for the 33rd time.

Instead of deciding the champion in a one-race finale, the winner was determined by the number of points each rider earned in his five heat races, with scoring on a 3-2-1-0 basis.

Venegas and Ricky Wells, who had six wins, dominated the track’s regular season, and going into the final round of heat races they were tied atop the standings with 10 points apiece. Venegas had three wins and a third, Wells two wins and a pair of seconds. Behind them were Shaun Harmatiuk and Bobby Schwartz, with 9 points each. And with Venegas and Schwartz in the first heat and Wells and Harmatiuk in the third, the scenarios for the final round were fairly simple.

Venegas left nothing to chance, however. The veteran known as “The Edge” is considered one of the best in the sport at getting away from the starting gate. He showed why in that final 4-lap heat, grabbing a quick lead from Jimmy Fishback and staying in front to the finish, with Schwartz taking third.

That left things up to Wells, and when he got a bad start and found himself behind former state champion Mike Faria, it was pretty much decided. Wells pressured Faria throughout, but could never set up a pass and finished second, one spot ahead of Harmatiuk.

Shawn McConnell won his final two heat races to finish third overall.

Northern California star Tommy Hedden, who won his first two heats then fell from contention, did salvage the evening by taking the lion’s share of the $1,000 purse in the Mohican’s Last Man Out Challenge, holding off Schwartz in the 4-lap head-to-head finale.

Bob Brayton, of Midway City, and Dwayne King, of Mission Viejo, took the winner’s portion of the $1,000 Sidecar payout by winning both their heats and the 4-lap main event. Eloy Medellin, of Yorba Linda, who spent much of the season filling out First Division fields, captured the Second Division championship over Rudy Laurer, of Gardena. Bruce Marteney, of San Dimas, won the Third Division title when the main event was stopped after Chris Thomas, of San Bernardino, crashed hard on the third lap.

Austin Novratil, 13, of Huntington Beach, beat Gino Manzares, 15, of Corona, in the First Division Youth main to capture that championship. Corona’s Brad Pappalardo, who two weeks ago captured the Youth National Championship, was unable to ride the main event after suffering bruises and contusions when he was hit by a sidecar while taking pictures in the speedway infield. Rocco Scopellite, 12, of Huntington Beach, took the Second Division Youth title with two wins and a second in three races.