American Speedway
American Speedway: Venegas gets another win at Industry Speedway.
By Admin
May 15, 2008, 10:53

Is it too early to start wondering if Charlie Venegas will ever lose a main event?

The winningest rider at Industry Speedway over the past two  seasons won his second main event in as many weeks Wednesday night (May 14) at The Grand Arena at the Industry Hills Expo Center.

Just as he had in the second semifinal, Venegas used the outside line he loves so much to take the lead from Jimmy Fishback on the first of four laps and maintained a comfortable advantage to the finish.

Fishback got second, with  first semifinal winner Shawn McConnell third, Buck Blair fourth and last-chance qualifier winner Neil Facchini fifth.

Tim Gomez, Fishback, Blair and Bobby Schwartz won the first round of heat races, which were run in the traditional 4-lap scratch format.

The second and third rounds were run as handicap races, with the winners in the previous heats starting 30 yards behind the gate, runners-up 20 yards back and third-place finishers at the 10-yard mark, and the distance was extended from four laps to five.

In the second round, Venegas and John Marquez won their heats after starting on the gate due to fourth-place finishes in round one, but McConnell won from 20 yards back and Fishback overcame a 30-yard deficit to win.

Fishback almost repeated that feat in round three but came up just shy of  Schwartz in a last-lap battle after spotting his rival a 30-yard head start.

Eloy Medellin won the Second Division main and Ron Mongenel took the Third Division feature.

FIRST DIVISION
1 – Tim Gomez, Hesperia; Travis Henderson, Ojai; Robbie Sauer, Bakersfield; Charlie Venegas, San Bernardino.
2 – Jimmy Fishback, Rancho Cucamonga; Jon Stasiefski, Reseda; Marvin Sonnier; John Marquez, Lake Elsinore.
3 – Buck Blair, Huntington Beach; Brad Sauer, Bakersfield; Neil Facchini, Riverside; Rudy Laurer, Gardena.
4 – Bobby Schwartz, Costa Mesa; Shawn McConnell, Brea; Russell Green, Anaheim; Allen Doss.
5 – McConnell; Facchini; Sonnier; Stasiefski.
6 – Venegas; R. Sauer; Green; Schwartz.
7 – Fishback; Gomez; B. Sauer; Doss.
8 – Marquez; Henderson; Blair; Laurer.
9 – Blair; Green; Gomez; Laurer.
10 – Henderson; McConnell; Gomez; Doss (dns)
11 – Facchini; Venegas; R. Sauer; Sonnier.
12 – Schwartz; Fishback; B. Sauer; Stasiefski

SEMIFINALS
1 – McConnell; Blair; Gomez; Facchini.
2 – Venegas; Fishback; Schwartz; Henderson.

LAST-CHANCE QUALIFIER
1.    Facchini; 2. Gomez; 3. Henderson; 4. Schwartz.

MAIN EVENT
1.    Venagas; 2. Fishback; 3. McConnell; 4. Blair; 5. Facchini.

SECOND DIVISION MAIN EVENT
1.    Eloy Medellin; 2. Justin Hassan; 3. Steve Bowen; 4. J.C.Masters.

THIRD DIVISION MAIN EVENT
1.    Ron Mongenel; 2. Matt Davis; 3. Chris Thomas; 4. Tony DeAimeida