It’s not often that all four Petaluma Speedway feature winners hail from Sonoma County, and it’s even less often that three of them, each a first-time winner in their respective divisions, had to overcome such agonizingly tough competition to prevail, but the end results were well worth it for Mike Benson of Calistoga, Geoff Ensign of Sebastopol, and Steve Dempsey of Santa Rosa, who powered their way to victory lane Saturday night to join Petaluma’s Michael Paul Jr. in victory celebrations. 

For Benson, who usually competes at Petaluma Speedway only for Civil War Series events, the victory in the 360 Sprint Cars was particularly pleasing, coming at the end of a race-long pursuit of Ivan Worden, who took charge on Lap 2 and held off Benson’s challenge throughout the 25-lap race until the 22nd lap. “I had to be patient, I knew lapped traffic was coming and I’d get my chance,” said Benson, a 13-year racing veteran who finished fifth in last week’s Civil War competition.

Worden, a Petaluma native and second generation sprint car driver who broke into racing at Petaluma Speedway as a teenager in the early 1980s, and who recently returned to racing at his home track after a long career racing on pavement, the second place finish, his best of the season so far, was only slightly disappointing. “I needed to be more aggressive and not so tentative, but I’m happy the way the car performed,” said Worden of his Afex Graphics entry.

Behind the leaders the entire distance, but unable to get past them, were third place finisher Shawn Arriaga and Klint Simpson, who finished a career best fourth. Art McCarthy Jr., up from 10th starting, closed in on Simpson and Arriaga over the closing laps only to have his fifth place finish nullified for a technical rule infraction. Rounding out the Top 10 in fifth place was fast qualifier Alissa Geving, followed by Jake Haulot, Brandon Davis, Jon Kirby, Nick Ringo, Jr., and Bert Lathrop.       

Front row starters Dustin Baxter and Ensign held the spotlight for most of the night in the 25-lap Wingless Sprint Car feature with Baxter holding a narrow advantage for the first 16 laps but as soon Ensign took over the front spot he opened a wide lead over the rest of the 22-car field and disappeared into lapped traffic. “It feels great to finally win a feature, my plan is to win as many as I can this season,” said the 19-year-old Ensign, whose previous best was a pair fifth place finishes.  

Baxter yielded second place to 15-year-old Devon Ostheimer with just two laps remaining but still managed a career best third place finish. Ostheimer, who has one win and three seconds in six races this season, is expected to be the new All-Pro points leader when the standings come out later this week. Chasing Ensign, Ostheimer, and Baxter across the finish were fourth place Zach Lynsky, Terry Schank Jr., Matt Streeter, Marcus Hardina, Tommy Laliberte, David Press, and Ryan Bernal. 

In what could be the most unexpected, but long overdue, victory of the season Dempsey, a former Pure Stock champion, battled tooth-and-nail with current points leader Dean DeVolder through almost every corner over the final 15 laps of the Super Stock feature, but never faltered to earn his first-ever triumph after a decade of trying.

The veteran Demspey, who has just six top-five finishes since 2001, was never intimidated by DeVolder, who has 17 feature wins and a track championship on his resume, despite briefly falling behind on Lap 19 and again on Lap 23 when the two traded paint. Steve Studebaker, who was running a close third, pounced at the chance to grab second place from DeVolder after he and Dempsey scraped together in Turn 2. The exciting event ended with Demspey prevailing over Studebaker, DeVolder, Shawn McCoy, Michelle Byron, Danny Potts, Larry Drew, and Rich Levacque.      

In the Dirt Modifieds, defending champ Michael Paul Jr. collected his 23rd career win, and increased his narrow All-Pro points lead over Brian Azevedo with a wire-to-wire win. Paul was never seriously challenged for the lead by runner-up Don Camilli, who was making his first start of the season or third place finisher Azevedo who started ninth in the 15-car field. Freddy Blue finished a season-high fourth followed by Oreste Gonella, Bob Grenier, Steve Soldis, Ron Dickerson, and Jerry Roy Jr.

Results for July 11

  360 SPRINT CARS

Fast time—Alissa Geving 12.995.

Heat 1—Mike Benson; Bradley Terrell; Geving; Shawn Arriaga; Michael Forslund; Jon Kirby; Keith Collins.

Heat 2—Ivan Worden; Brandon Davis; Klint Simpson; Art McCarthy; Jake Haulot; Nick Ringo Jr.; Bert Lathrop.

Main—Benson; Worden; Arriaga; Simpson; Geving; Haulot; Davis; Kirby; Ringo; Lathrop; Collins; Terrell; Forslund.

WINGLESS SPRINTS

Heat 1—Ryan Bernal; Devon Ostheimer; Jason McIntosh; Lucas Nerlove; Kent Stephens; Gary Deemer; Brandon Pollack; Alan Clark.

Heat 2—Tommy Laliberte; Zach Lynsky; David Press; Keith Shipherd; Dan Payne; Dusty Barton; Timmy DeCarlo; Randy Lathrop.

Heat 3—Arvo Backholm; Geoff Ensign; Matt Streeter; Floyd Alvis; Rick Sharp; Jason Woodruff; Mike Mossi.

Heat 4—Marcus Hardina; Dustin Baxter; Billy Macedo; Dan Gonderman; Scott Dupont; Brandon Davis; Terry Schank Jr.

B-Main—Schank; Stephens; Davis; Lathrop; Deemer; Sharp; Woodruff; Clark; Mossi; Payne; Pollack.

A-Main—Ensign; Ostheimer; Baxter; Lynsky; Schank; Streeter; Hardina; Laliberte; Press; Bernal; Backholm; Davis; Stephens; Alvis; Gonderman; Deemer; Lathrop; Shipherd; Macedo; Sharp; Nerlove; McIntosh.

DIRT MODIFIED

Heat 1—Michael Paul Jr.; Don Camilli; Brian Azevedo; Ron Palombino; Bob Grenier; Ron Dickerson; Jim Courts.

Heat 2—Jerry Roy Jr.; Oreste Gonella; Joel Myers; Freddy Blue; Vito Gonella; Steve Soldis; Scott Flora.

Main—Paul; Camilli; Azevedo; Blue; O. Gonella; Grenier; Soldis; Dickerson; Roy; Myers; Palombino; V. Gonella.

SUPER STOCKS

Heat 1—Danny Potts; Steve Studebaker; Rich Levacque; Anthony Matthias; Don Zarraoandia; D.W. Drew DQ; Larry Drew DQ.

Heat 2—Paul Hanley; Dean DeVolder; Shawn McCoy; Steve Dempsey; Michelle Byron; Johnny Jensen; Manny Avila.

Main—Dempsey; Studebaker; DeVolder; McCoy; Byron; Potts; L. Drew; Levacque; Avila; Hanley; D. Drew; Matthias; Jensen; Zarraonandia.

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