In open competition racing, where the best-of-the-best come together to compete for top prize money, and off-season bragging rights, there’s no room for mistakes. Even the slightest driving error can drop a solid contender into an also-ran in the blink of an eye. That’s not to say miscues don’t happen, they just don’t happen to race winners, a fact clearly demonstrated Saturday night by Mitch Machado of Rohnert Park, and Patrick Weger of Grass Valley, who were as close to perfect as it gets, racing in the fast groove to $1000 payoffs in Petaluma Speedway’s Super Stock and Dwarf Car open shows.

Former Petaluma Speedway track champion Machado, whose 36 victories rank him third-best all-time in the Super Stock division but lately races at Petaluma primarily in late-season open shows, earned his first win here since 2004 with a dominating performance in the twin-25, 50-lap feature event to cap an impressive clean sweep that included fast time among the night’s 22 qualifiers, and wins in his heat race and the dash, which earned him the pole position in the feature.

Antioch’s Todd Gomez made a valiant attempt to keep up with the accelerating Machado, shadowing him through lapped traffic and waiting for a mistake that never came, but ultimately settled for second place and its $750 share of the purse. Gomez was chased across the finish line by three more former Petaluma Speedway champions, Woody Woodward, Danny Potts, and Steve Studebaker, the only other drivers in the line-up who finished on the lead lap.

“The track was fast and smooth, and we were dialed in,” said Machado between post-race congratulatory handshakes. “It took lots of preperation, and amazingly, thanks to all the support of my family and (car sponsor) John Terwilliger, it all worked out.”

Potts and Woodward aggressively battled for third place for much of the race, while Studebaker, who started 14th, cleverly advanced to the front with a combination of passing and attrition brought on by two red flags that interrupted the early stages of the race.

Rounding out the top ten finishers were Richard Workman, 18th starting Steve Dempsey, Bruno Korbmacher, 19th starting Michelle Byron, and Mitch Enos.

Weger’s road to victory in the 40-lap Dwarf Car feature, divided into twin-20s, was not an easy one. Despite leading the event for all but the first lap, and coming off victories in his heat and the dash, the 2009 Nor-Cal Dwarf Car Association champion was faced with fending off the very threatening presence of John Wear of Los Gatos for nearly the entire journey and needed a brilliant finish seal the triumph.

“The track was hooked-up it was fun to drive on. He (Wear) was waiting for that mistake,” noted Weger, citing Wear’s dogged pursuit that started 12 laps into the race after Wear, who started fourth, got past fast qualifier Marty Weisler for second place.

Wear, who took home the runner-up share of $750, was not disappointed with his performance, the second straight year he’s finished this event in second place. “He had a little more bite coming off the corners,” said Wear. “It felt like a win the racing was so good. It was some of the best racing I’ve been involved in. I love this track it’s so much fun.” 

Second-row starter Tony Carmignani of Alameda held his own in third place during the frantically-paced first half of the race which was slowed just once by yellows, but the spot looked to be up for grabs between Carmignani, Weisler, Ricardo Rivera, and Robert Mesloh during the second half before Weisler finally claimed the position over Rivera, 16th starting John Peters, and Mesloh. Carmignani finished seventh, followed by 2009 Petaluma Speedway champion Mark Ramirez, Nick Squatritto, and Shawn Jones.     

Results for October 3

SUPER STOCK OPEN

Fast time—Mitch Machado 17.957.

Heat 1—Michael Newman; Bill Thibault; Manny Avila; Lloyd Cline; Terry Van deHoven.

Heat 2—Todd Gomez; Woody Woodward; Bruno Korbmacher; Steve Studebaker; Steve Dempsey; Don Zarraonandia.

Heat 3—Machado; Danny Potts; Richard Workman; Jeremy Prince; Shawn McCoy; Matt Pedroni.

Heat 4—Mitch Enos; Daniel Mendes; Paul Hanley; Rich Levacque; Michelle Byron.

Dash—Machado; Gomez; Newman; Woodward; Enos; Mendes; Potts; Thibault.

Main—Machado; Gomez; Woodward; Potts; Studebaker; Workman; Dempsey; Hanley; Korbmacher; Byron; Enos; Mendes; McCoy; Levacque; Cline; Thibault; Zarraonandia; Newman; Avila; Van deHoven; Prince; Gary Adams DNS.

DWARF CAR OPEN

Fast time—Marty Weisler 16.887.

Heat 1—Daniel Weger; Robert Mesloh; Nick Squatritto; Shawn Jones; Scooter Gomes; David Teves.

Heat 2—Patrick Weger; John Wear; Richard Klinetobe; Buddy Joe Beaumont; Clayton Dortzbach; Joel Osaias.

Heat 3—Weisler; Tony Carmignani; Ricardo Rivera; Russ Sieber; Sonny Calkins; John Peters; Mark Ramitez; Ray Etherton.

Dash—P. Weger; Weisler; Carmignani; Wear; Mesloh; D. Weger.

Main—P. Weger; Wear; Weisler; Rivera; Peters; Mesloh; Carmignani; Ramirez; Squatritto; Jones; Calikins; Gomes; Osaias; Etherton; Klinetobe; Dortzbach; Beaumont; Sieber; D. Weger.

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