Woodside Posts Division-Best Third Sportsman Win

Sean Woodside of Saugus posted a division-high third Sportsman division main-event victory of the season by driving to a 40-lap victory before a crowd of 4,671 Saturday night at Saugus Speedway.

Woodside, third in the division’s points race, became the first Sportsman driver to post three wins. Points leader Pat Mintey Jr. of Quartz Hill, who finished third, and Gary Sigman of Carson each have two wins.

Woodside started on the outside lane of the first row and quickly moved into the lead ahead of pole-sitter Sigman, who finished second.

Terry Custer of Mission Hills finished fourth.

Craig Rayburn of Santa Clarita capped a controversial evening in the Pro Stock division with his second victory of the season in the 25-lap oval main event.

Rayburn, sixth in points, inherited the pole position from Brian Kelley of Arleta, who bowed out of the main event when he loaned his car to Sean Monroe of Los Angeles.

Monroe, whose own car was severely damaged in a heat race crash that involved Scott Dinger of Simi Valley, started last in the borrowed vehicle, in accordance with track rules. He drove to a seventh-place finish.

Dinger, who challenged Rayburn for the lead throughout the race, finished second. Points leader Ed Horst of Reseda was third.

“He’s aggressive,” Rayburn said of Dinger. “But he’s not a wild man.”

Monroe appeared to feel otherwise.

After the altercation with Dinger, Monroe leaped from his car and ran in the direction of Dinger’s car before being restrained by track officials.

“I was just disappointed,” Monroe said of the flare-up. “That’s racing. Nothing is intentional. I don’t know what happened.”

Kelley, fifth in points, said he had not earned a pole position in two years.

“There are only a few people out here I would do that for,” Kelley said. “It’s hard to give up the pole, but Sean’s in the points race. I hate to see a guy who is in front lose out in points.”

In the Pro Four Modified main event, points leader Mal Borders of Van Nuys drove to an easy 15-lap victory, his division-high fifth of the season. Borders, who also won a heat race, finished ahead of Kenny Smith of El Monte, who entered the evening second in points, and Garrett Yamada of North Hollywood.

In other races, Brad Billings of South El Monte won the 15-lap NASCAR Mini Stock main event ahead of Terry Limberopoulos of Bellflower, Jaime Pfeifer of Santa Barbara and Damon Duckett of Acton.

Greg Austin of Mission Hills and Rodney Peacher of North Hills each won Sportsman heat races.