San Bernardino's Venegas captures state title.
San Bernardino motorcyclist extraordinaire Charlie Venegas led wire-to-wire in the final heat at Industry Speedway tonight to win the state championship, his second straight.
The lowdown, from Jim Short at IndustrySpeedway.com:
CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. (Sept. 17, 2008) 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 tracks 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.
Charlie Venegas is one of the most genuine people I've ever covered in the realm of motor sports. He tells the truth, whether it benefits him or not.
If you get a chance, J.P., cover a speedway race sometime. It'll change the way you see racing.
Actually I did catch one race early in the season when I was doing a piece about Venegas. And you're right about the culture at the track; to quote something I might have said in high school, "Dang! Those fools are hardcore!!"