Drake Posts Wins at Ventura in an Indy Weekend Repeat

The U. S. Auto Club’s Western States Series races on the Indy 500 weekend have been a tradition at Ventura Raceway.

Jay Drake of Val Verde, the defending Western States Three-Quarter Midget champion, is starting his own personal tradition at the quarter-mile dirt oval.

Drake won his only main event of the season at Ventura last year, and he drove to his first USAC Three-Quarter Midget main-event victory of the season Saturday night in the 20-lap feature.

Drake, the current season points leader in his class, drove a smooth race on a rough track and powered past Ventura’s Marc Hart on Lap 14 to win.

“(Hart) was (causing) problems in the ruts and I was hooking up better and better throughout the race and I finally got on the inside of him,” Drake said.

Hart finished second and Rick Hendrix of Canoga Park was third.

Sleepy Tripp of Costa Mesa, who became the winningest driver in USAC Midget history last week at El Centro Raceway after four failed attempts at Ventura earlier in the year, won the 30-lap Midget Main event.

It was the 133rd main-event win of his USAC career.

Ventura’s Dennis Hart, bumped out of the lead on Lap 26 by Tripp, finished second and Robby Flock of Whittier was third.

Eight-lap Midget heat-race victories were claimed by Hank Butcher of San Leandro, Tripp, and Flock.

Three-Quarter Midget eight-lap, heat-race winners were Frank Deiny Jr. of Sylmar, Hendrix, Drake, and Richard Atkins of Fullerton. Camarillo’s Tracy VanBlargen won the four-lap last-chance race to qualify for the semi-main event.

Bob Davison of Running Springs used his pole position to win the 10-lap Midget semi-main event.