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SUPER TRACK SCENE
by LYN PHERIGO
"DAN PRESS VICTORIOUS IN SAUGUS SEASON OPENER"
Nineteen seventy eight Saugus Speedway champion Dan Press, inactive most of '81 due to crash-
sustained injuries, began 1982 on a high note Saturday night by winning Saugus Speedway's opening
night 40-lap Modified main event. In other season-a'pener a·ction, Bill Sedgwick, Van Nuys, won the
30-lap Sportsman main, Dave Harrison, Sylmar, was victorious in the 25-lap stocker oval event and
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Jim Gardella, Valencia, prevailed in the 15-lap figure eight finale.
Starting tenth in the 25-car line-up, Press moved up to fifth by the 20-lap half-way point and took
over the lead from Loren Spangler, Northridge, on the 25th circuit. Spangler had held the lead from
lap 15 and Steve Parrish, Santa Monica, was the pacesetter for the first 14 tours of Saugus Speedway'
flat, third-mi le, paved ova I.
Spangler finished second with Canyon Country's Harry Brady, third, Ken Davis, West Covina, four
Bruce Erickson, Reseda, fifth and Tom Finneran of Rialto in sixth. They all finished on the lead lar
Sedgwick took the lead on lap seven in his Sportsman victory and at that point it was Jimmy Menz
Reseda, running second, Dave Phipps, Reseda, third, Bob Lyon, Newhall, fourth and Brad Miller,
Newhall in fifth. Twenty three laps later, when the checkered fla_g dropped, they were still battlin
in the same order and the only cars on the lead lap.
Sam Lafata, North Hollywood, led the initial 12 laps of the stocker oval main from his pole-starti.
position before Harrison took over in his winning effort. It was a typical, very-competitive stocker
main with fifteen of the 24 starters finishing on the lead lap. John Redmond, Saugus, finished second
ahead of Rona Id Main, Chatsworth and Dennis Dyer, Acton.
Gardella led all but the initial two laps in winning the figure eight main. Ken Bosse, Sylmar was
second, Bill McKnight, Northridge, third, Harrison, fourth and David Hard was fifth. Seven of th,
eleven finishers were on the winner's lap.
