Saugus Speedway Racing Program.

Saturday, August 23, 1980.

Cyan spot color cover, else black, 28 pages.

Cover: George Ayers, Chief Starter.

Driver profile: Rodney Peacher.

Feature: Covan, Thompson and Bosse Win Mains.

Photos, in order of appearance: Ayers, Peacher, Jim Robinson, Donna Olson (trophy girl), Bryan Brown, Dan Press, Ken Sapper, Daryl Kratz, Charlie Saied, Bernie Hilber, Ken Davis, Dollar Bill Ackart.

Previous week's attendance: 4,536 (paid)

Driver Profile: Rodney Peacher

What does R.R.R.R.R.P. stand for? What else but "The rough 'n ready rodent from Reseda, Rodney Peacher!" Rodney says he's been called the "Rodent" since high school. He's a Van Nuys High grad, class of '67 by the way. He heard a lot of nicknames when he first came to the Super Track four years ago and he decided "Rodney the Rodent" was good enough to continue using.

July 19th was a big night for Mr. Peacher. He won every race he qualified for. It was his first ever trophy dash in four years at Saugus, and he won it, along with every other race he was in that night. In Rodney's words, "When we first came out here, we didn't know a thing, so we literally learned by doing." Is that what they call "O.J.T.," Rodney, on-the-job-training?

The #35 Street Stock '67 Chevelle is cared for by many people. The crew consists of Robbie Lewis, Larry Adams, (who also cares for #53) Jean Boggs, "C.B.," John Beard, Chuck & Judy Smith and Eddy & Doug Kahn. When Rodney first brought out a car, His sponsors were Golden State Radiator and Globe Tire. Now in his fourth season, both sponsors are still with him. "The better I do, the more they give me," says rodent.

Having spent two years in "Uncle Sam's" Army, Rodney was a member of the Fourth Armored Division in Germany. Anyone else out there affiliated with the "Honest John Rocket Crew????" Rodney's been in Southern California for nineteen years now and was born in Decatur, Illinois, on January 5, 1949. He's working for Eberhard Roofing Co. and has been since 1968.

Mr. Peacher has a very special thanks to a lot of folks who talked him into continuing to race at the Super Track. He almost quit a couple of years ago when he got "T-boned" in the figure eight intersection. It totalled the car, but thankfully Rodney's all right. A lot of people came by the pit that night and urged him to continue and I for one am glad they did.

The rodent from Reseda is too good a competitor to lose. Thank you, Rodney, for spending some time with me and letting the fans get to know you a little better.

"Irish"

Salute to George Ayers

Tonight we honor Chief Starter George Ayers on his retirement from Saugus Speedway after twenty years of waving the flags.

George was a driver during 1960-61 and after the '61 season promoter Tony Coldeway sent out a questionnaire to all the drivers. One of the questions asked was ... What would you like to he if you were not driving a race car? George answered, "I think I'd like to be a starter." A few weeks later, Tony phoned him and said, "You're it, you are our new starter!" He served his apprenticeship under Bob Pollard, then the chief starter and the years since have proven that George was a wise choice. He has been on the other end of waving flags at Riverside International Raceway, Ascot Park, Orange Show Speedway, Craig Road Speedway, and Corona in addition to his long tenure here at Saugus Speedway.

George handled the flags in a most conscientious style and with authority. Safety of the participants was his number one priority! Being a starter is not an easy! It's similar to being an umpire in a baseball game ... every decision made only satisfies part of the fans leaving many to challenge your actions, and besides, in baseball the umpire wears a mask!

So, with the wave of the checkered flag to a real winner we say adieu, George. May you always run with the green flag waving bright, with never a yellow or red in sight. From all of us at Saugus, a big thank you for a job well done!

"Lyn"

Covan, Thompson and Bosse Win Mains

Super Track Scene by Lyn Pherigo

John Covan, current Sportsman Champion and points leader won his fourth consecutive main event last Saturday night at the Super Track. Covan took the lead on lap 10 of the "yellow flag" 40 lap feature. Ron Hornaday Jr., currently running second in the points battle, had taken the lead away from #88 Jim Kent of Saugus, when a pile up in turn 4 put Hornaday out and Covan in the lead.

Gary Johnson of Valencia took the checkered flag for second place, after setting a new track record (which does not stand). Johnson was disqualified for the evening, which put #90 Bruce Erickson in second place. Bill Sedgwick, #25, was third with Jim Kent, #88, fourth and #55, Mike DiMarzo fifth.

Steve Colbert, Mission Hills won the 4-lap trophy dash. It was Colbert's first dash for the '80 season, winning over Erickson, Covan and Johnson. Colbert also took the checkered flag for a win in Sportsman heat race action while #16, John Lux of Thousand Oaks won his heat race.

Mitch Thompson of Sylmar was victorious in the Street Stock Main Event. Thompson started out leading the race with current point leader Roman Calczynski behind him for 21 laps of the 25-lap race. On lap 22, #48, Jim McAlister passed Calczynski to go on to finish in the 2nd spot. Unlike the Sportsman main, all 25 laps of the feature was run without a single yellow flag, which allowed 17 of the 24 starting cars to finish the race with 25 laps to their credit. Calczynski was third, #73, Luke Koback finished fourth with #46, Dale Herron fifth.

Dan Challgren won the Street Stock Trophy Dash over Kerbrat, McAlister, and Sedgwick, while Heat Race wins went to #16, Ken Christian and #17 Mitch Thompson.

Ken "Bozo" Bosse chalked up 2 wins for the evening by coming from the back of the pack to win the 15 lap Figure Eight Main Event over a field of 22 cars, Bosse also won the 8 lap Figure Eight Heat Race with #71 L.A. Woodside winning the Trophy Dash.

The girls got the track last Saturday night in the Super Track Gold Cup Powder Puff Derby. Patty Lopez won the Sportsman division in the #24 Chevelle owned by Dick Huffaker, Pam Lopez was second and Lina Shearman was third. Jean Richter won the Street Stock division in the K&D Automotive Plymouth with Barbara McLaughlin second and Sherrill McAlister third.

About Saugus Speedway

The future Saugus Speedway was built originally as a rodeo arena in 1927 by Roy Baker, brother of shoe magnate C.H. Baker.

Roy Baker purchased the 40-acre property east of Bouquet Junction in 1923 for the purpose of breeding and selling show and pleasure horses. To that end he imported saddle brood mares from Kentucky and studded them with a pedigreed, chestnut-colored saddlebred stallion named Peavine McDonald (b. 1910), which sired five pedigreed mares and four pedigreed colts between 1920 and 1936. Baker advertised that he had 2,500 acres of grazing land and also offered training and boarding services for outside horses.

Probably to attract horse buyers to his ranch in faraway Saugus, Baker staged rodeos. Some references suggest he built a 12,000-seat arena in 1924, but this is dubious. (Promoter Bob Anderson organized a local rodeo in 1924, but its exact location is unclear, and it wouldn't have had grandtands.) Anderson did hold the annual rodeo on Baker's property in April 1926. That December, Baker and Anderson started construction on a new stadium, complete with partially covered grandstand seating and a quarter-mile oval track. When it opened May 1, 1927, it seated 18,000 fans, and thousands more had to be turned away for lack of room.

Over the next decade, ownership of the arena would change hands three more times.

As with a majority of the American populace, Baker was hit hard financially by the Great Depression of 1929 and was forced to sell the stadium to cowboy actor Hoot Gibson in 1930. Gibson continued to hold rodeos at the stadium and drew a Hollywood crowd including famous actors such as William S. Hart, Harry Carey, Tom Mix, and John Wayne. He also used the stadium as a movie set or leased it to other companies for film making.

But Gibson felt the effects of the Depression, as well. In September 1933 he appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom and pleaded poverty, saying he had no assets with which to repay a $2,500 loan. He testified that he owned a one-third interest in Hoot Gibson Inc., which owned the Saugus rodeo, and that it was in arrears.

In 1934, Gibson sold the stadium to Paul Hill, owner of the Western Livestock Stockyards, who continued to call it the Hoot Gibson Rodeo. As with his predecessors, however, the stadium brought Hill financial hardship when it was hit by the Great Flood of March 2, 1938. Heavy rains that year caused a river of water to flow down Soledad Canyon and filled the ranch home and arena with mud and debris. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, the "old buildings ... collapsed during the March floods" and the arena was built anew.

Nonetheless, Hill lost the ranch sometime after the April 1938 rodeo. According to Reynolds, the property was repossessed by the bank. In 1939, ownership passed to William Bonelli, and it was renamed Bonelli Stadium.

Bonelli, a professor of economics at Occidental College, continued the annual rodeo tradition for a number of years but introduced auto racing in 1939 on a more frequent schedule; ultimately auto racing became the primary draw and Bonelli renamed the arena Saugus Speedway. Occasional rodeos and circuses continued until at least the late 1960s, auto racing until 1995. The facility was sometimes used for concerts before the grandstands were removed in 2012 (the originals had been replaced in 1955). The venue continues to host an outdoor swap meet.