Orange Show crowns three champs at finale

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Three championship celebrations, 280 laps of main event racing and a 17-car Demolition Derby brought the Orange Show Speedway stock car racing season to a close Saturday night.

Glen Cummings of Highland, Jim Conklin of Big Bear and Jim Mardis of Riverside were the celebrants, capturing their first titles in the Super Late Model, Late Model and Pony Stock divisions, respectively.

Mardis also was one of the winners in the six main events that were contested on the paved quarter-mile oval, and Sam McDonald survived various and sundry bumps and bangs to win the Demolition Derby.

Ron Overman of Lakeside won the 40-lap Super Late Model main, Brian Malone of Grand Terrace took the 100-lap Late Model feature and went across the finish line sideways after a push by Conklin, and Mardis ran away with the 75-lap Pony Stock contest.

Overman, the runner-up by 2 points last season, went into Saturday’s finale 10 points behind Cummings. Overman did all he could, posting fast qualifying time, winning a heat race and then setting the pace throughout the main event. But he was trailed throughout by 2005 champion John Manke and Cummings, who won the title by 6 points.

It was Cummings’ third title, but his first since 1986.

Conklin, the track’s Street Stock champion in 1998, went into the evening 2 points ahead of Palmdale’s Anthony Mainella and needing to finish one place ahead of his rival. He appeared positioned to accomplish that by settling into second behind Malone while Mainella was working his way up to third. But it became academic when Mainella pulled off the track with nine laps to go, the victim of engine woes.

Conklin made a bid for the win coming to the finish line and pushed Malone out of the way. But that earned him an official rebuke and a placing as the last car on the lead lap, leaving him seventh and first simultaneously. 

Mardis, 21, the dominant figure in the Pony Stock class for most of the past two years, won for the 10th time in 13 races this season and has captured 16 of the 21 main events since June 4, 2005.

Saturday night, he started third in the 16-car field, took the lead on lap 3 and had lapped all but five cars when the checkered flag waved on the 75-lap feature. Second in the standings last season, he was assured of this year’s title when he took the green flag.

Earlier in the evening, Connor Cantrell of Valencia won the 25-lap Legend Pros main event, Bree Brewer of Riverside took the 25-lap Legend Semipros race and Jimmy Rouse Jr. won the 15-lap Bandelero finale.

By Jim Short | Orange Show Speedway PR