Pirate Speedway
National Orange Show
Arrowhead Ave
San Bernardino, California 92408

Bobby Schwartz Night
June 28, 2013 - Pirate Speedway - San Bernardino
By: Ryan Evans

Bobby Schwartz Night - San Bernardino, CA, USA - June 28

Aaron Fox turned in a fabulous performance and won the main event on Bobby Schwartz Night at Pirate Speedway in San Bernardino.

The draw for the main event placed track copromoter Shawn "Mad Dog" McConnell in gate one, man-of-honor Bobby "Boogaloo" Schwartz in gate two, Tim Gomez in gate three, Russell Green in gate four, and Fox was happy to draw the outside gate number five.

McConnell and Schwartz gated together from the inside gates and battled each other to get the inside line in turn one while Fox was building up momentum on the outside. Fox squeezed between the two veterans and the wall to take the lead on the outside but they weren't about to give up without a fight. Fox led through turns three and four while McConnell straightened up and took himself and Schwartz wide. McConnell was able to recover and hold on to second while Schwartz showed his skill by avoiding the wall but found himself at the rear of the field. The slugfest for second allowed Fox to distance himself from everyone and he blazed to the victory. McConnell held on to second, Green was third, Schwartz finished fourth, and Gomez was fifth.

The first semi saw an epic four-lap handlebar-to-handlebar fight between McConnell on the inside and Gomez on the outside. Their battle brought the crowd to its feet with Gomez making the outside line work slightly better than McConnell's inside line to get the win by inches. Both riders moved on to the main event.

Those in the crowd who wanted to sit down were wasting their time because the next semi saw an equally entertaining war as Fox used the outside and Schwartz hugged the inside the entire distance and were never separated by more than a half bike-length. Fox was a narrow winner over Schwartz with both transferring to the main event.

Tyson Talkington led the Last Chance for a lap but Green mustered up enough speed on the outside to go around the leader and race away with the win and the final transfer into the main.

Dave Troutt led the Support Main Event for a lap before Kyle Hicks stormed up the inside of him for the lead. Hicks, who returned to the track last week after nearly three years away, never looked back and went home victorious. Rudy Laurer finished second, Chris Jones was third, Ron Davis finished fourth, Troutt was fifth, and Mike Reed was credited with sixth.

The Junior 250 Main Event required three attempts but Dalton Leedy, who the lead the first two times it was halted, led the lead the entire distance on the third try for the victory. Hayley Perrault finished second, Dryden Gayle was third, and Michael Wells was fourth on his first night competing on a 250.

Dryden LeoGrande led the Mini 150 Main Event from the start but had Sebastian "Big Daddy" Palmese breathing down his neck for several laps. Dryden LeoGrande successfully thwarted all of Palmese's efforts for four laps and looked to have the win as they entered the final corner. Dryden LeoGrande went wide as they exited turn four and by the time he recovered Palmese charged up the inside to steal the win. Sara Cords finished third.

Tanner Richey was the initial leader in the Pee Wee Main Event but Jonas LeoGrande weaved through the field and took the lead as they went down the back straight on lap three. "Lightning" Luke Whitcomb closed ground on Jonas LeoGrande on the final two laps but was unable to get by. Jonas LeoGrande was first to the checkered flag, Whitcomb had to settle for second, Jason Palmese Jr. was third, Gavin Kearney finished fourth, and Richey was fifth.

Chris Jones jumped off his speedway bike after the Support Main Event and climbed aboard a sidecar for their main event. He and Johnny Glover made the best start and held off the pesky duo of Bryan Motis and Josh Bennett to win the Sidecar Main Event. Casey Driggers and Riley Driggers finished third and Dual Anderson and Ethan Smith were fourth.

The evening served as a tribute to Schwartz, a legend not only in American speedway, but worldwide as well. Currently competing in his 39th season of speedway, Schwartz has won titles all over the world including two World Best Pairs Championships, the World Team Cup, and two National Championships. In addition to his on-track exploits, he has also helped many racers over the years with help and advice regarding racing as well as guidance on their careers.

Pirate Speedway will be hosting racing when all divisions of speedway hit the track for Stars and Stripes Night.

RESULTS

Sidecar Last Chance (restarted)
007 – Dual Anderson/Ethan Smith
13 – Casey Driggers/Riley Driggers
66 – Gerard Jackson/Dave German
81 – Dan Rapaport/Jacob Serrato

Sidecar Main Event
1 - Chris Jones/Johnny Glover
2 - Bryan Motis/Josh Bennett
13 - Casey Driggers/Riley Driggers
007 - Dual Anderson/Ethan Smith (retired)

Pee Wee Main Event
185 - Jonas LeoGrande 50
27 - Luke Whitcomb 50
795 - Jason Palmese Jr. 0
49 - Gavin Kearney 0
13 - Tanner Richey 0 (fell)

Mini 150cc Main Event
18 - Sebastian Palmese 30
185 - Dryden LeoGrande 0
14 - Sara Cords 0

Junior 250cc Main Event (restarted twice)
222 - Dalton Leedy
0 - Hayley Perrault (penalty line)
73 - Dryden Gayle (penalty line)
214 - Michael Wells

Support Last Chance
103 – Kyle Hicks 30
182 – Rudy Laurer 40
116 – Chris Jones 30
163 – Ron Davis 30
210 – Dave Troutt 0
213 – Mike Reed 40 (retired)

Support Main Event
103 - Kyle Hicks 30
182 - Rudy Laurer 40
116 - Chris Jones 30
163 - Ron Davis 30
210 - Dave Troutt 0
213 - Mike Reed 30 (retired)

First Division Last Chance
321 - Russell Green
48 - Tyson Talkington
114 - Troy McConnell
37 - Joe Donaldson

First Division Main Event
46 - Aaron Fox
6 - Shawn McConnell
321 - Russell Green
11 - Bobby Schwartz
30 - Tim Gomez (fell)

Ryan Evans