FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Silver Dollar Speedway
Chico Volkswagen Earns Two Championships in One Night
by Troy Hennig
CHICO, CA – August 26, 2011…What a year it has been for Mark Abouzeid and his Chico Volkswagen teams. Abouzeid won his sixth dirt modified main event last night and by doing so captured the 2011 Wells Fargo track championship. It is Abouzeid’s second track championship at Chico. The year long battle between himself and Richard Papenhausen came to an amazing conclusion on lap 11 of the main event. Abouzeid was leading the feature but Papenhausen had closed to within less than a car length. As the two raced into turn one a loud bang exploded from under Papenhausen’s hood. The car went up in smoke and he came to a stop. The championship was over. However, the crowd gave Papenhausen a well deserved standing ovation as he rode on the back of a quad toward the pit area.
Abouzeid led the final four laps to get the win and championship. Abouzeid won the 6ft. tall Pepsi Trophy. It was the third time in a row he won the Pepsi Night. By doing so, he gets to keep the trophy forever. When Abouzeid was interviewed in victory lane he grabbed the microphone and yelled, “Whoa hoo!” He added, “It’s been a great year racing with Richard and I congratulate him on a good year. My team has been wonderful this year. It took me 20 years to win one championship and now in one night we get two.”
The street stock championship ended once Kevin Lesch took the green flag and completed one lap in the main event. Lesch drives for the Abouzeid family in the Chico Volkswagen #27z. “I have to thank my family and Mark’s family for allowing us to come out here and have fun,” said Lesch. “It takes a big commitment and I’m just lucky to be given the opportunity to drive this car.”
Phil Marino took the early lead of the 18-car starting field of street stocks. Marino seemed to be on his way to a victory until about the half way point went he was clipped in the left rear by a car he was passing. This sent him into the infield and crashing. He drove his car back to the pit area and was done for the night. Another driver that had high expectations was Heather Bartlett. She started on the front row but exited off the track early in the race. She did not return. It was not the way she wanted her final race to end. Bartlett is getting married and going to start a family. After Bartlett and Marino had problems this gave the lead to Scott Rogers. The Redding Rocket led the final laps and won the Pepsi night trophy. “This feels like a miracle tonight,” said Rogers. “We almost didn’t make it we had a tire blow on the way down to the track today but we didn’t give up and it paid off by being in victory lane.”
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- troy hennig on Aug 27, 2011
- Article Date: 8/27/2011 by Troy Hennig / Steve Cox Photo