Desbrow Holds On to Win Firecracker 50

Marty Desbrow of Ventura powered past Jim Jewett of Oxnard on the front straightaway of Lap 14 and held on to win the yellow flag-plagued Firecracker 50 Mini Stock main event at Ventura Raceway on Friday night.

Paul Moore of Oxnard finished second in the track’s longest race of the season and Rock Ake Jr. of Moorpark was third.

Last year’s Firecracker 50 champion, Bill Floyd of Ventura, failed to complete one lap.

Jim Firsich of Port Hueneme overtook Gary Garvin of Ventura on Lap 5 of the 15-lap Street Stock main event and held off hard-charging Jim Powell Jr. of Cypress for the victory.

It was the fourth main-event win of the season for Firsich. Powell fought his way from last place to finish second. Bill Pate of Oxnard was third.

Scott Olsen of Ventura bumped Firsich hard from behind in Turn 1 of the last lap to force Firsich high and give Olsen the daylight he needed to win the Street Stock six-lap figure-eight main event. Firsich, the Street Stock season points leader, held on for second with Ventura’s Tom Stephens was third.

Mini Stock figure-eight season points leader Richard Webster of Camarillo led wire-to-wire and edged Russ Warren of Van Nuys by one-half car length to win the six-lap figure-eight main event. Terry Swauger of Ojai was third.

Mini Stock 10-lap heat winners were Jewett and Kevin Parker of Ventura.

Firsich came from sixth place to win an eight-lap Street Stock heat and Powell came from eighth place to win another heat.

Jewett drove to an easy victory in the Mini Stock eight-lap semi-main event. Webster was second and Gary Swenson of Ventura third.

Desbrow won the six-lap Mini Stock Trophy Dash and Bill Famularo of Simi Valley drove to victory in the four-lap Street Stock Trophy Dash.

Powell set the one-lap fast qualifying time in the Street Stocks at 16.678 seconds.