Arrowhead Motor Speedway
Orange Show Pavilion
San Bernardino, California

2002 Week Sixteen
Arrowhead Speedway
July 31, 2002
From Ryan Evans

1996 World Champion Billy "The Bullet" Hamill made a glorious return to Arrowhead Motor Speedway in San Bernardino by winning the Scratch Main and the Total Image Challenge last Wednesday.

Hamill's first real test of the evening came in the Total Image Challenge. The Challenge is a series of one-lap elimination races that begins with four riders and eliminates the last-placed rider. The final two men race two laps to determine the winner. Scott Brant was eliminated first, then Bobby Hedden was eliminated after he fell. This left Hamill and "Fast" Eddie Castro. Hamill was away from the tapes first and was never threatened as he took the win.

In the Handicap Main, John DeFries took the lead from the 10 yard line and immediately felt pressure from "Cowboy" Bobby Krips. Meanwhile, Hamill had beaten fellow 50 yard riders Brant and Castro to the front-yardage riders and closed in on Shaun Harmatiuk. Hamill was moving into third on lap three when DeFries experienced liftoff and fell off the back causing a red flag. The riders would line up in their positions according to the last completed lap and four laps remaining. DeFries could start at the back, but the front end of his bike was destroyed. Krips lined up at the tapes, followed by Harmatiuk, then Hamill. On the restart, Krips pulled away from Harmatiuk who had his hands full holding off Hamill. Hamill stuck to the low line to try to pass Harmatiuk, but the teenager wasn't moving. Hamill got by on the last lap, but Krips was long gone and won his first Handicap Main of the season. Hamill settled for second, Harmatiuk was third, Castro finished fourth, Brant was fifth, and DeFries was credited with sixth.

In the Scratch Main, the lineup was Castro on the pole, Brant in gate two, Hedden in three, and Hamill on the outside. Hamill trapped from the outside and opened up his lead throughout lap one. Brant was in second, but couldn't get close to the current National Champion. Hamill pulled away for the win, Brant finished second, Castro was third, and Hedden finished fourth.

Neil Facchini took the early lead in the Second Division Main and quickly opened up a large lead. After three laps, Facchini had a giant lead when he fell in turn four. This created havoc as bikes and bodies ended up all over the track. All riders walked away and the referee declared the race complete with Facchini being penalized as the cause of the stoppage. The decision gave Bill Green his second main event win of the year. Matt Browne was credited with second, Rick Valdez was third, Rudy Laurer was fourth, Facchini was fifth, and Billy Braden was sixth.

Rusty Hall jumped into the lead in the Second Division B Main Event and was the leader until turn three on lap three when Mark Baldwin took the lead. Baldwin then guided his two-valve to his third consecutive main event victory. Steve Nelson was second, Hall finished third, Hector Quevedo was fourth, Steve Dziadus finished fifth, and Geoff Herkner was sixth.

RESULTS

Second Division B Consolation    (restarted)
244 - DeWayne Stark           0
132 - David Moore             0
227 - Mark Robertson         10
119 - Mark Baldwin            0	(fell, excluded)

Second Division B Main Event
115 - Mark Baldwin           10
202 - Steve Nelson           10
164 - Rusty Hall              0
161 - Hector Quevedo         10
212 - Steve Dziadus           0
208 - Geoff Herkner          10	(fell)

Second Division Consolation
165 - Randy Kreps            10
126 - Doug Lupo               0
103 - Brent Smith             0
123 - Chad Newlee            30	(non starter)
147 - Winston Williams       10	(non starter)

Second Division Consolation
301n - Bill Warnock           0
 64 - Paul Colston           30
163 - Rohn Zellner            0
113n - Rachalle Kerr          0
125 - Johnny Lupo            10
178 - Eloy Medellin          10

Second Division Main Event
336 - Bill Green             10
211n - Matt Browne           30
293 - Rick Valdez            20
182 - Rudy Laurer            30
201 - Neil Facchini           0	(fell)
117 - Billy Braden           20	(fell)

Juniors - Second Division 
  5 - Dario Galvin
 27 - Krystal Cramer
    - Logan Calvin

Juniors - First Division
  3 - Justin Boyle
 10 - Tim Gomez

Total Image Challenge Race
  1 - Billy Hamill
 14 - Eddie Castro
 63n - Bobby Hedden
 10 - Scott Brant

Handicap Main Event      (restarted)
 24 - Bobby Krips            20
  1 - Billy Hamill           50
139 - Shaun Harmatiuk        20
 14 - Eddie Castro           50
 10 - Scott Brant            50
316 - John DeFries           10	(non starter - restart)

Scratch Consolation
 75n - Eric Carrillo
  8n - Bryan Yarrow
 11 - Bobby Schwartz
 24 - Bobby Krips           (tape exclusion)

Scratch Main Event
  1 - Billy Hamill
 10 - Scott Brant
 14 - Eddie Castro
 63n - Bobby Hedden