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49 °F 5 Day Forecast Saturday, November 29, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend August 31, 2003 Silva claims top prize at Lon Skinner Memorial By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — One family’s misfortune turned into a $3,000 prize for another Saturday at the Southern Oregon Speedway. Bruce Rayburn Sr. and his son, Bruce Rayburn Jr., both had leads in the seventh annual Lon Skinner Memorial modified A main race, but both men saw their cars fail and Dennis Silva slipped in to capture the event. Rayburn Sr., who took the pole during Friday’s qualifying, led until the 20th lap before his car gave out on him. Rayburn Jr. climbed from the third car back and snatched the lead from Silva, who was the front-runner after the elder Rayburn’s mishap, in lap No. 32. His modified began emitting a plume of white smoke on the first turn of the 41st lap, however, putting the race back into Silva’s hands. Advertisement Randy McDaniel finished second and took home $1,000, while Ron Possinger grabbed third, Jon DeBenedetti fourth and Brian Poppa, the 2001 Lon Skinner Memorial winner, finished fifth. The 50-lap race, which is the second biggest modified race on the West Coast, featured 22 competitors from Oregon, California and Washington. Speedway owner John Skinner started the event as a tribute to his late father Lon, who raced motorcycles, stock cars and boats in the Rogue Valley. Silva’s $3,000 prize nearly triples his top one-race prize of $800 at the Southern Oregon Speedway, he estimated. The cash was a nice bonus to Silva, but winning wasn’t on his mind until late in the race. "Ya know, this is unbelievable," said Silva. "When Rayburn (Sr.) jumped me at the start I thought maybe I’d settle for second or third. "But when something happened to him I thought I had a chance." Silva and Rayburn Jr. rode side-by-side for two solid laps before Rayburn Jr. slid into the lead. Silva dropped a few car lengths back after a yellow flag halted his momentum, but grabbed the lead for good following car troubles for Rayburn Jr. "More than anything, John’s dad’s trophy is an honor to win," said Silva, who will have his name engraved onto the revolving trophy that he’ll keep for a year. Defending champion Rich Paupenhausen, of Chico, Calif., who was one of four qualifiers out of the B main to join the 22-car field, finished 15th. In Saturday’s other lone racing event, Greg Arnold took the checkered flag in Super 4 and Bryan Barns finished second. Saturday’s Results MODIFIED A MAIN — 1, Dennis Silva; 2, Randy McDaniel; 3, Ron Possinger; 4, Jon DeBenedetti; 5, Brian Poppa; 6, Gus Cooper; 7, Dan Estremado; 8, Jay Hinton Jr.; 9, Jeremy Richey; 10, Scott Weldon; 11, Eric Bray. 12, Dane Smith; 13, Scott Lenz; 14, Dave Duste Jr.; 15, Rich Papenhause; 16, Tracy Bradley; 17, Bruce Rayburn Jr.; 18, Rich McCoy; 19, Dave Duste Sr.; 20, Bruce Rayburn Sr.; 21, Mark Wauge; 22, Brad Alfrey. B MAIN — 1, Rich Paupenhaus; 2, Dave Duste Sr.; 3, Jay Hinton Jr.; 4, Dane Smith; 5, Mike Johnson; 6, Brett James; 7, Mark Wauge; 8, Joe Benton; 9, Justin Holt. 10, Skipper Klimcheck; 11, Ron Brown; 12, Rich Paupenhousen; 13, Andy Freeman; 14, Cliff Massey; 15, Matt Holmes; 16, Dustin Jenks; 17, JJ Johnson; 18, Eric Massey. SUPER 4 A MAIN — 1, Greg Arnold; 2, Bryan Barns; 3, Brian Merriman; 4, John Barger; 5, Dan King; 6, Pat Akins; 7, Vicki Macormic; 8, Steve Pierce; 9, Terry Hadley; 10, Rocky Bass; 11, Tami Ott; 12, Kevin Gudzan; 13, Tracy O’Callahan. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4480 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times