Greg Edenholm

For most racers, the TQ Midget class tends to be a stepping-stone, and 50 years old usually is a time to think about hanging up the helmet. Not so for Greg Edenholm of Agoura, who has found rejuvenation racing on dirt after spending most of his life as a road racer in such series as Formula Vee, Formula Super Vee and Formula Atlantic.

For most racers, the TQ Midget class tends to be a stepping-stone, and 50 years old usually is a time to think about hanging up the helmet. Not so for Greg Edenholm of Agoura, who has found rejuvenation racing on dirt after spending most of his life as a road racer in such series as Formula Vee, Formula Super Vee and Formula Atlantic.

Bobby Schwartz of Costa Mesa won the four-lap scratch main event in front of 2,800 in the weekly speedway motorcycle program at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa Saturday. Gary Hicks of Riverside was second, Charlie Venegas of San Bernardino third and Shawn McConnell of Brea fourth. * Ben Walker of Santa Clarita won the 75-lap NASCAR Super Late Model race before a crowd of 4,899 at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night. Walker took the lead on the fifth lap and finished 4.

Greg Edenholm passed leader Randi Pankratz on the restart at lap 18 to win his first USAC Three-Quarter Midget series feature race in front of 3,602 at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night. Pankratz, of Atascadero, was leading the 20-lap race comfortably when a caution flag came out on 17th lap. Edenholm, of Agoura, got a good jump on the restart and was able to get by Pankratz as they raced past the start-finish line.

Edneisha Curry was plagued by poor shooting and Cal State Northridge lost to Villanova, 72-52, Friday, in the first game of the Nevada tournament in Reno, Nev. Curry finished with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, five turnovers and four fouls. She made six of 19 shots, including three of 10 three-pointers. Neda Milic had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Matadors (1-1). Jenea Skeeters scored 21 points and Katie Davis had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (2-1).

Cliff Morgan is a happy man. Morgan, in his 10th year as Ventura Raceway's general manager, has high hopes and expectations for the racing season that begins tonight. The raceway has a revised schedule, an influx of new drivers and the addition of I-4 modifieds to its card, all of which excite Morgan. "A lot of guys are coming out from Simi Valley, Saugus and the San Fernando Valley area for our stock car division," Morgan said. "As a result I'd say our car counts have improved by about 20%."

When promoter Jim Naylor of Ventura Raceway introduced entry-level International Motor Contest Assn. sprint cars to the West Coast in 1994, the thought of scheduling an open-wheel race during a stock car program was considered akin to inviting Hatfields and McCoys to the same party. But Naylor's brainchild has proven successful. The IMCA sprints--powered by less-powerful, 360-cubic-inch engines than the 410-cubic-inch-powered cars that compete in the Sprint Car Racing Assn.

Racing 500 miles in his Hot Wheels Pontiac Winston Cup car Sunday will only be a warmup for Kyle Petty and some of his NASCAR friends. After the race, along with father Richard, son Adam and fellow drivers Kenny Schrader, Steve Grissom, Tim Fedewa, Joe Nemechek and Steve Park, he will hop on his Harley and ride to Prescott, Ariz., about a six-to-seven hour jaunt on a motorcycle.

There have been 43 Formula One races in the United States--not counting the 11 times the Indianapolis 500 was an F1 points race--and in the consensus of race writers and historians, Mario Andretti's dramatic win at Long Beach in 1977 was the most memorable. Andretti passed South Africa's Jody Scheckter on the next-to-last lap of the course, which ran along Ocean Blvd. before dropping down on the flatland where it now runs.