Suspense Removed by Phipps : Motor racing: Simi Valley driver goes wire to wire at Saugus to easily win second Grand Am title in a row.

Dave Phipps of Simi Valley provided what little suspense remained at Saugus Speedway entering Saturday night’s final points races of the season.

Phipps started on the pole for the 30-lap, Grand American Modified division main event and led wire to wire to post his fifth main-event win of the season and second consecutive Grand Am title before 3,683.

Dave Blankenship of Reseda, who started second and finished second, entered the race 16 points behind Phipps in the points standings. Blankenship needed to finish eight positions ahead of Phipps to steal the title.

But Phipps was not about to let this one slip away.

“It feels great,� said Phipps, 44, who also won three Saugus Sportsman championships during the 1980s. “I’m just really happy right now. That’s about all I can say.�

Added Blankenship: “I thought halfway through that maybe there was a chance I could pass him. But I knew he’d have to drop out for me to win (the championship).�

In other racing, two drivers--Ed Horst of Reseda (Pro Stock) and Ed Fuller Jr. of Carson (Mini Stock)--already had clinched their respective division titles before either had started their engines.

The Pro Stock oval and figure-eight main events--much like the entire Pro Stock season--developed into duels between Horst and Scott Dinger of Simi Valley.

Dinger, second to Horst in points nearly the entire season, recorded a division-high seventh main-event win in the 25-lap oval event, while Horst finished second.

In the 15-lap figure-eight main, Horst recorded his fourth main-event win, while Dinger finished second.

In the 20-lap Mini Stock main event, Damon Duckett of Acton drove to his second main-event win of the season, finishing ahead of Rudy Sandoval of North Hollywood. Terry Limberopoulos of Bellflower finished third and John Petsco of Newbury Park finished fourth.

In other races, Mitch Thompson of Sylmar won the 15-lap Pro Stock oval semi-main event to lead four drivers who advanced to the main event. Kevin Persey of Van Nuys, David Rodriguez of Saugus and Duncan Moran of Los Angeles also advanced.

A season-high 12 heat races preceded the main events. Rusty Stewart of Redondo Beach and Johnny Lathrop of Riverside posted Grand Am heat race wins.

Persey, Tim Huddleston of Sepulveda, Albert Tester of Lancaster and Mark Miller of Chatsworth won Pro Stock oval heat races. Jeff Holmes of Canyon Country and Richard Smith of Reseda won Pro Stock figure-eight heat races.