Henry Wesolowski Sr. won the Perris Auto Speedway’s 2009 Street Stocks season championship.

The Temecula driver finished the season with 610 points, edging out second-place Jake Everhart and his 575 season points. The Street Stocks season ended Nov. 21 and saw Murrieta driver Stephan Davies win the main event that night.

"I had no intent of even being involved in points this year," Wesolowski said.  "I ended up getting too many wins."

Wesolowski’s goal for the season was to compete in a handful of Perris Auto Speedway races and try to win those. He won four throughout the season, most recently on Aug. 15. The Street Stocks had ten races at Perris during the 2009 season, including an Oct. 13 run during the Southern California Fair.

"All of a sudden you’re the point leader," he said. "Four is not bad out of ten races."

The track championship was the second at Perris for Wesolowski, who also won the Street Stocks championship in 2006. On July 14, 2007, Wesolowski finished fourth in the Street Stocks main event, but had a heart attack after that race. He missed five races in 2007 but still finished sixth in the point standings.

The heart attack was Wesolowsk’s second in two years, and his desire to reduce stress in his life led him not to engage in the quest for a track championship. Wesolowski limited his 2008 activities to five races and finished 16th in the season standings.

The 2009 championship was the tenth overall for Wesolowski, who began racing at the Ascot track in 1985. His 2006 Perris championship gave him season titles at every track at which he has raced regularly. Wesolowski has also won championships at the Willow Springs, Pearsonville, Victorville, and Adelanto dirt tracks. Wesolowski, who turned 67 on Aug. 26, moved from Torrance to Temecula in 1988.

During the season, Wesolowski drove both a 1977 Chevrolet Nova and a 1987 Buick Regal

"I mixed it up Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] a little bit," he said. Neither vehicle is being actively marketed for sale, but both are available if Wesolowski receives a suitable offer, he said. He was sponsored by Ask Terry’s Automotive, Burtec Waste Industry, Cornerstone Hospice, In and Out Registration, and Luke’s Transmission.

Wesolowski also raced at the Barona and Victorville dirt tracks this year.  He won two races at Barona, although he did not have any first-place finishes at Victorville.  Wesolowski’s Perris wins included the March 7 season opener.

"There were some good competitors this year," Wesolowski said. "It was just a tremendously fun year."

Davies finished the season with 514 points, giving him fourth place among Street Stocks drivers.  He had a third-place finish in the Oct. 24 race.

Davies finished second in an Oct. 13 race, but he and three other drivers who finished in the top five were disqualified for excessive compression. The fair race, like the season finale, gave double points so the disqualification cost Davies 114 points.

"I would have won the points championship if it wasn’t for that," Davies said.

Davies began the Nov. 21 race on the pole and overtook Curtis Dietzsch following a third-lap restart.

"Curtis got in front of me for the first couple of laps, and then I got him on the restart," Davies said. "It took me one or two laps and I got in front of him and I was gone after that."

Davies began racing at Perris three years ago, initially sharing a car with fellow Murrieta driver Jerry Knight before the two drivers obtained separate cars for the 2008 season.  Davies finished 11th in the 2008 point standings.

This year Davies drove a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His first-ever main event win at the track occurred April 25. Davies was sponsored by Gussie Steel and GFM Welding & Fabrication.

"It went pretty good," Davies said of his season. He plans to return to the Street Stocks for the 2010 season.