DUO TAKES A SIDE TRIP HARVICK, HORNADY COMPETE IN ALTAMONT.

Byline: Tim Haddock Auto Racing

Not even a visit from NASCAR Busch Grand National Division drivers Kevin Harvick and Ron Hornaday Jr. could slow the Featherlite Southwest Series regulars at the Snap-On 100 at Altamont Raceway Park on Saturday.

Mark Reed of Bakersfield won for the second consecutive race and M.K. Kanke of Frazier Park added another pole to his own career record.

``Pretty much, that's what we're all out there for,'' said Kanke, who finished second in the Snap-On 100. Kanke won his fourth pole of the season, tops on the circuit, and has 22 in his career.

Harvick, from Bakersfield, and Hornaday, from Palmdale, had an open weekend from their Busch Series schedule. They will be at Charlotte, N.C., for the All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300 on Saturday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Harvick, who won the Southwest Series rookie championship in 1995 and is the top rookie on the Busch Series this year, was fourth in the Snap-On 100. Hornaday, who has won two Southwest Series titles, completed only seven laps and was 20th.

The race ended in a three-lap shootout when leader Eric Holmes of Escalon spun out on lap 97 and ended his day in the pits.

``He really messed up on that lap and we took advantage of it,'' Reed said of Holmes' spin-out. Reed took over the lead and held off Kanke, winning by .35 seconds on the half-mile track.

Series leader Matt Crafton of Tulare was third. He holds a 148-point lead over second-place Auggie Vidovich of Lakeside. Three races remain on the schedule, making Crafton a virtual lock for the championship.

``We're just racing to win races,'' said Kanke, who is third in points and 270 behind Crafton. ``As many DNFs as we've had, we can't expect anything more.''

Sean Woodside of Saugus finished seventh in the Snap-On 100; Frank Maronski Jr. of Quartz Hill was 11th; Bob Lyon of Agua Dulce was 19th, and Greg Pursley of Newhall was 25th.

The next race on the Southwest Series schedule is Saturday at Irwindale Speedway.

--Michels takes Grand Am title: In one of the most dominating seasons at Irwindale Speedway, Rip Michels of Mission Hills won the NASCAR Grand American Modified points title just by showing up Saturday night.

Michels won 10 of 12 races this season and credits his engine builder, Chatsworth Machine Center, as being a vital part of his success.

``It's everything,'' Michels said about having CMC as his engine builder. ``Last year, there were four nights when we didn't finish because of a blown motor. It's so rare to see a guy blow everybody off and finish every week. Things gotta fall into place for you. I think I used up all my good luck.''

Even though Michels said he had luck on his side, his season didn't start out that way. In the first race, he blew his motor on the last lap of the race. Even though he finished in front, his blown engine caused the race to end under a red flag. As a result, he was bumped to ninth.

As it turned out, it was his worst finish of the season.

He had a six-race win streak at one point during the season and also set the track record in the Grand Am division at Irwindale Speedway.

Now that his Grand Am season is over and he has his second title - he won one at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield in 1997 - Michels wants to move up to the Super Late Model class. That move might come as soon as next season.

There is one more Grand Am race on the Irwindale Speedway schedule, as a complement race to the USAC Silver Crown Series on Oct. 14, which is set to be televised on Speedvision.

--Boone gets some breathing room: USAC Western Midget driver Bobby Boone of Palmdale extended his series points lead from one to 16 with a second-place finish at Kings Speedway in Hanford on Saturday.

Alex Harris of Simi Valley won the Kings Speedway 30-lap feature. It was the first Western Midget Series win of the season for the two-time Three-Quarter Midget champ.

Boone, who was the third fastest qualifier, finished four spots ahead of Wally Pankratz. Pankratz is second in points with five races to go in the season.

The next event for the USAC Western Midgets is a two-night program at Perris Speedway on Oct. 27 and 28.