TRIPP'S VENTURE TAKES TURN.

Byline: Tim Haddock Auto Racing

NASCAR Modified 4s driver Guy Tripp of Saugus is planning on moving up in class.

Where he makes that move is up in the air.

Tripp, the 2001 Modified 4s champ at Irwindale Speedway, took a Late Model Chevy to Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield last weekend and debuted his new car.

But his first start in a Late Model car was met with mixed results. He clocked qualifying times in the middle of the field and maintained his position but was involved in a crash midway through the race.

``There was a huge wreck, and we got caught up in it,'' Tripp said. ``It was not as terrifying as I thought would be.''

Tripp, who is in the midst of his second Modified 4s season at Irwindale Speedway, said he is undecided about where he plans to run his new car. But the list of tracks is down to either Mesa Marin or Irwindale Speedway.

Tripp qualified 10th in his Chevy, built by the Race Car Factory, which supplies cars for Irwindale Speedway Late Model drivers Tim Huddleston and Todd Burns. But Tripp was forced to the rear of the starting grid because he began the race with four new tires. Mesa Marin has a rule that forces cars with new tires to the back of the starting grid.

Tripp plans to take the Late Model back to Mesa Marin for a race Oct. 20.

Meanwhile, Tripp, who is third in points in the Modified 4s standings at Irwindale, also plans to race Sept. 21, the final points race of the season.

--SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300: A couple of area drivers are entered in today's seventh annual SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300 desert race in southern Nevada.

Archie Floyd of Pearblossom and Brian Jeffrey of Acton have separate entries in the Class 1/2-1600 division.

The Bureau of Land Management mandated the 70-mile course be altered to comply with standards set by the Clark County Department of Air Quality Management. Changes were made two weeks ago.

The BLM eliminated the first eight miles of the course and added a 13-mile stretch about three-quarters into the loop.

The race is being split into two groups. The truck classes and unlimited Class 1 vehicles will start today at 2 p.m. and have seven hours to complete the 280-mile, four-lap course.

The rest of the classes will start at 6 a.m. and will have to complete two to four laps, depending on the division. The 6 a.m. starters will have eight hours to complete the course.

The Las Vegas Primm 300 is the fifth race of the six-race SCORE Desert Series.

--NASCAR Busch Series: The bad-luck bug bit again as NASCAR Busch Grand National Division driver Ron Hornaday Jr. limped to a 26th-place finish at Richmond (Va.) International Raceay last Friday night.

Hornaday, driver of the No. 26 Chevy for Carroll Racing, was hit by Kevin Grubb early in the race. Quick repair work by his crew kept Hornaday in the race, but he finally fell victim to a couple of flat tires and finished a lap down to winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The NASCAR Busch Series will take off this weekend. The season will resume Sept. 21 at Dover (Del.) Downs International Speedway, where Hornaday finished sixth in the Carroll Racing Chevy in June.