The Ventura Racing Association sprint car drivers have all learned to never count Kevin Kierce out.

Kierce was back in the spotlight Saturday night, winning the 30-lap, 20-car feature against a strong field.

"Hats off to Josh Ford," said Kierce, a former IMCA sprint car champion at Ventura Raceway.

Ford went high and low, but couldn't pass Kierce, who is No. 2 in points.

Kierce said his crew was changing gears and tires right up to the moment it was time to push the cars onto the fifth-mile dirt oval.

Points leader Greg Taylor spun out and crashed with three laps down. Taylor repaired his car and came back on the track to finish in 14th place, completing 16 laps.

Through 16 races, Taylor has 3,435 points. Kierce is keeping the pressure on with 3,195. Luis Espinoza, the 2006 champion, is third with 2,995 points.

Clark Templeman III had a big night with a third-place finish. Templeman was celebrating with his family and friends. Templeman is the proud father of a 2-month-old baby, he and his wife's second child.

Dwayne Marcum finished fourth and pole-sitter John Nock was fifth.

Ford respects all the competition at Ventura Raceway.

"We gave it all we had," he said. "We tried and wanted to win. You've got to love Ventura Raceway; there's no slouches."

Ford had a night off from the USAC/CRA sprint car series at Perris.

Ford and Cory Kruseman, who was a spectator, will be back at Ventura Raceway Sept. 8 for the CRA show.

Kierce, the opening-night winner, was victorious July 14 in the sprint car feature as promoter Jim Naylor celebrates 30 years of racing at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

John Richards, the 75-year-old senior sprint car driver, had the crowd rooting for him.

He was in and out of the lead in the 20-lap race. Former champion Wiley Miller took the lead back with four laps remaining.

Steve Stasa finished second. Richards was third and early leader Tim Moon placed fourth. Oren Prosser Sr., the veteran stock car champion from Saugus Speedway, was fifth.

Stasa has 1,870 points through nine races. Miller has 1,815 points in second. Miller's brother, Danny, is third with 1,810. Bob Alderman (1,775) and Bruce Douglass (1,770) round out the top five.

Austin Rodarte survived a crash-filled IMCA feature. Rodarte started sixth and held off Damon Redman, who led for most of the race.

Steve Smith finished third, followed by Jack Parker and John Mead.

Parker has 386 points through 11 races and Smith is second in points with 365. Randy McGraw has 356 and Rodarte is fourth with 336. Redman is fifth with 334.

In the sport compact feature, Randal Dougan started third and finished first in the 13-car field. It was the second race this season without a yellow flag. Joel Chavez, the dominant driver this season, had to settle for second. David Peterson was third. Trevor Fitzgibbon was fourth and Brent Underwood fifth.

Chavez has five wins and 2,190 points to lead the way. Peterson is second with 1,820. Dougan, the July 21 race winner, is third with 1,650 points. Underwood is fourth with 1,055 and Mike Fraizer, the Ventura County Fair champion, is fifth with 955.

Racing returns to Ventura Raceway on Saturday with the sprint cars, dwarf cars and IMCA modifieds.

Mini dwarf cars and the junior midgets will round out the racing.

Information: 985-5433 or www.venturaraceway.com.