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always been a big part of Elder’s life, so he’s already scouting his next extravagant boat, which he said would be the best one yet.
Gary Guinn holds his first place Hoosier Lawn Mower Points Series trophy in front of his converted Montgomery Ward 1956 riding lawnmower.
78
Bakersfield Life
July 2012
Photo by Mark Nessia
Stock car racing Lee Jensen, welder fabricator for Pavletich Electric, has enjoyed racing as a hobby most of his life. He used to race motorcycles with his dad but transitioned to racing a stock car as he aged. The 41-year-old usually races a couple of times a month at either Bakersfield Speedway or Santa Maria Speedway. If he wants to hit the track more, Jensen also travels out of town with his crew to locations that includes his racing division on their schedule. Jensen said he’s fortunate that he doesn’t actually own the car, which has 550 to 575 horsepower and is worth more than $15,000. That’s because racing is such an expensive hobby that requires a lot of time and money to keep the car up and running. “I’m proud that our team wins races without having a top-of-the-line budget. There are newer cars and bigger engines that we race against, yet I feel we have just as good of a shot to win as anyone out there with us,” said Jensen, who currently drives No. 72 for Larry Blake in Barstow. Fortunately for Jensen, his family enjoys going out to the races to show support, and his kids have even raced