SPORTS WEEKEND : ORANGE COUNTY MOTOR RACING : Lazzaro Clinches Season Championship

Anthony Lazzaro’s season-ending Toyota Atlantic Series race this weekend in Houston will be icing on the cake for the Rancho Santa Margarita- based Arciero- Wells Racing team.

Lazzaro clinched the series championship at the last race, in Laguna Seca, providing team owner Cal Wells III with his first open-wheel championship.

Wells, still seeking his first podium finish--first, second or third--in champ cars with the developmental Toyota engine, is understandably pleased that his company, Precision Preparation Inc., which prepares the cars, has done so well so quickly.

“Pavement racing is a new discipline for PPI, and it means a lot that, within three years, we can be not only a contender but victorious, and we’re fifth with [Andrew Bordin’s car], and we hope we can grab the No. 4 spot [in the season series],” Wells said.

“It proves our management and organizational staff can assemble the right people and launch new programs. That’s been the big question as we launch the Winston Cup and Busch [Grand National] programs next year. While tasks are more daunting there than the Atlantic series, it still shows we’re experienced in starting from nothing and getting programs that are running, and running well.”

NASCAR

Anaheim driver Butch Gilliland and his son, David Gilliland, will drive for the same team Saturday at the Gold Coast 150, a NASCAR Winston West event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Butch is a regular in the series and is currently eighth in the standings. David will drive the team’s Winston West entry next season while Butch expects to drive the Winston Cup entry.

INDY RACING LEAGUE

On Sunday, Dana Point team owner Dick Simon hopes his driver, Stephan Gregoire, can provide Dick Simon Racing with its second victory in two years in Las Vegas.

His car’s narrow track suspension seems to have an aerodynamic advantage on superspeedways like Las Vegas and Texas, site of the IRL’s last two races.

He’s also hoping for some luck. Gregoire, 14th in the standings, has been knocked from races while leading and running second.

* Simon, who celebrated his 66th birthday Tuesday, considers this his home race. Because Las Vegas is the closest IRL venue to Orange County, it will also be a “home” race for San Juan Capistrano’s Jeff Ward, who is seventh, eight points out of fourth place.

OFF-ROAD

Bob Land of Lake Forest won the 4x4 class and finished 17th overall at the Australian Off Road Safari, a 3,000-mile, eight-day rally race through the Australian outback earlier this month.