CUT OFF: The closure of Saugus Speedway...

CUT OFF: The closure of Saugus Speedway has blindsided automobile racers there, many of whom have been left stranded in the middle of the racing season (C10). . . . Local historians said the move signaled the end of the road for a way of life in the high desert community. “It was a Mecca,” said one Santa Clarita historian (B1).

LOTTO BREAD: The Wells Fargo Bank executive from down the street had never dropped in at the Italia Deli & Bakery in Agoura Hills. Until Thursday, that is, when she wanted to make some bread of her own. . . . And what better investors than the deli’s employees and owners, who had just won half of the $56-million Lotto jackpot? (B1)

A-MAZE-ING: If you thought driving the streets is the toughest maze in the Valley, think again. . . . “Masters of the Maze”--a Studio City-based game show--makes youngsters like Richard Pajooh (above) navigate a maze of brain-busting questions, then sends them into a real-life maze with laser guns and an ice cave. See Valley Life!, Page 8.

NO PRESSURE: Some might consider it a natural for the daughter of a Toluca Lake couple, Winnie Holzman and Paul Dooley, to ponder a show-business future. After all, Holzman was nominated Thursday for an Emmy as creator of “My So-Called Life”--the year after Dooley was nominated for an Emmy as guest actor on a comedy series. But 9-year-old Savannah isn’t under any pressure. . . . “She’s more interested in clothes,” laughs mom. Added dad: “I wouldn’t wish this business on my worst enemy.” . . . Emmy coverage on F1.

FUN FOR FIVE: Take a few dollar bills, add a dash of Valley know-how, and say goodby to those summer boredom blues. . . . From a double feature at the Winnetka Drive-In to a free concert by a Mexican Elvis impersonator, the Valley area is chock-full of inexpensive summer surprises--all at $5 or less. See Valley Life!, Page 23.