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See You At The Races!!! |
| GARRETT HANSEN SHINES IN
VENTURA LABOR DAY SPECIAL by Gary Jacob |
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Wingless 360 Sprint Cars |
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Ventura, CA..Sept 2-3....20 year old former midget star Garrett Hansen
from Manhatten Beach made a successful return to VRA unwinged 360 sprint car
action by driving to a $2000 win in Saturday night's finale to the four track
Bandit/VRA Grand Slam Series at Ventura Raceway after finishing a $750 second
behind Jimmy Crawford in Friday night's 30 lap Agromin Challenge feature. The
series had visited Hanford, Bakersfield and Santa Maria before concluding with
the two night show in Ventura. On the basis of two wins and a second, Peter
Murphy from Australia had wrapped up the series championship, but he still put
forth a spectacular Ventura effort, finishing third after coming through the B
Main with his Tarlton family entry. Hansen was a late season addition to the VRA
ranks in 2004 and scored his first sprint car feature win here in Oct 2004. He
has not raced with the group in 2005. The Friday night feature was for the top
five VRA drivers, the top five Bandits and the 12 fastest not in that group.
Crawford won from the outside front row and Hansen came from fifth to finish
second. Crawford's win paid $1000. Josh Ford was a $500 third after starting
tenth and Chris Wakim ran fourth ahead of 21st starter Blake Miller, the VRA
point leader. In Saturday night's series finale, Hansen won from the pole and
Miller came from fifth to finish second. Murphy got his time back with his B
Main win and only had to come from 7th to finish third. Crawford capped a big
weekend with a fourth and young Derek Buckley ran fifth. Friday night's show included time trials to set the heat race lineups on Saturday night. Greg Taylor posted quick time over a 41 car field with his 12.433 lap. B Miller ran 12.532 and Crawford a 12.581. Dennis Rodriguez continued his impressive series efforts with a 12.679. Murphy was fifth at 12.686. The top ten was rounded out by Oren Prosser Jr, Hansen, Buckley, Bill Camarillo and Ford. Senior star Bruce Douglas ranked 11th ahead of Rob Kershaw and Clark Templeman III. The lineup for the special 30 lap feature was a four car inversion, but B Miller dropped to the back row. Rodriguez and Crawford shared the front row ahead of Murphy and Taylor with Hansen and Prosser Jr in row 3. The top 14 cars finished on the lead lap as Crawford won from his front row start. Hansen battled from fifth to gain second and Ford came from row 5 to finish third. Wakim started 15th and finished fourth and B Miller put on a show coming from the 11th row to finish fifth. The top ten was rounded out by Templeman, Murphy, Kevin Kierce, Wes Richardson and last starter Rusty Carlile. Prosser Jr was out before a lap was scored and Bandit point leader Greg Porte only lasted one lap. Fast timer Taylor was done on lap 2. Saturday's action started with four 10 lap heat races. The fastest six cars in each heat were inverted and only the top four finishers in each advanced to the A Main. The remaining cars raced in two B Mains with three transfers up from each. Ford did not return for the Saturday action. Kings Speedway series winner Kierce won heat 1 from 2nd starting. Pole starter Joe Henderson was racing in second when he got tangled up with fifth starter Murphy in the final corner. Senior racer Ron Bach finished second and Taylor salvaged third ahead of Bill Camarillo. Mark Chuhaloff, Carlile and J T Oswald crashed at the start of heat 2. Steve Conrad came all the way from 7th to win ahead of sixth starter B Miller, race car builder Richard Harvey Jr and Prosser Jr. Porte was on his game in heat 3 as he won from the pole. Kershaw came from fourth to gain second and both Hansen and Crawford advanced from the third row to transfer in third and fourth. Northern California youngster Michael Trimble won heat 4 from the pole with fast improving Buckley second from fifth starting. Rodriguez came from sixth to third to transfer and Bandit racer Joey Layman came all the way from tenth to get the last transfer. Top runners Wakim and Luis Espinoza both broke engines in the heat action and their nights were over. Murphy won the first 10 lap B Main from the pole. Outside front row starter Clark Templeman III crashed and his series was over. Darren Simas battled from 7th to finish 2nd and Ronnie Case ran third. Fourth place Wes Richardson was added to the 30 lapper when Bach was unable to make the call. Douglas won the second 10 lap B Main from the pole. Carlile came from 7th to finish second and Todd Hunsaker got the final transfer after starting fifth. The race was checkered one lap early when John Iturriria and Bob Hedlund tangled with Hedlund emerging unhurt from a wild series of flips. The inversion for the rich 30 lapper was a six putting Hansen and Prosser Jr on the front row ahead of Rodriguez, Crawford, B Miller and Taylor. Murphy got his time back and sat in row 4 along with Buckley as Camarillo and Douglas shared row 5. Hansen raced into a quick lead and Miller battled his way into second ahead of Crawford. Murphy was able to get around Crawford for third. Richardson stalled for a lap 8 yellow flag. Ronnie Case spun on the restart and his race was over. Camarillo and Taylor are dueling for fifth. Trimble crashed for a yellow flag on lap 17. Hansen wanted to give the high side a try, but was afraid of losing the lead to Miller in the process. Layman spun for a lap 20 caution. Buckley leaped to the high line and passed both Taylor and Camarillo to gain fifth. Taylor fell out with three laps to run. Winner Hansen was in just his fourth sprint car race and was driving for John Wells. Miller finished second ahead of Murphy, Crawford, Buckley and Camarillo. Conrad was 7th after coming from 17th with Prosser Jr, Kierce and Harvey Jr making up the top ten. The top 16 cars all finished on the lead lap with Simas and Porte rounding out the top dozen. The final standings for the Grand Slam Series found Murphy the champion ahead of Miller, Kierce, Porte, Conrad, Templeman III, Simas, Carlile, Harvey Jr and Wakim. Summary Friday Fast Time-Greg Taylor 12.433 Feature-Jimmy Crawford, Garrett Hansen, Josh Ford, Chris Wakim, Blake Miller, Clark Templeman III, Peter Murphy, Kevin Kierce, Wes Richardson, Rusty Carlile, Rob Kershaw, Dennis Rodriguez, Ron Bach, Luis Espinoza, John Iturriria, Bill Camarillo, Bruce Douglas, Derek Buckley, Bobby Elliott, Taylor, Greg Porte, Oren Prosser Jr. Saturday Heat 1-Kierce, Bach, Taylor, Camarillo, Todd Hunsaker. Heat 2-Steve Conrad, B Miller, Richard Harvey Jr, Prosser Jr, Douglas. Heat 3-Porte, Kershaw, Hansen, Crawford, Ronnie Case. Heat 4-Michael Trimble, Buckley, Rodriguez, Joey Layman, Espinoza. 1st B Main-Murphy, Darren Simas, Case, Richardson, Joe Henderson, John Nock, Bobby Elliott, Kristine Lindahl, Kautz, J T Oswald. 2nd B Main-Douglas, Carlile, Hunsaker, Tom Schneider, Iturriria, Steve Gresham, Charles Turner, Bob Hedlund, Ray Knight. A Main-Hansen, B Miller, Murphy, Crawford, Buckley, Camarillo, Conrad, Prosser Jr, Kierce, Harvey, Simas, Porte, Hunsaker, Rodriguez, Carlile, Douglas, Layman, Taylor, Trimble, Kershaw, Case, Richardson. |
