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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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THUNDER
ON THE HILL by Norm Bogan |
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Leaving
York on Sunday morning, we began our journey to the easternmost venue of the
tour, Grandview Speedway. Four of
our drivers had been here in 1992 and 1993, when CRA had made their East Coat
Swing, with Mike Kirby claiming victory in the 1992 feature. Other veterans of the track were Rip Williams, Mike English
and Charles Davis Jr. Avoiding the dreaded “Turnpike”, we traveled down US 30 through the Amish country around Lancaster, before heading up to the rustbelt region near Reading. Along the way, we encountered a number of the horse-drawn buggies, craft shops and produce stands offering goods with a local flavor. Traveling along PA 100, we found a sign directing us up the hill and suddenly an auto racing plant emerged, thus the origin of the track motto, ”THUNDER ON THE HILL”. Although we were one of the early arrivals, a number of motor homes had already staged for the evening and a few haulers had queued up in the pits. Surveying the track, it appeared to have been dug up about six inches and water was being put on in healthy doses. This could be our kind of track! Joining the SCRA tonight would be the URC 360 Sprints, a club with a long history and tradition. The organization goes back to names like Earl Halaquist, Glen Fitzcharles, Kramer Williamson and Greg Coverdale. Thirty cars were entered in the NWWC program tonight, with the most notable outsider being Billy Pauch, perennial Modified star at Grandview and a performer with the Posse in central Pennsylvania. Pauch was also the victor at the 1993 CRA race. Richard Griffin timed in the fastest at 14.422 and captured the first heat. Cory Kruseman and Damion Gardner claimed the second and third heats. Five cars transferred from each heat to the feature. Seven cars were added from the Semi to complete the twenty-two-car field for the Main Event. During track preparation, they rolled the track with a heavy implement, towed by a water truck. All this weight seemed to squeeze the moisture from the track, which appeared to dry out soon. During the heats, a dip developed going into turn one, which jostled both the wing and non-wing cars. Late in the feature, dust started to kick up in the area around turns three and four, making it difficult for fans in the main grandstand to identify the cars. Billy Pauch displayed his magic at this track, as he chased down early leader J.J. Yeley and overtook him for the victory. Troy Rutherford had his best finish of the tour with a third, followed by Kruseman, Levi Jones, Mike English, Bud Kaeding, Rip Williams, Rickie Gaunt and John Scott. Kudos to promoter Bob Miller, who loves the non-wing shows and makes a real effort to bring the West Coast racers back to the wing country. Often taking a night, which is more risky to draw a crowd, he entices the fans to come see something different and has always treated the visitors well. |
