|
Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
|
1ST ANNUAL NON-WING SPEC SPRINT NATIONALS by Norm Bogan |
|
|
|
Over the past several years one class of sprint
car racing has grown, especially in the northern half of California.
Referred to by many monikers, these racecars look just like
their 410 or 360 counterparts and if you didn’t have a stopwatch,
you couldn’t tell them apart.
This economy class for sprint car racers run a 360 engine
employing a steel block and steel heads, fitted with a two-barrel
carburetor and a weight requirement of 1700 pounds including driver.
They are equipped with an on-board starter, which helps to
keep the program moving quicker than sprinters requiring push trucks
to restart the field. While
these Spec Sprint cars turn laps a little slower than their more
powerful brothers, the competition between them can be quite
intense. Currently, there are about a half-dozen
associations fielding these cars competing on both dirt and
pavement. This class
has grown over the past few years, with a few shows held jointly by
several associations. Chico’s
Silver Dollar Raceway, a bastion of the winged variety followed this
growing group of racers and decided to present a two-day show
offering a purse rivaling some of the monies paid to the more
advanced classes. Thus,
the 1st Annual Wingless Spec Sprint Nationals was
created. Recalling the old adage, “If you build it, they will
come” fifty-nine cars signed in on Friday, while forty-nine
survived to race again on Saturday. During qualifying, several cars were DQ’d for
being too loud or too light at the scales after time trials.
A number were able to adjust their racecars and come back at
the end of qualifying to make the show.
Chuck Gurney Jr. secured the quick time for Friday with a lap
at 14.839. In an
afternoon interview Gurney revealed that he would be moving to
Indianapolis after the upcoming Trophy Cup to join the employ of
Chassis Maven, Bob East. “Little
Rim” will also be actively pursuing full time USAC National rides. Earlier in the day, Darrell Hanestad informed me that he has come full circle with trailers. Beginning with an open trailer, Hanestad progressed up through the various lengths of enclosed trailers. Purchasing a new pickup this year, Darrell then invested in a twenty-two foot open trailer, which would fit into available driveway space. He then equipped this simple hauler with toolboxes and tire racks featuring a front aerodynamic enclosure to reduce towing turbulence. At this point, Darrell just wants to have fun and has become very successful in this class. In seventeen races this year, twelve wins and three seconds were accumulated along with two DNFs. Hanestad is in the process of restoring his father’s, Hank Hanestad Ranger Sprinter, in which both Jan Opperman and Darrell collected their first sprint wins. After a program of four heat races, a “D”,
“C” and “B” Main Events, twenty-two cars staged for the
$1000 to win, twenty lap “A” Main.
Steven Williams took the early lead and yielded to David
Goodwill on lap three, who held off Darrell Hanestad until lap
twelve when Jim Perry Jr. completed a trio vying for the point.
Perry assumed the lead on Lap 15 and was able to dominate to
the checkers. Following
were Hanestad, Goodwill, Gurney, Williams, Russum, Korey Lovell and
Bob Newberry who advanced from 17th starting position. Saturday found a little more relaxed group with
the first night of competition under their belts and a better idea
of what they needed to take home the $2500 check for the winner of
tonight’s forty-lap “A” Main.
This would be a complete show again, no carry over from the
previous night. I chatted with local speed shop operator, Jacob
Spath, who wrenches a sprinter for his brother Tyler, currently
attending an Automotive Engineering program at Oregon State
University. Jacob related experiences of the brothers beginning with
their first outing into the 410 non-wing wars, traveling in the
Midwest on the Sprint Bandits Topless Tour.
Eighteen-year-old Tyler is working toward a planned career as
an engineer on the Formula One circuit and thinks that driving will
only enhance his understanding the responses of a racecar. Saturday quick time went to Darrell Hanestad,
setting a new track record clocking of 14.012.
Just two ticks off at 14.014 was David Goodwill, the racing
dentist from Napa. The Saturday “A” Main found Hanestad
advancing from sixth to first on the first lap and looked quite
dominant for over half the race.
Herman Klein dogged Darrell for several laps and assumed the
lead on lap 25. Meantime,
Matt Streetor, former BCRA Midget Champ and a longtime pavement
racer showed his adjustment to dirt racing, moving into third and
challenged both front-runners, hoping for a bobble that would allow
him to take the lead. At
the checkers, Klein crossed the line first with Hanestad nipping at
his heels and Streetor in close pursuit.
Doug Brewer cruised to fourth and Steven Williams claimed
fifth coming from 22nd starting position after being penalized for
reporting to staging late. Consensus was that this first year event was a success and the racers seemed to like the format and the purse. While Friday’s crowd was a little sparse, Saturday found the stands occupied with a larger group of fans. Look for this event to become an annual outing for the Non-Wing Spec Sprinters. |
