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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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TELEVISION BRINGS OUT THE STARS AT PERRIS by Norm Bogan |
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The opening night show for Perris Auto Speedway
was rained out on February 25th, so the season got
underway a week later. Rain
threats made this show iffy too, but alas, the Television Gods
reigned over the rain. The Outdoor Channel is filming a number of USAC
races during the season and this was the first night broadcast and
only appearance of the CRA sprinters this year.
With a chance of television exposure, entries came from far
and wide. In addition
to the usual strong field of USAC/CRA racers, some of the national
group traveled west to challenge the locals for bragging rights and
a T.V. interview. On hand, were Levi Jones and Dave Darland aboard a pair of
local racer Dwight Cheney’s cars, while Josh Wise and Johnny
Rodriguez saddled up two of Mark Priestley’s steeds and Mat Neely
hooked up with northern California winged racer, Garrett Ishii. Altogether, the field numbered fifty-seven
entries, a field that most promoters would covet and this was just a
regular Saturday night program.
Qualifying established the fastest thirty-two, with the
balance of the field vying in one of two consolation races for the
last two spots in each heat race. The racing throughout the night was hotly
contested as racers jockeyed for a transfer directly from the heat
to the feature. Those
who suffered with racing gremlins still had one last chance at the
Big Show, with a transfer from the Semi. During the Semi, Randy Waitman was in
contention for a transfer, when he biked into turn one and flipped
hard. It took a while
to remove Randy, who was conscious and talking with paramedics from
the car, then after complaining of a sore wrist, he was transported
to the hospital for a check-up. Veteran racer, Rip Williams struggled with
engine problems in qualifying and had to work his way through a
consolation event, then a heat race.
He showed his guile with a gutty drive in the Semi, but
missed the transfer by one position and considered using a
provisional, when Seth Wilson found it necessary to scratch from the
feature due to mechanical problems, putting Ripper into the race. Bobby Cody and Mat Neely led the field to the green for the thirty-lap feature, with Mat assuming the point and holding it for the first six laps. By this time Cory Kruseman began to nibble at Neely’s tail tank, then drove by on lap seven. The Demon in the “little red sucker” was close by and soon passed Mat in pursuit of the other red car of Kruseman. Now, remember this show was on television so
only one car, David Cardey, dropped out, while the balance of the
field took the checkers, a few were a lap down, but still racing. Oh, I suppose you would be interested in some
race results. Well, no
one was up to knocking Kruseman out of the lead, so he stood atop
the podium with Damion in second and Mat Neely in third.
Rounding out the top ten were Josh Ford, Mike Spencer, Rickie
Gaunt, Tony Jones, Josh Wise, Bobby Cody and Charles Davis Jr. Since this was a television opportunity for the
racers, many were interviewed during the evening for the April 1st
airing of this race. Infield
announcer Brienne Pedigo also got a thrill as Cory Kruseman took her
for a ride in his two-seater sprinter before the event, letting her
get a first hand feel of what it was like to lap this oval at speed. It was a beautiful day as the racers were able
to look northeast at the snow-capped San Bernardino Mountains, but
as evening fell, a mild breeze carried the chill from that snow to
the spectators in the stands. You
were either a hearty soul or a fool, who forgot his jacket.
Under many outer garments lurked a good pair of thermal
underwear. Gloves were
also fashionable. For
those that made the sacrifice for warmth, they were greatly rewarded
with an outstanding evening of sprint car racing. |
