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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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HOT LAPS WITH NORM BOGAN (12/18/02) |
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SESSION ONE: Well it’s a week until Christmas and racing on the West Coast has gone on hiatus. Last Sunday, Cory Kruseman had his 2nd Annual Racers Swap Meet at the Ventura Fairgrounds. It appeared that there were more participants than last year and many more chassis up for sale. Some complete cars were on the block and several changed hands. A survey of the buyers and sellers found that most felt they got a good deal either way. Many teams have acquired new equipment and offered much of their old pieces to those racers, who can’t afford to buy all new parts. Hopefully, many of the teams will start off the new season with a more quality operation than they had last year. SESSION TWO: The SCRA schedule is being released in piecemeal segments. Their Perris schedule will pretty much mirror last season’s eighteen race agenda, with the opening show a twilight event on February 15. During the year, holiday shows will be run on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. The year ending big money events will again be the Oval Nationals and the season ending Jack Kindoll Classic. Manzanita will also follow an agenda similar to last year’s starting with two nights in conjunction with the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway and the end of the year will have a three-day Western World run during NASCAR weekend at PIR. A couple more events will be on the schedule in the late Spring and early Fall. It appears there will be several shows at Tulare Thunderbowl, Ventura Raceway, Santa Maria Speedway and possibly something at the Bakersfield Speedway. SESSION THREE: The NWWC Tour is nearly finalized with a strictly midwestern flavor. Right now it looks as if the kickoff event will be at Oskaloosa, IA on August 12, moving to Terre Haute, IN on the 14th, Farmer City, IL on the 15th, Granite City, IL on the 16th, a TBA on the 17th, then Godfrey, IL on the 19th and then finishing up with a three-day show at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS. Possibly there will be something added on the way back east or returning home. It is an aggressive schedule, but will entail much less mileage than last year’s marathon to Pennsylvania. Another plus will be the short jaunt between venues. Hopefully, USAC competitors will support the series, since these races are much closer to home for them. With some cooperation, USAC will leave these dates open, so the Non-Wing World Championship can include this contingent of racers. SESSION FOUR: Ventura Raceway got a reprieve for 2003 and will be running a full racing schedule. The VRA Pro series for 360 Non-Wing Sprints and the Senior series for drivers over 45 years old, will be competing regularly at Ventura and also make a few road trips, such as Perris Auto Speedway and possibly some other nearby venues. The first outing is scheduled for February 8 at Perris. SESSION FIVE: Three weeks from now, many of us will be in Tulsa for the Chili Bowl Midget Extravaganza. In the meantime, St Nick will stop by and the National Collegiate Football Championship will be determined. I extend my wishes to all for a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Hopefully, our paths will cross at a racetrack, somewhere “Along the Way”. |
