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| KINDOLL
CLASSIC WRAPS UP SCRA 2003 SEASON by Norm Bogan |
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Starting back in February, competitors arrived at
Perris with clean and shiny cars and visions of triumphs throughout the season.
From that first event, some came to realize their dream and others
struggled to get back on track. By
midseason, the car counts had fallen off a little, as teams began to test budget
restraints, making it necessary to cut back on racing activities.
If a racer suffered a major setback, it could take several weeks and a
few missed races before they were able to return to the wars. When the troops departed for the nearly three-week
bivouac known as the NWWC Tour, there were fewer travelers than in previous
years. The downturn in the economy forced a number of teams to pass
on the tour in order to maintain their businesses and employment.
One of the upbeat items was the number of rookie
candidates for the year. Initially,
there were six racers declaring their intention to vie for the Rookie Award.
Josh Ford, Alan Ballard and 2002 VRA Champ, Jimmy Crawford all moved over
from the VRA ranks to cast their lot with the SCRA.
Former National Dwarf Car champion, Seth Wilson threw his helmet into the
ring along with Bryan Stanfill, a former USAC Western States Midget Rookie.
Nick Lima put the down the wrenches he was turning for his Dad Tony and
the two reversed roles. About
midseason, Greg Bragg settled into the Pratt Sprinter.
During the year, Ford, Ballard and Wilson attended
all the races, making features and accumulating points.
Nick Lima dropped off the competition after enrolling in school to become
a firefighter and missed many races, while undergoing Paramedic training and
other courses toward his ultimate goal. Around
July, Stanfill pulled the trigger on his relocation to Indiana, in order to fast
forward his career. Securing a ride
in Indiana, Stanfill made some credible appearances in both Indiana Sprint Week
and also a number of the NWWC Tour shows. Jimmy
Crawford struggled through the NWWC Tour and then took time off to regroup and
attend to his business. The late
arriving Bragg has been impressive, exhibiting smooth driving skills and drawing
from his years of experience to advance into the features on a regular basis.
The three rookies that rose to the top were Ford, Ballard and Wilson.
They survived the trials and tribulations of the NWWC Tour and fought
through the rookie mistakes to establish themselves as ones to be reckoned with
in the future. In the final tally,
Josh Ford was named both NWWC and SCRA Rookie of the Year for 2003, finishing
tenth in SCRA points. He was
followed by Ballard, who at sixteen has shown a lot of maturity, while dicing
with the seasoned veterans, garnering fourteenth place in points.
Wilson is another who persevered during the year, collecting sixteenth in
the points chase. The championship challenge found a year long
battle with early leader, Troy Rutherford and the reigning champ, Richard
Griffin running neck and neck much of the season.
Damion Gardner parlayed the season’s most wins into a close third place
spot throughout the year. Rip
Williams completed his twenty-sixth year in sprinters with a tough season.
Although he recorded two feature wins, Rip suffered through numerous
mechanical failures, which blunted several outstanding performances.
Mike Spencer made serious inroads this year and was one of the bright
spots for SCRA. In addition to his
mount in the Engstrom #44, Mike also spent some seat time in the Hannig
Construction USAC Sprinter, running in a number of the Indiana Sprint Week
shows. Mike will soon graduate from
college and be able to pursue his racing career with a stronger schedule.
Spencer appears to be headed toward good things in the racing world. During 2003, there were eighteen different winners; five of them first time winners. Damion Gardner led with seven victories, followed by Richard Griffin and Cory Kruseman who tied at five each. Rip Williams gathered in three, while Troy Rutherford, Mike Kirby, Bud Kaeding and Tony Jones all tallied two. Jeremy Sherman, Josh Wise, Jesse Hockett, Boston Reid, J.J. Yeley, Tracy Hines, Steve Ostling, Charles Davis Jr., Tony Elliott and Lance Gremett scored single wins. After the long and tedious year, it all came down to the season ending Kindoll Classic. Fifty laps of hard driving to capture the season finale were all that was left. Forty-three cars would vie for the opportunity to participate in the last event. Adding to the obstacles to overcome was a cold, windy day, which took its toll on the track surface. Rip Williams and Damion Gardner tied for quick
time. Heat winners were Charles Davis Jr., Damion Gardner, Greg
Bragg and Tony Elliott. Cory
Kruseman earned the pole with his Dash win, while John Scott prevailed in the
“B” Main. As the “A” Main queued up, the track had gone
dry slick from the onslaught of the continuing winds.
Kruseman jumped to an early lead and looked strong, but was soon chased
down by Griffin, capturing his turn in front.
John Scott had been toying with those two and assumed his place at the
point, before Griffin once again headed the field.
The track was getting a lot of rubber laid down and many of the racers
were trying the low groove. Kruseman
once again established superiority, when suddenly Lance Gremett, racing way up
on top motored around all of the leaders and into the lead on lap 41, grabbing
the checkers for his first SCRA feature win.
Numerous cars mounted new tires and in the shuffle, all worked well for
the Gremett team as they got to the front at just the right time.
Lance and his team have suffered through a couple
of dismal seasons after being named National Non-Wing Rookie of the year in
2000. Tonight, it all gelled for
Gremett and his supporters as they caught the brass ring.
They will now be able to savor success through the off season, which may
give them the confidence to come on strong at the beginning of next season. Levi Jones charged to a runner up finish and
Damion come home third, allowing him to move into second in the SCRA standings,
fifteen points ahead of Troy Rutherford. Earlier
in the evening, Richard Griffin clinched his fifth driving championship in six
years, while his owner Ron Chaffin has claimed his eighth title in nine years.
All the racers now welcome the respite after a
nine-month season and a lot of miles down the road.
In February, they will again arrive with budding optimism for the 2004
season. |
