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| KINGS
SPEEDWAY- 2003 DIRT NATIONALS by Norm Bogan |
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As the racing season winds down, a number of all-star open competition races are
held. On October 24th & 25th,
Kings Speedway at Hanford, California hosted the annual Dirt Nationals event.
Four classes were showcased including, Hot Stocks, IMCA Modifieds,
Western Dirt Late Models and 360 powered, non-winged Bandit sprint cars.
With a field of nearly one hundred fifty racecars, the promoter opted to drop
individual qualifying for a pill draw to set the grids for Friday’s
preliminary heats. Each class ran
heat races accommodating eight cars, with the top two finishers eligible to run
in a later “Dash for Cash”, paying $500 to win and $50 to all other
positions. The top three heat
finishers would go into the Saturday “A” Main, with all others running in
the “B”, “C”, or “D” according to their finish.
Those cars transferring from the heats to the “A” Main then drew a
pill to determine their starting position.
Cars later transferring would join the field in the order of finish. The Hanford track is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds and offers a
three-eighths mile banked track with no walls in the corners or along the back
straightaway. Since this was a
first outing for several of the racers at this venue, some would go into turn
one and glide up and over the crest of the banking, slipping and sliding beyond
in their quest to get back on the track. Friday’s
track preparation was excellent as the track stayed tacky throughout the
evening, in spite of the multitude of races.
Saturday, the track was drier with dust appearing during the Hot Lap
sessions and during the many features, rubber was laid down, allowing several
racing grooves. The quality of competitors was good with a number of longtime West Coast
veteran stock car and modified racers. There
were various associations from throughout California, with large contingents
coming from the Central Valley, Watsonville, Bakersfield and Petaluma.
The Sprint cars came from the various 360 clubs, both non-wing and
winged, representing the Bandit Series, Civil War Series, VRA and some from the
410 set like Golden State, SCRA and USAC. When running several classes, it is imperative to keep the show moving,
because of curfew restraints. Kings
Speedway officials did an outstanding job of having competitors staged for each
event. As a race ended, the track
was cleared and the next field of cars would enter the racing surface. Two nights of competition presented some very clean racing.
I noticed that the usual routine pushing and shoving just didn’t occur
and while there were some spins, a few which collected other cars, there was not
any serious crashes or damage to cars. Credit
should go to the drivers, who came to race and refrained from altercations with
their fellow racers. With this being an all-star event, the purse was increased to attract the top
racers in each class. Hot Stocks
raced for $1500 to win, IMCA Modifieds paid $2000 to win and the Western Late
Models and Bandit Sprints each paid $2500 to win.
Each class ran a thirty-lap feature with starting money being about ten
percent of the winner’s purse. Rich
Denman claimed the spoils for the Hot Stocks, with Kenny Nott Jr. capturing the
IMCA Modified bounty. Bobby Hogue
IV took home the Western Late Models cash, with Bud Kaeding collecting the
Bandit Sprint rewards. The weather was very cooperative after an extended period of high
temperatures. During the day, the
thermometer hovered around eighty-five degrees, dropping into the sixties in the
evening. It was an enjoyable event to witness with fans from throughout the state
coming to see this two-day show. The
racers had a chance to compete against their counterparts from the different
race venues, renewing rivalries and relishing the opportunity to race with the
best in their class from around the state.
Kudos goes to Promoter Dave Swindell and his staff for their efforts to
make this a significant experience for both the fans and the racers.
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