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LAPS WITH NORM BOGAN #14 (7/20/03) by Norm Bogan |
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Temperatures in southern California have hovered near the century mark for about
two weeks. On Friday, there was
some relief in the temperature, but the humidity jumped way up.
For those of us unable to travel to Indiana Sprint Week, we experienced
the mid-American weather conditions right here at home.
Ventura Raceway is located right on the Pacific Ocean and it is like
going to a beach resort. Pleasant
temperatures and cool breezes are the norm, making this a respite from the
blistering temperatures. An
afternoon stroll through the pits found temperatures in the eighties with
humidity somewhere above that. It
felt like we had our own Putnamville on this Saturday night.
I have sung the praises of Ventura Raceway and the VRA Pros and Seniors Sprint classes in the past. This was just a Saturday night show, not a special “Sprint Week”, where the field would accumulate sixty-plus cars for prestigious events. Tonight at Seaside Park, there were 32 Pro entries and 24 Seniors for the evening’s entertainment. On the menu for the night were seven heat races, two Semis and two features, plus the appearance of the NMRA TQ Midgets with about eighteen entries, which offered two more heats and a feature. Life was good in Raceland. As the evening progressed the cool ocean breezes took over and most of the fans had donned light jackets as the night wore on. The track prep crew made several outings to maintain the racing surface in good condition for the evening’s events. The racing action was intense throughout the evening on this tight little track and the crowd was excited with some of the daring moves made by the competitors. Will Perkins, Kevin Kierce, Mike Kirby and Tom Stansberry captured the Pro heats, while the Senior heats went to Ron Bach, Jim Porter and Richard Terry. Luis Espinoza and Ron Butler claimed the Semis. The Senior Main found Jim Porter running out front, when suddenly the car biked and he tried to knock the wall down, which let Ron Bach slip into the lead and go on to victory. Mike Kirby bolted from a front row starting position into the lead of the Pro Main. Running right on the cushion, Mike appeared to be pulling away from his pursuers. When a yellow flag period let the tire bleeders adjust the air pressure and as Kirby gassed it on the restart and made it around three corners again assuming the high line. Coming out of turn three drifting high against the cushion, the bleeder had stuck open and as Kirby banged the dirt ledge, the mushy right rear grabbed hold, lifting the other three wheels in the air and launching the vehicle into the wall. At the restart, Tom Stansberry and Will Perkins were dicing for the lead and back in the pack Chris Wakim was making a charge to the front. As Wakim challenged in the third and fourth place, he got tagged and turned around, but was able to come back to tenth. Stansberry prevailed over Perkins, winning for the second week in a row. Luis Espinoza made it to third, followed by Kevin Kierce and Jimmy Crawford. What a great day! A visit to Ventura is an experience. It is one of the most beautiful locations with the racing surface approximately two hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean, which is lined with surfers and sailboats early in the day. As the day turns to evening, the action moves across the sand to the clay surface of the speedway. The participants bring first class equipment to race and the fans have established loyalties to their selected heroes. The facility is always kept in pristine condition and the racing facility is one of the best to operate on a weekly basis. I have been fortunate to visit many racetracks throughout the United States and if for some reason, I could no longer travel to many venues, Ventura would provide a very welcome weekly outing. |
