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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| NOR-CAL
HARVEST CUP AT ORLAND RACEWAY by Norm Bogan |
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Orland is an agricultural community in the northern reaches of the great
California Central Valley. Orland
Raceway, a small 1/5-mile track is located at the Glenn County Fairgrounds.
It has a pretty racy surface and while it is a tight track, the absence
of walls in the corners and along the backstretch make it seem roomier.
This track normally schedules races for some down home classes of cars,
like pure stocks, mini stocks, mini trucks, mini Modifieds and wingless spec
sprints. The competitors come from
nearby towns and most are racing on limited budgets.
After my traveling buddy and I checked into our motel in nearby Willows, we
went in search of a Dairy Queen. Looking
down one of the side streets, four sprint cars were observed leading to an
investigation. Stopping by, it was
established that this was the points leading Jocobo racing team.
After a friendly exchange with these local racers, we had a preview of
what was on tap for tonight’s race.
This type of racing is just for fun. Most
of the classes can be run on an econo-budget and since these cars don’t use
all the lightweight materials, breakage is less.
One sprint car team reported that they ran all year for less than $5000
in equipment and expenses. The
sprints utilize a standard chassis, but with the weight requirement of 1700
pounds, they can use steel suspension parts and wheels, rather than the more
fragile lightweight parts. The
engines are steel block and steel head with a maximum cubic inch of 360.
These cars are equipped with starters and clutches, which add weight, but
reduce the number of push trucks needed. 500
cfm two-barrel carburetors are found in place of the injectors and they are set
for either gasoline or alcohol as fuel. For this First Annual Harvest Cup, twenty-seven cars were on hand, having
journeyed up from tracks like Antioch and Sacramento to challenge the locals. The cars clocked in and were allotted points, which
determined their heat race positions. Points
garnered in heat races set the Feature field with a Dash for the top eight point
getters establishing a starting grid. Darrell Hanestad, Jim Perry Jr. and Danny Olmstead were the heat race
winners, with Hanestad capturing the pole for the feature, by winning the Dash.
Hanestad also won the feature, followed by Olmstead, who moved from
twelfth starting position to the runner-up spot. There were some very exciting dices throughout the event, creating some
strong challenges before Hanestad was able to open up a substantial lead. Jim Perry Jr. made a stout run at Hanestad early, only to
have his front end break and sideline him.
It is interesting that these lower powered cars are able to make their
races just as exciting as the more refined 360 and 410 powered cars. The companion feature with the sprints was a joint Mini Stock/Mini Truck
race. The winner traveled all the way from the central coast town
of Paso Robles to claim the winner’s cup. Following the show, the track staff and promoters gathered at the beer garden
to bathe in the afterglow of the event. I
was able to talk at length with promoter Paul Turner and his wife Carol. Paul raced for many years at Ascot, before moving to Orland
in 1979. I had a truly enjoyable
evening with a lot of reminiscing and find that going back to these local
racetracks, puts racing in perspective for me.
If you burn out on NASCAR, IRL or CART, take time to visit one of these
grass roots tracks, where the drivers bring their racers on open trailers and
are so cordial and appreciative of the fans and media. Rather than hiding away in their secured motor home, they
might invite you to share in the after race barbeque. In the fast-paced lifestyle of today, attending a track like Orland is a
reality check for the race fans. What
you see is what you get!!
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