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| VRA
SPRINTS HIGHLIGHT THE EIGHTH ANNUAL OPENER AT PERRIS by Norm Bogan |
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Eight years ago, a miracle happened in Southern California when a new racetrack
was opened ending the six-year drought since Ascot closed.
Perris Auto Speedway filled a void for many fans, which had no open-wheel
racing in this area of nearly 25 million people.
Each of the previous years, the SCRA Sprint Cars had premiered at the
opening event, but this year, a class which has enjoyed growing popularity, the
VRA Sprints were brought in to star with several stock car classes that
regularly compete at Perris. SCRA
planned to open with a solo show the next weekend followed by the World of
Outlaws a week later. Open-wheel
fans sure can’t complain about a lack of quality and variety now.
The VRA Sprints are non-winged, 360 c.i. Sprinters that normally compete at Ventura Raceway. Their beginning in 1995 was as IMCA sprint cars. Many were old castoffs from Ascot days, dredged up from back yards and garages. They ran with rules that helped to keep costs in tow and offered an alternative for racers that couldn’t afford the expense and travel to compete on the SCRA circuit. A number of TQ and Midget racers found that they could run one of these sprinters for about the same money as their previous racecars, but only had to travel to one venue and could race for a purse equal or better than what they had been used to. The next genesis that occurred was that a number of the racers, who had been running in the various stock car classes, decided to try their hands at open wheel racing and the fields grew from the original six or seven cars to nights with twenty or thirty. Soon, it was decided by the Ventura management to bring the sprint car program under the VRA banner, overseer of their stock cars and Modifieds. This saved the sanctioning fee paid, adding it to the purse. As the fields continue to grow, the club split into two classes with the Pros and Seniors, created for drivers 45 and older. Now the car counts were up to near fifty cars, with some doing double duty, racing in both classes. Last summer, when SCRA was away from Perris for several weeks, the VRA cars filled a couple of dates with both being declared successes. Perris has added six events for the VRA cars in 2003, plus a two-day 360 Nationals show in August. Other Perris classes with stock cars, dwarf cars, lightning sprints, cruisers, hornets and champ trucks have enjoyed increased participation in the past year or so and the crowds have grown in supporting them. The PAS is better able to program their events now to bring in a cross-section of fans each week. This opening show presented in addition to the VRA Sprints, a full field of Super Stocks, Champ Trucks, Street Stocks, the very popular Cruisers and the newest class of Hornets. The Hornets, which are four-cylinder, front wheel drive cars, will compete on the clay at Perris and on the macadam at Orange Show Speedway for a series championship. The Cruisers have a team driver concept, with the left side driver doing the steering and brakes, while the right side driver has the throttle control. This makes for some interesting occurrences and a bit of erratic driving. The VRA Sprints presented a field of forty-four cars for the opening night with more cars being readied for the home opener at Ventura still a month away. A dedicated group of fans braved the elements on a breezy, cool night to witness great racing action. These drivers, who are less well known to regular PAS fans, put on quite a show with all the excitement, found at the SCRA shows. There were slide jobs galore and numerous lead changes, dicing for positions, on track altercations and a couple of encounters with the walls. At the end of the evening, we previewed a driver, who will be a SCRA regular this year with the Harlan Willis team. Josh Ford, raced and won in spectacular fashion, followed by Mike Knopf, Will Perkins, Ron DiDonato and Greg Taylor. The accompanying stock car classes also presented exciting racing for the fans. Mike Hixson completed a double claiming victories in both the Super Stock and Champ Truck features. George Boulden took home the spoils in the Street Stocks, while Rhonda Everhart won the Hornet Main and the #99 Team came home victorious in the Cruiser feature. While the crowd was somewhat limited, it was still racing and those in the
Midwest and East would loved to have been there this evening.
It appears that Perris is building quality-racing programs that will
increase their fan base and continue to support auto-racing fans for many years
to come.
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