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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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View From The PAS! by Scott Daloisio |
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| September 29, 2002 |
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Vista Paint will next present the NAPA Auto Parts/Auto Trader Magazines
SCRA Sprint Cars and the USAC Western States Midgets at Perris Auto
Speedway this Saturday, October 5th…
A big Thank You to everyone who helped make Shawn McDonald’s birthday party in the Budweiser Sports Bar at The PAS a smashing success. By the end of the bash, Shawn was happily sporting lip stick on his cheeks from a couple of very attractive Bud-Girls!!! Among the latest entries for the Temecula Valley Pipe and Supply $100,000.00 One-Hundred lap Oval Nationals presented by Budweiser are Northern California legend Brent Kaeding and Illinois star Levi Jones. USAC star Tracy Hines will be there in Andy Morales famous Tamale Wagon as will future Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding, ex-Civil War Champion Andy Forsberg, former Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year Jason Myers, World of Outlaws main event winner Jason Statler, former Chico Champion Jason York, defending race Oval Nationals Champion Bud Kaeding, Billy Pauch, all of the regular SCRA stars and a host of other out of town superstars. Money saving three-day passes are available by phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week at 1-800-595-4TIX (4849) or by visiting The PAS website at www.perrisautospeedway.com. Single Saturday night tickets are on sale now as well by calling (909) 940-0134… By the way, please remember that the Oval Nationals is next to last round in Ron Shuman’s Non Wing World Championship Series. The first eight rounds of the series produced seven different winners. Travis Rilat, J.J. Yeley, Richard Griffin, Billy Pauch, Mike Kirby, Damion Gardner and Bud Kaeding were winners when the tour zig zagged it’s way through the Midwest and Pennsylvania… The bible of motorsports, National Speed Sports News, had an interesting in the August 21st issue. The poll asked fans, “On what type of race course do you find the racing most interesting?” Dirt Track racing won in a landslide collecting a whopping 57.80% of the vote. Road Course racing was second (17.43%) followed by Superspeedway (12.84%), Short Track Asphalt (8.26%) and Drag Strip (3.67%)… One of the greatest Midget racers of all-time, Ron “Sleepy” Tripp, had surgery to repair damaged vertebrae in his neck on August 9th. Everyone from the PAS sends along their best wishes for a speedy recovery to the legend… Jim Naylor has mentioned the possibility of VRA sanctioning Midget races starting in 2004. This news could not have come at a better time as USAC has virtually destroyed the class on the West Coast letting car costs get out of hand… One year ago, Richard “The Gassman” Griffin won the 50-lap Labor Day Weekend SCRA main event at The PAS. That was his last PAS win until this year’s Labor Day weekend 50-lapper… Two SCRA drivers were in action with the Car Quest Late Models at The PAS in September. Mike Kirby and Mark Nation. Kirby was plagued by over heating problems throughout the night. Nation, in a car owner by his racing father in law Pete Van Iderstine, climbed the back straight wall and ripped several billboards before coming to a stop in turn three during the main. He emerged unscathed. The same could not be said for the car… Steve Ostling will be the feature of an upcoming story in Sprint Car & Midget magazine. Legendary Open Wheel announcer and voice of the Indy Racing League Pat Sullivan is penning the piece… Cory Kruseman missed the last SCRA race at The PAS to make his Indy Racing League debut at Texas. All I can say is, “IT WAS ABOUT TIME!” He has definitely proved himself on the track and deserved the shot. Lets just hope that next year his prospective rides are not sold out to some foreign driver with a fat wallet and no comprehension of the English vocabulary. I am sick of that garbage happening time and time again to drivers like Kruseman, J.J. Yeley, Jay Drake, Bryan Tyler, Dave Darland and many more … While reading Ken Wagner’s weekly column on his website (www.wagtimes.com) a few weeks ago, I read that after this year, Brad and Nancy Geurin will be retiring and looking to relax. That means the multi talented Mike Kirby will be looking for a Sprint Car ride. If he does not find one, he will be more than at home running Late Models, Figure 8s etc. That is great, but I certainly hope some smart Sprint Car owner gives him a ride… Sad as this sounds, the Ventura Raceway is being challenged again. If you remember, a couple years ago there was talking of the track coming down and being replaced by a concert venue. Same thing is apparently happening again and all the “Do Gooders” will jump on the bandwagon griping and moaning about noise from the racetrack. Well, they should think before they bite their noses off to spite their faces. In the mid 1980s, a fabulous multi-million dollar amphitheatre was built on the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. It attracted all of the top acts! It has been silent now for going on a decade. Why you ask? The neighbors complained about the concert noise. Promoter Jim Naylor has busted his rear end for over 20-years and has put so much into the fairgrounds and the city of Ventura. It is shame to think they could simply cast him aside after all he has done… Non Wing World Championship tour put a heavy crimp in the budget of several teams this year. A crimp that is affecting them even now after they have returned home… Did you know that Dan Hillberg, driver of the SCRA #82, won the last ever USRC Midget Semi-Main points championship in 1981??? Here is a truly mind boggling statistic. In 1977, Lealand McSpadden started 35 main events at Manzanita driving Sprint Cars, Midgets, Super Modifieds and Sprint Buggies. Of those 35 starts, he won 25 main events! Yet, he did not win any of the Championships… Look for Randy Waitman, who was injured in a nasty flip at The PAS during qualifying a couple of months ago, to return to action within the next few races. Randy is the nice guy who brings his race car simulator to The PAS and lets kids play it for free… Happy Birthday to SCRA President Ron Shuman who turned in mid-September… Danny “Showtime” Sheridan has appeared in several National magazines
(Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine to name just a couple) in
an add for a snack food… |
