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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| Hockett takes second
Lakeside crown by Kirk Spridgeon |
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August 25, 2004....With my good friend Trenton Darland as a
co-pilot, a road trip to see the SCRA race in Kansas City was in the
future. Picking him up after a Thursday of school, we made it to
Terre Haute for the Mid-American Sprint Series on the half-mile.
While we got there late and there were only fifteen cars to start
the feature, we still had a great time. Seeing the old half in good
condition was worth it, and the race was interesting, at least. With
a pass of Brandon Wimmer after the high-schooler had passed him and
had his front wing break, Kelly Kinser checked out. Our only hope for some drama at the front was dashed
because of a quick caution and a scoring snafu. Kinser hooked lapped
car Brian DeFord in turn three, and the two putted around until a
yellow was thrown as they crossed the line. While, on paper, scoring
would go to the last lap, I contend that Kinser should have been
taken back to fourth, at least, because that’s where he was when
the caution was thrown. Instead, Kinser had clear track and an easy
win. Cameron Dodson, who verified plans to race in both a midget and
sprint car sans wings next season, fought a tight racer to just nab
second near the end, but after that, there was little racing. I
would have liked to see a larger crowd in both the stands and the
pits, but a first-year winged organization will not do well at Terre
Haute, especially on a Wednesday night. If for no other reason, we
did get to visit with Bob Cundiff, whom I was glad to see again
despite his overly parental instinct! Driving through rain after the race, we hoped things would
clear for the weekend in Kansas. After a stay-over at the Vennard
household in Vincennes, a 9 a.m. departure was delayed until noon,
when we finally headed west for two days at a new track. Jonathan
Vennard stayed home, still pursuing a regular sprint car to race.
Only two races have marked his 2004 calendar, and his Little 500
experience ended against the wall with some help from another car.
His highlight was the Mopar Thunder, where he took a new car to the
A Main despite mag problems in his heat. After a trip that took longer than expected, we pulled into
Lakeside Speedway midway through time trials for thirty cars.
Although I was disappointed with the absence of some Indiana and
USAC racers, the field was still competitive. Missing winged
combatants who instead chose All-Star or ASCS racing, this would
have indeed been a great chance for local Indiana guys to make money
at a great facility. Alex Pruett, who will stay in Indiana through Labor Day,
thrilled the healthy crowd during the first heat as he biked through
the turns on the cushion. He was not the only one who would rely on
less than four wheels as the sticky surface made many cars uneasy
and everyone tested to see just how fast they could turn the track.
Locals Chris Parkinson and Ken Stolfes found themselves on the hook
during the heats, but Parkinson was very fast beforehand. Tony Elliott had the lead early in the feature, and when
Jesse Hockett took the lead, I thought this would be another ripping
from the “Rocket.” Josh Wise easily had the best-working car,
but Kevin Briscoe would have had something for him if he could have
let his car loose as he was bottled behind traffic all race long.
Passing was tough on the mainly one-lane track, but Dave Darland
showed that he was a contender by moving up seven spots from 19th
after his dismal qualifying performance, due mainly to a slimy track
and a wrong turn with the shock package. Losing six cars and picking up Aaron Berryhill for the
second night, the field was smaller but just as tough. Berryhill
found the fence in his first turn of Lakeside action, and fellow
Oklahoman Zach Chappell hopped a right rear into the turn two wall
at the start of the feature. The feature was a forty-lap thriller,
and as you all know, Jesse Hockett made his move through lapped
traffic for the win. In all honesty, it was one of the best runs
through traffic that I’ve seen, and it all came after a slow start
where he struggled to stay in the top-five for the first half of the
race. I admire a racer such as him, who races hard and doesn’t
make excuses when he doesn’t win. I’d love to see Jesse in
Indiana, and if there’s a chance that his car owners would ever
let him run in Indiana, I’m one guy who would vote for him to be
here. “The Rocket” from Warsaw, Missouri is quickly becoming one
of my favorite all-around racers. Great racing took place throughout the field, however. Bud
Kaeding looked good to me early, but things changed as the race
thickened. The track slicked off and a thick cushion stayed at the
top. Rickie Gaunt charged with his aggressive style, attacking the
bottom all the way to second by the end. Levi Jones was caught in
lapped traffic, and that cost him a chance at victory, but he still
worked his way to third, and Scott Benic is a believer in Levi.
After Elliott led, he dropped to fourth by the end, and
fellow-Hoosier Kevin Briscoe had dropped to ninth with a tight
Stealth until he moved through to fifth at the end. He may have been
the fastest car on the track at the end of forty laps, but “Risky
Brisky” confirmed the recurrence of his athletic-induced asthma,
which has plagued him in the past and got to him late in the
forty-lapper. Jason Goacher’s beautiful Twister came home sixth with
Darland at the wheel. Darland’s reliable low line went away on
him, but a strong run in another new car makes the crowd favorite
even more versatile. We’ll see what direction Goacher takes in the
coming weeks. Another of the Midwest contingent was a surprise in
Chris Urish. A good run of tenth on Friday was not backed up well,
as Urish dropped out late in the feature event. Looking good in his
non-wing starts, Urish drives wherever he can in the family car
while racing for another owner on Fridays at Jacksonville, Illinois
with a wing. A champ car opportunity will come to him at DuQuoin,
driving for Team Purple Racing, which has fielded a midget in the
past. Jerry Coons, Jr. performed well in the ride, and Cameron
Dodson was the latest guest driver, coming at Granite City. Using a
Shaver engine that has recently seen Ostrich work, Urish will be
racing against his sprint car engine builder's car, the Foxco 56.
Fulfilling a dream of racing in a big car at the "Magic
Mile" with an older Galas car, Urish is just looking to gain
some laps and ready for more racing in the car next year. With a beautiful facility, a huge crowd that loves the SCRA
racing, and a promoter that is willing to put up big bucks for the
group, this race will go on as long as the SCRA can bring an
organization. I hope the SCRA lives, because they have great people
working with them, and I think Ron Shuman has the racer and sprint
car racing as a whole in mind with his organization. I would urge
any Indiana racer to take part in the tour, even if it’s only
because it pays well and they visit different tracks. It was great
to meet the drivers and crews of all the SCRA teams, still one of
the friendliest groups I have found. While in Kansas City, visiting the zoo was a highlight of
Saturday afternoon. Although a Trenton Darland mistake kept me from
inviting Briscoe four-wheeler Kassidy Kirchner, I had the honor of
being the third wheel with Darland and girlfriend Sophia, a
Belleville High Banks employee. Along with a place to stay on
Saturday night, Sophia’s family also bought us breakfast on Sunday
morning before we left. It’s amazing the hospitality one receives
on the road in the racing world! The Kansas City experience flew by, and a nine-hour trip
home on Sunday awaited us. With clear traffic, the trip went well,
and I caught the feature at Kokomo Speedway after dropping TD at his
downtown Lincoln, Indiana home. Greeted by a beautiful race track and a competitive field
of twenty-one sprints, my expectations were not overly high as Shane
Cottle began from the front row. With a pretty move to take the
lead, Tony Elliott continued his improvement with the new car and
stayed out front for five laps. Jon Stanbrough didn’t take long to
maneuver the Truckers car to the front, and they traded the lead for
a couple laps before Stanbrough took over for eight laps. Under
caution with ten to go, Stanbrough’s right rear went down, and the
ensuing restart saw him drop back. A caution saved Stanbrough, and he pitted for new rubber as
Elliott got the lead back. Shane Cottle found the bottom, however,
and they dueled for a few laps. Behind them, the young guys battled
as Zac Osborn held onto third over Shane Hollingsworth and Casey
Shuman, among others. Kent Christian had worked his way from 11th,
and Michael Burthay finally took fifth behind Christian, even though
he began 15th. Shuman couldn't stay near the front after
a late caution, noting tire problems, but he and Paul Hazen have
been doing well together. Getting better every time out, don't be
surprised of Li'l Shu convinces Hazen to purchase a new mount,
likely a Stealth. Osborn’s finish is the best I remember for him this
season as things have come together for the family team later in the
year. Now with just over two years in sprints, Osborn is looking
forward to an opportunity to run a Twister car for Brook Pence soon,
Osborn will stick to a Gas City routine, hoping to make his debut in
the new car there. A friend of Osborn’s, Scotty Weir never made the charge I
expected, stalling out in the 8th spot. For a driver in
his second year of sprint cars, Weir may be one of the most
impressive in Indiana, continually showing promise. Still needing to
smooth out a tad, Weir has had the speed all year to finish up
front, but the results haven’t necessarily shown it yet. Hollingsworth’s 6th came a day after his third
silver crown start. Qualifying an astounding third on the big
Springfield Mile, he stuck around all day and registered a top-ten.
Five spots ahead of him was another driver who started in midgets,
Matt Westfall. Driving the Peterbilt car in dirt champ car races,
rumor says he will also be driving Daugherty’s new sprint car in
coming USAC races. This is the same car steered by Boston Reid
during the Mopar Thunder. Also, Bryan Clauson clicked off his fourth sprint car win,
this one coming over Dickie Gaines in the Dick Gaines Memorial race
at Lawrenceburg on Saturday. With four wins on four different
tracks, Clauson would still need to win at Terre Haute, Putnamville,
and Haubstadt to be a winner at every different track in Indiana
that runs sprint cars(I didn’t count Boswell as they only run two
MSCS shows and he can't race at Gas City). He already has runner-up
finishes at Putnamville and Haubstadt while a third was his finish
in his only Terre Haute attempt. For me, this weekend will be the finale before going to
school in Athens, Ohio at Ohio University. With nothing special on
the calendar, it will be a good chance to catch up with the weekly
racers at Gas City and Lawrenceburg, and I’d also like to visit
Kokomo again this week. Unfortunately, this is my last opportunity
to see racing until the Four Crown in late September, so I’ll have
to take advantage of the three-race weekend. |
