|
Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| RACING
SCENE by Tim Kennedy |
|
|
|
Los Angeles, CA.- A June 26 letter to NASCAR Super Late Model
competitors from Bob DeFazio, VP/Gen'l Mgr of Irwindale Speedway,
increased SLM purses as a way of thanking competitors for their
support over the years. Effective June 28 IS increased the SLM main
event purse for tenth position from $200 to $225, 11th-15th from
$150 to $200 and 16th and lower from $100 to $150. Additionally, any
SLM driver who makes four races in a row and finishes all four races
in tenth position or lower will receive a free new tire from IS. The June 28 trophy dash is normally for the six fastest qualifiers and the winner receives $250 from High Banks Racing Collectibles, which operates a booth on the main concourse at IS. The other five drivers in the dash receive a die cast collectible racing car of their choice from HBRC. Officials decided to let the slowest six SLM qualifiers compete in the trophy dash June 28. Michael May, a 2003 SLM rookie and 2002 West Coast Pro Trucks champion, led all six laps after starting fifth to earn his first SLM dash trophy and $250 from HBRC. Car counts at Irwindale for the last six Saturdays have been strong. July 12--121 total (19 SLM, 24 LM, 19 GAM, 32 MS, 27 Leg); July 5--106 total (30 LM, 28 UWST, 31 SS, 17 Fig. 8); June 28-126 total (18 SLM, 33 UWST, 29 WCPT, 28 Leg., 18 Ford Focus Midgets); June 21-114 total (28 MS, 26 SS, 15 SLM, 19 GAM, 26 LM); June 14-118 total (20 SLM, 23 MWST, 26 Leg, 27 MS, 22 ProMoto TT cycles); June 7-132 total (29 SS, 31 UWST, 33 LM, 39 SWSeries). Brett Landes is a Santa Clara-based driver of the yellow No. 41 NASCAR Super Late Model Ford Taurus (ex-No. 74 Tommy Fry car) that he races at Irwindale. Landes had a prior career as an AMA Pro flat track motorcycle Expert rider on the AMA National Championship dirt track tour. Brett recently returned to his roots at Springfield, IL on the TT dirt track in the stadium-seating, bowl-like Illinois State Fairgrounds new rodeo pavilion, which is adjacent to the mile dirt track. Speed Channel taped the race and aired it July 1 as a one-hour telecast on the block of shows called motorcycle Tuesdays. Brett, on his No. 41 Audiovox Honda, passed young Jake Johnson on the 25th and final lap on the outside in the final two turns to win the TT feature by half a wheel-length over Jake, the fifth-ranked 2003 AMA point rider. The feature race had three leaders-past National Champion Joe Kopp (No. 3), Johnson (No. 14 Honda) and Landes. Eighteen riders made the feature from four heat races (top three finishers in each heat advanced to the main) and three semi-mains (top two in each semi advance). Landes won the fastest of the four heats, so he got to pick his feature starting position. Brett faded to third place on the opening lap, moved by Kopp to second place and then reeled in and passed leader Johnson on lap 25 of 25 to cap a thrilling ride. When interviewed on TV Brett, who won a Daytona Beach dirt short track AMA National years ago, said "This is way better than the Daytona win." Open-wheel racing on TV: USAC racing has had some excellent taped TV exposure lately on Speed Channel. The Midget and National Sprint Car circuits shared a two-hour telecast June 26 from Limaland, OH. Dave Darland (Midgets) and J. J. Yeley (Sprints) won the 30-lap features. On Monday, June 30 Speed Channel televised the USAC Silver Crown 100-lap race of June 28 at Richmond, VA won by Dave Steele. USAC paved track expert Steele reportedly will be given a chance to compete for the second IRL Pennzoil Panther ride, along with Billy Boat and Infinity Pro Series drivers Ed Carpenter and Mark Taylor. That audition may be for two open seats if Sam Hornish, Jr takes his talent elsewhere in 2004. Speaking of USAC racing on TV, Speed Channel will televise LIVE on Thursday, June 24 (6:00-8:00 p.m PDT) round six of the all dirt track eight-race Indiana Sprint Week. The first-ever live ISW telecast (heats through main event) will take place at Lawrenceburg, IN Speedway, a quarter mile track in southeast Indiana and a short trip west of Cincinnati, OH. The track has been upgraded with a new metal grandstand replacing the old decrepit wooden grandstand since I saw an Indiana Sprint Week race there in 1996-97. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate. Opening night of ISW (2003 edition) took place at Twin Cities Raceway Park, a 3/8-mile dirt track in North Vernon, IN on July 17. Yeley won the 30-lap main over 22 other drivers. There were 55 qualified sprinters present and all posted a qualifying time. SCRA 2003 regulars competing in the ISW series (with their time trial speed order in parenthesis) were Damion Gardner (3rd), Mike Spencer (13th) and Charles Davis, Jr (26th). Other SCRA veterans and their qualifying speed order were Yeley (5th), Levi Jones (6th), Jay Drake (8th), Bud Kaeding (9th), Cory Kruseman (11th), Jerry Coons, Jr (23rd), Casey Shuman (37th), and John Scott (40th). Scott transferred from one of two 11-car consys to the back of heat two, where he placed seventh, the best finish of the four transferees from the two consys. Scott then finished ninth in the 20-car semi-main to just miss a feature transfer by three cars. In the feature Drake finished second, Kaeding fourth, Kruseman sixth, Jones tenth, Gardner 19th and Coons 22nd. Following the first of eight nights of racing in ten days, Yeley led the 2003 USAC National Sprint Series point standings by 180 points over Tracy Hines. Drake was third, Kaeding fourth, Jones sixth and Kruseman seventh. The westerners are performing well on the national circuit. |
