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Los Angeles, CA. - USAC/CRA Sprints at
Manzanita Speedway: The
Friday-Saturday March 19-20 doubleheader at Keith Hall's fast
half-mile clay track had
32 cars competing both nights. "Super" Rickie Gaunt, one
of the best interviews in racing, set fastest qualifying time both
nights in the No. 2A Tony Smiley Chevy. Remarkably, despite the
95-degree day (still in the low-70s at time trials) Gaunt's fast
time Friday was 18.606, only .045 off the one-lap track record of
18.561 set by Brad Noffsinger on May 7, 1999. That's outstanding
track preparation in the Valley of the Sun.
PIR-CWC spectators also present at Manzy for traditional sprint car
racing were USAC's president Rollie Helmling, Parnelli Jones, Pat
Sullivan, Dave Argabright, Bobby Gerould and retired drivers Duke
Cook, Jimmy Oskie and Dennis Matousek, of Sands Chevrolet in
Phoenix. Matousek, former president of the Arizona Racing Assn
sprint car group in the 1970s, drove the Chevy pace car to Manzy.
Windy McDonald, long-time track announcer at Manzy, conducted
interesting interviews with Oskie (Friday) and Parnelli (Saturday)
over the track PA system. Oskie recalled some of his memories of
Manzanita as a sprint car driver in the 1960s-70s. He said he first
came to Manzy in 1963 and the track is even faster today. Windy is
preparing a book about auto racing in the Phoenix Valley and he told
me it should be finished soon.
Former sprint car driver/current author Buzz Rose, of Phoenix, held
a BBQ Thursday, March 18 at his home for many racers, including his
one-time Diz Wilson Offy IMCA-circuit teammate Johnny Rutherford.
Buzz said his new hard cover book, volume two about California
Racing Association sprint car racing from 1971-93, will be going to
his printer in April. It will go on sale soon for $59.95. The
first volume covered CRA racing from 1946 to 1970 and has been a
hot-selling book for the past year.
Tony Jones received a promoter's option at Manzy Friday and started
the 20-lap main event in 21st position. Jeff Slinkard received the
40-lap feature promoter's option Saturday and started 21st. Jeremy
Sherman, as usual, was spectacular at Manzy. He started 16th both
nights and raced up to eighth in the Friday 20-lapper, and to a
closing second in the Saturday 40-lap main. Jeremy drove a potent
aluminum 360 cu. in. Chevy against the more powerful 410 cu.
in. sprinters to make his accomplishment even more outstanding.
Manzanita's sprint car starter both nights was Chris Odom. The
excellent pit announcer was Mickey Dale, a former racing promoter at
the Imperial County Fairgrounds near El
Centro.
Bud Kaeding's wild flip in Harlan Willis' No. 45 sprinter onto the
third turn crash-wall in heat one was topped only by his main event
first turn flip onto the fence. That mishap required the track crew
to repair the fence to keep cars in the track instead of on 35th
Avenue. Bud was shaken but not hurt significantly from all his Manzy
tumbling. Resilient Bud raced his own USAC Silver Crown No. 291
Beast/Shaver the next day from 34th starting to 13th finishing
position. He ran 99 of the 100-laps and beat seven other finishers.
Manzy promoter Keith Hall will be attending the June 5, 2004
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction ceremonies as a member of
the class of 2004. He clearly deserves the honor for the decades of
Western World Championship sprint car spectacles that he staged at
Manzy from 1968 to the present time. The next NSCHofF inductee from
Arizona should be Manzy announcer McDonald for his unique announcing
style and PR abilities on behalf of racing. When in Arizona try to
catch the live "Racing Roundup-Arizona" radio show for
Arizona and national racing news. It is on KXAM, 1310 AM on the dial
every Monday from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
The March 19-20 Manzy USAC/CRA event was the fourth annual Sokola
Classic race in memory of father/son Gary and Mark Sokola. Mark, 40,
was present at Manzy for the third annual race last March. He died
unexpectedly a month later. Valerie Sokola and her daughter attended
the Sokola race this year and participated in on-track ceremonies.
Sammy Bahr did a solid job again this year of adding sponsorship
money to the Sokola Classsic purse.
All 40-laps Saturday had $100 lap sponsors for an additional $4,000.
USAC and the Canales family each contributed $500 and other special
monetary awards went to the Sportsman winner ($500), Hard Luck
Driver ($500), Saturday Hard Charger, Sherman, ($250), various lead
lap and position finishers. Cash awards went to the first driver out
of the mains ($75 both nights), first car on the track for
wheel-packing ($50 both nights), half-way lap leaders lap 10 Friday
and lap 20 Saturday ($250 both nights), slowest qualifier ($50 both
nights) and driver leading the most laps, but not winning the main
($200 both nights). Those award winners were called to the finish
line award ceremonies also
following Saturday's main event.
FINAL ADD PIR-CWC: The reason listed on the official results sheet
for Jimmy Kite's non-finish after 51 laps in the USAC Silver Crown
100-lap CWC race Sunday was "driver fatigue". The
friendly, diminutive driver from Stockbridge, GA, disputed that
reason on his website days later. Kite wrote, "There is a
difference in falling out of the saddle and burning the **** out of
my leg while already a lap down. How do I run 500 miles at Indy last
year and then fall out of the saddle at 50 miles?" Kite said
his No. 5 Westcon Beast/Chevy had a brake-heating problem that a pit
stop (during the laps 6-13 caution) could not fix. "We figured
since we were already down a lap (because of the pit stop) let's
bring it in and save the car for Memphis." Jimmy praised fellow
driver Dave Steele and said, "if IRL or NASCAR doesn't snag
this guy fast they are missing out." Kite added, " PIR's
wider second turn was great for us drivers and made for long green
flag runs in all divisions."
S/C winner Steele said outside front row starter Tyler Walker's No.
67 Zarounian mount came down on his No. 9 pole car in turn four
right before the first lap green flag. "The 67 (Walker's)
engine sucked bad at the two starts and made me look dirty (for
jumping the starts), but the guy on the pole sets the pace."
Runner-up Tracy Hines confirmed Steele's assessment. Ninth starter
Hines said he backed off the throttle, thinking there would be a
wreck. Hines added that his No. 37 Beast chassis is "the same
car we've had since 1998. We clipped it a couple of times and we've
used the same Chevy engine since 1997."
As a 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver (of the No. 88
Menard's truck),
Hines said he would miss four USAC S/C races this year because of
race date conflicts.
Third place PIR-CWC driver Chet Fillip is the only USAC S/C driver
who has raced in both the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Daytona
500. Boston Reid, a Jeff Gordon protégé, came from 21st starting
position to finish 11th, down one lap, in the No. 35 Curb Records J
& J/Gaerte, which Tyler Walker raced successfully last season.
Reid, a 21-year old driver from Indiana, said cockpit heat during
the S/C CWC 100-lap race caused his leg blisters.
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