|
IRWINDALE, CA, Nov. 25 - Rising star
Bobby East, 19, crowned his regal USAC-sanctioned racing season
impressively Thursday in a dramatic duel with Aaron Fike on the
banked, paved half-mile Irwindale Speedway before an estimated 6,000
spectators. The Brownsburg, IN driver won the 64th running of the
100-lap Mopar Thanksgiving Night Grand Prix for Midgets that dates
back to 1934 at Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles.
East, the son of Beast racing chassis
builder/former sprint car driver Bob East, became the 43rd different
winner of the prestigious racing classic. He also became the fifth
winner of the race in six years of the TNGP at Irwindale Speedway.
The winner started second in a 31-car field and drove the No. 9 Team
ASE, Ford, Beast/Ed Pink Ford to his 16th USAC main event victory of
the season. East also became the youngest champion of a USAC
National Series.
TITLES
It was the fifth USAC Thanksgiving Night Midget
Grand Prix triumph for his car owner Steve Lewis, from Laguna Beach,
CA. The East-Lewis team earned Lewis his tenth USAC National Midget
entrant championship and seventh in a row. East captured his first
USAC National Midget title by an astounding 472 points, the largest
winning margin in series history. He added the TNGP to his earlier
victories in the Terre Haute, IN "Hut 100" and in the
Belleville, KS Midget Nationals.
East and Lewis pocketed $6,000 from the $33,000
purse posted for the USAC
National and Western States Midget Series traditional event.
Irwindale Speedway and the family of the late promoter J. C.
Agajanian collaborated to present the Thanksgiving classic race.
East's name now will join the illustrious list of prior TNGP winners
on the large Aggie Trophy, which came into being last year at the
suggestion of Doug Stokes, IS Communications Director. The
impressive trophy carries plaques listing all prior winners and a
bronzed Stetson hat worn by the late promoter who saved the TNGP
race from extinction in 1955 after a four-year absence.
CLASSIC DUEL
As eighth fastest qualifier, Galesburg, IL
resident Fike started eighth in a straight-up lineup. The USAC
open-wheel veteran/NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver waged a
stirring side-by-side and lead-swapping duel with East during the
final 75-laps of the century run, longest of the season. East passed
quickest qualifier/pole starter Tony Hunt, the leader of the first
25 laps, on lap 26 with an inside move as a slower car temporarily
blocked Hunt's Bob Rosen Beast/Ford.
Fike, who celebrated his 22nd birthday Wednesday,
followed East past Hunt on lap 26 and the duo pulled away to engage
in their personal battle. At mid-race (lap 50) 12 drivers remained
on the lead lap as outside-running East held a ten-yard advantage
over inside-running Fike. At lap 55 Fike trailed by a length. The
challenger used an inside move on the backstretch and through the
third and fourth turns to pass East when they overtook two slower
cars. Fike held the point from lap 59 through lap 90 with East
racing next to him. East took the lead briefly with a slide job
entering the third turn during lap 90, but
Fike used a crossing maneuver in turn four to retain the lead on lap
90. Unwilling to settle for second, East powered past Fike on lap 91
and led the final laps to the finish. Fike challenged through lap 97
when he began fading and he trailed by 35-yards (1.358 seconds) when
Tony Roberts waved the checkered flag. Fike received $3,200 for his
fan-pleasing effort.
CAUTIONS
The race was all-green to lap 75 when 2002 TNGP
winner Michael Lewis lost his brakes and spun out entering the first
turn. At the first caution flag (three-quarter mark) leaders Fike
and East held a lead of 8.9 seconds, about half a lap, on third
place Hunt. The only other caution flag appeared on lap 93 after top
six running Hunt and Dave Steele (the 2001 and 2003 TNGP winner)
tangled and both spun in the first turn. Hunt said Steele apologized
for contacting his car after his brakes failed. Hunt lost three laps
but restarted and finished 16th, the last car running. The top six
finishers ran 100 laps. The next six drivers completed 99 laps,
positions 13-15 ran 98 and Hunt 97.
Top ten finishers behind East and Fike, the
younger of two racing Fike brothers, was third place Tracy Hines,
NCTS second ranked rookie this season. He started sixth in the Wilke/Team
Mopar Stanton/Mopar and collected $2,100. Jason Leffler, NASCAR Cup,
Busch and Truck Series veteran and 1999 TNGP winner, came from
seventh at the start to finish fourth in a Western Speed/Team ASE
Gerhardt/Esslinger. He received $1,500. Fifth finisher Jerome Rodela,
from nearby El Monte, came from 12th in his own Beast/Ed Pink Ford
and banked $1,200.
Tom Hessert, an 18-year old second-generation
driver from Cherry Hill, N.J, made his second consecutive TNGP
feature and raced from 15th in a Beast/Mopar to sixth, 3.752 seconds
in back of the winner. Completing the top ten were third generation
driver Cole Carter (Pancho Carter Beast.Ford), and NASCAR Busch
Series 2004 driver/2003 USAC Triple Crown Champion J. J. Yeley in
the second Steve Lewis Beast/Ed Pink Ford.
ROOKIE OF RACE
A pair of 16-year old USAC rookies--Brad Loyet,
from Missouri, and Kyle Nicholas, the Florida-based son of Steele's
car owner--finished ninth and tenth respectively. Loyet raced a
former Lewis Beast/Ed Pink Ford and Nicholas wheeled his dad's
Beast/Mopar. The impressive teens were part of a seven-member TNGP
rookie contingent competing for the Don Basile Memorial Race of the
Race clock/pen trophy. Loyet, in just his second USAC race and
second consecutive top ten finish, won the Basile Race Rookie trophy
by 0.281 seconds over Nicholas, who was making his first USAC start.
Northern California driver Johnny Rodriguez, 29,
clinched the 2004 W/S Midget championships as a driver and car
entrant before the race started. The former winged sprint car
champion at Chico, CA started 14th in his Beast/Esslinger, but he
dropped out with a mechanical problem after 73 laps and finished
20th. He won his first USAC title by 126 points over Rodela.
Rodriguez joined the top three finishers at start/finish after the
race.
STEWART WOES
Tony Stewart, the 2002 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion
and 2000 TNGP winner,
entered two Stewart Racing/Vital Express Beast/Mopar midgets for
himself and his season-long driver Josh Wise, from Riverside, CA.
His team had a forgettable event with both cars. Wise's No. 20 blew
an engine during the second and final mid-afternoon practice
session. Team members changed engines in the pits and Wise, the
second-ranked driver in USAC National Midget Series points, took his
turn in time trials. However, the throttle stuck reportedly as Wise
was coming to take his first qualifying lap and he hit the third
turn crash-wall hard on the right side, damaging the car too
severely to compete. Stewart, the 30th driver to qualify,turned a
17.664 on his best of two laps and was 30th
quickest of 52 drivers with times. Stewart participated in the
on-track 6:00 p.m autograph session for fans. He started eighth in
the second qualifying race, but he pulled to the infield on the
first lap with a reported ignition problem.
The 14-fastest qualifiers in the 54-car field
transferred directly to the feature. A pair of 12-lap qualifying
races sent the first eight finishers in each to the 30-car main with
drivers from the first qualifier comprising the inside row and
drivers from the second race making up the outside row. W/S
driver Wally Pankratz used his second and final provisional starting
berth of the year to start 31st. He parked his car with engine
misfiring and settled for third place in final 2004 W/S Midget
driver standings.
Both qualifying races were green-flag runs.
Hessert started sixth and won the first qualifier by jumping to
second on the first lap and then passing early leader Ryan Durst on
lap two. Hessert won by 20-yards (0.847 seconds) over Todd Beach,
with Durst third. Loyet started third and trailed front row driver
Brian Gard for four laps before taking command and winning by 0.888
seconds over BillyWease, from Indiana, and Bobby Santos, from
Massachusetts. Hunt, the 35th driver to qualify, turned fast time of
17.199 (104.657 mph). Second fastest qualifier East posted a best
lap of 17.223 (104.511 mph).
EAST SPEAKS
TNGP winner East gave his reactions to his most
significant victory to date and answered questions from the media
following his victory. "This is a huge deal. It has set in.
It's not like another race. This is Turkey Night. It's awesome. It
was a fun race too. I was a little angry when he (Fike ) passed me.
The fact is let it happen, but I persevered and never gave up. He
was using lapped cars to his advantage. It was like a basketball
pick. After Aaron got by me I moved up my line and it got better.
Our tires were pretty used up
because we ran 75 green flag laps at the start. The track was
good top to bottom this year and when the track is good on the top
we're good here. This car was new at the Cooper World race in
Phoenix."
Asked about his racing plans for 2005 East
replied, "We'll go for the USAC Triple Crown again in the same
Lewis Midget, Klatt Sprint Car and the same Silver Crown car. We had
no idea we would win 16 features this year. It's snowballing and
we'll just try to keep it going. I'll run five or six NASCAR Busch
Series races. We don't know which team it will be with, but it will
be a Ford though."
|
