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Los Angeles, CA.- July 8, 2005 - At the
July 4 mid-season mark for racing series it is
a good time to review non-wing, open-wheel series statistics and
first-time main event winners, starting with the USAC national
series. Five Weld Racing Silver Crown races have been run-three on
paved tracks and two on dirt. Dave Steele won all three paved
features at Phoenix Int'l Raceway, Richmond, VA and Fountain, CO.
First-time S/C winners won both dirt track mains. Teddy Beach took
the Indianapolis Fairgrounds mile and Josh Wise won the Terre Haute,
IN 100 on the half-mile. There were no rain-outs. The five S/C races
have averaged 41 cars, from a low of 34 at Terre Haute to a high of
48 at Phoenix.
The USAC Valvoline National Sprint Car Series has
completed 11 races and had five rain-outs-at Eldora (OH), Gas City
(IN), Terre Haute, and twice at Winchester, IN. The series has run
at six tracks in four states-IN, OH, WI and VA. Car counts have
averaged 37, from a low of 23 at Richmond to a high of 53 at Gas
City. Nine drivers have won a main event with Dave Steele and Jay
Drake double winners. Three first-time series winners are Mat Neely,
Rob Chaney and Ron Gregory. Tracy Hines, Eric Gordon, Levi Jones and
Kevin Huntley also won USAC mains.
The USAC National Midget Series avoided rain-outs
while logging seven races in five states-AZ, WI, IN, OH and CO.
There were five repeat feature winners-J. J. Yeley, Josh Wise, Teddy
Beach, Dave Darland and two-time winner Michael Lewis. Brad Kuhn is
the only first-time winner in the series. Car counts have averaged
36, from a low of 25 at Eldora to a high of 47 at Beaver Dam, WI.
The USAC Western States 360 cu. in. Sprint Car
Series has run five races at four tracks in three states-ID, OR and
CA. Rain canceled one race in April. Five drivers have won features,
including first-time winners Kody Swanson, 17, from Kingsburg, CA,
and fellow teenager Cody Veenstra, son of long-time super-modified
driver and winner Rick Veenstra, from Idaho. Tim Barber (his third
USAC career feature), Michael Lewis and Brian McClish also won. Car
counts have averaged 22, from a low of 16 in Oregon to a high of 32
in Idaho.
The W/S Midget Series has run eight races through
July 4 in three states-AZ, CA and CO. Repeat feature winners have
been J. J. Yeley, Robby Flock (his 50th), Cory Kruseman, Garrett
Hansen and Michael Lewis. First-time series winners have been Ford
Focus Midget graduates Tyler Brown and Ryan Kaplan, the only double
winner (at Bakersfield and Ventura). Rain canceled two races
(Stockton 4/9) and Hanford (5/7). Car counts have averaged 25, from
a low of 16 (Ventura) to a high of 34 (at Phoenix Int'l Raceway).
Year two of the Valvoline USAC-CRA 410 cu. in.
Sprint Car Series has run 18 races at six dirt tracks in CA and AZ.
Rain canceled one race--Feb. 19 at Perris. Six repeat winners
feature winners (with 2005 victories in parenthesis) are: Dave
Darland (1), Damion Gardner (7), Cory Kruseman (4), Rickie Gaunt
(3), Mike Kirby (1) and Rip Williams (1-his 100th sprint car feature
triumph). The only new winner in the series is Ricci Faria at
Hanford on June 4. Car counts have averaged 33 cars, from a low of
21 at Santa Maria (June 18) to a high of 47 at Perris (Feb. 5).
The USAC Ford Focus California Paved Series has
logged nine races at three California tracks-Blythe, Irwindale and
Stockton-with one rain-out at Stockton (Apr. 9). Four drivers have
won FF paved features. They are Matt Triplett, Alex Harris, Chase
Barber, and rookie Benny Moon (from karting and Skip Barber Formula
Ford national series where he finished fourth in points and won the
most races). Paved track car counts averaged 16, from a low of 10 at
Blythe (Feb. 5 season-opener) to a high of 21 at Irwindale (May 28).
The USAC FF California Dirt Series has had three
rain-outs at Ventura, Watsonville and Hanford, and seven completed
races. Six drivers-Chris Rahe, Bobby Michnowicz, Alex Harris (2
wins), Audra Sasselli, Rob Kershaw and Chase Barber-have won 2005
series mains. Car counts have averaged 17 cars, from a low of 13 at
Watsonville (June 3) to a high of 20 at Bakersfield (April 16).
First-ever FF winners are Triplett, Harris, Moon, Barber and
Kershaw. Harris, a past W/S Midget Series feature winner, debuted
his TCR/FF this year and races it on both paved and dirt tracks, as
Barber does with his ex-Steve Lewis No. 91 Beast chassis. NMRA-TQ
midgets have run six races at four tracks with four winners. Jody
Bandfield is the lone first-time winner. Car counts averaged 12,
with a low of 10 and a high of 14.
Other noteworthy items--USAC FF graduate Ryan
Pace, from Arroyo Grande, CA, has been racing his No. 44 Beast/Ed
Pink Chevy with USAC in the Midwest. On June 30 Ryan led all 50-laps
of the full-size midget feature at the fifth-mile paved Indianapolis
Speedrome. It was his biggest victory since he won the November 2003
Thanksgiving Night Grand Prix USAC FF 20-lap feature in a 27-car
field. Other FF Midget graduates are making their presence known in
full-size midgets as well. Feature winners so far are Ryan Kaplan (2
wins), Garrett Hansen (1) and Tyler Brown (1). Bradley Galedrige,
Chris Rahe and Steve Graves also have had impressive runs in full
midgets. FF veterans Bobby Grewohl (in the Midwest) and Bobby
McGowan (ASA Speed Trucks in western states) are moving their racing
careers forward on different paths.
Audra Sasselli, a 29-year old college graduate
from Fresno, has three FF feature victories to her credit (two last
year and one so far this year). She led both the California paved
and dirt track point standings to June until Harris took the paved
series point lead via four feature victories. On June 25 at the
Stockton Audra was offered her first sprint car ride in one of Ted
Finkenbinder's sprint cars (No. 3x). She was physically ill with
what she thought was the flu. She later learned it was walking
pneumonia. Audra's first sprint car ride proved to be too tempting
to refuse. Tough Audra qualified ninth fastest on the paved
quarter-mile in a 17-car field. In the 50-lap main she moved up to
eighth, developed a push and finished ninth, ahead of several sprint
car veterans. She also finished ninth in the 50-lap FF main event.
Think of what she would've done if she wasn't ill.
Then there is open-wheel WoO winged sprint
car/USAC Silver Crown driver Erin Crocker, a 23-year old engineering
college graduate. She is a Ray Evernham development driver in ARCA
stock car racing this season. Erin set fastest qualifying time in a
40+ field by almost three mph at the banked 1.5-mile Kentucky
Speedway in Sparta, KY. It was her second ARCA pole position this
season. She led her earlier ARCA race many laps and finished 12th,
on the lead lap. Erin, a bespectacled red-head, started Evernham's
red and white No. 98 Dodge on the pole Friday, July 8. She ran
second to outside front row starter Chad Blount during the early
part of the race. After pit stops Erin came from 20th
position back through the field quickly and led briefly. She was
second and closing on leader Blount during the final 15 laps of the
100-lap (150-mile) race, but Erin "was content" with
second about five lengths behind the winner. It was her third ARCA
race and she said, "I learned a lot and made progress."
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