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Los Angeles, CA. - Josh Wise (Midgets), Chase Scott (Ford
Focus Midgets) and Dave Steele (Sprints) won USAC features at the
third-mile, paved Orlando (FL) Speedworld. No, I did not
attend the non-point 1st "Mopar - PRI Sprint & Midget
Classic" triple-header in the Sunshine State. I listened to all
three races live for the first time on the Internet. You may still
view photos from the Orlando races via the USAC.com web site.
Businessman/racing promoter/USAC National
Championship Midget car owner Steve Lewis moved his expanding
Performance Racing Industry show from the RCA Dome in Indianapolis
to a more spacious site in Orlando, FL. He also moved his annual
Mopar Midget-Sprint twin races from Indianapolis and Irwindale to
Orlando. The twin mains carried a $50,000 bonus posted by Bill
Simpson's Impact Racing of Brownsburg, IN for any driver who could
win the National Midget main and then start last and win the 410 cu.
in. National Sprint feature. At Orlando Lewis used a Ford engine for
the final time. He will use Ed Pink-built Toyota engines in his Team
Nine midgets starting with the Copper World Classic in Phoenix
January 21-22, 2006.
Following the November 24 USAC Thanksgiving Grand
Prix at Irwindale, CA USAC teams made the 2,500+ miles (50+ hours)
trip from Irwindale to Orlando via Interstate 10. Most teams
departed Friday, but some left Saturday for the two to three days
drive (depending upon the number of drivers) to Orlando. Teams
planned to arrive in Orlando by Tuesday for the Thursday-Friday
two-day event, with time trials and qualifying heats Thursday and
all three main events Friday. Car counts were 20 FF Midgets (four
cars and drivers raced at Irwindale), 38 Midgets (22 cars and
drivers raced at Irwindale) and 37 Sprint Cars (four cars and 18
drivers raced at Irwindale).
The USAC web site carried live timing and scoring
and successfully inaugurated a live audio cast as well from the
Orlando races. USAC is seeking marketing partners and advertisers
for more of the "Live Timing & Scoring and Live Audio
casts" in 2006. The next USAC live coverage via the Internet
will be the annual Copper World Classic from Phoenix International
Raceway (January 21-22, 2006). Comments and suggestions of the
first audio cast may be directed to dan@usaclive.com.
ORLANDO: There was a large crowd on a cool night
according to the Internet broadcast. Orlando temps Thursday
were 69 high and 49 low, and 73-52 Friday. Chartered busses shuttled
exhibitors and attendees from the nearby PRI trade show to the track
and shuttled them back to their hotels after the final main event.
The announcer/broadcaster kept pleading with spectators in the
compact grandstand to scoot over in their seats and get friendly
with their neighbors as more spectators kept arriving by bus from
the PRI show. The $115,000 three-division purse attracted 127 total
cars, including non-USAC cars. A drifting exhibition was part of the
two-day event. Lewis had his usual Mopar event blonde twins-Katie
and Kailie Huffman-present to display a big mockup $50,000 bonus
check to the Midget winner on the starting grid. They rode from the
pits in a Loomis Armored truck complete with a police escort. As
usual, the Midget
main winner (Wise) had to start last (24th) and tie a yellow ribbon
to the cage of his Sprint Car to signify his status as the only
eligible driver for the $50,000 bonus. JE Pistons awarded $100
per every car passed for a possible $2,300 additional award. Wise
started 24th and finished 17th to earn an extra $700 even though he
couldn't bag the $50,000 bonus.
USAC's Internet broadcast began at 5:00 p.m PST
(8:00 EST) with a Midget Last Chance 12-lap race for the 15th
fastest and slower qualifiers. The first ten finishers joined the 14
fastest qualifiers in a 40-lap main. Tom Hessert III started the
23-car race from pole position and led all 12 laps as 15 drivers
finished. Next was the Sprint Car Last Chance 12-lap race for the
15th fastest and slower qualifiers. The first ten finishers joined
the 14 fastest qualifiers in a 40-lap feature. Bobby Santos III
started the 21-car race from the pole and stayed in front all 12
laps. The battle for tenth-the final transfer
spot-sounded intense. Darren Hagen finished 11th. Two re-starts were
necessary after the 5:50 (8:50) initial green and the 6:02 (9:02)
start was successful.
Next came the Midget 40-lap main with 24
starters. The race had fastest qualifier Tracy Hines starting sixth
and sixth quickest qualifier Ron Gregory on the pole. Jerome Rodela,
the 2005 Western Midget champion, qualified 14th fastest and started
14th in Cruz Pedregon's No. 71c that Damion Gardner raced
Thanksgiving Night at Irwindale. The race started at 6:30 (9:30) and
concluded at 6:49 (9:49). Gregory led the first 22 laps and second
starter Bobby East led laps 23-33. Fifth starter Wise led laps
34-40. It was the fifth National Midget victory for the 2005 series
champion. The race had four cautions for spins.
The Internet live broadcast/audio cast was so
clear and informative listeners could tell which drivers were moving
up and all lead changes. The screen gave full field run-downs and
distance behind the leader updates every three laps. One could even
log a lap chart if so inclined. The finish remained on screen for
about five minutes after the finish. Wise had a best lap of 13.197
and won by 0.305 seconds over Hines (best lap of 13.182). Third
place Steele was 1.631 seconds back. The final finisher (18th) was
7.4l7 seconds behind Wise. East dropped from first to third on lap
34 and faded to sixth. Kevin Swindell,
16-year old son of WoO star Sammy, started ninth and finished
seventh. He drove Tony Stewart's No. 20s Beast/Mopar team car to
Wise's No. 20 in his second USAC National Midget start. Kevin
finished 11th in the same car in Irwindale's Thanksgiving 100-lap
GP. His first USAC Midget race was September 11at Stockton 99
Speedway and he finished 12th in the No. 80 Western Racing Gerhardt/Esslinger
that Billy Wease drove at Irwindale.
Internet pit reporter Heidi Ray interviewed the
top two finishers. Wise said, "I knew Bobby East was tight. I
had to work hard to get by. Thanks to Mopar and Tony Stewart."
(Tony was busy that evening at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York
City picking up his NASCAR Nextel Cup $6,000,000+ championship
check.) Runner-up Hines said, "Josh got through traffic
better than I did. I hurt my right rear tire coming through
traffic."
Next on tap was the 20-car FF Midget 20-lap race.
Michael Sboro led the first eight laps from the pole and finished
second. Fastest qualifier Chase Scott led the final 12 laps after
making a backstretch pass following an eight-minute red flag. Ricky
Ehrgott had hit the wall and slid upside down to the third turn. He
walked away uninjured. The FF race started at 7:00 (10:00) and
finished at 7:18 (10:18). Scott won by 1.485 seconds and Sboro was
1.186 seconds ahead of third place. Caitlin Shaw, from Albuquerque,
N.M, was the last finisher (P. 15), 12.597 seconds behind the
winner.
The final race of the night was the 40-lap Sprint
main with Midget winner Wise starting last (24th). The race started
at 7:41 PST (10:41), had two cautions and concluded at 7:58 (10:58
EST). Steele started second and led all the way as one would expect
at his home track. Hines finished second again. Amazing 2005 USAC
Western Sprint champion Kody Swanson, 17, set ninth fastest
qualifying time, started seventh and finished eighth (5.934 seconds
behind the winner) in his 360 cu. in. Chevy in a field of 410 cu.
in. National Sprints. Twenty-two of 24 starters finished, with 22nd
place 10.997 seconds behind the
winner. Steele won by 3.471 seconds despite a lap 26 caution that
wiped out his three + second lead.
Pit reporter Heidi Ray interviewed winner Steele,
who thanked "everyone for coming out tonight. This is my home
track, I live down the road in Tampa. I got my first win here in a
TQ Midget." He thanked Mopar and his Florida-based car owner,
Bruce Nicholas. Hines said, "This is my second runner-up finish
tonight. Next for me is the Tulsa Chili Bowl Midget race in January
and then testing my Busch Series stock car at Daytona." The
Internet three and a quarter hour first USAC live broadcast/audio
cast then ended and it rates an A+ in my book.
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