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Madera, CA., Sept. 4 - A busy six-division
twilight racing program on Labor Day at the third-mile, paved Madera
Speedway featured USAC Western Series 360 Sprint Cars, Western
Midgets and Ford Focus Midgets. The 5th annual Larry Trigueiro, Sr
Classic from 3:00 to 7:50 p.m interspersed 360 cu. in. super-modifieds,
Modified Super Toyotas (MST) and an entertaining 1st annual union
members grudge race championship in old four-cylinder sedans.
Young drivers prevailed in the three USAC main
events. Bradley Galedrige, 19, started second in a 17-car field and
led all 50-laps in a USAC/CASA co-sanctioned 360 cu. in. sprint car
"Best in the West Championship Series". He won by a
straight-away in the No. 21 Davey Hamilton Eagle despite a sore back
from a crash two nights earlier in his midget at Altamont Raceway.
It was the second feature victory of his rookie USAC 360 sprint car
season. His first triumph came May 13 at the Altamont Raceway
half-mile. Galedrige was USAC's 2004 California Ford Focus North
Champion and the 2005 Western Midget rookie of the year when he had
13 starts and finished eighth in points. A Shauna Hogg and Brian
McClish crash on lap six in the fourth turn as they battled for
sixth place caused the only caution of the sprint car race.
Fastest qualifier Kody Swanson, the 2005 series
rookie of the year and champion, started sixth and took second from
Nick Rescino, Jr on the white flag lap in his family-owned No. 75
2004 Eagle/Losorwith Chevy steel block Chevy. Finishing behind
Rescino were point leader Tony Hunt and Greg Anderson, with 16-year
old Joe "Jo-Jo" Helberg, the final driver on the lead lap,
in sixth position. Fifteen drivers finished. Anthony Simone broke
the rear end assembly of his car and stopped in the first turn at
the checkered flag.
In the most competitive race, Bobby Grewohl, a
20-year old Hollister resident, started fifth in the 17-car USAC
Western Midget Series 50-lap main, co-sanctioned by BCRA. The race
had four different leaders, five caution flags, close four and
five-car lead pack competition and frequent position changes
throughout the field. Pole starter Matt Mitchell led the first 11
laps. Series rookie/second starter Alfred Galedrige, the younger
brother of the sprint car feature winner, passed Mitchell in the
second turn and paced lap 12-25. Then Evan Margeson, the outside
front row starter, took the lead on lap 26 as Galedrige
slipped to fourth position.
Grewohl passed Margeson with an inside move in
the first turn during lap 43. He won by 10-yards over Ryan Kaplan,
who got by Margeson on lap 49 with an inside pass entering turn
three. Margeson, from Washington, finished a length back in third
aboard the No. 50 Beale Beast. Fastest qualifier Kody Swanson, 18,
came from tenth grid position to earn fourth place in the No. 60
Western Speed Equipment/Rick Gerhardt/Esslinger. It was his third
USAC midget race. A. Galedrige, Chase Barber, Garrett Hansen,
Shannon McQueen, Garratt Boyden and point leader Jerome Rodela,
sub-driving the No. 30 Justin Grant Beast, completed the top ten
with 13 cars racing at the checkers.
USAC rookie Laura Hayes, a 16-year old high
school junior from Wilton (near Sacramento) started her Race Place
Motorsports 2006 Beast fourth in a 14-car Ford Focus Midget field.
On lap 16 she jumped from third to first on the backstretch entering
turn three with an inside pass of second starter Ian Millie's Ron
Sutton No. 3 Stealth. She led the remaining distance in a 40-lap
race and won by 40-yards, with two lapped cars between her No. 27
and point leader Tim Skoglund, in the No. 40 Western Speed Equipment
ride. Paul Zimmerly, from Washington, took third in one of four Ron
Sutton Stealths.
Fastest qualifier Michael Faccinto, in NHRA star
Gary Scelzi's No. 4, started sixth and was in second spot on lap 20
when he spun out leaving turn four. He restarted at the back and
took fourth position on the final lap from pole starter Daniel
Bedford. Rookie Laura Poorter, from Amsterdam, Holland, was sixth,
with Jenna Frazier, rookie Ryan Ruscone, Jace Meier and Millie
tenth. Thirteen of 14 starters finished, with 11 drivers on the lead
lap. The race had three cautions for spun cars and one red flag when
two of Sutton's cars
collided while avoiding Faccinto's car. Millie's third place car and
Meier's fourth place car stopped next to the wall at the end of the
front straight hooked together. They restarted at the back.
With approximately 1,500 persons in the covered
grandstand of the Madera County Fairgrounds on a mid-90-degree day,
and a like number in the tree-shaded pits beyond turns one and two,
spectators watched a pair of memorial laps before the main events.
The Semper Truck Line No. 1 modified winged coupe followed the
Madera Speedway red Chevrolet Monte Carlo pace car and the driver
extended a checkered flag above the old-time car in memory of Larry
Trigueiro.Sr. Joe Helberg drove the second memorial parade lap with
the checkered flag extended from his 360-sprint car in memory of
Courtney Van Lare, the 3-year old daughter of Petaluma Speedway
360-sprint car driver Jim Van Lare. The child died recently during
surgery for a heart ailment.
Alan Betteroff, of the Operating Engineers Union,
Local 3, led all but the first lap of the ten-minute, 20-lap,
eight-car union members grudge race in old four-cylinder Toyotas and
Datsuns. A "Faster Pastor" championship race in similar
cars will take place at the track September 23. Tanner Swanson,
15-year old brother of budding open-wheel star Kody Swanson, started
seventh in a nine-car field of Modified Super Toyotas (mini Grand
American Modified style cars). He passed early leaders Jason (son)
and John (dad) Bowersox on lap four and led the final 22 laps of a
25-lap main. Doug Bridger was second, 10-yards back. Seven cars
reached the finish line. Donnie Large started fourth in the
eight-car 360 cu. in. super-modified main. He passed early leader
Kenny White on
lap seven and won by 40-yards over White, with Dave Tuey third, a
straight-away behind the runner-up. Six drivers finished. Heat race
winners were: Ford Focus-Caitlin Shaw and Meier; Midgets-Rodela and
K. Swanson; 360 sprints-B. Galedrige and McClish; MST-T. Swanson and
Bridger; plus 360 super-modifieds-Kevin Hayes and K. White.
The top three drivers spoke to spectators during
post-race interviewers at the finish line. FF winner Laura Hayes,
who moved from seventh to sixth in FF pavement series point
standings, said, "We've been waiting all year for a win. The
car was awesome all day. Thanks to Larry Trigueiro, Jr for helping
us out." Later the 5'6", 115-pound driver and her mother
and father related her racing experience. She raced quarter midgets
from age 8-12 and shifter karts from age 13-15. Laura was the first
female driver to win the IKF Grand National Shifter Championship
last year. She has won 12 national, regional, state and
local championships and more than 100 karting career triumphs. Laura
also graduated from the Cory Kruseman sprint car driving school and
Lyn St. James' driver development program. Laura said she wants to
race midgets, sprint cars and eventually stock cars in NASCAR.
The FF Midget winner said she was concerned
because her car had a push and she couldn't keep it as low as she
would like during the four restarts following cautions. Challengers
were Levi Roberts on lap 20 and P. Zimmerly on laps 23, 27 and 30.
Although the second place drivers attempted to pass her on the
inside entering the first turn, Laura quickly opened 15 to 25-yard
advantages after each restart. She extended her lead to 40-yards
over second place during the final ten laps. Runner-up Skoglund
said, "It was pushing pretty bad. I raced hard through the
end." Third place Zimmerly stated, "My car was handling
awful. Thanks to Tim (Skoglund) for racing me clean. He could've
taken me out." MST winner T. Swanson said, "Thank God for
being able to run up front and
for being a champion in the other circuit (600-cc class)."
Second finisher Bridger stated, "I needed the race to be 30 or
35 laps instead of 25 laps."
Midget winner Grewohl raced last season in FF
Midgets for Ron Sutton and in Chip Ganassi's driver development
program. He competed 12-times in the No. 71x USAC midget provided by
Keith Kunz, of Columbus, Indiana. He had three feature finishes
between fourth and tenth and finished 18th in USAC National Midget
points. "I had a clean race with Ryan Kaplan the whole
race," Grewohl said. Runner-up Kaplan thanked the crowd for
attending on a hot day. Third place Margeson stated, "I'm a
little disappointed. When the caution came out I messed myself up a
little. Oh well, that's racing."
Sprint car winner Galedrige, the fourth-ranked
driver in points, said, "Thanks to my dad (Al) for everything.
My crew worked hard all day to get my car right. Larry Trigueiro, Jr
is my crew chief." Second place Kody Swanson told spectators
that three generations of his family were present. He introduced his
grandfather Bill and father Mike, a former driver. Third finisher
Rescino said, "My car was pretty good. I'm just happy to get a
top three finish. I had fun racing with Kody. Thanks to my father
(Nick, Sr-also a former race driver). He's a great dad."
The next races for the USAC Western Series are:
360 Sprint Cars - Shasta Raceway in Anderson, CA. on September 23;
Midgets - Bakersfield Speedway on September 16; Ford Focus Midgets
-- Dirt Series - at Bakersfield on September 16, and Pavement Series
- at Irwindale Speedway on September 23.
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