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Los Angeles, CA. - SPRINTS @ VENTURA: I took a
90-minute drive north to the
self-proclaimed "Best Little Dirt Track in America"
Saturday, October 28 for a night of sprint car racing at the scenic,
well-run fifth-mile adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. A large crowd
gathered for the 410 cu. in. USAC/CRA regional sprint car series,
the 360 cu. in. VRA Senior Sprints, and the 16th annual 20-lap
Wagsdash for season-long hard luck/low buck teams. A new,
28-page track printed program covered the basics-schedule of events,
entry rosters, points, photos, columns, season statistics, November
events, and photos/driver profiles of Josh Ford, Levi Jones, Darren
Hagen and Mat Neely. It also contained a story about grand marshall
John Redican. The 62-year old former Northridge, CA driver now
resides in Arizona. As long-time driver of the No. 55 Kathy Simpson
CRA
sprint car, Redican posted 17 fast qualifying times, won 69 heat
races and 22 main events. He was CRA's 1987 most improved driver
trophy winner. He also won a number of midget races and retired
after a serious crash at Bakersfield Speedway. John addressed the
crowd and said he was happy to be present for the dirt track racing
and a chance to visit old friends.
The amazing variety of USAC/CRA sprint car chassis choices listed 21
different builders in the race program. In no particular order they
were: Eagle, Extreme, Stinger, DRC, Sled, Buckley, Bullet, F5,
Maxim, Avenger, Ellis, Twister West, Jon Boy, J & J, Okie,
Competition Welding, TCR, Gambler, Drake, Beast and Kunz. The
Ventura Racing Association Senior Sprint Division had 38
cars/drivers listed in the sold out $2.00 program. A strong field of
23 VRA 360 cu. in.Senior Sprints, 37 USAC/CRA 410s and 13 of 17
eligible Wagsdash drivers competed in main events of 20, 30 and 20
laps respectively. The sunny day was still 68 degrees at 5:20 p.m
and a comfortable 59 degrees at 9:27 p.m when the final main event
concluded, well before the track curfew. Fans had witnessed hot laps
at 4:00, CRA time trials at 5:00, and starting at 6:00, three 8-lap
VRA
heats and four 10-lap CRA heat races for 134 total laps of racing.
Promoter/announcer Jim Naylor, pit announcer Chris Holt and track
starter Phil Stevenson all deserve praise for their work.
Rookie Blake Miller, 19, set fast time of 11.953-the only sub-12
second lap-in the new Chalk chassis (red No. 94) of Nadine Keller's
Black Widow Racing. Visiting USAC/CRA drivers and cars included Levi
Jones, from Illinois, and 17-year old Dustin (Captain) Morgan, from
Oklahoma, in the Walker/Guiducci team cars from the Midwest. Mat
Neely, from Illinois, and 21-year old Scotty Weir, from Marion,
Indiana, raced their 2B and 22w Indiana cars. Rick Ziehl, from N.M,
drove the local Stansberry No. 75 Maxim. All five drivers made the
feature. It was a new track for Morgan and Weir. Dennis Rodriguez
raced the No. 45 car that Cory Kruseman formerly raced for Harlan
Willis.
Attendees included retired sprint car drivers Duke Cook, from Ohio,
five-time CRA champ Jimmy Oskie, Darren Hagen, Pete Willoughby and
J. C. Agajanian, Jr., who plugged the USAC Thanksgiving Night Midget
Grand Prix at Irwindale Speedway on November 23. He also provided
free tickets to lucky fans who had marked programs. One winner was
Lance Jennings who operates www.scrafans.com
that covers open-wheel racing on the West Coast. Don Weaver and
Belita Michnowicz said their annual Legends of Ascot luncheon/awards
ceremony at Perris Auto Speedway Sat., October 21attracted about 800
persons. The 76-page Legends program that Weaver did is a definite
keeper.
Walt James, 83, was present with some of his WRA vintage racing
cars--pre-1980 midgets, sprints, roadsters--on display in the pits.
Five of the 1920s-1930s era sprint cars took slow laps around the
track. On the track PA Walt said one driver is 81-years old. He also
plugged the 14th annual vintage racing-car gathering November 25-26.
The site is Walt James Stadium, a 3/8-mile dirt oval at Willow
Springs in the high-desert town of Rosamond. Gates will open at 8:00
a.m and pit passes are $15 per day or $25 for the weekend. Kevin
Kierce also plugged via the track PA system the Saturday, November
18 Jim Kierce Memorial invitational race for VRA seniors 60+ or
about age 60. The son of CRA's late 1963 rookie of the year plans to
have a $1,200 to win and $200 to start purse.
That night also will be the final 2006 point race for the VRA
non-senior drivers. Luis (Snap-on) Espinoza leads Greg Taylor. A
USAC FORD Focus dirt track national championship race will take
place at Ventura Raceway November 18. It was held in the Midwest
last year and will be held in an eastern state next year.
USAC/CRA series coordinator Chris Morgan and his fiancee, Allison
Sweeney, announced their engagement and showed her engagement ring.
Blonde Allison is from Phoenix and they met at the 2005 Western
World USAC Phoenix race. They've been dating a few months. Their
wedding date will be January 6, 2007 at Furnace Creek in
California's Death Valley. VRA Seniors point leader Ron Bach, a
former dwarf car racer at Ventura, had 11,175 points and second
place Bruce Douglass had 10,210 entering the October 28 race.
Douglass led all 20 laps and Bach finished fourth, reducing Bach's
point lead. He now has 12,075 to 11,260 for Douglass. The 20-car
USAC/CRA main had one Ford engine car (Rodney Argo) that flipped in
turn one during TT. Without a qualifying time, Argo started ninth
(last) in heat four and finished second (with seven cars running.
Argo earned a direct transfer to the main where he again started
last and finished 11th in the 30-lap main, down a lap, with 13 cars
racing at the finish. The first nine finishers ran all 30 laps,
10th-12th ran 29 laps, and 13th (CRA newcomer Wes Richardson) ran 28
laps. Jimmy Crawford was scheduled to start third, but he withdrew
his No. 51 after a bent sway bar and broken oil tank could not be
repaired in time. He had started sixth and finished third in heat
three. Crawford, in his 40s, announced his wife is expecting their
first baby in June 2007. So he plans to sell his team and retire as
a driver unless another team offers him a ride.
HELMET-TOSS: A lap nine first turn roll-over by Miller involved CRA
championship contender Damion Gardner. Gardner's No. 50 Ron Chaffin
Eagle went to the work area beyond turn four to repair a suspension
problem. Officials allowed the standard three laps under the yellow
flag. No. 50 was not ready to go at the turn four push-off area, so
they waved the green flag to resume racing on lap nine. On lap 11
everyone was startled to see a white helmet on the race-track at
turn four amid racing sprint cars. Ziehl's No. 75 hit it and the
starter waved the yellow flag. Gardner, angered by the resumption of
racing before his car could be pushed off, left his cockpit and
threw his helmet. Ventura's track crew retrieved the helmet and gave
it to promoter Naylor, who now has it as an unusual trophy. USAC/CRA
officials informed Gardner that he received a four-digit fine for
his helmet-toss. He paid the $1,000 fine Thursday, November 2 at
Perris before he could race in night one of the Oval Nationals.
Chris Holt interviewed the USAC/CRA top three main event finishers
at the starting line. Winner Cory Kruseman said, "This is my
home track and home fans. I love this track. I had no plan of attack
at the start. My motor started to lean down during the last ten
laps. Thanks to Bullet chassis and to Pete Willoughby who is here
tonight. When Jimmy Naylor prepares a track it's done right. I've
learned a lot from him over the years." Then Cory asked,
"What was that helmet on the track?" Kruseman was to start
fifth but he moved up a row to third when Crawford's car scratched.
Cory was second for the first four laps and
led laps five-30 after passing leader Danny Sheridan in turns 3-4.
Runner-up Sheridan, who won his first CRA main on October 7 at PAS,
said, "About half-way I had a weight-jacker problem and
couldn't get weight into it. The four car (Tony Jones) got a slider
under me (at turn two) but I turned down and got back by him the
same lap. We have a new motor for the end of the season races."
Third place Jones said, "I was faster than 18 (Sheridan) but I
couldn't get by. Cory ran off and hid." Cory, in Glenn
Crossno's No. 38 Bullet/Downing, had a straight-away lead with two
lapped cars between him and the dueling second and third place
drivers at the finish. The race began at 8:32, had five yellow flags
and ended at 8:55. The track was heavy and moist throughout the
feature.
The 16th annual Wagsdash, an original idea by Ken Wagner, his wife
Teri and their hard-working team of Wags boosters/fund raisers. The
17-car race from 9:12 to 9:27 was reduced to 13 low-buck racers
following the 30-lap CRA main. The moist, cushioned track for the
30-lap CRA main had slicked off for the Wagsdash. Third generation
Brandon Thomson, with a 360 engine, started second and led the first
14 laps. Then 12th starter Alan Ballard passed him in turn three and
led the final six-laps for his second Wagsdash victory in three
years. He won $2,500. Kevin Kierce came from tenth to take second on
the final lap and trailed Ballard by 15-yards. Thomson finished
third. Thrilled by leading a main and career-best third place,
Thomson gave an excited post-race interview from his car over the PA
system. Runner-up Kierce later said, "I don't know why he
(Thomson) is so breathless. I'm 41 and I'm not breathing hard."
Overall, it was a solid, enjoyable night of open-wheel entertainment
at the scenic, coastal racing bull-ring.
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