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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
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| MANZY WESTERN WORLD SPRINT
CARS by Tim Kennedy |
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Los Angeles, CA, - The Checker Auto Parts/Budweiser 2006
Western World Championship at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix (Thur.
Nov. 9 through Sat. Nov. 11) featured USAC 410 cu. in. sprint cars
on the half-mile clay and Parker Stores ASCA 360 cu. in. sprints on
the third-mile. The two organizations supplied impressive fields of
60 410s and 54 360s for the 39th annual WWC. That car count of 114
was the best yet in the third consecutive year of the USAC and ASCA
collaboration at the WWC. The event began in 1968 as an open
competition, large purse race and ran for decades as an open comp
event that attracted teams from many organizations. It became a
World of Outlaws winged sprint car point race in the 1990s. It has been a point race for USAC 410 and ASCA 360 sprint teams since 2004 and this pairing gives fans the best action in a two track format. All USAC sprinters qualified and raced Thursday and Friday and raced C, B and A main events Saturday. The ASCA 360 teams were split into two groups-26 teams raced Thursday and the other 28 raced Friday. ASCA teams drew pills to determine heat race starting positions. The 360 teams also raced C, B and A-mains Saturday, giving fans 80-laps of 410 and 60-laps of 360 features (140 total laps). A few rain drops fell after midnight Saturday, but not enough to chase people from the pits. Manzy's starter Jeff Bozell worked alone on the stand for all races and had a busy three nights. Former driver Rick Setzer was the infield announcer. Race purses were $90,000 for USAC and $30,000 for ASCA according to genial Manzanita General Manager Dennis Wood, a former Phoenix Gazette sports reporter and Phoenix International Raceway executive before Buddy Jobe sold PIR to International Speedway Corp. Dennis was a Manzy driver himself 30+ years ago. Additional cash awards brought the WWC purse to about $125,000. Large crowds in the pits all three nights and a near capacity crowd in the grandstand Saturday proved the investment was sound. Dennis brought back some of the past WWC ceremonies, all A main drivers Saturday rode on a hay wagon from the pits to the starting line wearing matching straw hats. Drivers were introduced and tossed their signed straw hats over the fence to the crowd before walking to their sprint cars. He had an excellent marimba and steel drum youth band play the National Anthem Thursday in front of the grandstand. He also brought in Native American Indians to do native dances Saturday night on a large mat on the track to accompanying drum beating by tribe members. Dennis also had Arizona's favorite trumpeter, Jesse McGuire, play the National Anthem Saturday night as he does at PIR races. The 2006 WWC Grand Marshall was popular driver Jack Hewitt, from Ohio. On Saturday night Jack gave one of the best invocations I've ever heard at a racing event. He spoke impromptu from the heart. Later I asked Jack to name his favorite racing memories from his successful racing career. He thought for a moment and answered, "winning all four features (Silver Crown, Sprint Car, Midget and Modified on 9/26/98) at the annual Eldora Raceway Four Crown Nationals, and racing in the 1998 Indianapolis 500 are 1A and 1B." USAC National Sprint point-leader Josh Wise, 23, clinched his first USAC National Sprint Car championship at the WWC. The former Riverside, CA resident also won USAC's 2005 National Midget championship for his Mopar-powered Tony Stewart Racing Team. Josh dominated the 25-lap preliminary feature Friday and won by a straight-away (6.06-seconds). He started third and led all 40-laps of the Saturday feature as well. Josh had a one-straight lead and three lapped cars between his car and second place on lap 28. Because a red flag flew on lap 38, Josh won by 2.75 seconds or about 50-yards, an advantage he built during the final three laps. Following his victory Josh did several 360-degree donuts at turn four and drove to the finish line ceremonies for the top three finishers. Josh's beaming dad Eric and mom Christine were present to watch him pick up his $12,500 A main check. Car owner Stewart, in town for his NASCAR Nextel Cup race at PIR, watched Josh's final USAC sprint point race for his team and sprayed champagne too. Stewart told the crowd, "I'm sorry Josh is leaving us. He's done a great job. He won the National Midget Championship (2005) and now the National Sprint Car Championship for us and Mopar." He also praised crew chief Bobby Barth for his work. Wise said, "We had highs and lows earlier in the year. It's good to finish on a high note." He revealed he will be employed in 2007 by the new Michael Waltrip Racing Team, driving a Toyota Tundra truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and a Toyota Camry in ARCA. Josh raced a No. 22 Dodge twice in 2006 with ARCA (at Winchester, IN and Toledo, OH). He is moving from Indianapolis to a town home in North Carolina to start his full-time stock car career. Josh's final ride for Stewart will be in Steve Lewis' PRI-two-night midget and sprint car event at Orlando, FL Speed World on December 14-15. Cory Kruseman, the 2006 USAC/CRA sprint car champion in Glenn Crossno's No. 38 Bullet, double-dipped in the 360s also at the WWC. He started second and led the final 23 laps in Dave Ellis' No. 21 Ellis chassis. During their portion of WWC victory ceremonies on Saturday, Ellis said he built a new Ellis car for Cory to race in the 2006 WWC but he didn't complete it in time. "So we used the old one." It was the car Cory used to win the ASCA Saturday feature at the WWC in November 2005. Cory also ran strong in the same car at the 2004 WWC and almost won the Saturday feature in it. Josh Ford passed him in turn three on the final lap. Kruseman was one of 18 drivers who raced both 410s and 360s at the 2006 WWC. Dave Darland, Jon Stanbrough, Levi Jones, Bill Rose, Jesse Hockett, R. J. Johnson, Danny Sheridan, Rickie Gaunt, Mike Martin, Charles Davis, Jr, Mike Leslie, Jeremy Sherman, Brandon Lane, Jeff Henry, Tom Ogle, Nathan High and Bruce St. James were the other double-dippers. Several young second-generation drivers of note competed in their first WWC event in 360s. Chad Boat, 14-year old son of sprint car/midget/IRL/Indianapolis 500 driver Billy Boat, raced Thursday. He started fourth and won his heat race and finished seventh in the 20-car, 30-lap A main event. Chad, a 2006 ASA Speed Truck Series rookie, skipped the Saturday night ASA truck race at 5/16-mile paved Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway in Blythe, CA to race his ASCA No. 30 sprint car in the WWC. In the Saturday WWC A main Chad started 13th and raced up to eighth place until near the finish and finished 17th. Chad won a 10/14/06 ASCA 25-lap 360-sprint feature at Canyon Raceway. He finished in the top ten in ASA 2006 final points and was the second-ranked ASA rookie. Another young 360 second-generation driver in his initial WWC came from the San Francisco Bay Area. Shane Golobic, 15, from Fremont, is the son of retired sprint car driver John Golobic, who raced winged sprinters with NARC, Baylands and the WoO when it came to California. John was in the Manzy pits helping Shane during the WWC. Shane finished third in his heat race Thursday and 16th in the main. He finished 16th in the B-main Saturday. DRIVERS BY STATES: ASCA 360s - had 54 drivers from seven states as follows: AZ- 35; CA-eight; IN-six, N.M-two, and one each from CO, HA and MO. USAC 410s - had 58 drivers (two back-up only cars No. 71 and 90) from ten states as follows: CA-22; AZ and IN-13 each, MO, N.M, and OK-two each, and IL, N.C, NE and S.D-one each. Dennis Krob, from Pearl City Hawaii, shipped his 360 cu. in. sprint car from Hawaii to Phoenix for $850, a special "racer's rate" on Connie Kalitta's all-freight airline. "Our quarter-mile dirt track closed," said the former Arizona resident, "and I wanted to race." Manzanita Speedway now uses electronic transponders for scoring. Charles Davis, Jr set a new ten-lap 360-heat race track record Thursday. His 2:27.66 eclipsed the 2:29.44 old mark. The USAC 12-lap B main event Friday started 23-cars and all 23 cars finished the all green-flag race in a time of 4:11.47. Even more amazing, all 23 drivers finished on the lead lap on the crowded third-mile. Saturday's 360 B main started 20 cars and all 20 drivers finished the 3:59.28 race, with only two drivers lapped. The quantity and quality of the ASCA-field surprised me. The roster showed 53 cars. ASCA, with very young drivers and grizzled veterans, is competitive and fun to watch. ASCA ran 23 races from March 25 through October 28. Most ASCA cars use the Arizona-built Buckley chassis. Stinger, Ellis, Drake, Stewart, DRC, Stealth and TCR are represented in ASCA as well. Back in the 1960-70 era most Arizona sprint car drivers were Phoenix or Tucson residents. With the population boom in Arizona, ASCA drivers now list hometowns such as Globe, Surprise, Buckeye, Yuma, Litchfield Park, Chandler, Glendale, Cottonwood, Prescott, Dewey and Waddell. ASCA sprinter No. 62 is owned by Bob Bishop, a retired ASA sprint car driver from the 60s. Two ASCA owners field two cars each. Fred Bryan had Bob Ream, Jr in his 77az and Charles. Davis, Jr. in 77x Joe Moriarty, of Total Seal Piston Rings, had Josh Pelkey in his 54 and Rickie Gaunt in 54j. Lowell Carsten, an ASA car owner from the 1960s, owns the 61az and 91az cars. FLIPS: The 2006 WWC at Manzy had ten flips--seven in ASCA 360s and three in USAC 410s--during the three nights of racing. ASCA 360 flippers were: (Thursday)--Chris Bonneau (78) in the B, Tom Ogle (48) on lap 5 of the A, Nathan High (5) on lap 16 of A; (Friday)--Bruce St. James (7k) in heat 3; (Saturday)--Art Mankel III (76a) in C rode off the banked first turn and flipped three-times in the open space between the third and half-mile tracks. When interviewed on the infield PA microphone Art said , "That ride was like being on a Ferris wheel." Charles Davis, Jr (77x) was in second place on lap 14 of the A and rode off the third turn and barrel-rolled three or four times to the open space between the two tracks. Rickie Gaunt (54j) in fourth place rode off turn three right behind Davis and simultaneously barrel-rolled three or four times to the right of Davis. Ironically, Davis and Gaunt are teammates on Tony Smiley's 410 USAC team and they came back from their wild rides to race Smiley's No. 8a and No. 2a team cars in the 410 A main. USAC 410 flippers were: (Thursday)--Rick Ziehl (75z) in turn one on lap 2 of A; (Friday)--Mike Spencer (44) between first two turns in heat 2, and (Saturday)--Shane Cottle (10e) on the backstretch during lap 38 of the A. Driver News: Impressive 16-year old Brady Bacon, from Broken Arrow, OK, has signed as a Chip Ganassi developmental driver for 2007, just as Bryan Clauson was in 2006. Clauson has been nominated for National Rookie of the Year for 2006. His competition includes rookies Marco Andretti (Indy Racing League) and Denny Hamlin (Nextel Cup). Steve Ostling was slated to drive the USAC 410 Warren Dorothy-owned No. 21 Stinger chassis at the WWC. He hot-lapped the car Thursday night and the crankshaft broke, ending his WWC and driving career. The 44-year old driver began racing CRA sprint cars in 1985 and was one of the top four CRA rookies that season. He will start working as the USAC/CRA Regional Series pit steward in 2007 and end his sprint car driving. Fans, friends and racers signed a large get well soon cardboard sign for former CRA driver Mike English at the pit board. Mike was hospitalized after receiving a serious foot injury in a fall off a hill on an ATV. Brad Sweet, in the No. 3j (3 Js-Jack & Judy Yeley + Joe Dooling)), was in fourth place (the final transfer position) from the 410 B to Thursday's A-main when he slowed in final turn on the last lap. It ran out of fuel and he coasted across the finish line sixth, missing the A. Brad immediately and angrily pulled into turn one of the third-mile track at a still rapid speed, earning a fine from USAC for excessive pit speed. The next night the 3j team had installed a fuel gauge to prevent a recurrence of the last lap gaff. Mat Neely, fired by Scott Benic's 2B Racing after the PAS Oval Nationals a week earlier, picked up a WWC ride in the back-up No. 92 Maxim of Darin Clayton. "I would only release my back-up car to my buddy Mat," Darin told me. NASCAR Cup and Busch driver J. J. Yeley came from PIR each night and raced the Benic 2B sprint car in the WWC at his home track where he began his racing career with his dad Jack. WWC POST-RACE SPECIAL AWARDS: Many came courtesy of Bob Bondurant School of High-Performance Driving at Firebird Raceway, Chandler, AZ, near Phoenix. 410 Series Awards: Farthest Tow--No. 69 Hoffman Racing from Ohio; Hard Charger--Brad Sweet; Sportsmanship ($100)--Tony Smiley, and Hard Luck--Rickie Gaunt. 360 Series Awards: Farthest Tow--Dennis Krob from Hawaii; Hard Charger--Dave Darland; Sportsmanship--Mike Leslie and Kevin Montgomery for helping other teams; winning crew chief-Dave Ellis, and Hard Luck--Charles Davis, Jr. Davis said the $100 will go to his 360 sprint car owner Fred Bryan. "Maybe I need the Bondurant Driving School," Davis quipped. USAC veteran Tony Elliott was in the WWC pits and said he wasn't seeking a ride and might retire from racing. However, Tony is an entrant for a USAC Indoor Midget race this winter. Maybe that is his caboose race before hanging up his racing helmet. While they were in Phoenix for their NASCAR races at PIR, NASCAR drivers Kasey Kahne, Jason Leffler and Dave Blaney returned to their racing roots by watching from Manzy's pits the WWC major league sprint car racing. Former IRL driver Dan Drinan was pit-side as well. The $4.00 WWC race program had a Mike Arthur color cover photo of 2005 WWC winner Dave Darland in the No.11Jeff Walker Chevy and many past WWC photos inside on 32-pages of quality paper. The program included entry rosters for the 360 and 410 series, point standings for the three series--ASCA, USAC National and USAC/CRA--season recaps/winners for all three series, WWC historical story by track announcer/PR man Windy McDonald, and a listing of all 38 prior WWC winners. Manzanita Speedway staff produced the high-quality 2006 WWC program. They might have a few copies left for sale. Contact them at the track web site www.ManzanitaSpeedway.us or by calling (602) 276-7575. Quotes by the top three 410 Saturday night A main finishers follow: P.3--Bud Kaeding: "I watched the B race. I saved my tires and had tires at the end," stated Bud. He said his 2007 plans included USAC Silver Crown and sprint car racing. P.2--Darin Clayton: "Lapped cars definitely hurt me. Brad Sweet (on the lap 38 restart) left no room to get around. With rubber down on the track it was too hard to pass. If it was a heavier track I think I'd have had something for Josh." (Clayton passed Sweet on lap 39 but he was then 40-yards behind Josh with only two laps remaining.) P.1--Josh Wise: "We took sort of a chance and went with a 'one' tire. We slowed down a bit but we didn't want to run out of rubber with 10 or 15 laps to go. That red flag (lap 38) helped. The tires cooled down." FINAL ADD: Dennis Wood told me at the WWC that he was going to start a new dirt track Copper World Classic-type event on Manzanita's clay track in February 2007. He already had two major sponsors lined up to back the event. Dennis started the CWC in 1977 while he managed PIR. The "new CWC", to be called "The Copper", would replace the annual PIR-CWC that annually drew about 30,000 fans for years. The PIR-CWC attendance has fallen drastically in recent years for various reasons. The former USAC S/C, Midgets, SRL super-modifieds and NASCAR Southwest Series stock cars gave way several years back to USAC S/C cars and Midgets, IRL Indy Cars and Infinity Pro Series. In 2006 PIR dropped the IRL and IPS. The January 21-22, 2006 PIR-CWC paired new style USAC S/C cars, USAC Midgets, NASCAR Grand National West and NASCAR Elite Division SW Series stock cars. The 2006 stand-alone event bombed attendance-wise, forcing PIR management to drop the stand-alone January CWC and move the USAC S/C cars and Midgets to a Thursday November 8 all-open wheel date to kick-off the annual three major NASCAR National Series events--Craftsman Trucks, Busch Series and Nextel Cup--from Friday through Sunday, November 9-11. With that schedule already announced, Dennis wisely stepped into the void and created his Manzanita "dirt track Copper" event for the recently announced race dates of Friday-Saturday, February 9-10. The USAC triple-header will feature dirt track S/C cars, National & Western Midget Series, and USAC/CRA Regional Sprint Cars. Yes, S/C dirt cars have raced on half-miles successfully-at Eldora Speedway, Knoxville, IA Raceway and Williams Grove, in PA--and Manzy is a BIG half-mile. Dennis reminded me he raced a champ dirt car at Manzy in a sprint car race 30+ years ago. The new Copper event will honor the memory of late Arizona racing great drivers Roger McCluskey and Gene Brown. Qualifying and heat races for all three series will take place Friday night, with all B and A-mains slated Saturday night. Feature distances will be 30-laps for midgets, 40-laps for sprints and 50-laps for S/C cars. This new event will give Manzanita bookend races-the Copper in February and the Western World in November--to open and close the racing season. The allure of a weekend in the Valley of the Sun during the chilly winter season in many areas of the country will attract open-wheel fans and dirt track fans from around the nation back to Phoenix for this stand-alone Copper race on dirt. Many cold-weather "snow-birds" already spend their winters in sunny Arizona so the new event should be an immediate success. Make your plans now to attend this new, sure to be classic racing event. |
