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| RACING SCENE Column (MANZANITA
SPRINTS) by Tim Kennedy |
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Los Angeles, CA. - MANZANITA SPEEDWAY 2007 SPRINTS REVISITED: As a
preview for the upcoming USAC triple-header at the half-mile
Manzanita Speedway February 15-16, it is interesting to look back to
the 2007 season. The USAC-sanctioned Sands Chevrolet "The
Copper on Dirt" on February 9-10 and the 39th annual Checker
Auto Parts/Budweiser "Western World Championship" (WWC) on
November 9-10 were both outstanding, competitive racing events. The
two-day Copper of Dirt was the brainchild of then Manzanita Speedway
general manager Dennis Wood. The first-time event was an instant
classic and got my vote for best new racing event of the year. It
replaced the long-running Copper Classic event at Phoenix Int'l
Raceway, which moved the open-wheel Copper Classic to November 8.
Fans from chilly climates said it was great to have the Copper event
back in February, giving them a reason to come to the Valley of the
Sun for great racing and warm weather.
The upcoming February 9-10 second running of the Copper on Dirt event hopefully will be the second in a long line of USAC triple-headers on Manzy's sweeping half-mile clay oval. The Copper on Dirt last year was the first Silver Crown (champ car dirt series) race in Arizona since 1963 when the behemoths raced at the AZ State Fairgrounds mile dirt track. The 2007 Copper on Dirt event was a coming out coronation of unheralded 19-year old Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., of Olive Branch, Mississippi. It could be compared to Jim Hurtubise winning the champ dirt car race at Sacramento in 1959, and Jimmy Kite winning the Silver Crown race at the PIR paved mile in 1997. Both victories made the then young drivers well-known in open-wheel racing and launched their Indianapolis 500 careers. Stenhouse won both the 40-lap sprint car main event and the
50-lap first-ever Silver Crown feature at Manzanita. It was his
first visit to the famous southwest Phoenix track that began
operating as a dog-racing track and switched to auto racing in 1951.
Ricky, in only his third sprint car race without a wing, won the
sprint car main in the Rick Stenhouse, Sr. No. 40 J & J/Chevy
after starting eighth in a 29-car field. He led laps 19-40. Then he
surprised everyone by winning the 50-lap S/C feature in the
Ford-powered R.E Technologies No. 199 car owned by NASCAR star Carl
Edwards. He took the lead on lap 42 and won Stenhouse was selected in late 2007 by Roush-Fenway Racing as a Ford stock car developmental driver for the 2008 ARCA/REMAX Series. Possibly his S/C car owner Edwards (a Roush-Fenway driver) gave boss Jack Roush the tip to hire the racy, teenage Stenhouse. Now the sky is the limit. In February ARCA rookie practice sessions Ricky was the fastest rookie according to reports. With 65 ARCA cars present for the February 9 ARCA 200-mile race at the 2.5-mile Daytona Int'l Speedway, Ricky qualified sixth fastest overall. His No. 99 Roush-Fenlway Ford was involved in a practice crash before the race and he had to go to the back of the field for the race. He followed eight-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel; through the crowded field and was running fifth near mid-race when a crash in front of him collected his Ford and ended his race. It was his debut on the huge, banked 2.5-mile track and his first major stock car race. Surely, open-wheel drivers learn car control and how to race. Stock car owners who want to win should be looking for talented racers at events such as Manzy's Copper on Dirt. The third Copper on Dirt feature at Manzy last February was a 30-lap USAC Midget main that began the night of three features and had a thrilling conclusion. Cory Kruseman, driving the red and white No. 6 Jesse Denome-owned Spike/Esslinger, won the exciting race. Cory took the lead in the final turn on the 30th and final lap after battling leaders Tracy Hines and Darren Hagen both ran out of fuel. Hagen coasted across the finish line second and he later also finished second in the sprint car feature. Car counts at the 2007 Copper event were 59 midgets, 48 sprints and 20 S/C cars (127 total) that actually raced, with backup cars pushing the total car count to 130. This year on February 4 the Copper on Dirt entry list showed 41 midgets, 25 USAC-CRA sprints and 17 S/C cars. Additional cars, especially from Arizona and the southwest, are sure to enter, making another 130 or more car count likely in the crowded Manzy pits. The Manzanita press box in 2007 had a sign on the front. It read
"Windy's Press Box" in honor of long-time chief announcer
Windy McDonald, whose second hard-cover book titled "Desert
Thunder" is now for sale. It covers racing in Arizona from
1981-2005. His first book about circle track racing in Arizona The 2007 Manzy Western World event was streamed live on the Internet. Videographer Dean Mills, on the press box roof, provided the video and announcers in the booth supplied the audio. The show received almost 10,000 hits. The two-day Manzy Western World on November 9-10 was reduced by one day from past WWC events because USAC teams competed on Thur. Nov. 8 at PIR in nearby Avondale, AZ. The PIR Copper World Classic event, moved from its Jan. or Feb. former date, featured USAC S/C cars and USAC Midgets in a Thursday night doubleheader that kicked off the NASCAR trucks, Busch and Cup racing weekend at PIR Friday-Sunday. The USAC Nov. 8 midget race had 47 midgets. Third race leader Dave Steele won the 25-lap main, leading the final six laps before a slim crowd in the vast PIR capacity grandstands. With a record 21of the new style S/C cars present Cameron Dodson won his first S/C feature. He wheeled Carl Edwards' No. 199 pavement car. Dodson was the fourth race leader and led laps 84-100. The two-day WWC was the second trailblazing new event at Manzy during 2007 and it had SRO attendance. New Manzy ownership/management, led by Bobby Martin (the son of 1950s Manzy owner Mel Martin), and new GM Steve Dunn (a former winged sprint car driver) paired USAC sprint cars and Western All-Stars Dirt Late Model stock cars in a unique double-header that the half-mile dirt Las Vegas Motor Speedway also used successfully on Thur.-Fri. March 8-9, 2007. The Las Vegas event also was a kick-off race during the NASCAR weekend on the 1.5-mile paved track beyond turn two of the dirt track. Tony Jones (Alexander Bros. No. 4) and Josh Wise (Keith Kunz 67) won the two USAC LVMS sprint mains and Jimmy Mars (No. H2O) captured both Dirt L/M features. The Nov. 9-10 USAC sprint car events at Manzanita offered both National Sprint and USAC-CRA Regional Series points, so the field was as impressive as expected. Friday there were 58 sprint cars and two backup cars. Fast-rising Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, got the Kasey Kahne No. 9 ride for the WWC after Kevin Swindell drove it at Perris a week earlier. USAC officials parked Swindell for rough driving at Perris, opening the ride for Sweet. Bill Rose stepped into the Kunz 67 ride vacated by Sweet. November temperatures at Manzy were 78 degrees at warm-up time and 65 after the main Friday, and 76 at warm-up time Saturday and 64 degrees at 1:30 a.m. Jesse McGuire, the trumpet soloist at past PIR and Manzy races, performed his outstanding trumpet solo of the National Anthem. Manzy's Copper on Dirt USAC triple-header in February, and its WWC with USAC sprints and Western All-Star Dirt Late Models in November are now must see events for people who enjoy quality short-track competition on dirt. WWC SPRINT CAR NOTES: Cory Kruseman missed Friday night racing because he had pneumonia and spent time in a hospital. When he raced Saturday in his own No. 21K, Cory had to start last (P. 23) in the 20-lap C-main that advanced the first ten finishers to the back of the B-main (P 15-24). On lap 6 at the second turn Cory flipped several times without injury after contact with the spinning car of Mike Leslie. Cory also had a Dirt Late Model ride for the WWC. Casey Shuman (Massey No. 2az) continued his hot hand from the PAS Oval Nationals a week earlier. He started second and led all 20 laps of the B-main. He started 13th in the 40-lap A main and finished seventh. Dustin Morgan came from 15th to take the final transfer spot (12th) from Mat Neely in the closing laps. Sportsman Daron Clayton allowed his friend Neely to sub-drive Daron's No. 10 ride because Mat was in the USAC National Sprint point chase. Neely had to start from the back row because of the driver change. After missing the A-transfer Neely used a provisional berth to start 26th in the 40-lap A-main and he drove Daron's No. 10 to his 11th place finish in the feature. The USAC feature had five lead changes among four drivers. Second
starter Stenhouse (Stewart 21s) passed pole starter Bud Kaeding on
lap one and led 14 laps. Then fifth starter Dave Darland (Pace 44)
led L 15-32. Stenhouse led 33-34. Darland led L 35-37 and
sensational Jerry Coons, Jr. (Hoffman 69) led the Coons won the $12,000 first place check for his initial Manzy WWC. "My car was dialed in both nights," Coons told the crowd from the stage behind the pit wall at the starting line. "I have to apologize to Jeremy Sherman for contact in turn four. I over-drove it a bit. I had to get back in control and drive to the front." When asked about a contract for 2008, Coons said, "We'll have to negotiate that." Twenty-two of 28 starters were racing at the 11:41 finish and 21 drivers completed all 40 laps. Levi Jones won the 2007 USAC National Sprint championship and his car owner, Tony Stewart, was present in the pits. Stewart spoke on the pit microphone and congratulated Levi and team manager Bubby Jones. The hard charger award (aside from Coons) went to Neely (P 25 to 11) who gained 14 positions. Hard luck award would go to Danny Sheridan who flipped several times on lap 12 between the first two turns. He was OK. The Western All-Star Dirt L/M field provided a strong 54-car field. They ran four 10-lap heats, an eight-car, four-lap $1,000 dash for cash (won by Scott James, the Thursday main event winner in his No. 83). Following the USAC A-main and post-race interviews, Dirt L/M drivers ran two 12-lap consy races that sent the first four finishers to the A-main. The 1st consy started at 12:01 a.m and the second at 12:10 a.m. The scheduled 40-lap A-main started at 12:35. Five yellow flags and one red flag followed. Officials cut the race to 30-laps because of the late hour and the race concluded at 1:20 a.m. An estimated 2,500 of the 6,000+ in the stands stayed to see the final checkered flag. NASCAR Cup driver J. J.Yeley finished 12th in a No. 18J. Earlier J.J. won the second 12-lap consy. The Dirt L/M main had three leaders and four lead changes. Mike Marier paced L 1-15, pole-sitter Scott James led L 16-24, and Kelly Boen (No. 07) led L 25-30 and won $5,000. At victory ceremonies Boen sprayed champagne and said, "I wasn't worried about fuel, but I didn't know who was behind me. The track kept getting better and better. I'm thrilled to be here. Back home (Henderson, NV) we don't have any tracks like this." Only eight of 24 starters finished. Chris Shannon and A. J. Kirkpatrick finished second and third. |
