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| RACING
SCENE by Tim Kennedy |
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Los Angeles, CA. - SCRA/VRA at PAS (Mar.1): A week after the
WoO event non-wing sprint car racing returned to the PAS on March 1
with double-barreled action. For the first time at Perris,
fans were treated to a pairing of SCRA 410 c.i sprints and VRA 360 c.i sprints on the same card in separate full programs. That was like getting a doubleheader baseball game, a double scoop ice cream cone, or a double bill movie. Fans I spoke to loved the SCRA/VRA pairing and early starting time. The next SCRA/VRA pairing at the PAS will be held October 4. Now Irwindale Speedway needs to reschedule the USAC W/S 360 sprint race from October 4 to the 11th for the benefit of sprint car fans and the bottom line (attendance) at both tracks. SCRA had 37 cars present and VRA had 34 cars. Quality teams were plentiful in both associations. Drivers who competed in both SCRA and VRA were Cory Kruseman, Jimmy Crawford, David Sinsley, Kevin Kierce and Steve Ostling. It was good to see racing veteran Jimmy Voitel back in action with SCRA (in Pratt #12). SCRA vet Mike Kirby raced the No. 0 Shoemaker Chevy in VRA. Clark Templeman III told me he uses No. 18 on his VRA sprinter because his late father, Clark, Jr, drove a No. 18 JFK Co. Chevy in CRA and Brad Doty raced a No. 18 Marks & Kepler sprint car in WoO during the late 1980s. SCRA car changes: Verne Sweeney's No. 98 is the ex-No. 96 Jack Gardner car. Mark Heidenreich's new No. 22 was Sweeney's white & red-violet No. 98 last year. Rookie A. J. Reyer's No.31 is the ex-No. 45 Harlan Willis Drake chassis in which Cory Kruseman won his 2001 SCRA championship. The first of four SCRA heat races began at 5:25 and VRA's heats one-four followed SCRA's one-four in numerical order. After the SCRA dash at 7:11, the 12-lap VRA semi-main started at 7:34. The 19-car SCRA 12-lap semi-main began at 8:00 and had two first lap red flags for three incidents involving flips by five cars-Bobby Cody, Heidenreich, Mel Murphy, Charles Davis and Jimmy Crawford. It was the second flip in two weeks for both Cody and Davis. All of these flips were shown on Speed Channel's Speed News Sunday show on March 2. Drivers completed lap one at 8:34. A lap three caution followed and the race concluded at 8:41. Teenage Alex Pruett, from Carefree, AZ, started 15th and finished fifth (with 10 cars still racing). He made the feature in his first attempt with SCRA and in only his fourth sprint car race. Alex also ran all 10 laps in the third heat without incident and finished on the lead lap. He make be a real comer. VRA's 22-car feature started at 8:55 and completed one lap before light rain started and a second lap turn two multi-car mishap resulted in a flip by Tom Stansberry and a red flag. All 18 remaining cars pushed off with rain gone to restart lap two. However, before taking the green flag, heavier rain at 9:08 made the track too slick for racing. All cars were flagged back to the infield. Officials quickly announced via PA announcer Scott Daloisio that both the VRA and SCRA main events would be added to the next separate appearances of both associations at the PAS. SCRA's race will be March 15 and VRA's will be March 22. Both make-up features will follow hot-laps and will precede the regular full shows of heats, semis and mains on those dates. The VRA main will have Greg Taylor and Will Perkins in the first row. The SCRA main will have Mike English and Troy Rutherford on the front row. SCRA rookies Alan Ballard, Seth Wilson, Josh Ford, Pruett and Reyer will start from rows five through row 11. Rookie Trevor Brilman is the first alternate in case anyone in the field does not return to race on March 15. |
