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| RIPPER
WINS $5,000 IN RAIN SHORTENED MAIN EVENT AT VENTURA by Ken Wagner |
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DAVID CARDEY AND TONY JONES ARE THE BIG AND LIL’ DAWGS! |
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Rip Williams continued his march towards his first sprint car
championship after 27 years, winning the Valvoline USAC/CRA Main
Event and picking up a few more points on Damion Gardner and Mike
Kirby this week at Ventura Raceway. He now leads Gardner by 74
points with only four events to go. He received an extra $2500 for
the win, part of the additional $15,000 added to the purse via the
14th annual Wagsdash day long event.
When presented the supersized check for $5000, Rip smiled and said “I didn’t know that it paid any extra, but I am glad to hear it”. I guess “Winning Wag’s Money” was news to him. He and car owner Jack Jory were celebrating their fourth win of the season in the muddy winners circle with Wagsdash Grand Marshall Brad Noffsinger, the two time CRA champion now living in North Carolina. Rip jumped to the lead and never looked back as Mike Spencer tried in vain to reel him in until the race was called prematurely. The Ripper was very focused this week due to what he told me was the “bigger picture” and declined running the Big Dawg Dash for that reason. He won his heat and started on the front row of the feature to move out quickly and take the lead. Driving the John Jory Corp, AMA Plastics, Ricks Truck Works like he didn’t own it, Ripper shuffled around traffic and thru two crash delays until it was called. He seemed genuinely happy to make the winners circle and get the beautiful Trophy City sponsored trophy. Mike “the Sweeper” Spencer can be so quiet he’s like a new vacuum cleaner, you don’t know he’s sweeping by you until it’s too late. Spencer drives the Murrieta Development, Goody Wheels, TCR # 44 and was chasing the winner thru traffic like the pro he is becoming. He wasn’t able to track down the Ripper, but was a close second with some fast moves around the small oval. Damion Gardner was very disappointed when he climbed out of his car after the Main Event. The Demon had already charged from eighth to third and was looking for more when the early end came. He was very convinced he could win with 15 more laps, but was resigned to third in the Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply, Arizona Race Mart, Shaver, Ron-Ber # 50. He had opted to run the Big Dawg Dash when he made the feature thru his heat, but didn’t get wild in the 8 lap event and finished fourth. He was looking for more in the feature, but didn’t get his chance without the other 15 laps. The evening was interrupted by a severe drenching shower that halted all the festivities and sent the fans scurrying for shelter, and nearly 80 % of them home early, with the Semi field on the track. The rain came down so fast nothing could be done but find a dry spot. Promoter Jim Naylor, knowing the 10 PM curfew would be smashed, but wanting to get this one in, began working on the track as soon as the rain stopped. He also had to grade the mud bog out of the pits so the cars could even get pushed up to try the soaked track. After an amazing effort by Mr. Naylor, they put the cars on the track way past the curfew as Jim stuck his neck out with the fairboard. The race track came in fast as the 20 cars ironed it in. It was shaping up for a great battle when the green flag flew as Damion Gardner came from 8th to get third and Mike Kirby charged from 20th to 10th with some quick action. After 15 laps, and an untimely red flag stop, it was called due to the lateness. Some racers that had waited two hours to get started were not pleased, but you don’t mess with Mother Nature, or the Ventura Fairboard.. It’s pretty much a miracle that it even got restarted, thanks to Naylor’s efforts. Two added events for the night were the Lil’ Dawg Dash, won by David Carday, and the Big Dawg Dash, won by Tony Jones. These were a result of reformatting the 13 year event and eliminating what was once a 30 lapper for the low buck guys. Now, all the racers are eligible for the extra money raised by the Wagtimer’s. In the 5 lap event, Danny Sheridan took the lead and was looking like a $1000 winner, but on the last lap he slowed a little and then Cardey made a charge up close and personal, and the end result was nobody gave an inch and Sheridan was stopped on the track as David went on for the win. The official ruling was it was a “racing incident” so I’ll leave it at that, but will do something for Sheridan in the Wags spirit of racing. Tony Jones got in the Big Dawg Dash, because Troy Rutherford didn’t show, and started on the front row with Bobby Codey, who had already been seeded in the Lil’ Dawg Dash, but when Rip declined Bobby was the next in line in points. His choice was to stay in the Lil’ one or go after the biggies, and he went for it! Good for Bobby! The Cowboy never wavered in the 8 lap race as he just motored his blue racer, that had already set fast time earlier, to the checkers. Tony was the $1100 winner with Steve Ostling chasing him for the quick bucks. Both dashes went nonstop and that’s history in the making for Wagsdash events. Actually, we still own the track record for a 30 lap wingless 410 race at Bakersfield 10 years ago. Brad Noffsinger, and his wife Robin, flew out from North Carolina for him to be the Grand Marshall for the 14th annual Wagsdash. He also became the first Grand Marshall to run in the evenings race. He drove the Keller backup car and was a victim of the rain. He ran 6th in his heat and then was on the track when the rains came, and the semi was history with no transfer possibility for him. Big thanks for his gracious appearance as he autographed his new poster and racing cards for the crowd in the afternoon and was a big part of the festivities. The posters will be available for a buck as we finish out the year. Mike Kirby broke his car in my dash and ended up running Dan Hillberg’s # 82 car in the Main Event. He had to start at the back and finished 10th in the 15 laps. I heard it was a torque tube or something. Mike English made a rare appearance in the Tom & Laurie Sertich Moosemobile and finished fourth for a good ride. Ronnie Case had a great night. He won his heat, ran 2nd in the Lil’ Dawg Dash, then fifth in the Main Event to win $2500 as the Wagsdash Champion for 2004. Wow! As of this moment, we are still piecing together the final total on the purse, but it looks like we should have at least the $15,000 advertised after we get the IOU’s and some of the auction stuff to the new owners and collect. The payouts will be published when the monies all in. If we collect more, their will be additional payouts as well until it’s all gone. Payday for the above will be Saturday at Bakersfield. The weekend was fun and entertaining. After the Wagtimer’s spent all day Friday cooking chili, setting up the midway and getting everything ready for race day, they took a break and headed for Cronies, one of the Wagsdash sponsors, for a night of fun. Larry Reynolds, drawn in by Jimmy Crawford’s plea to help me, brought his world’s longest rig into the parking lot in front of the Sports Bar, and after a lot of shuffling, unloaded two race cars to show off during the evening. His Buena Body Shop helpers were there to assist and while we were all inside having fun, the cars were on display for everyone’s appraisal out front. Thanks to Chuck & Dave! A quick trip across the street for the annual Cold Stone Creamery event ended the evening and morning came quick for the Wagtime’s workers the next day. All the auction items were set out, the chili brought from the kitchen, one provided for our use by Jim Naylor and his fairgrounds friends, and the day began cloudy, then worked into sunny and when the sun went down, it cooled off a bit. Nadine Keller won the sexy driver contest as the fun activities began. The pit stop contest was no contest as the Gardner boys, Ronnie & Chet, with Brad’s help, set a new record for the four year event. Maybe next year we can get them some competition? I don’t think the “old” guys can beat them! With t-shirt sales and the auction going on, it was a busy day and only when the storm arrived did any frowns appear. Immediately after the shower, the dirt pits and parking lot became THE mud bog of all mud bogs, and people were leaving in droves and getting soaked. The auction closed down, but many who were on some items didn’t come back. Interestingly enough, the squall passed and we got the 15 laps in without more rain. Then we were able to load up the muddy remnants of the day into the Wagsmobile, you had to have been there, and move slowly thru the muddy pits until we found the nice spot for our nights rest. It wasn’t long before the real storm hit and the rat-a-tat-tat on the roof went all night. When we woke to shower and go have breakfast with all the Wags workers, we were in Lake Ventura, really! I had to pull thru water at least 10 inches deep to get to high ground to clean up. No walking to the flooded showers for us. But soon we had a great breakfast with the real stars of Wagsdash day, the Wagtimer’s who came to make it all work. They presented me with a crystal trophy that had many drivers signatures on it that made me once again realize I can’t do it without all of them, as if I could forget! It was very special and I am deeply thankful for their loyalty in making “our” race better each year. They are: Steve, Kim & Korie Lafond, Mark, Ben & Bethany Thrasher, Braden Wasson, Tracey & Gerry Johnson, Kari Alveran, Sonia and Krista Bandy, Joe & Ellen Ellis, Norm Bogan, Pat & Lee Ann Normyle, Mike and Evelyn Clark, Julie Shiosaki, Terri Bliss, Chris Holt for his announcing the events, and Jim Naylor, all of his track personnel and the fairgrounds workers who helped setting up the midway. It was a fun day and I hope all enjoyed it! Thanks again and wait till’ next year! My thanks to Rollie Helmling, President of USAC, for coming out just for the Wagsdash event. Perhaps if we can make this a bigger and better event in the future, he will return for more chili. VALVOLINE USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: October 16, 2004 – Ventura, California – Ventura Raceway Fat time: Tony Jones - 11.804. 31 cars plus the VRA Senior sprints. WAG’S "LIL DAWG DASH": (5 laps) WAG’S “BIG DAWG DASH" (8 laps) FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) FEATURE: (15 laps) FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Williams. NEW VALVOLINE USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR STANDINGS: 1-Williams-1,439; 2-Gardner-1,365; 3-Kirby-1,336; 4-Rutherford-948; 5-Bragg-822; 6-Jones-773; 7-Ostling-773; 8-Spencer-742; 9-Cody-733; 10-Hermansader-640. |
