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| MILLER STAYS HOT WITH CRA WIN AT VENTURA |
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JUNE 2, 2007 --- Blake Miller, Yorba Linda, Calif., continued his recent
hot streak and won Saturday’s 30-lap Lucas Oil USAC/CRA main event at Ventura
Raceway.
Miller, who also set fast time in time trials, put his Jeff Gardner’s Roy Miller Freightlines No. 93 Sled into the led ten laps from the finish after race leader David Cardey of Riverside, Calif. tangled with a lapped car. “I don’t know what it is but I love Ventura Raceway. There is just something about this tiny track,” said the former VRA Champion. “It was terrible for David, but fortunate for us, that he got into that slower car. I would have rather raced David for the win, but it gave us the lead.” Miller’s recent success is particularly remarkable considering he’s driving an eight year-old Sled chassis that Gardner resurrected from his brother’s backyard a few weeks ago. “Me and Jeff Gardner have certainly figured-out a few things with this car,” Miller said. “I have the best crew out here. This is my sixth time in this car and we have two wins and two fast times, which is pretty tough to beat. The Gardner’s really know how to make this car go, I’m just the guy who gets to sit there and press the pedal down.” Johnathan Henry started his first USAC/CRA main event from the pole with Cardey to his outside. Cardey jumped into the lead at the start and was chased by Henry, Charles Davis, Jr. and current USAC/CRA point leader Tony Jones of Norco, Calif., at the end of the opening lap. Rickie Gaunt moved into the third spot by the end of the second lap and looked like he was going to be the driver on the move until he was passed by his Gardner teammate Miller one lap later. Miller moved ahead of Henry, but nearly spun in front of him exiting turn-four on the fifth lap. Henry checked-up to avoid Miller and was quickly passed by Gaunt and Cory Kruseman. Cardey reached lapped traffic on the 13th circuit with Miller starting to cut into his lead. Lapped traffic seemed to benefit Cardey and Miller, as they were able to lengthen their gap over Gaunt and Kruseman. Unfortunately for Cardey, just as he was trying to lap another car, Chris Wakim slapped the wall exiting turn-four directly in front of him. Unable to avoid contact with Wakim’s car, Cardey saw his hopes for his first victory end as he slid backwards to a stop along the front straight. While this was happening, Gaunt spun exiting turn-four and collected Kruseman. Unlike Cardey, Gaunt restarted the race and went on to finish two spots ahead of Kruseman in seventh. With 20 of the 30 laps completed, Miller now led the field for the restart with Kittle Plumbing / PJ1 #18 Stinger driven by Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, Calif., lined-up behind him. Miller moved to the cushion when racing resumed, while Sheridan and Jones battled side-by-side for the runner-up spot. Jones went on to secure the position and pulled his Alexander Trucking / La Villa Restaurant #4 DRC even with Miller for a moment on lap-23. The red flag appeared during the following lap after Josh Ford flipped in turn-two. Ford emerged from his car without injury as Miller’s crew went to work to make some adjustments for a change of strategy. “At the beginning of the race I was using the bottom to my advantage to get by cars,” Miller explained. “The top was good during the middle of the race, then, I saw Jones’ wheels there in the middle of the track which told me I better move down.” Miller’s thought process proved correct as he went on finish the race without serious challenge. Jones worked hard to reel-in Miller, but would have to settle for a fifth-place finish after nearly spinning in turn-four on lap-29. Mike Spencer, Temecula, Calif., took advantage of miscues by Jones and
Sheridan in the closing laps to give his Ron Chaffin / Temecula Valley Pipe
& Supply No. 50 Maxim a second-place finish. Spencer, who started the race
in the 12th spot, was named the “Hard-Charger” of the race. |
