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SCRA YEAR IN REVIEW By Dan Fleisher |
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October 10, 2007 --- SCRA just concluded its third season of action-packed, highly-entertaining, Sprint Car racing; while enjoying its success however, the club also sits under a dark cloud as they mourn the passing of Jim Turner, who was fatally injured during the final weekend of racing at Kings Speedway (CA). A bittersweet ending to an otherwise successful season.
Until Friday, September 28, 2007, the 360 non-wing club enjoyed a safety record second-to-none, recording only one injury, a broken collarbone sustained by Steven Williams (2006), over the span of three years. More than 2,600 laps were contested within 216 events, plus hot laps and qualifying, until the bubble burst. The 2007 season began in April at Kings Speedway with an “up-start” driver “up-ending” the veterans. Ryan Kaplan, a highly touted USAC Midget driver from Chico, jumped into the seat of Rick Williams’ No. 6 machine and promptly won back-to-back features. From that point forward, it became a two man show as Peter Murphy and Davey Pombo dominated the series by capturing the next nine events before another “up-start” USAC Midget teenager broke into the Sprint win column. Sixteen-year-old Michael Faccinto thrilled the hometown fans when he piloted his No. 21t machine, a teammate to Murphy’s, into the winners’ circle on August 25. The next two events reverted to the season-long Murphy-Pombo show when the dynamic duo finished on top once again. Finally, after 14 events, another new face was smiling in victory circle when local area favorite Danny Faria Jr. discarded the wing from atop his No. 17v machine and took top honors in the first of back-to-back shows on the final weekend of racing. The finale saw Murphy back in the winner’s circle as he recorded his sixth victory of the season, tying him with Pombo in that department. He wrapped up the hard-fought win knowing the title was secure before strapping into his Tom Tarlton prepared racecar, the sign of a true champion. Not content to sit on their laurels, Tarlton was quoted before the race: “Hell, we’re going to win this thing.” Very prophetic! Rookie of the Year honors went to another teenager, Justyne Hamblin. The young lady, who still dons her backpack when attending high school in Lemoore (CA), recorded two top-five finishes, 10 top-tens, four Heat race wins, two Dashes, and one top qualifying time on her way to seizing the coveted prize. While the veterans dominated the headlines and victories, the series introduced a host of young talent in addition to Faccinto and Hamblin. John Niggli and Myles Bishop, 17 and 19-years-of-age respectively, impressed the racing community with their maturity and talent. Niggli captured one Heat race, seven top-ten feature finishes and recorded one quick qualifying time, finishing seventh in points. He was in contention for the Rookie crown until the final weekend but a burned piston on Friday ended his quest. Bishop, who won the non-SCRA opening Sprint feature at Kings in February, collected three Heat victories, five top-ten feature finishes and also recorded a quick qualifying time for a 10th-place finish. Other youngsters who displayed talent include Jace and Richard VanderWeerd, and Adam Frith-Smith. SCRA’s future looks bright with all these “newbies.” Defending series champion Jonathan Logan struggled throughout the season but never “threw in the towel.” The 21-year-old won two Heats, recorded four top-five, 11 top-ten finishes along with recording two quick qualifying times. He ended up fifth in points. Greg Bragg, who replaced Kiwi Alexander in the hot No. 11 McCowan machine on July 7, showed his talents right off the bat and finished ninth despite participating in only eight events. No telling what might have been, had he run the entire series. Murphy not only won the Series Championship, he doubled-up with a win in the Riddell Enterprises Passing Masters Dash series by a minuscule six points over Pombo. Murphy won four of the 13 events he qualified for but accumulated the most passing points, 50, the main criteria for determining the champion. He failed to pass at least one car in only two of the 13 events, a remarkable achievement. The club will hold its Annual Awards Program on Saturday, November 10th at Kings Bowl in Hanford, CA. For complete details, call Richard Harvey at 559/582-8816. |
