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Four seasons, two champions, one first name.
The fourth installment of the USAC/SLVRA Rocky Mountain Sprint Car Series saw a lot of similarities from the first three seasons. When the final checkered flag flew, Jimmy Wysong picked up his second straight USAC/SLVRA Rocky Mountain Sprint Car Series title in 2006, beating 2003 and 2004 series titlist Jim Waters in an epic battle between the two drivers.
With 11 races at the 3/8-mile Rocky Mountain Raceways in Salt Lake City, Utah and an Aug. 5 date at Meridian Speedway in Boise, Idaho, the Rocky Mountain Sprints took to full force in late-April and completed their season in mid-September.
Wysong was the dominant driver, leading the series off with four straight victories and earning a six overall, leaving Waters and Dave Fitzgerald to fight for second. But Wysong didn’t run away too quickly. After those first four victories, he still only held a 14-point lead. That was because Fitzgerald had finished on the podium in each of those races, as he notched three runner-up finishes.
In the next two races, Wysong cooled down, but Fitzgerald couldn’t capitalize. Instead, when Wysong finished 11th in the first race following that four-race winning streak, Fitzgerald didn’t make the show. He came back the next race by finishing second to Wysong’s second straight 11th-place finish, but by then, Waters had grabbed second and was only a dozen points short of the lead.
When Wysong cooled down, it was others who stepped up. Brian McClish scored a victory June 24 in a show that paid points to both the Rocky Mountain and Western Sprint divisions, while Tony Hunt did the same at Meridian, in an event that ran 65 laps. Jim Campbell, Ryan Burdett and Jeff Bergener also won for the first time in USAC competition by the end of the year.
Wysong regrouped in the July 22 race, winning that race while Waters was 10th. Both drivers finished in the Top 6 over the final five races, and were on the podium in the Aug. 13 and 19 races at RMR.
With the point battle dropping to under 40 points with two races remaining, the Salt Lake City native used finishes of fifth and fourth to claim the title by 37.
Waters was shut out of Victory Lane for the first time in his USAC/SLVRA Rocky Mountain Sprint Car Series career, but managed Top-10 finishes in all 12 starts.
Fitzgerald won the season finale at RMR and promptly resorted to retirement. The jury is still out on the former USAC Supermodified champion, who has announced that before but come back.
And Fitzgerald wasn’t alone in announcing his retirement. Wysong announced the same just weeks later, indicating his interest to become solely a car owner for son Everett, who competed in seven races on the circuit.
Burdett and Bergener finished fourth and fifth in the standings.
Mike Straub, who finished 10th in the point standings, was honored as the series’ Rookie of the Year.
2006 Season Summary – Rocky Mountain Sprint Car Series
No. of Feature Races (Pavement/Dirt): 12 (12/0)
Most Feature Starts: Mel Andrus Jr., Jeff Bergener, Ryan Burdett, Jim Waters, Jimmy Wysong (12)
Most Feature Victories: Jimmy Wysong (6)
Most Laps Led: Jimmy Wysong (163 of 515; 32 percent)
Most Laps Completed: N/A
Most Fast Qualifying Times: Jim Waters, Jimmy Wysong (3)
Most Poles: N/A
Most Heat Wins: Jimmy Wysong (7)
Most Top Fives: Jim Waters (10)
Most Top Tens: Jim Waters (12)
Most Pavement Feature Starts: Mel Andrus Jr., Jeff Bergener, Ryan Burdett, Jim Waters, Jimmy Wysong (12)
Most Dirt Feature Starts: N/A
Champion: Jimmy Wysong (by 37 points)
No. of Drivers Who Started a Feature: 39
No. of Drivers to Lead a Lap: 15
Best Average Finish: Dave Fitzgerald (3.45)
No. of Drivers to Win a Feature: 7 (Jeff Bergener, Ryan Burdett, Jim Campbell, Dave Fitzgerald, Tony Hunt, Brian McClish, Jimmy Wysong)
No. of Tracks Hosting a Feature: 2 (Rocky Mountain Raceways, Meridian Speedway)
Most Active Track (No. of Races Held): Rocky Mountain Raceways (11)
Most Races Led: Jimmy Wysong (7)
- By Michael Harker
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