SURFNSPRINT

SURFNSPRINT

KK VS CK II

Saturday, June 27, 2009

The fire at Ventura Raceway continues to burn out of control. Over one hundred and fifty racing cars clogged the pits with heat Saturday night. Eight different divisions raced it out. From racing brats to senior whippersnappers, everybody was strutting their stuff. The hardcore Ventura fans continue to dial in the finest open wheel racing on the West Coast. Fan #1 Dave Mahar was on the scene. Ralphie came up from the PAS to see for himself. I saw Hall of Fame driver Rip Williams coaching in the pits. We had all or nothing firefights in the heart races. There were so many cars they had to stuff in B Mains for Modifieds, Senior Sprints and VRA Sprints. Nobody went home early. We had a put up or shut up Main Event where everyone and everything cashed out or crashed out. In the stands, there wasn’t a pair of eyes unfixed on the action. You could have picked up the Pacific Ocean and walked out the back, nobody would have noticed. It was a race where you needed smarts, muscle and true grit to get to the front. It was so brutal you could have fired patriot missiles at the front-runners….

All Thrill No Fill
Wipeout On The Backstreets

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Joseph Magana Wins Supercharger Main Event

VRA Mini Dwarf Supercharger Miles Hedrick kicked off the whole shooting match Saturday with four complete barrel rolls across the infield. LOUDPEDAL.COM has got it all (I buy all their stuff, everybody come over to my house and watch it). This tough kid then climbed out and gave the crowd a victory sign. He was back for the main. It was Joseph Magana that took that Main Event for his first victory. It’s Ricky Lewis in the points. Piston division had Joe Snyder again winning for the second race in a row. Snyder has been top five every race this year! Despite that incredible achievement, Zachary Gilmore still leads the points. Austin Figueroa gets his second Junior Midget victory for the year. He last won back in March. Austin has also finished top five in every race this year, which puts him firmly in the points lead. Didn’t get a good shot, Austin, I owe you one. Nick Valenzuela and Brennan Rogers finished second and third and are in the points chase. Parents are bringing their youngsters from far and wide to participate in one of the finest kid programs available. Go carts, mini dwarfs, junior midgets, Focus series, Kruseman Driving School; I’m out of breath.

Joe Snyder in Turn Three

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Junior Focus Midget Winner Dennis Simunovich

Speaking of USAC Junior Focus Midgets, this is the Naylor and Kruseman supported USAC series that’s launching a thousand racing careers. Dennis Simunovich took over on the third lap and won the twenty-lapper over Ethan Quinn. Alex Jacobsen was third, Tanner Kershaw fourth and Andrew Murray completes your top five. That was race five here and you’ll see eight more, including a National Dirt Finals in November for both the Ford Focus Midgets and Junior Focus Midgets. This place is a freaking giant crackerjack box of racing! Quinn leads the points.

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Bill Vanpraag

VRA Senior Dwarf had Ed Niedzwiecki in a locked down lead when something broke. Bill Vanpraag stepped up and finished the twenty laps for the win. Kevin Alverson leads the points but it’s close between Alverson and Vanpraag. In the Pro Dwarfs, Ray Estrada continues to prove my point with win number five out of seven. Angel Figueroa put on a blistering performance in second place with Ironworks Merry Prankster Brian Saxton in third. Points are aligned the same way and surprisingly close. Should get really interesting in the second half. Even Buzzard confessed to me in the infield that the Dwarfs are rocking. Don’t try to deny it Buzzard.

Yes That’s Number Five Thank You Very Much

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The IMCA Modifieds had another peaceful group therapy with introspection, reflection and warm chai tea. Not really. More like Vikings in a bad mood. If you can take the beating, you were up front with Danny Lauer, Jack Parker and Austin Rodarte. Parker was brilliant cool in the most challenging extremes (shredded the semi main). Gary Curtis, Jared Domingos, Ron Wiley, David Lord and Jay Bowman were all standouts. Austin Rodarte leads the points barely over Damon Redman, Jack Parker, Steve Smith and Brad Prows. Dump the tea. Modifieds are one of civilization’s great achievements in the second half of the twentieth century. If anyone disagrees go take it up with Damon Redman, I’m busy.

Danny Lauer Wins

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Rick Hendrix Shakes Off Another One

Nobody can like a crash (the Gasman hates them) but they are part of the tension and lore at every track. Rick Hendrix drove straight into a nasty fix at turn one during the second VRA sprint heat. He thinks the throttle may have stuck and the brutal impact put him out action for the night. Both Ron Bach and Tim Moon were both back from vacation and driving their first lap in Senior Sprints heat two. They were three wide with Rob Kershaw coming out of turn two when all hell broke loose. Both cars sucked into the crash wall like some kind of synchronized hell. Both drivers were okay but what a tough break for two valued regulars. Rob Kershaw cleared that wreck and went on to win the Senior Sprint main event, his first this year. Bobby Michnowicz was in second, Professor Jeff Culver in third, Cliff Warren fourth for another top five finish and Bruce Douglas in fifth. In the points, Wily Miller is out front, chased by Douglas and Kershaw. Congratulations to Chris Meredith on his best ever heat race finish. The Gasman is right.

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That’s Tyler Edwards Coming Up Behind You

Guy Woodward on the pole again. The extreme fans got their seats early. Kierce to his right. The trifecta was all over the place, but Big Brown knew what was going on. To be honest, anybody in the first five rows had a clear shot at this race; they’re all that good. Kierce pops and gets the edge. They get a couple of fast laps in and it’s Kierce, Woodward, Ronnie Case, Matt Mitchell, Tyler Edwards, John Nock and Kruseman. Tyler Edwards is a quick shoe from Oklahoma. Moved here with his dad, they found a condo and they’re studying at Kruseman University. Ran Ford Focus last year, this is his first year in a sprint. Immediately goes to the bottom and stayed there all night. After a strong showing, Case fades and it’s Kierce, Woodward, Mitchell and Edwards. Down in turn two, Justin Kierce spins but keeps it going. That puts him in right in front of the leaders and that train is moving. Kierce gets around Justin but that pony wants to race! Woodward starts looking to pass. Yellow in both turns two (Mitchell) and three (Derek Buckley). Line up is Kevin Kierce, lapped car Justin Kierce, Woodward, Edwards, Case and Kruseman. Twelve down, eighteen to go. Fast restart and Kierce is fast around the track. Woodward is just as fast but first he’s got to clear Justin. He sets his line coming into three; Justin was towards the bottom and suddenly starts drifting up slightly. Woodward’s left front hooks Justin’s right rear and Woodward goes airborne! He flips up the embankment and corkscrews so hard into the wall I shudder. I mainly shudder because I hate to see that car destroyed. John Woodward had that sled hooked up and I hope they can maintain the incredible momentum they’ve had this season. They drag Rusty’s destroyed State Concrete banner out of the way and we go green; it’s Kierce on the gas, Justin maintaining, Edwards grinding the bottom. Ronnie Case is still in the fight and that’s Kruseman right behind him. Kierce is flying the cushion and Edwards (shades of Josh Ford) is working that bottom. On the restart, Edwards looks like he might pull ahead but by the second or third lap Kierce has his speed up and the situation under control, slightly. Lapper Justin Kierce is still hanging, Case is looking like the young Case and here comes Cory Kruseman. Like somebody just smacked him upside the head and woke him up, Cory Kruseman puts his foot to the pedal like I haven’t seen in a few years. First he slides Ronnie and sets off after the leaders. Yellow when Scott Hansen spins in turn two. Rutherford pulls into the infield. They put Cory back and flag green again. Kierce on top and Edwards threatening on the bottom. Cory clears Case for the second time. Now Justin is in his way. He puts up with it for a lap or two and then just slides him out of the way. Cory is after Edwards and Kierce with a palpable intensity. Brian Camarillo hits the wall in two and we are yellow. Green and nine to go. Even the restart doesn’t help Edwards at this point; it’s Kierce and Kruseman like two roosters in a cockfight. Kruseman bikes hard in turn four and it slowed him a micro second. It was the first defining moment of the race. Josh Ford has materialized from the fifth row and he cases the joint out. Chris Wakim brushes the wall in two and does a Tommy Tip Over. Final yellow with four laps to go. Restart and Cory Kruseman starts carpet-bombing Kierce with slide jobs in turn two. First one is water off a duck’s back. Second one has some bite and Kevin gasses his way out. Third and final try puts them both in the hinterlands of turn two, rear wheels biting each other and front tires clawing for direction. With his back to the wall, Kierce basically balls his way through no opening and finds open sky. It was the second and final defining moment. He throws a single finger in the air to tell Cory he plans on finishing first, takes the white and takes the checker. Kruseman second, Ford third, and attention Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Tyler Edwards in fourth. Rock steady Steve Conrad has raced into fifth and somebody needs to sponsor this driver, he is a local legend and priceless resource.

Nothing Left On The Table

I see Ray Swann after the race and we are just cracking up. “Don’t you just love a race” he asks “where nothing is left on the table?” I sure do, Ray! But something subtle changed in the paradigm tonight. Nobody was hugging it out after the race. There was a healthy tension in the winner’s circle. I see the seeds of a great rivalry. Kierce may vulnerable. Kruseman can be challenged. Rematch? Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better. KK VS CK II

K2 Is #1