surfnsprint

As I breezed up the coast Saturday afternoon, I couldn’t have been more pleased. Work was somewhere far behind me and racing was right in front of me. To my left the surf was crashing. To my right the hills were bathed in California gold. It’s always like this before a Ventura race; beautiful weather and endless possibilities. I was going to see the final event of the four race Bandit/VRA Grand Slam Series. Although I couldn’t have known, tonight I was going to see a race where the winner crossed the finish line first and the winner crossed the line second……

On Friday night, Greg Taylor had established a record qualifying time, blasting around the track in exactly 12.433 seconds. Blake Miller was one tenth of a second behind him, Jimmy “Neutron” Crawford another billionth of a second behind him. Dennis Rodriquez also blistered in at 12.679 (his name is showing up more and more). Peter Murphy clocked decent and then Oren Prosser Jr. ran 12.73. I don’t normally think of Oren as fast (his name seems slow) but he was fast here and as it turned out, he was fast all weekend. Garrett Hansen kept it out of the thirteen’s with a 12.807. Never heard of him? Keep reading. Other drivers that clocked notable times included Derek Buckley, Bill Camarillo, Josh Ford, Bruce Douglas and Rob Kershaw.

These times were used to position drivers for Saturday’s heat races. They also ran a 30 lap main on Friday night. It had no points attached yet there was a $1,000 purse for 1st place. It was either an exhibition race for the Friday Faithful or a chance for the Bandits to first taste Ventura dirt. I was not there, so it would be difficult to give you a play by play. The record shows that Jimmy Crawford led from a front row position (significant with this talent level) beginning to end. Third row starter Garrett Hansen (there he is again) worked into second and Josh Ford took third. When Josh failed to show up for tech (they gotta check the cars, Josh) he lost his third position and Chris Wakim moved up from fourth.

Walking around I saw Steve Gresham in the pits, all suited up. That was nice. Saw the Miller family sitting in the shade of their trailer, car ready, driver relaxed. Noticed the Taylor’s had set up camp past the corrals. It the track was a bayou, they looked as comfortable as alligators. I spotted a spare engine sitting naked in Wakim’s trailer. That was unusual. With the Bandits in town, I saw a lot of cars I didn’t recognize. I got to meet Greg Porte, very pleasant fellow. We talked for a couple of minutes, I wished him luck and I meant it. The sun was getting lower and the light was getting better. I grabbed a couple of photos but when I saw the boys staging for heat one, I knew I had to get with my friends and family high in turn one.

The party got started with four heats, approximately ten drivers each, four advance, six apply for the semi. Heat one had Henderson, Kierce, Bach, Camarillo, Murphy, Taylor, Hunsaker (cool name, did his family sack Huns?) Simas, Steve Chuhaloff, Knight and Lindahl. Going from my notes (and I will make mistakes) I saw Kierce get a quick jump on everybody. Henderson (they both started on the front row) was in pursuit. Ron Bach and Bill Camarillo immediately squared off for the third position with Billy getting an edge. Taylor was way back and smoking (not again, I thought). Now Murphy, starting in the third row, began his forward motion and overtook Bach. Now you have Kierce (really driving fierce), Henderson, Camarillo and Murphy holding at breakneck speeds. At the last possible moment, the racing gods reached down and crashed Henderson and Murphy at turn 4, within sight of the checkered flag. Kierce earned his victory, Bach and Taylor steered past the mess (Christmas in September) and Camarillo crossed fourth.

Heat two contained the following drivers: Mark Chuhaloff, Harvey, Iturriria, Douglas, Prosser, Miller, Conrad, Carlile, Nock and Oswald. That sounds like a fun heat! Right on the very first lap, Miller (starting outside third row) came down the outside front straightaway and pulled the most radical drop down into the turn one berm. Perfectly executed, it was so startlingly quick, aggressive and unexpected (can’t wait to watch it on the Loudpedal DVD) that it spooked Oren Prosser in the 44 car, who then made contact and spun out in turn one. It was maybe the heaviest move I have seen all season. I sensed right then that Blake had brought his complete game. He was in the zone. Interestingly, it was move that would be used against Blake later that evening in the same exact spot at a crucial moment. Complete restart with all original positions, Harvey gets out front with Mark Chuhaloff and Conrad following. Something happened in turn 3 that crashed Chuhaloff, Carlile and Oswald and they only get one lap in the final stats. Restart again with Harvey, Conrad, Miller and Douglas in a tight fight. Miller is hugging the berm so tight it looks like his girlfriend. He is absolutely squeezing the poor girl to death. Now Oswald spins again and is truly gone. Restart with Harvey, Conrad, Miller and Douglas in that order. Conrad gets past Harvey with sheer determination. Miller gets past him also with more of the same. Nock spins somewhere in here but no yellow. Douglas is holding onto the transfer but Prosser is building steam in the final lap. Prosser and Douglas tear into the final turn and Douglas slips by inches. That’s all it took. Conrad, Miller, Harvey and Prosser advance.

Heat three lined up aforementioned Porte, Case, Wes Richardson, Kershaw, Hansen, Crawford, Elliot, Kautz, Hedlund and Turner. I’m feeling a little sorry for anyone who is less than incredible; you will not advance in this crowd. Porte, Kershaw and Case quickly set up the pecking order, with Wes Richardson (on the heels of a great race last week) and Jimmy Crawford battling for fourth. Jimmy gets on the gas, passes Richardson and starts in on Ronnie Case. At this point both Hedlund and Richardson are out, not sure why from my notes. You have Porte in front, Kershaw dogging him; Crawford has passed Case as has Garrett Hansen (both Hansen and Crawford started from the third row). Suddenly Crawford wobbles and Hansen takes another spot. A very sharp looking Porte crosses first, then Kershaw, then Hansen, then Crawford and finally a disappointed Ronnie Case. At least I expect he was disappointed, because he is incredible.

Final heat brings out Trimble, Espinoza, Wakim, Templeman, Derek Buckley, Rodriquez, Schneider, Gresham, Jones and Laymen. Trimble (whom I don’t know but seems to be good) jumps in front, followed closely by Espinoza and Wakim. Espinoza seems to be dragging; both Wakim and Clark Templeman pass him. Now there is yellow (I can’t see but it seems to be Templeman in trouble) and Wakim abruptly leaves the track. I jump up in my seat and I can see him bypass the onramp and head to his trailer. Now that‘s not a good sign. Meanwhile, back on the track, Clark is also gone and we have a restart. On the first turn, the landscape has changed with Trimble, Buckley and Rodriquez leading the charge. Two more crashes, two more restarts with these three hanging on to their spots. Espinoza is arguing with Joey Laymen over the fourth position but is shouted down. Trimble, Buckley (continuing an impressive season), Rodriquez (I really want to meet this racer) and Laymen advance.

Wandering about the midway, I thumb through the Greywolf photos on display. I am looking for that group shot (drivers Wakim, Miller, Taylor and Richardson in the infield) from last week’s race. No luck, but there are some powerful images here, cars and personalities. Dave hunts down decisive moments; I have a couple of them hanging in my office. Check him out.

We are going to have two semi’s here tonight (forty-three cars pitted). The first semi rolls onto the track. I spot a rueful Murphy, Templeman, Case, Richardson, Henderson and other assorted characters. It’s on for the last chance laps; fifth place is a long, cold ride home. Murphy immediately jumps to the front, Templeman is chasing but crashes in turn 3. He’s going home with a sixth overall for the Slam series. On the restart, Murphy takes his front position; Case is next, Darren Simas is in the hunt as is Joe Henderson. Richardson puts pressure on Henderson. A couple more yellows, but nobody is giving up anything. Murphy increases his lead and finally Simas passes Case. They are in traffic and Simas maintains his position. The checkered comes out for Murphy, so far out in front that he has time to think about that annoying dust up back in heat one. Behind him, Simas, Case and Richardson are slugging it out, crossing in that order.

Word filters up to the stands that both Wakim and Espinoza are done for the evening, their pit adjacent engines apparently catching the same virus. Wakim desperately tried to throw that spare engine into his 9w frame, but there wasn’t enough time. Someone else handed him a car, but when he got up to the gate it was ruled ineligible. At this point he challenges the other drivers to a foot race, but it’s over.

Semi two fielded Douglas, Iturriria, Hunsaker, Hedlund, Carlile and a few others. The track seemed light without the 09 and 9w. Douglas immediately took a lead he never relinquished. He was closely followed by Carlile, Hunsaker, Schneider, John Iturriria and Hedlund. The race was going well, I didn't note any yellows when suddenly the whip came down. Hedlund in close pursuit of Iturriria got one of his wheels over one of John’s rear wheels and got his front end up high in the air. This was in turn four and when his wheels hit the ground, they were crossed up and that put him right into the concrete wall. The concrete rejected his advances and slapped him back on the track. This time his nose caught dirt and the car began to pole vault down the straightaway. After a few flips (witnesses said his elbows were out of the car, check your restraints, drivers) he came to a silent heap near the flag stand. The track went red. A small oil fire erupted and track officials were instantly all over the car. After a few harrowing moments for his finance, daughters, son and scores of faithful constituents, “The Mayor” exited the wreck under his power. I went down to the ambulance where they were checking him out. All he wanted to do was find the driver of the other car and apologize. Obviously the semi was checkered with Douglas, Carlile, Hunsaker and Schneider crossing into the main event. Our hats off to a crack Ventura crash crew.

The dwarf cars went off and everybody loved it. Total trip to peer into those little things and see a determined driver scrunched into race position. Hope to become better acquainted.

As the track loaded for the twenty two cars, thirty lap main event, I am scanning the line up. Last nights second place finisher, Garrett Hansen, has landed the pole position (significant with this talent level). Oren Prosser Jr. sits to his right. They have Dennis Rodriquez and Jimmy “the Neutron” Crawford behind them. Then it’s Miller and Taylor behind them (they’ll put some push behind you). Fourth row is Peter “No Worries” Murphy and Derek Buckley. Camarillo and Douglas in row five. Kershaw and Conrad are shoulder to shoulder in row six. Kierce (bad positions the last few mains) and Trimble are stuck back in row seven. Porte and Laymen are having trouble seeing the front from row eight. Conrad and Carlile are stuffed back in row nine. Simas and Hunsaker are banished to row ten. Lastly, Ronnie Case and Wes Richardson have the opportunity to say they started in the back and…..

Well if you started in the front, you were loving life. On that green flag waving, Garrett Hansen took that pole position advantage and converted it to front position. Crawford muscled past Trimble who was also under pressure from Taylor and Miller. Taylor wobbled and Miller took advantage moving from fifth to fourth. Miller then screamed past Trimble with all cylinders firing, car and driver looking all business. I started to sense that his intensity and skill could take this race. Garrett, meanwhile, was driving with precision and deftness. Crawford couldn’t keep up with him and suddenly Miller was on his case. Driving hard and low, Miller was a machine in perfect motion as he passed Crawford. Now you have Hansen followed by Miller followed by Crawford. Behind them, Peter Murphy pulled out his invitation to the party and began to work his way up. He also took Crawford and now we had Hansen, Miller, Murphy and Crawford. A yellow, a restart and Crawford reclaims from Murphy. Bill Camarillo is hanging fifth with a frustrated Greg Taylor right behind him. Camarillo seems to be blocking Taylor at every point. The real battle is between Crawford and Murphy over the third spot. With everybody flying along, Wes Richardson suddenly seems to drift into the wall at turn one, bringing out the red. All of the stopped cars are clustered down in turn three and four and the support crews scramble all over them. It has the appearance of a flea market as they all scurry about. We restart on lap nine and nobody gives anything! One lap goes by before Case spins and gets the hook. Restart on lap ten and suddenly Crawford is back in front of Miller. But only momentarily, as Miller applies that relentless focus and takes it back. Hansen is dealing with Miller, Crawford is dealing with Murphy and Camarillo is dealing with Taylor. Behind them Dennis Rodriquez and Derek Buckley are also dealing with each other. I can see Miller desperately trying to get under Hansen. It’s almost rude how he is sticking his nose under Garrett looking for weakness. I am now watching in awe of Mighty Blake Miller’s determination to win this race. It seems if that nothing exists but the blue 15x within his arms reach. Garrett can feel Blake’s breath on his neck and is driving a flawless race, staying low and keeping a tight grip on the shoulder. The suspense intensifies with each lap, ratcheting tighter and tighter. They are getting into traffic and Blake is still on Hansen like grease on a wrench. Suddenly Trimble in the other 15 car crashes and we are yellow. It’s still Hansen, Miller, Murphy, Crawford, Camarillo and Taylor. On green they all lurch forward but now Crawford decides to go high. With almost a sense of exasperation, Jimmy starts ricocheting off the cushions. It looks like it going to work for a moment, but he can’t seem to capitalize. Hansen and Miller hardly flinch. Hansen tells me after the race he was dying to fling high, but knew Miller would pass him below. So they continued with their high speed lockstep until suddenly Joey Laymen clicks on the spin cycle over in turn 3. Nothing has changed in twenty laps. On the green again all engines roar in synchronicity, Hansen still in control, Miller still haunting him. Entering this late stage of the race, it looks like Taylor is going to make his move. He finally passes Camarillo and then just as quickly fumbles it. Now Murphy is swinging high, now Crawford continues high. At this point, maybe five laps left, Hansen misses the shoulder at turn one and Miller steals it like a pickpocket. Coming out of turn two Miller is finally passing Hansen who is high close to the wall. Miller holds his bottom line as they both rocket around turns three and four. Hansen banks high and coming down the straightaway he is outside of Miller and picking up speed. In exactly the same spot where Miller spooked Prosser, Hansen drops down and takes his wallet back from Blake. That was Blake’s last opportunity and it disappeared like a rabbit down a hole. Just behind them, Buckley got tired of watching Camarillo stuffing Taylor and decided to high track himself. He came high out of turn four and catapulted past both Taylor and Camarillo. It was the only significant order change that stuck. As the white flag fluttered and then the checkered, I watched Hansen cross first, Miller, Murphy, Crawford, Buckley (looking huge at the end), Camarillo and then Taylor. The final stats showed that Taylor didn’t finish, I don’t get that.

Now, while acknowledging that I prone to dramatics, I really thought I had just seen Blake Miller’s best race ever. There is no denying the talent and achievement of Garrett Hansen. He drove a nearly flawless race. Talking to him in the pits later, I was shocked to find this was only his fourth sprint race ever. I asked the car owner how they found each other. John Wells answered that he had seen Garrett racing USAC midgets and gave him a call. Asked him if he wanted to drive a sprint and the rest will be history. I am really looking forward to watching this team in the future. I hope they get back here as fast as a sprint car.

But getting back to Blake, it was a race where second place impressed me more than first. I have to think it’s harder to chase than be chased. Blake showed his true grit, skill and worth. Never quit, never backed off, and didn’t win. Gracious in defeat, he ended up with more to show. I can’t imagine how proud his family is of that effort. Predictably, his second place finishes are coming to an end; regretfully, his youth and inexperience are coming to an end. It has been a special privilege to observe this driver mature on this track. Bring your kids and watch this driver as he transitions from a rookie into a champion. They’ll be able to say they saw him when! He is proving to be the finest driver in the VRA.

For Peter Murphy, good on you! As a fan I enjoyed meeting such a cool driver along with Porte, Carlile, Elliot, Reeves and all the Bandits. Had a great time at your tracks, get back to Ventura. Bring your surfboards.

Right outside the stat booth, I run into Jim Naylor. I ask the exhausted promoter how pleased he is with the Grand Slam Series. ‘Wonderful’ he replies. Then in typical Naylor fashion he pulls me aside and in a conspiratorial whisper he says “this is Cliff Morgan’s baby. He ran with the whole thing…” Then he was off again with ten people pulling at him.

I had eleven people from work with me in the stands; I also had ten family members plus four family friends. We enjoyed the sunshine, had a few beers and ate some hot dogs and French fries. We enjoyed the races and the kids got autographs in the pits. What a great family venue. I was especially pleased that my sister Kathy and husband Jim (visiting from San Francisco) have now experienced sprint car racing at the legendary Ventura Raceway. Grand Slam indeed!

Grand Slam Top Ten
Peter Murphy
Blake Miller
Kevin Kierce
Greg Porte
Steve Conrad
Clark Templeman III
Darren Simas
Rusty Carlile
Richard Harvey Jr.
Chris Wakim