surfnsprint

After last night’s race, it’s clear to me what we got to do. Let’s get some money together and send Cory to Washington DC. He can then show them old boys what it means to get on the gas! And while we’re at it, let’s make Cliff Morgan the new chief justice. He’s pretty fair about everything, except not letting Chris on the track last Saturday. How about Rip Williams for a new Attorney General. Do you think the “Ripper” is fazed by any criminals or terrorists? He’ll just put them in the wall on his way to work (he works down by the checkered flag)…...

Seriously though, watching the crowd stand straight last night as that grand old flag made a lap fluttering from the push truck, I was filled with emotion. It was tough thinking of the struggle many now are facing. Although we have stumbled, the practiced generosity of this great nation reminds me of a NASCAR pit crew. Watch it swing into action.

When I got to the track I just had to soak it all in: the cool coastal air, the pits full of cars, the fairway vendors and the track crew fussing over their baby. There were some new characters about, this was a USAC/CRA event and they bring their own officials. The most noticeable is the charming Evelyn Pratt. She is pit announcer, responsible for getting the cars to stage. Well, talk about getting on the gas. How about getting on the horn! This genteel grandmother had a voice that could raise the dead. As a matter of fact, I did see some moldy drivers rising out of the ground and head zombie like for the staging area! She is so intimidating that I started to stage; then realized I didn’t have a car. She is a sweetheart when you talk to her. She has been at it for forty years!

Most cars have a trailer and a truck that pulls it. One thing I love at this track is when the Cory Kruseman team shows up. They don’t pit, they have their own suburb! It’s called Kruseville and it’s full of cool cars and people. They had about four cars lined up and also Cory’s #38 owned by Glenn Crossno. So you have Glenn’s crew, Cory’s crew, driving school alumni, current students, car drivers, sponsors, family members and hangers on like me. After the races, depending on how they did, it can turn into a block party. It did last night.

Checking the pit board, I see there is nothing but steak on the menu. All sprints! Seniors have two heats and a main. The USAC/CRA monster 410’s have four heats, one semi and then the thirty lap main. I go through the names, drivers like Kirby, Rip, Damion, Cory, Ricky, Josh and my head is getting dizzy. I head up to my seat and belt in for racing.

Qualifying was held in ideal weather. It was cool and sunny. Kirby clocked a quick time of 12.076. He was looking for it later in the evening. I’m told the 410 track record is about 11.56; set four years ago (thanks Dan). Charles Davis was second quick with 12.174. Cory notched 12.182. Rip ripped a 12.186 (sorry, couldn’t resist..) Super Ricky Gaunt strapped down a 12.271. Let me inject here that Ricky is one super interesting driver. Pleasant, enthusiastic and genuine. I watched him handle his fans as well as he handles the track. Lastly, I need to point out Kevin Kierce, in a 360 car, landed six fastest with 12.303. Kevin one of the few drivers here tonight representing the VRA.

Seniors (how about “slightly used” drivers) took the track for their fist of two heats. Brian Kittle was on the pole with Willey Miller to his right. Second row was Ron Bach and Jim Porter. Third row sat Jeff Culver next to Steve Stasa. Ross Millar was next to his shadow in the back. On the flag, Willey snapped out front followed by Porter. Bach was stymied by traffic, I swear I could hear him shouting “get out of my way!” but finally got up to third. Jeff Culver was guarding fourth and that’s pretty much how it ended. Willey was so far out in front the rest of the pack looked like a search party.

Heat Two featured Bill Leonard on the pole with Tim Moon outside. When Leonard failed to fire, Bruce Douglas moved up to the pole from the second row leaving Bob Alderman and Sam Vail behind him. Oren Prosser, Sr. sat proudly by himself in the rear. They all got going with a false start. That gave Leonard what we all want, a second chance. He pushed off this time and started back with Oren. On the second go, Douglas wobbled on the berm in turn one and was left behind. Tim Moon had the lead followed by Alderman, Leonard and then Douglas. Then we had some static down at turns three and four which stalled Leonard and Prosser. On the restart, it was Moon, Alderman, Douglas, Prosser, Leonard and Vail. They held that line for the rest of the race with Tim Moon looking confident as he passed the checkered.

What a difference to hear the deep roar of a 410. Its starts in the heels of your feet and goes all the way up to your skull. Put nine of those engines on the dirt and you’ve got a heat race. Front row had Greg Bragg and R.J. Johnson side by side. Second row had Steve Conrad and Josh Ford (two track favorites). Third row contained Jordan Hermansde and Ricky Gaunt. Mike Kirby and Bobby Fero took up the fourth row. Kevin Mahoney started at the end. On the first lap, Bragg, Johnson and Ford were side by side coming down the front straightaway. Awesome sight. Somehow they got all that metal and machismo through the turns and Bragg had the front slot. He was followed by Johnson and Ford in that order. Bragg really started to run away with it and I could see Ferro and Kirby bumping at the other end of the track. Then Hermansde and Gaunt touched in turn four and that spun a yellow. On the restart, Bragg took the lead and again was followed by Johnson and Ford. The battle was between Gaunt and Kirby for the transfer and Kirby came up well short. Lots of bumping going on but it was an aggressive drive by Bragg that characterized the first heat. Surprising to see both Kirby and Conrad miss the transfer.

As the sky started to deepen, the second heat took the track. Devitt and Case claim the front row. “Showtime” Sheridan and Argo fall in behind them. Ostling and Kierce line up in the third. Charles Davis and Matt Stewart are stuck in the fourth row. Wes Richardson is the lone ranger. Ronnie Case grabs first position (360?) quickly followed by Argo and Sheridan. Argo is swinging high, Sheridan is swinging low. Now everybody is going to the cushion and all of the sudden Kierce is stopped and the yellow is out. I think he tangled with Devitt and ended up with a broken steering box. He would be back in the semi. On the restart, Case is still out front but he is getting heavy pressure from Argo and Sheridan. Argo is again going high and Sheridan is again driving low. Case is fighting off both of them at the same time and barely hanging on to his lead. Suddenly Argo has taken it away from him and Charles Davis has passed Sheridan for third. Ostling hits somebody or something and he is out. Restart has Argo, Case, Davis, Sheridan, Devitt, Richardson (in his regular 360 I believe) and Stewart in that order. It is a big noise and Argo is the loudest as he starts flinging at the top. Now Davis gets around Case and we have Argo, Davis and Case. Richardson is trying for the transfer but Sheridan doesn’t give it up. As somebody spins during the white, it is called with Argo, Davis, Case and Sheridan moving on. Tough deal for Richardson. Although Argo and Davis clearly dominated in this heat, I was impressed by the fight in Ronnie Case. He is an exciting driver.

Heat three presents Jimmy “the Neutron” Crawford at pole with Shawn Kautz on his right. Seth Wilson and Damion Gardner are parked behind them. Mike Spencer and Cory Kruseman take up residence in the third row. Ellertson and Tedrick are slumming in the fourth row and Nadine Keller lives out back. It’s a rough neighborhood. Crawford breaks out with a lot of lift coming out of the corners. Cory is back in sixth but he’s instantly moving on up. His first mugging is Shawn Kautz, but that only puts him in fifth. Up front, you have Seth Wilson now leading, Crawford running second, Spencer in third and Gardner hanging onto fourth. It’s a little tricky, but now Cory gets around Gardner and he can really open up. Spencer falls next and Crawford follows soon after. Now Cory has worked from sixth to second and sets his sights on Seth Wilson. The crowd is nuts on Kruseman. Driving high off the cushions, Cory buys the prime real estate and it finishes with Kruseman, Wilson, Spencer and Crawford. Amazing to me and my buddies that Gardner does not transfer. It is our first indication he might not show up tonight.

The final heat is marked by the sun sinking into the Pacific. This has to be one of the most beautiful tracks in the world! You have Joshua Williams and Tom Stansbury in the front row. Hicks and Ballard sit second row. Adam Mitchell and Tony Roberts are stacked in third, with Rip Williams and non starter Tjaarda in the final row. Joshua Williams and Stansbury start arguing immediately about first place but Tom is stronger and takes it. He then bobbles in turn one and Joshua rips it back. As we get to turn four, Mitchell gets sideways and Jones and Rip Williams stack up in him. It’s a whole new restart and Joshua and Stansbury start arguing all over again. Again Tom muscles his way into first after a few quick laps. Hicks and now Rip Williams are chasing with sudden arrival Tony Jones also applying pressure. All are driving the bottom line. Suddenly Adam Mitchell’s car dies and we are yellow. Rip and Tony butt up in turn one but apparently after the yellow. In the background the train is blowing. On the restart, Stansbury is trying to hold off Tony Jones but it’s getting dicey. Tony is now driving hard off the top as we approach the flags. Hicks and Rip Williams are close behind, with Rip nipping at Hicks heels. Tony Jones finally gets past Stansbury but Rip can’t get past Hicks. They finish as Jones, Stansbury, Hicks and Rip Williams. Stansbury looked very strong, Hicks drove an excellent race, Rip Williams is always a contender but this race belonged to hard charging Tony Jones. One of the most impressive efforts all evening.

The Senior Main Event was twenty laps starting under the lights. Front row is Bruce Douglas and Ron Bach. Alderman and Porter sit in row two. Moon and Willey Miller are in three. Prosser and Culver are far back in four. Kittle and Leonard even further back in five. Millar and Vail bring up the last row with Vail sitting alone behind them. Douglas and Bach jump to the front but suddenly cars are piling in turn one. It seems Kittle got sideways and swallowed up Steve Stasa. Stasa’s front wheels are flopping and he gets the hook. On the restart, Douglas clearly gets out front but Ron Bach isn’t done. Bach drives hard. Alderman is pushing Bach to no avail, Moon is right behind them. Where is Waldo?

Willey is back but now on the move. First he passes Moon, then he passes Alderman. Now we are getting into traffic, with Douglas, Bach, Miller and Alderman. Willey has a slight points lead over Bach and both are in the moment. Bach shrinks the gap between him and Douglas. Now it looks like Leonard’s axle is melting? and Culver is also in the wall at turn one. We are yellow with five laps left in the race. Now here is where things get interesting (unless you’re in a heated points battle). Coming out of turn three, Douglas gets a little sideways and slows up enough where Bach can’t avoid and t bones him. They both start spiraling in different directions but they are moving. Meanwhiles, Willey looks like he hits a bump or is trying to avoid the craziness and he spins and brings out the yellow. Douglas is still moving in the infield trying to figure out which way they went! Bach has a broken nerf bar and now he is done! Willey is tagged for the incident and has to go to the back! And Douglas, whose drift triggered the whole incident, is rewarded with his pole position on the restart. For a guy who has had terrible luck all season the deal was finally squared. However, his front end is badly damaged and he is hoping the car doesn’t fall apart as he races the last five laps. It is a big win for Bruce followed by Alderman, Prosser, Porter, Moon, Culver and finally the persistent Willey Miller. Postscript: Douglas’s car does fail at the finish line and has to be towed off the track. Miller had to pass about seven cars just to claim seventh. But that’s what champions do.

Bach was back in the pits filling out a police report. He was robbed.

The last chance ball for the USAC/CRA was now loading the field. This semi main was going to go twelve laps with four souls advancing, everybody else hits the road. Kirby and Gardner are the name drivers with big points at stake. At the start it’s Kirby out front with Kevin Kierce closely behind. Fierce Kierce is on the gas pushing Kirby from behind with that yellow 360 #2 car. He is tight on that berm and looking very strong. Gardner jumps up to third but Ballard is giving him a hard time (if I was a sprint car driver, I would like to go home to my wife and mention “yeah, I gave Damion Gardner a hard time”). Tedrick and Ellertson (I think) spin in the front straightaway and we go yellow. The green flag comes down again and it’s Kirby, Kierce, Ballard and Gardner. Gardner is going high. Another spin, another restart and now Steve Ostling is on the move. He passes Gardner, he passes Ballard. Now he is on Kierce and takes second.

The track is now going away from Kierce and coming to Ostling. As we go into the final laps, Ostling is pushing Kirby and Gardner is now fighting Kierce for the transfer spot. On the final lap, Ostling edges Kirby for the win, Kirby second, Ballard takes third and Gardner barely edges a ferocious Kevin Kierce for fourth. Conrad also just misses. Ballard had the most passes.

Now for the main event, they bring all of these top cars and drivers and line them up along the front straightway. This is cool! An announcer walks down the ine, introducing each driver and getting a few comments. Ronnie Case wishes his mom Happy Birthday, crews are slinking around turning this and adjusting that, Cory and Rip are shooting the breeze like a couple of neighbors on a Sunday morning…..it’s a beautiful sight.

In the coveted front row, we have Rodney Argo and Josh Ford. Second row is granted to Tony Jones and Mike Spencer. Third row belongs to Rickie Gaunt and Rip Williams. Fourth row is owned by Cory Kruseman and Charles Davis. Fifth row is deeded to Mike Kirby and Steve Ostling. Sixth row is occupied by Damion Gardner and Seth Wilson. Seventh row is filled by Alan Ballard and Danny Sheridan. Eight row (it’s way back there) is forced on J. Hicks and R.J. Johnson. Ninth row is delegated to Ronnie Case and Jimmy Crawford. Tenth row is reluctantly claimed by Tom Stansbury and Greg Bragg. Jordan Hermansde is the last seat available. That’s twenty one cars, nine hundred horsepower each and the sound lifts the sky as the green flag comes down.

Rodney Argo takes that pole position and clambers into first position, closely followed by Ford. But that doesn’t last long. Ricky Gaunt and Cory Kruseman are both standing on the pedal and soon it is Argo, Gaunt, Kruseman and Ford. Gaunt takes the lead for a lap then reluctantly hands it to Kruseman who is followed by Argo. Then Argo wobbles and surrenders second place back to Gaunt. Charles Davis is stalking the whole bunch, passes Ford and takes the fourth spot. On the sixth lap, Ford spins between turns three and four and we have a restart. It’s a gleeful Kruseman in front, Ricky Gaunt in a solid second position, Rodney Argo trying to save third, Charles Davis applying pressure from the fourth position and Rip Williams, Mike Spencer and Mike Kirby all applying at the door. Damion Gardner wasn’t there, it was his evil twin driving and not very well. With about nine laps completed, a strong Davis passes Gaunt for the second position, but in the back, the hard charging Stansbury spins out in turn one, with R.J. Johnson getting caught in the mess. Stansbury out. Gaunt reverts to the second position with the restart. Cory and Ricky are having a blast as they careen around the track. You can tell these two guys love their jobs. Cory is getting huge lifts coming out of four and Kirby seems to be picking up speed further back in the pack. Bragg and Hicks lock it up in turn 2 with fifteen laps completed. Damion’s evil twin starts going high, Cory is also pushing the cushion. Cory is high, Gaunt is low and suddenly the evil twin gets past Kirby. Suddenly Kirby is losing ground, I think there had to be something wrong with the car. There are no more incidents on the way to the finish. Cory is way out front, flying high and throwing mud with total abandon. Gaunt and Davis (teammates apparently) are slugging it out for second with Rip holding off Steve Ostling for fourth.

As Cory laps Kirby on the white flag (that’s crazy) Davis takes second, Gaunt takes third and Rip Williams gracefully accepts fourth. Now I’m not sure, but I think that would move Cory into third ahead of Kirby and Rip into first ahead of Damion. But check with your doctor prior to use.

Not a lot of suspense once this race got started, but there is something special about watching Cory Kruseman at Ventura. He has a love and appreciation for this track that comes out in his driving. Nobody could touch him. Crawford, Davis and Cory all had the most passes, equal counts. The difference was Cory ran out of people to pass. Alongside the ocean, in his arena, surrounded by people that love him, he was only racing himself.

posted: 9:38 AM