surfnsprint

Surfnsprint heard about some awesome surf and had to skip the raceway this week in pursuit of the perfect wave. My name is Richie Wohlers and I am the substitute. I will be writing the names of any misbehaving readers on the blackboard and report them to surfnsprint when he gets back, so behave yourselves!

Memorial Day was created in 1868 as a way to commemorate fallen Union soldiers from the Civil War. Originally, Memorial Day was called Decoration Day, as tombs of fallen soldiers were decorated in their honor, and was celebrated every May 30. Since it was originally a holiday to honor Union soldiers, many of the Southern states refused to celebrate Decoration Day, because of lingering (and understandable) hostility from the Civil War. It wasn’t until after World War I that the Southern states began recognizing Decoration Day, and even then kept celebrating a separate Confederate Memorial Day. Some time after World War II, the name Memorial Day became more widely used than Decoration Day, and in 1967 the holiday became a Federal law.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which took 4 holidays (Memorial Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Washington’s Birthday) and moved them from their traditional date to a specified Monday each year in order to create 3 day weekends. Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday in May.

There are those who feel that Memorial Day should be moved back to its original May 30 date each year as making a holiday a 3 day weekend has undermined the true meaning of the holiday. Perhaps we are now too far removed from a major war for the majority of us to still feel affected by the deaths of soldiers. Many Americans died in Vietnam, but even that is well over 35 years ago, and unfortunately the soldiers from that war were not treated with respect. Maybe we no longer feel the need to celebrate Memorial Day the way it was intended. Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a veteran of World War II, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional day since 1999.

Enough of the history lessons, let’s get to the racing.


Tonight’s events begin with the Senior Sprints.

Heat 1 looks like this:
Front Row: Oren Prosser Sr. – Chris McArthur
Second Row: Bill Leonard – Grady Winkler
Third Row: Ron Bach – Bruce Douglass
Fourth Row: Tim Moon – Rob Cowan

5:30PM - The track was just watered and is still quite slick. McArthur jumps out front right away and is never challenged. In fact, once the cars settle into position after the first turn, there really isn’t much change of positions, as the cars are just trying to keep moving forward on the slick track, and they do a good job with no yellow flags. Finish order:
1. McArthur
2. Prosser Sr.
3. Bach
4. Douglass
5. Moon
6. Leonard
7. Winkler
8. Cowan

Heat 2:
Front Row: Mark Chuhaloff – Bill Badger
Second Row: John Richards – Brett Butler (not the baseball player or star of “Grace Under Fire”)
Third Row: Wiley Miller – Mike Cook
Fourth Row: Steve Stasa

5:38PM – Mark Chuhaloff comes into the turn 4 start on the inside and a little slow. When he punches it on the straight he slides in front of Prosser, blocking the entire field and jumping into the lead. I don’t think he’ll get away with this move next time. Badger settled in to second place, and the cars just play follow the leader for seven laps before Wiley Miller is able to pass Badger in turn 4 on the final lap to take second behind Chuhaloff. John Richards spins 360 degrees between turn 1 and 2 on lap 6, but is able to save it and avoid the yellow flag. Finishing order:
1. Chuhaloff
2. Miller
3. Badger
4. Butler
5. Stasa
6. Cook
7. Richards

Heat 3:
Front Row: Jeff Culver – Bob Alderman
Second Row: John Woodward – Rick Hendrix
Third Row: Ross Millar – Tony Everhart
Fourth Row: Tom Fish

5:45PM – Bob Alderman grabs the holeshot from the outside of the front row. Jeff Culver hangs on to second place for just one lap before Rick Hendrix gets by. Again, not much passing in this Senior Sprint heat. The stat sheet says this is Tom Fish’s first race in the Senior Sprint division. Finishing order:
1. Alderman
2. Hendrix
3. Culver
4. Millar
5. Everhart
6. Fish
7. Woodward

The VRA/USAC Ford Focus Midgets get on the track. The name of this class is quite a mouthful, but these guys do a great job of getting on the track and lining up. I believe all of these drivers have radio receivers in their helmets and are able to take instructions from USAC officials.

Heat 1:
Front Row: John Nickel Jr. – Nic Faas
Second Row: James Fryslie – Joseph Fabrozzi
Third Row: Brett Engstrom – Dennis Howell
Fourth Row: Jake Vail – Aaron Schankerman

5:51PM – Nic Faas grabs the holeshot and has a decent lead. Schankerman, Fabrozzi, Nickel and Vail all gather up in turn 3 on the fifth lap bringing out the yellow flag. On the restart, Engstrom is able to hang right behind Faas. Fryslie spins out and we’re yellow again. On the restart Engstrom again is right with Faas and this time shows Faas a front wheel. Unfortunately, when he does this he loses control and slows just a little bit. Dennis Howell uses this to move into second place where he finishes the heat. Finishing order:
1. Faas
2. Howell
3. Engstrom
4. Fabrozzi
5. Schankerman
6. Fryslie
7. Vail
8. Nickel

Heat 2:
Front Row: Keith Iaia – Jenna Frazier
Second Row: Brian Camarillo – Gordon Edwards
Third Row: JR Williams – Jody Banfield
Fourth Row: Keith Janca

6:01PM – Keith Iaia jumps out front. Jenna Frazier started on the outside of the front row, but dropped back to fourth place. Frazier slowly worked her way back up to second place where she would finish. Finishing order:
1. Iaia
2. Frazier
3. Janca
4. Camarillo
5. Banfield
6. Williams
7. Edwards

Heat 3:
Front Row: Thomas Grey – Quinton Crye
Second Row: Bobby Michnowicz – Cameron Veach
Third Row: Ricky Kirkbride – Chris Veach
Fourth Row: Nick Carlson

6:04PM – Thomas Grey takes the lead but Quinton Crye isn’t going to just let him have it, hanging tight through the first 2 turns when Bobby Michnowicz comes in and steals second from Crye. Grey Pulls away from the field. Halfway through the heat, Crye bumps into Michnowicz and drops down to sixth. Finshing order:
1. Grey
2. Michnowicz
3. Chris Veach
4. Carlson
5. Crye
6. Cameron Veach
7. Kirkbride



Next up: Pony Stocks.

Heat 1:
Front Row: Brad Long – Joel Chavez
Second Row: Paul Johnson – Andrew Greiman
Third Row: David Peterson – Jeff Houghton
Fourth Row: Jerrod Twomey – Martin Nettring
Fifth Row: Tyler Brochett – Jack Trigg

6:08PM – Brad Long takes the lead for the first lap. Andrew Greiman drives through Joel Chavez a couple laps in. Jerrod Twomey crashes into the turn 4/track entrance wall. There is steam everywhere and the car looks quite damaged, but it’s the last lap so no yellow flag. Greiman gets by Long on the last lap for the win. Finishing order:
1. Greiman
2. Long
3. Chavez
4. Peterson
5. Johnson
6. Trigg
7. Houghton
8. Nettring
9. Brochett
10. Twomey

Heat 2:
Front Row: Mike Frazier – Steve Klingberg
Second Row: Jack Hoyt – Jim Evans
Third Row: Randal Dougan – Ryan Changus
Fourth Row: Joe Weaver – Mark Woellert
Fifth Row: Kody Harper – Anthony Mestes

6:14PM – Mike Frazier gets a big jump off the start. Jack Hoyt is able to get within one straightaway of Frazier by the last few laps, but it just isn’t enough. The rest of the pack is way behind Hoyt. Finishing order:
1. Frazier
2. Hoyt
3. Klingberg
4. Evans
5. Dougan
6. Woellert
7. Changus
8. Weaver
9. Harper
10. Mestes

VRA Junior Focus racing. These are the same cars as the regular Ford Focus class, with the exception of a restricter and the drivers are all 13-16 years old. Only 5 racers tonight:
Front Row: Johnathon Henry – Justin Kierce
Second Row: Robby Josett – Cody Kershaw
Third Row: Dakota Kershaw

6:18PM – All 5 cars are dicing back and forth. Looks like any of them could win this heat. Before long, Henry emerges as the leader. Josett hangs with Henry, while the other 3 cars fall behind. Finishing order:
1. Henry
2. Josett
3. Kierce
4. Dakota Kershaw
5. Cody Kershaw

VRA Sprint cars. The first heat is loaded. 6 of the 8 drivers have won main events at Ventura raceway.

Heat 1:
Front Row: Greg Taylor – Errol Sack
Second Row: Chris Wakim – Luis Espinoza
Third Row: Ronnie Case – Kevin Kierce
Fourth Row: Jim Thomson – Brian Camarillo
6:38PM – Errol Sack gets a jump on Greg Taylor’s pole position. Luis Espinoza moves up to second on lap 2. Sack gets sideways on the 4th lap, causing Taylor to get on the brakes and enabling Espinoza to jump into the lead and Taylor falls to fifth. Looks like points leader Taylor is going to have to get to the main event through the semi again. Finishing order:
1. Espinoza
2. Kierce
3. Wakim
4. Sack
5. Taylor
6. Case
7. Camarillo
8. Thomson

Heat 2:
Front Row: Dennis Rodriguez – Michael Trimble
Second Row: Ron Wade – Angel Figueroa
Third Row: Heidi Tresler – Oren Prosser Jr.
Fourth Row: Jimmy Crawford – Donald Houghton

6:45PM – Michael Trimble takes the lead. Trimble won the main at Bakersfield last week, and almost won at Ventura the week before. Looks like he is picking up where he left off, winning this heat. Rodriguez is in second place, but Figueroa is coming at him hard. Prosser moves into second place on lap 3. Figueroa and Rodriguez battle for third place, but Neutron Crawford sneaks between them on the sixth lap. Crawford gets in front of Figueroa and into third place on the white flag. Figueroa hangs on for the final transfer spot. Finishing order:
1. Trimble
2. Prosser
3. Crawford
4. Figueroa
5. Rodriguez
6. Houghton
7. Wade
8. Tresler

Heat 3:
Front Row: Tom Schneider (Late Late Show?) – Jeremy Ellertson
Second Row: Troy Rutherford – John Wright
Third Row: Bill Camarillo – John Nock
Fourth Row: Hobie Conway – Ron Tjaarda

6:52PM – Tom Schneider gets the jump, but Jeremy Ellertson is staying right on his rear bumper. Rutherford and Wright follow behind. Ellertson finally gets by Schneider with 2 laps to go and a little bit of contact between the two. Sheriff John Wright spins a bit on the final lap, but manages to keep moving. Camarillo takes the final transfer spot behind Rutherford. Finishing order:
1. Ellertson
2. Schneider
3. Rutherford
4. Camarillo
5. Nock
6. Wright
7. Conway
8. Tjaarda

Heat 4:
Front Row: Wes Richardson – Kristine Lindahl
Second Row: Jeff Oliver – Ty Schlender
Third Row: Brandon Thomson – Steve Conrad
Fourth Row: Craig Bailey

6:58PM – Wes Richardson takes advantage of the pole position, with everybody else ping-ponging back and forth for second place. Thomson and Lindahl pull off after just 1 lap, but still no yellow flags. Jeff Oliver is pushing Richardson. Ty Schlender gets by Steve Conrad, but Conrad gets him back midway through the race and into third place. Oliver moves past Richardson, who falls to third, on the sixth lap and goes on for the victory. Schlender goes to his first main event. Ty was racing dirt bikes a year ago. Finishing order:
1. Oliver
2. Conrad
3. Richardson
4. Schlender
5. Bailey
6. Thomson
7. Lindahl




7:04PM - VRA Junior Focus main event. Justin Kierce takes the lead, with Robby Josett and Dakota Kershaw right behind. The top 3 are very tight. Johnathon Henry falls back on the 8th lap. 11 laps in, Dakota Kershaw goes too low and has to slow down to regroup – falling back to fifth. Kierce goes on for the win. These guys all race really hard. In one heat and one main, every car seemed to have a chance to win at one point or another. Hopefully we can see a few more cars in this class soon, they put on a good show. Finishing order:
1. Kierce
2. Josett
3. Cody Kershaw
4. Henry
5. Dakota Kershaw

The track is looking really dry due to a sunny afternoon at Seaside Park and quite a breeze. Jim Naylor gets out the big tractor and cuts the track and re-waters. Time to go down to the pits and find out who Sprint Car Heat 4 winner Jeff Oliver is. Jeff is a young guy who had been racing Junior Sprint Cars. Last week at Bakersfield was his first ever 360 Sprint Car race. This week is his first race at Ventura, and he’s looking good.



We’ve had 7 sprint car heat races tonight, and not a single yellow flag. Looks like curfew isn’t going to be an issue this week.

VRA Sprint Car semi main event. The last chance to make the main event. Greg Taylor starts on the pole with Dennis Rodriguez next to him.

7:48PM – They’re off and Taylor jumps out front. John Nock, Ron Wade and Donald Houghton chase him down. On the second lap, Brandon Thomson’s left rear wheel falls off in front of the flag stand. First sprint car yellow flag of the night. While the cars are gathering together on the yellow, Taylor drives off the track with mechanical problems. He won’t get back on the track tonight, and his points lead is in grave danger. Greg is one of the best drivers at Ventura, but he sure seems to have a hard time keeping his cars running. On the restart, Nock takes the lead. Tjaarda and John Wright collide on the 6th lap bringing a yellow flag, but both cars are able to keep moving, while Kristine Lindahl drops out of the race. On the restart it’s Nock, Wade, Houghton and Rodriguez. Tjaarda spins 2 laps later and is pushed off the track. 11 cars left, fighting for 4 transfer spots. Ronnie Case pushes hard for the final transfer spot, but can’t get there. Nock, Wade, Houghton and Rodriguez go to the main.

It’s time for the VRA/USAC Ford Focus main event. Say that 3 times fast!

8:05PM – Thomas Grey gets the holeshot, but Nick Carlson spins out on the 2nd lap bringing a yellow. No worries as Grey gets the holeshot again on the restart, with Keith Iaia and Bobby Michnowicz tagging along. On the seventh lap, Brett Engstrom and Jody Banfield spin out. We’re yellow. Another restart, 2 more laps and another yellow when Nic Faas spins out and has to leave the race. Once again, we only make it 4 more laps before Dennis Howell spins and brings a yellow flag. Maybe curfew will be an issue tonight after all. On the restart, Grey again takes the lead. This time we’ll finish the final 8 laps without an incident. Michnowicz finally passes Iaia on lap 14. Iaia bumps into Janca and drops back to 4th place. Grey and Michnowicz are way in front at the checkered flag. Finishing order:
1. Grey
2. Michnowicz
3. Janca
4. Iaia
5. Chris Veach
6. Cameron Veach
7. Crye
8. Frazier
9. Banfield
10. Schankerman
11. Edwards
12. Fabrozzi
13. Kirkbride
14. Engstrom
15. Williams
16. Camarillo
17. Nickel
18. Howell
19. Faas
20. Carlson

Senior Sprint cars. Can Bob Alderman win his third straight main event? He’ll have to do it from the third row tonight. The lineup:
Front Row: Oren Prosser Sr. – Rick Hendrix
Second Row: Wiley Miller – Mark Chuhaloff
Third Row: Alderman – Chris McArthur
Fourth Row: Ron Bach – Bill Badger
Fifth Row: Jeff Culver – Bruce Douglass
Sixth Row: Ross Millar – Brett Butler
Seventh Row: Tim Moon – Steve Stasa
Eighth Row: Tony Everhart – Bill Leonard
Ninth Row: Mike Cook – Tom Fish
Tenth Row: Grady Winkler – John Richards
Eleventh Row: John Woodward – Rob Cowan

8:33PM – Oren Prosser Sr. takes the lead. Rick Hendrix is second. Hendrix and Wiley Miller pass Prosser at the flag stand at the end of lap 2. Hendrix is the new leader, followed by Miller and Alderman. Miller gets by Hendrix on the fifth lap with Alderman moving up to second. Halfway through, Bill Leonard draws the yellow flag. We’re racing again with Miller in the lead. Six laps to go, and look who’s made his way up to 4th place: Ron Baaaaach. The top 4 cars begin to spread apart. A lapped car spins on lap 18, and Wiley Miller has to slow down to avoid a collision. Alderman uses the opportunity to take the lead and win his third main event in a row. Finishing order:
1. Alderman
2. Miller
3. Hendrix
4. Bach
5. Prosser
6. Stasa
7. Chuhaloff
8. Douglass
9. McArthur
10. Butler
11. Woodward
12. Millar
13. Badger
14. Culver
15. Cook
16. Everhart
17. Richards
18. Moon
19. Fish
20. Winkler
21. Leonard
22. Cowan

Pony Stock main event. Track officials have warned the drivers that rough driving will not be tolerated. The lineup:
Front Row: Jim Evans – David Peterson
Second Row: Steve Klingberg – Joel Chavez
Third Row: Jack Hoyt – Brad Long
Fourth Row: Mike Frazier – Andrew Greiman
Fifth Row: Paul Johnson – Randal Dougan
Sixth Row: Jack Trigg – Mark Woellert
Seventh Row: Jeff Houghton – Ryan Changus
Eighth Row: Martin Nettring – Joe Weaver
Ninth Row: Tyler Brochett – Kody Harper
Tenth Row: Jerrod Twomey – Anthony Mestes

8:49PM – Jim Evans takes advantage of his pole position and is the early leader. Nettring spins and has a flat tire on the first lap. Yellow flag, and a full restart. Once again, Evans takes the lead with Jack Hoyt chasing. On lap 5 there is a big pile up entering turn 3. Frazier doesn’t see the yellow light yet and is heading full speed into the stopped cars. Big sigh of relief from the crowd as Frazier narrowly misses an ugly crash. On the restart, Evans once again jumps to the front. 7 laps in and Frazier makes a run for first place, but tangles with Evans, who spins out, causing a yellow flag. Ventura raceway doesn’t tolerate drivers taking out the leader, so both cars are sent to the back of the pack. Jack Hoyt takes the lead on the restart, with Houghton and Nunley following. Greiman has moved up to third place on the 13th lap, and one lap later is passed by Chavez in his little Honda. Two more laps and Chavez has moved up to 2nd place. Greiman spins out on lap 17, drawing the yellow. On the restart there is another pileup. Race officials are frustrated with the demolition derby that are the Pony Stocks tonight, and calls the race official with just 17 of 20 laps completed. Finishing order:
1. Hoyt
2. Chavez
3. Trigg
4. Long
5. Dougan
6. Johnson
7. Peterson
8. Greiman
9. Harper
10. Evans
11. Houghton
12. Brochett
13. Frazier
14. Woellert
15. Mestes
16. Weaver
17. Changus
18. Klingberg
19. Nettring
20. Twomey (never make it to the start)

“YMCA”, “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” and it’s time for the VRA Sprint Car main event.

The lineup:
Front Row: Oren Prosser, Jr. – Kevin Kierce
Second Row: Jeremy Ellertson – Michael Trimble
Third Row: Jeff Oliver – Luis Espinoza
Fourth Row: Steve Conrad – Tom Schneider
Fifth Row: Jimmy Crawford – Chris Wakim
Sixth Row: Troy Rutherford – Wes Richardson
Seventh Row: Bill Camarillo – Errol Sack
Eighth Row: Angel Figueroa – Ty Schlender
Ninth Row: John Nock – Ron Wade
Tenth Row: Donald Houghton – Dennis Rodriguez

9:20PM – Kevin Kierce beats Oren Prosser off the line for the holeshot. Jeremy Ellertson pulls off the track on the 5th lap. Michael Trimble, Troy Rutherford and Jeff Oliver are battling for fifth place. At the halfway point it’s Kierce, Prosser, Espinoza, Crawford and Rutherford. Espinoza gets by Prosser for second on lap 16. Espinoza is slowly trying to reel in Kierce, but never able to. The race goes green-white-checkered, without a caution flag. Kierce wins, Espinoza second. Everybody is spread all over the track, making it difficult to see what is happening behind the leaders. I’ve always thought that if the race goes the first 15 laps without a yellow flag, that the flagman should automatically bring out the yellow halfway through to bring the cars back together and make things interesting. Maybe I’m the only one with that idea. I’m sure Kierce wouldn’t have liked that plan this night. Finishing order:
1. Kierce
2. Espinoza
3. Rutherford
4. Wakim
5. Crawford
6. Prosser
7. Camarillo
8. Trimble
9. Sack
10. Richardson
11. Conrad
12. Nock
13. Figueroa
14. Schneider
15. Houghton
16. Oliver
17. Wade
18. Rodriguez
19. Schlender
20. Ellertson



Maybe we should all take a few minutes this Memorial Day to at least think about those that sacrificed their lives, so we can enjoy our Saturday nights at Ventura Raceway. I am one of those lucky enough to not know anybody who has ever died in a war, and none of my close relatives died in war before I was born. Don’t forget them.