surfnsprint

Monday, May 08, 2006

Ordinary People Who Do Extraordinary Things
Race Day 4
May 6, 2006

Ordinary people who do extraordinary things. I’m stealing this week’s title because I couldn’t say it any better. Bruce Ellis writes for Sprint Car and Midget Magazine and that’s a phrase he used this month to describe sprint car drivers.

Cliff and I were talking about it in the tower Saturday night, just go down the pit stands for hang for five minutes. The variety, the personalities, the depth of character you will find is amazing. Not just the drivers, you also have the pit crews, the sponsors, the track officials. Every week I’m meeting someone new, some new story and some cool connection. If you were in the pits this weekend, join the crowd. I don’t detect any waning interest for racing in Ventura. Ninety-six cars came into the pits for the best dirt track racing this side of the Channel Islands!

People tell me I get excited. With 62 sprints pitted, I think freaking everybody is excited!

Thanks to Larry O for posting the coolest racing links to be found. I was able to sit at my computer and watch Cory Kruseman win non winged sprints at the Florida Winternationals because Larry digs up the gold. Larry you are as fast on your computer as Cory is on the 39th lap of a 40 lap main! All at www.vrafan.com! Wait until you see the in car video footage that Runbull is coming up with! He sent me a copy of all the races Tim Moon ran last week with a camera attached and it was excelleeeeent. Loudpedal is feeding clips into their racing videos and that a powerful combination! www.loudpedalvideo.com to get the dirt.

Lots of interesting people pass through the tower. This weekend it was Paul Vetter (Western Region Director for IMCA Racing) and his charming wife. He announced the Modifieds and hung out in general. Spot on comments and observations all evening, really good time. We also had Lester Tobias stop in; he’s the architect who designed the new pit stands and winner’s circle. Yeah baby…

Victor Davis, you are about the only person I can ask this question. What is it like to drive a sprint car while unconscious? Does it make the other drivers less annoying?

Does it make it easier not having to pay attention to those pesky track officials? Just wondering……

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Quick trip thru the pits. All of the sudden it was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! A whole pack of classic cars and drivers looking for 10 cent a gallon gas. Don’t think they found any. Saw Steve Conrad rolling out and told him to “quit screwing around and just take first. You’re gonna do it sooner or later and you’ll save everybody a lot of time!” “All right” he says with that sheepish grin. Josh Rutherford was back and hunched over and fussing with a car. Didn’t really want to talk. Checked out Jack Parker, him and his brother Vic keep everybody supplied, he races the Mods and I think I heard he’s in law enforcement.

Ordinary people…

IMCA Modified Heats

First heat had Randy McGraw on the gas. Second heat features Rick Rodarte warming up to the season and besting David Addamo. Third and final heat has Donald Houghton crossing first in front of Jack Parker.

VRA Senior Sprint Heats

This first heat shows us again that this Rick Hendrix is fast. Really fast. I don’t think this year’s going to be business as usual for Wiley, Ron, Danny or Bob! Second heat has Wiley putting so much pressure on Mark Chuhaloff that when he blinks in the final turn, the wily Wiley picks his pocket for the checkers. Tim Moon drives heat three to the bank and deposits 50 points. Danny Miller and Bob Alderman follow him there.

WRA Vintage Racers

Now the WRA Vintage Racers ran heats. We were not provided with drivers names but I had a great time watching the old-timers. It was a little nerve-wracking watching a real race with no cages or roll bars, but they were standing on it. The only thing I can say for sure is that “old age and cunning overcomes youth and ambition every time”.

VRA Sprint Cars Heat One

Heidi Tresler gets her pick spot, having started the first three race days in the rear rookie position. Today she is front row outside. But when you got Troy Rutherford, Mike Kirby and Wes Richardson behind you, well……. Josh gets way out early, Kirby works his way to second, Richardson third and visitor Nate Ziegler in fourth.

Heat Two

Outstanding race for fourth position by “Plain Fast” Prosser. With a flat front left tire he managed to match the pack and steal fourth from Trimble. Taylor jumped to the front followed by Kevin Kierce and Rusty Carlisle. Kershaw was in fourth but Prosser was determined to advance. Brandon Thomson blew a tire in the front straightaway allowing everybody to catch up with Taylor! Still by the end Taylor in the red #7 is far out front, Kierce in normal mode, Carlile takes third and Prosser demands fourth.

Heat Three

Tough crowd. Espinoza, Conrad, Figueroa, Pombo…..

Espinoza jumps to it, followed closely by Conrad. Pombo passes both Buckley and Figueroa for third. Crawford shows up at the last minute and muscles a couple of people out of the way for fourth.

Heat Four

Even tougher crowd. Blake must be driving a 410. He is so far out front he was able to go to McDonald’s before grabbing the checkered. The real match was between Wakim and Camarillo for third. It was Miller, Josh Ford, Wakim and Camarillo.

tires, fuel, spare parts and an IMCA Modified points lead: Jack Parker

IMCA Modified Main Event

First lap we had a huge muck up at turn one which spins six cars. They clean it up and restart. We have a real fight between Randy McGraw, Parker and Houghton. Again this is close quarters combat with Parker brawling his way to the front. There he stays as Vikings flail and heroes fall. Just as we get into the last laps, McGraw gives up the fight going to the infield. The checkered flag falls for Jack “Passing Through” Parker, followed by Donald Houghton, Don Pannel and Steve Greenland.

VRA Sprint B Main #1

This was standard fair, Angel Figueroa, Joe Henderson and Rusty Carlile driving the way they expect, up front and leading. The real story this semi was the way 16 year old Heidi drove. She took fourth in this race by driving hard and being fast.

VRA Sprint B Main #2

Huge mucky muck even before the cars hit the straightaway. I saw Nock and God knows who else in a pile. Trimble ran away with this followed by Harper, Hendricks and Jesse Mack.

VRA Senior Main Event

For the start, you have Danny Miller and Mark Chuhaloff in the front row, Ron Bach and Tim moon second row, third row Wiley Miller and Rick Hendrix, fourth row Bob Alderman and Steve Stasa. Wow! Hard fought start with Chulahoof strong, but Danny Miller is going to be in the front, damn the torpedoes. Moon takes a nasty bump and falls to sixth. Here comes Wily when they are three across in the corner and he is inserting his nose in the center. So you have Danny Miller, Chuhaloff, Alderman, Bach and Wily Miller. A few bump and grinds, a few restarts, Danny and Hendrix are duking it out when Danny Boy gets turned around in four and gathers up Hendrix and then gets clipped hard by Millar. Alderman can handle it. Bach puts up a fight with Wily behind him. It looks like one of last years races now. It finishes with Alderman, Bach, Wily Miller and Stasa.

Great race with Danny Boy Miller showing a lot of heart, despite getting knocked out at the end.

silent but deadly

VRA Sprint Car Main Event

How can you characterize the level of quality you find in the current VRA main events? Front row features Kevin Kierce and Mike Kirby. Kevin has been waiting for this.

Blake Miller and Luis Espinoza on the second row. Greg Taylor and Troy Rutherford in the third row. Steve Conrad and Josh Ford in the fourth row. Davey Pombo and Rob Kershaw in the fifth row. Wes Richardson and Chris Wakim in the sixth row. Oren Prosser Jr. and Jimmy Crawford behind them. That a lot of driving talent in the first fourteen spots. Anybody can win, but it’s Kevin Kierce at the start, into the corners, staying low and beating back Mike Kirby and Blake Miller. Kirby and Miller start banging the top and it works. First Kirby gets around Kevin, then Blake. But this is fast, fast, fast and Mike, Blake and Kevin seem to have a lock in the first eight laps. Behind them Greg Taylor is warming up his Raney, Josh Rutherford is dialing in and Steve Conrad is getting his attitude adjusted. A spin in turn three brings out the yellow.

Up in the tower, people are commenting on how little difference between the 360’s and 410’s. Vetter figures “about 50 cubic dollars!”

On the new start, Kierce jumps to the front again, followed by Kirby, Miller and Conrad. “Silent Steve” Conrad is on the move and now nicks Miller for the third spot. Debris brings out another yellow and the green now brings Conrad past Kirby and challenging leader Kevin Kierce. This is powerful fast racing between Kevin and Steve for the front. Kevin “Fierce” Kierce is back, showing muscle and skill. But Conrad keeps working the bottom and finally steals the front spot. Now it’s Conrad, Kierce, Miller, Espinoza, Kirby and Taylor! Oren Prosser suddenly hits the wall in turn two, he’s ok but the plywood is in pain. We are red and the pit crews swarm the cars. I think everybody is adjusting for the bottom, except for maybe the red #7. We have 17 laps completed and thirteen to go.

Sure enough the general population heads to the bottom. Conrad is going to stick with what got him in front. Greg Taylor has no inclination to get in line; he goes to the top and starts high lining laps in an attempt to catch Steve. First he passes Espinoza and then Heidi Tresler spins in turn three. On the new start (with eight to go) he now passes Kierce. Suddenly we have an exciting showdown between Conrad taking the low line and Taylor taking the high line. Now Richardson spin cycles in turn two. On the next green Taylor slings past Conrad, but Steve stays focused and is turning the corners neatly. On the white flag they are neck and neck, again Naylor bangs the turn two wall (“side grip” he tells me later) again Conrad grinds the bottom and now they are turning the final corner. It could have been one, it could have the other but tonight Silent Steve Conrad gets his car ahead by a Hoosier tire length. Whew! We all fall out of the tower.

ordinary people...

posted: 9:40 AM

Comments:

thank you for the kind words and keep up the great writing it takes time and thought.

thanks,
Vic

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:49 PM

Very nice artical. Keep it up!

:)
Reed

# posted by

Reed : 10:47 AM

Heat race two.

Psosser drove right into Thompson as Thompson slid up the race track just past the flag stand. Flat right rear for Thompson and Flat front tyre for Prosser... Both did well not to have a bigger crash.

# posted by

Buzzard : 5:07 PM

let the truth be known!

# posted by

surfnsprint : 6:33 PM

As always you always have something
neat to say. Just a wonderful
article. A couple points.

There is no Josh Rutherford.

If anything you can call him
"cowboy" Rutherford, which I don't
think he likes...LOL!

But it would be correct to call
him Troy.

Rick Hendrix is the 1998 USAC
Western State Midget Champ.

And Pombo has been doing a lot
of racing. I just know he
has been racing a lot of North
lately.

Larry "O"

# posted by

Grasshopper : 9:57 PM

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Monday, May 08, 2006

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