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USAC/CRA Race 3

October 28, 2006

Ventura Raceway

I drove through the strawberry fields of Ventura County on my way to the racetrack. The sun was glinting hard off the ocean as I made my way listening to loud Neil Young singing, “Cortez the Killer”. Abstract lyrics and a long sinewy guitar lead floated around the cab of my truck as I contemplated tonight’s racing. Images of the Wagsdash racing family were moving around in my head. I could see the Ventura track crew; I can see Morris smoking his cigarette and Naylor on the grader, the blade working that brown clay. There were red sprint cars with drivers coming from long distances and others with their hands buried in this dirt. “He came dancing across the water, with his galleons and guns, looking for the New World and a palace in the sun”……

Quick Trip through the Pits:

There are a lot of people here from everywhere. Oval Nationals is in the air. Sixty sprints in the pits for USAC/CRA, Wagsdash and VRA Seniors. That’s a lot of racing. Wags are in the aisles selling cookies and pictures and good will. It’s hard sometimes to describe the special feelings that come with being at a racetrack. It’s always about holding out a helping hand. New friends are now old friends. Smells of hope and methanol drift in the air. You and your buddies have practiced familiarity in the grandstands as you handicap the cars. Little pieces of information take on big meanings as you drift through the pits. The setting sun gives way to vapor lights and heats give way to semis. Hope gives way to despair and more hope gives way to victory and exuberance. Vigorous discussions about the relationship of moisture to the clay every hour…and everywhere teams are in action. “People worked together and they lifted many stones.”

USAC/CRA Qualifying and Heat Races:

Ventura Champion Blake Miller stands it up on the backstretch and takes qualifying with 11.953. This driver is a bundle of talent and going places. Fast, obviously. Top five his rookie season in USAC. Other fast cars included David Cardey, Tony Jones, Mike Spencer and Damion Gardner. Heat One Rip Williams gets out front and never gives it up. Rick Ziehl is here from New Mexico and nabs second. Third is a battle between Garrett Hansen and Damion Gardner with the Demon taking precedence. Always nice to see Garrett Hansen at this track, he‘s had some good racing here. Fast time Blake Miller and Steve Conrad (360) go to the B Main. Second heat has Josh Ford dominating until Cory Kruseman gets around all the traffic. Now Cory is out front cleanly with Ford and Danny Sheridan doing the boogaloo. But the interesting fight is Wes Richardson (driving that 360 like he stole it!) holding off Ventura strongman Greg Taylor for the final transfer. It’s Taylor, Cardey and Hunsaker to the B Main. Third heat is Troy Rutherford looking great until he drifts and gathers up both Tony and Levi Jones along with Dennis Rodriquez. Everybody refires except Rodriquez. Now Crawford is in charge with Ronnie Case giving him hell. Another yellow and we only have one lap completed. Green and again Case is bedeviling Crawford. There is some contact and I see Crawford beginning to smoke. He ignores the smoke and throws the car into overdrive. Tony and Levi are working their way up quickly and they both get around the Rocket. Crawford is whipping his ride but Tony Jones nicks him for first followed by Levi Jones and Scotty Weir. I don’t know Scotty Weir. Rutherford had worked his way back to fifth but he and Case are going down to B Main. Fourth and final heat has a quick yellow in turn one that gathers up Hendrix, Ballard, Hicks and a wrecked Matt Mitchell. He leaves for repairs. We go green and again another yellow for a checkup that takes out almost everybody but Neely and Kierce. Darren Simas goes to the work area. Now its Mat Neely and Rodney Argo battling for first. Kierce works his way into this fight while Hicks and Spencer trade blows just behind them. Spencer works his way to fourth and its Mat Neely taking first, Rodney Argo in second, Kevin Kierce in third and Mike Spencer fourth. Ballard and Hicks go to the Semi. Excellent heat racing all around.

To much Crawford? I don't care, it's just a great shot!
photo: surfnsprint

VRA Senior Sprints:

Bruce Douglas got on the gas and he was out front. Ron Tjaarda was in second with Ron Bach and Steve Stassa hunting. Tjaarda hits the wall, loses control of his steering and takes out about ninety seven cars. Tjaarda out. Badger and Woodward are out. Green again, yellow again. This time Millar drifts and gathers up a few. Danny Miller doesn’t see the yellow and goes over Chris McArthur’s tire and takes a vicious flip on the front drag. Everyone is relieved to see him climb out. Hobie Conway is track crew and she is everywhere on her quad. Hobie brings certain flair to her work, a sense of excellence. Funny on that scanner too. Green again and Douglas just looks so comfortable out front. Stassa is still in second. Wiley Miller has moved to third as Ron Bach catches the berm and wobbles to fourth. Stassa is really trying hard but Bruce is running a perfect race. He stays ahead and grabs the checker, followed by Stassa, Miller and Bach. Erstwhile Alderman is fifth, McArthur in sixth and steady Tim Moon in seventh. Butler, Prosser and Myerly finish the top ten. The inscrutable Ron Bach retains his point lead, one race to go on November 11^th. Douglas and Bach will both return for the Wagsdash tonight!

Bruce Douglass and the lovely Deborah
photo: surfnsprint

USAC/CRA Main Event:

Miller, Ballard, Morgan and Hicks advanced from the semi to the main. With qualifying times that put Miller on the fifth row with Ballard. Danny Sheridan got the pole with Kierce on his shoulder. Kierce was driving a new 410 set up. Crawford and Levi Jones were second row. Cory Kruseman and Damion Gardner sat third row, separated only by a point. Green. Sheridan slams it into the turn and is banging wheels with Kierce. “Tough crowd” I think to myself. It’s Sheridan, Kruseman, Miller and Kierce. Now we have a wipeout in turn three taking Wes Richardson to the work area. Rick Ziehl restarts as does Scotty Weir. Green again has Sheridan making high sweeping turns, Kruseman nicks him on the bottom and takes first. Miller and Spencer are stalking. Now it’s Kruseman swinging high with Sheridan and Miller. Miller comes out of four too hard hit the wall and takes a flip. He gathers up Damian Gardner and gives him a broken right front shock. Gardner goes to the work area and they drag Miller’s broken ride to the infield. Now what happened next is a mess about getting Damion back on the track. His crew claims he was ready to go before the green but no push truck. His crew told me that USAC was waving them on to the track, but the push truck was late and they started the race with out him. Damion was so burned up with frustration he threw his helmet out on the track while the race was in progress! I have talked to Damion on a number of occasions and always found him to be a very gracious guy. I think his actions speak to his level of frustration. I ‘m sure we’ll get some feedback from some readers who saw what happened. I’m seeing and hearing all of this from the tower so it’s second hand. Anyhow, I’m not sure if he was watching as Cory drove away with the points lead. Now another yellow with Rip in turn one and Rutherford in turn four. Green again; it’s Cory and he is getting fast. Sheridan is trying to run him down but its not working. Tony Jones is really gassing as is Spencer when Scotty Weir gets backwards in turn three. Another green and Cory is decidedly getting gone. Sheridan and Tony Jones are racing hard while Spencer and Ford are trying to get up there. The Kruser is cruising and we are treated to a real battle between Sheridan and Tony Jones. Danny Sheridan has been on fire recently and he keeps it together here. It finishes Kruseman, Sheridan, Jones and Spencer. Spencer won the last USAC event here and deserves a lot of respect. It is so much fun watching Tony Jones race. Sheridan is becoming a Ventura favorite because he shows his heart every time he comes here. Kruseman? Once I was looking for a quote and I asked him “tell me something most people don’t know?” “Just tell people I am living the dream”, he replied. “Every day I get up and my job is racing!” Looking at him now, relaxed with the trophy, hugging his family and smiling for pictures, he does look like he’s living his dream. But like most winners, he seems to spread the dream around. It feels like the whole town is dreaming with him.

Dream time for the Kruseman's
photo: surfnsprint

Wagsdash:

It was another fantastic Wagsdash where Allan Ballard reprised his win from two years ago. But the real story is the tremendous effort put out by third place winner Brandon Thomson. Incredible gut busting effort by this youngster to take that third place. Brandon continues to inspire Ventura fans. Other highlights included Kevin Kierce doing a slide job on his sponsor Bruce Douglas. There was something great about that and it spoke volumes about this racing dynamic duo! But it was Allan Ballard who drove from the back, negotiated all of these first class racers and exhibited the Wags spirit for the win.

“He came dancing across the water….. Cortez, Cortez…. what a killer….”

Allan Ballard meets the wags family

posted: 5:25 PM