Horsepower To The Dirt
Got together with Bruce from K2 and we were talking about how important the pit crew is. In the final analysis, the driver’s brain fires an instruction for speed to the rest of the body. That electrical impulse travels down the spine and straight to the pedal. That pedal shrieks at the engine. The engine sends muscle to the drive train which turns those rear wheels as they meet the dirt. As Bruce put it, how many horsepower are hitting the dirt?
All Thrill No Fill: Every Time I See Jake Hodges, He’s Sending Horsepower To The Dirt
Pit Announcer With A Voice That Could Raise The Dead; Then She Leans Back And Smiles Like An Angel. Evelyn Pratt
Danny Miller’s DNF in last night’s Senior Sprint Main Event hit hard, taking his point’s lead from 110 down to 50. Inversely, Bruce Douglas’ Main Event win shot him past Wiley Miller and Steve Stassa for second place in the championship hunt. With up to 260 points available between heats and main events, this series is still smoking. Two events left to go with the final race occurring on this season’s final night November 17th. All four racers named above are still in the game.
That VRA Senior Main Event was ugly. Track needed a haircut. I was entertaining a large group of friends in turn one so I may get some of this wrong. Invert put Bruce Douglas on the pole and he never flinched. Stassa came from the second row and locked into second. Ron Bach was third and hard charging Rob Kershaw came from the fourth row to fourth. The first of five yellows gathered John Richards, Wiley Miller and maybe Tom “Mac” McCab. The freight train took off again only to be interrupted by a mix in turn four. Stassa out, Bach out, Harper to the back. Douglas leads the pack again; Kershaw is rocking in second when another yellow hits. Michael Bliffen took a hard flip after Tim Moon and Danny Miller crossed in turn three. Hope you’re ok, Bliffen. Brian Williams and Jeff Culver are also out at this point. The line up is now Douglas, Kershaw, Ron Tjaarda, Tim Moon (who escaped the carnage at three) and Richard McCormick. A few hardy souls (Harper) are going to the top but there is no help there and they are suffering. Douglas grinds the bottom and most are following him. There is another yellow when Gil Mahoney gets spinning in turn 2 and finds Danny Miller. Your point’s leader Danny Miller is out and Bruce Douglas is motivated even more and Kershaw is on fire. Now Douglas and Kershaw try the top but quickly return to the bottom. John Richards spins in turn one for the final yellow. Bruce Douglas gets back on the gas for his first Main Event win since May 12th. But his overall and consistent skill has him breathing down Danny Miller’s neck for the championship. Rob Kershaw is second, greatly improved Ro Tjaarda is third, Richard McCormick is fourth and Tim Moon is fifth. Congratulations to rookie Mac McCab for his first top ten finish. I especially enjoyed seeing Rob Kershaw giving everybody hell. Two races left and they should be awesome! Lastly it was good to see Bob Alderman shaved, relaxed and healthy in the pits.
Bruce Douglas Survived For A Vital VRA Senior Sprint Main Event Win
Two Time VRA Sprint Car Champion Tom Stansberry
One of the most striking things I notice when USAC blows into town is those haulers. I love the way those big, boxy, diesel monsters squeeze into our modest digs by the sea. We are small town with a class act track and a huge heart. But I am rookie enough to still be in awe of those big Peterbtilt things. How much freaking money are we talking here? However much it is, the best thing is that you can slip into the transporter and grab a little nap if you need it. Cool.
Qualifying had David Cardey fast at 12.325. Blake Miller is still fast time for the year with 12.111. Maybe somebody could write the message board and post track record for both USAC and VRA. Inquiring minds want to know. Danny Sheridan was second fastest with 12.655 then hit the wall and wrecked his rear end. No worries; his ace crew got him up and running for the heats. Tony Jones was third with 12.656. He told me the stitches are out and he just wears a pad over the cut. Tyler Brown was fourth with 12.68. Scotty Weir was fifth with 12.748. Your fastest 360 was Kevin Kierce in ninth with 12.938. That’s impressive.
Cory Kruseman At Home In Ventura
Midwest Moves, The Incredibly Fast Scotty Weir
Damion Gardner was back and he will take the pole position, thank you very much. Fans are all about the top drivers and that is why Ventura fans dig Damion Gardner. I figure he has spent much of the summer back in the Midwest running two or three nights a week. He has to be at the top of his game and I can’t imagine how hard it will be to pass him! There’s about twenty other guys lined up who have no such concerns. Troy Rutherford sits to his right. Brian Camarillo is second row with Ricky Gaunt on his shoulder. Brian is exponentially improving at hyper speed (hey Brian, how great is it to sit behind Damion Gardner and next to Rickie Gaunt?!). Point chaser Mike Spencer is third row; he always does well at Ventura. Last weeks Perris winner Rip William is next to him. The stands are packed, National Sprint Car Hall of Fame “Promoter of the Year” Jim Naylor is making the call and twenty one USAC/CRA monsters hammer down for another “commotion by the ocean”!
Rutherford gets down to turn one first but Gardner quickly takes the lead. Gaunt is third and Williams is fourth. Spencer is fifth and Cory Kruseman who started seventh now slots sixth. Spencer notches Williams for fourth and further back Danny Sheridan starts testing the high line. They are running fast, track is a little dry and there doesn’t seem to be much passing room. Nonetheless Spencer now clips Gaunt for third and he is looking very powerful. Gardner tries the high side, Rutherford sticks to the bottom. Gaunt takes third back. Spencer takes third back. Spencer and Rutherford start slugging it out for second. Intense drag races down the back. Rutherford muffs a turn and falls back to fifth. It’s Gardner, Spencer, Williams and here comes Scotty Weir from the eight spot. Spencer now has Gardner in his sights and it is a knockdown. Gardner falls and Spencer is looking invincible. The laps are reeling off like fishing line.
This high speed intensity has raised a dust storm and the wind is offshore, blowing the dust and debris into the stands. I was insulated at the top of the tower but I could see my friends in turn one just getting blasted. It’s Spencer being chased by Gardner and they are really going at it. Now Spencer is swinging high while Gardner is desperately trying to regain advantage on the bottom. Rip Williams is solid in third and closing in on Gardner. They start to mix it up and Spencer is putting some distance between himself and the pack. It’s running Spencer, Gardner, Williams, Gaunt, Sheridan (working the high line from tenth, but not with the same magic as last month), and Weir. Suddenly the dynamic changes, somebody messed up and now it’s Spencer (way out), Williams, Weir, Gardner, Gaunt and Sheridan. We have twenty three non stop laps when suddenly Garret Hansen gets messed up with Tony Jones. Point leader Jones to the back and Hansen is done. The supersonic roar levels off, Jim Naylor grabs a quick breath and the folks in the stands clean their windshields.
Just outside of the leading bubble, Cory Kruseman is running about eighth and trying to get in the game. It looks like he just missed on the set up. Rutherford has fallen back to seventh. Blake Miller has started dead last and has worked his way up to ninth. That’s amazing in this crowd. The top five in line are Spencer, Williams, Gardner, Weir and Sheridan. Seven laps to the checkers and the track goes green. All of the sudden it looks like the Ripper is going to do it. He is giving Spencer a hell of a battle and the fans are going nuts. But Scotty Weir is moving up faster than an adjustable rate mortgage and just gets around Williams. Now it’s Spencer tangling with Weir. Spencer hangs on but Weir is lifting coming out of the turns and getting the grip he needs. He clears Spencer and heads for home. Now the battle is for second. But youth and ambition rarely beats experience and the wily Rip Williams pulls down a huge second place. Spencer takes third and the tenacious and skilled Troy Rutherford screams home in fourth place. Damion Gardner takes fifth just ahead of his old nemesis Cory Kruseman. Sheridan went home seventh. Blake Miller from the back ended eighth. Brian Camarillo was ninth and Rickie Gaunt finished top ten.
Why Is This Man Smiling? With One Win And Two Seconds In The Last Three Races, Rip Williams Is Writing The Book
Jim Naylor’s thirtieth anniversary celebration puts another classic in the books. Now I am looking forward to the Grand Slam in Santa Maria next week. USAC/CRA is off so in addition to the VRA greats I am hoping to see Cory Kruseman, Jimmy Crawford, Josh Ford, Luis Espinoza and SCRA legends Davey Pombo and Peter Murphy. Throw in Bandit Champion Jesse Mack and you got a race.
Wags held their yearly hoedown and it was a blast. Tom and Linda Toutz had a rocking band, the chili was hot and the memorabilia auction was epic. I picked up three years of race DVD’s from Jeff at Raceway Video and got a killer deal. He gave half of the money to Wags. They took all the money from the fans and spread it around to the hardworking drivers. Dennis Rodriquez (360) owned that race from the start but broke down on lap ten of fifteen. Blake Miller took over and won easily. The Wags laid twenty five hundred bucks on him and anybody who started got five hundred. How cool is that? Royal Adderson flipped hard during the race. Imagine being in a race for hard luck drivers and then flipping or breaking down. Brutal. But everybody sure had a good time.
I think this was the seventeenth annual Wags. Hundreds of racers over the years can’t say thanks enough to Mr. and Mrs. Wags. Those folks sure have a lot of soul…..
I read some negative stuff about USAC on the message boards but I don’t get it. To me it seems like they come in, work hard and put on an amazing show. I had a great afternoon chatting to the friendly drivers and watching their dedicated crews work on the cars. Crews didn’t really have much to say. They were all about getting that horsepower to the dirt.
Dennis Dropped the Wagsdash, But He’s Winning At Home. Dennis and Rachelle Rodriquez
: 7:32 PM
