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Nock Nock

Ventura blew off the winter blues and fired up sunshine along with a hundred and twenty racing engines. The VRA Rolling Thunder Rodeo stretched its dormant muscles and got right to work. Kids and parents packed the loading ramp as row after row of junior racers launched. Dwarf world turned upside down. Modifieds stalked the pits like hungry predators. Lean and mean Sprints unleashed. It was ugly. It was beautiful. At the end of the day, it was dedicated brash punk skill that ruled the methanol kingdom…..

All Thrill and No Fill

Ron Bach Racing Continues to Showcase Great Drivers

Randy Moody

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What the Fritos is Pro Dwarf Champion Jim Scribellito thinking? After a classic Pro Dwarf championship year dueling with the erstwhile Brent Stevens he has packed it and moved over to the Senior Dwarfs. What!!?? Well, you got my attention! Last year’s senior champ Ed Niedzwiecki now has a compounded challenge on his hands. Along with his regular nemesis drivers like Van Praag and Lynch, Niedzwiecki will now have to catch the Scribo! They kicked right away. Scribellito took the second row position and put himself in front. John Lynch went down spinning in three. Dave Hume was in the hunt as they cruised through schools of traffic. But it was Ed Niedzwiecki, coming from the third row, that really gave Scribellito a chase. But he just couldn’t quite reel him in. Big Tuna Scribo spit the hook and disappeared across the finish line. Niedzwiecki, Kevin Alverson and Bill Van Praag came in and docked. All the way up in turn one, I could hear Ed scratching his head.

Jeff Shelton in the Blue Seven Two

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Pro Dwarf ranks will miss the Scribenator, but they still got plenty of problem kids. Lars Wolfe stepped right up from the pole and held off manic Marc Lippert and brother maniac Brian Saxton. Two twin mojo princes from different mothers. Lee Majors took a radical flip in turn two and walked away. Brent Stevens got on the gas and it was a slugfest. More yellows than a broken stoplight. Wolfe, Saxton, Lippert and Stevens were ripping. Saxton came down the backstretch so hard I thought he was going to break the dirt. He took control and was hunted and hunter through the turns with Stevens. Crowd was all over it! Saxton’s brilliant driving took the flag but Stevens drove like a panther. I imagine him back in the pits licking his wounds. Ventura is uniquely suited to these animals. They seem so at home roaming the straights and hiding in the corners.

Reed

(Number One Fan)

Speaking of hiding, IMCA Modified Champion Jack Parker likes to hide right in plain sight. This lone wolf doesn’t need to blow down the house. He can run with the pack and is comfortable in his well-worn #55P. However, lots of pretty shiny metal showed up Saturday and dazzled the senses. Gotta shout out to Joey Clab, Jared Domingos, Damon Redman and Richard Denman. Nice paint jobs! Damon Redman seized the opening moments and nicely held off a determined Richard Denman. It was the redman versus the denman. Redman’s driving is aggressive yet clean. 2007 Rookie of the Year and banquet cutup Austin Rodarte spins and goes flat in turn three. He leaves but gets back on the track. Restart and now the persistent Denman gets up on Redman. His turn to show everybody he’s not just a pretty car. He pulls away and now Redman is fighting off third place Danny Lauer. Parker and Jacob Jones are going at it right behind them. Andrew Grieman spins in turn four with two laps to go. Green white checker restart. Lauer passes for second and Jones passes for third. Richard Denman storms the finish line in first place and is looking real good behind that paint job.

Jim Evans Prepares to Move His IMCA Modified

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It’s seven o’clock on Saturday night and do you know where your kids are? If you’re Chris Wakim, your son Cole is in Ventura ripping turn four and heading for the finish line. First victory for Chris’s oldest boy and Pop’s buttons were popping. In the Mini Dwarf Piston Division, Cole was followed by Cameron McCaule for second, Nick Velasquez in third and Zachary Gilmore taking fourth. Mini Dwarf Superchargers had Ricky Lewis getting the jump on everybody. Looks like he was working out in the off-season. Ricky’s just about the coolest kid. Cody Major was second, Devin McCree in third and “Jamming” Joey Freshour in fourth. Now let’s talk about the Junior Midgets. These cars tear up the track. This race featured John Butcher taking the checkered flag, Thomas Short in second, Michaela Stanton third and Brennan Rogers closing fourth. Mike Sweeny likes it when I spout off about the kid’s classes so let me set the record straight. What’s better than a kid learning skill, determination and character driving a racecar and winning a race in front of a family that loves that kid? Just about nothing, that’s what. Stay tuned for the VRA Main Event.

Cole Wakim

It’s A Family Tradition

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Hammer Down. It’s John Nock on the pole, Chris Wakim outside and talent behind stretched all the way to Santa Barbara. Nock shoots the hole but scrappy Eric Severson notches him pretty quick. Wakim is running third with a smooth Clark Templeman III solid in fourth. Nock wobbles and falls to fourth. Wakim snatches first away from Severson by riding the cushion, Severson and Templeman scratching the bottom. Kevin Kierce is suddenly and inexplicably broken next to the wall in turn four. Not sure what happened there. Green again and Wakim is high, Severson and Templeman are low. Templeman takes second and starts pressuring Wakim. Mid markers Dennis Rodriquez and Steve Conrad mix and Conrad’s gone. Green again and Wakim’s sticking to his story. Severson and Templeman continue to grind the bottom.

Severson gets a nice slide job on Wakim and takes over. Next lap Chris drives into turn two too hard and spins his way to the back. Eleven laps completed, nineteen to go. New green and Templeman wrenches the lead away from Severson. Oren Prosser Jr. spins in turn two and gathers up the rest of Chris Wakim. That gives the lead back to Severson, but Templeman is looking inevitable. But the track is starting to go away. Now Justin Kierce (who up to this moment had been driving an incredibly strong race) gets sideways in four and takes out Guy Woodward, Tony Dighera and Randy Moody (if you’re going to throw a party, may as well invite some interesting people!). Now Severson is still fending off Templeman and look who’s coming back! John Nock has hung tough and seems to be gaining momentum. His right rear apparently has a slow leak and he getting more grip. Suddenly, he really bites and gets past both Severson and Templeman in the backstretch. A ferocious Greg Anderson catches a wheel in turn one and gyrocopters his way out of the race. Restart and Young Turk John Nock is clearly in control. Five laps to go, Alex Schutte and Brent Camarillo tussle in turn two. We launch again and it’s Nock, Templeman, Dennis Rodriquez, Richard McCormick and Jonathan Henry. The track has checked out and everybody’s on the bottom. Henry and McCormick are scuffling. Templeman and Rodriquez are wheel to wheel and something gives. Templeman slides backwards and gathers Severson. D-Rod continues unabated, McCormick chasing third. Final green, three to go and Dennis has one last go at Nock. I don’t think Nock gave it a glance. He drove a clean and smart race as he ran away from everybody. Rodriquez second, McCormick third, Henry fourth. Comeback kid Tom Hendricks locks top five.

John Nock Is Comfortable

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Now we all saw some rough driving. It was the first race and a lot of stupid stuff went down. There was an official reprimand and a lot of unofficial muttering. I’m pretty sure things will shape up. I was a little surprised watching an exhausted John Nock climb out of the cockpit and hug his father Jim. He has changed over the off season, not really the awkward driver I remember, he has filled out and looks better with long hair framing his intensive gaze. It’s been neat to watch John grow and excel at racing. They were having a party up in turn one with his Mom and assorted long time fans. Nice way to start the season, new face in winner’s circle. Not like somebody’s breaking down the door, more like Nock Nock.