surfnsprint

Driving up to the track on Saturday, I am thinking about points. As the end of the season approaches, I am mentally reviewing the VRA sprint and VRA Senior Sprint positioning. In the Senior Division, with three races left, Ron Bach’s chance of catching Wiley Miller is getting slimmer than a wayward supermodel. Not that it matters much. Wiley Miller and Ron Bach have been battling as long I have been watching. Every weekend I look forward to the hard clean racing these two champions will put down. Wiley and Ron are currently the two top point average racers, both in the high 800’s. For a point of reference, Wiley’s nephew, Blake Miller, the poster boy for consistent racing, sits third just behind them. Not fair to compare different classes? Maybe. My point is that these two senior drivers are two of Ventura’s top guns. Time to thank Ron Bach for giving us a helluva show this year. I like everything about Ron Bach. He is a contractor. He is a driver. He sponsors more cars and drivers than Bob Roush. He’s the best kind of racer. Winning on all levels.

VRA Senior Sprint Cars Heat One starting line up
99k Ray Knight	3y Grady Winkler
71 Jeff Culver	1r Bruce Douglas
49 Ron Bach	10 Tim Moon
60 Bill Leonard	67 Ross Millar

We go green and Bruce Douglas is immediately on this. Grady Winkler is driving in second and Ron Bach quickly moves into third. Suddenly Moon and Leonard hook up in turn one and we are green. A long time to unhook these two but finally they come apart. Leonard leaves the track as does Millar who apparently tagged the wall out of my sight.

On the restart, Bruce again asserts himself with Grady and Ron still behind him. It’s a pretty sight watching them come out of turn 4 with the late afternoon sun glinting off the cars. Ray Knight spins but keeps going. Moon is in the fifth spot and pushing to take a spot away from Jeff Culver. On the last lap, in the last turn Grady spins, keeps on the gas but loses second to Ron Bach. Checkered has Douglas, Bach, Winkler and Moon (passing Culver). This was a rather uneventful heat.

As the weather gets real cool, the green comes down for heat two. Astute Jim Porter has the lead with consistent Bob Alderman and Danny Miller right behind him. Steve Stasa was in fourth and in pursuit. With the track looking very wet, Wiley passes Stasa and takes the fourth spot. Something is not happening for John Richards and he parks on the infield. Porter is way out front and the action is for second place. Danny Miller wants to take it away from Bob Alderman but it isn’t going to happen. We finish with Porter, Alderman, Miller and Miller (Wiley). What I would describe as a relaxed race.

Not sure I want to have my first sprint car race against Ronnie Case, but good on you Brendon! Green flag comes down and Joe Henderson is out front. Sinsley, Camarillo and Prosser are all hard on the gas. This race is in your face, dense and tricky driving with congested turns. Second, third and fourth are all in foul moods. Prosser moves up to second, Camarillo is fighting off Sinsley and Ronnie Case is charging. Suddenly in turn three Case comes up on Sinsley a bit fast and they are both out. Too bad as Sinsley was doing so well. On the restart, Henderson is protecting that first spot, but there was something in Prosser’s cereal this morning. He is driving hard and also being pushed by a very aggressive Billy Camarillo. John Nock was behind Billy and also going very fast. They are all close and three wide in the turns. That’s exciting! Prosser wrenches first away from Henderson and Camarillo is trying hard to make it even worse. It seems that the whole murderous pack arrives at the finish line together and it’s Prosser, Henderson, Camarillo and Nock (nice job, John). That New Zealander came in fifth with a couple of stories to tell! Prosser was decidedly on the gas.

Brandon took the pole and converted to first. Hendricks falls in behind him and Kierce is immediately on the move. John Hale spins in turn 3 and we restart. It’s Thomson, Hendricks and Kierce with Taylor going now going high and cranking up the volume. Richardson is back in fifth and trying to catch the crowd. Suddenly Hale spins in the same exact spot as before and has to leave the show. Restart is fast and Brandon is doing an incredible job of holding off some of Ventura’s finest. However, Kierce is hard to deny and finally passes in turn two. Now you have Kierce, Thomson, Hendricks and a determined Greg Taylor. It’s Hendricks’ turn to hold off Ventura’s finest and he falls to a focused Greg Taylor. Kierce is way out front and now Thomson has to deal with Taylor. Much to his credit, he manages to block Greg and finish second. At the checker it’s Kierce, Thomson, Taylor and Hendricks. Very impressive drive by Bandon Thomson. Kierce and Taylor are characteristically strong. All of this and Hendricks’ determination has kept Wes Richardson back where he usually isn’t.

Predictably, Espinoza is on it and Blake is glued to his rear posterior. Kershaw and Rodriguez are close behind. Luis knows Blake’s tricks and is hugging that berm. Blake is exhibiting his precision and looking for a opening. Kershaw is third and swinging high. Then Kershaw drifts in turn 3 and loses position. It’s Espinoza, Miller, McArthur and Figueroa. Blake gets frustrated with Luis and decides to swing high in turn one. It works, he passes for first and Angel gets one over McArthur. Miller gets some distance; Espinoza is second with some distance and then Figueroa and McArthur. Packing the cushion, they finish in that order. You get the feeling Blake and Luis enjoy racing each other. Disappointing heat for Rob and Dennis. Brian was watching and learning.

Well, Chris Wakim jumped right from the second row and claimed first. The battle for second was between Schneider and Devitt. Buckley was in fourth and happy to swing high like the front runner. Schneider was losing positions and Michael Trimble was moving himself up. Conrad (inspired by last week’s main event win) was also moving up and quickly passed Derek for fourth. Now we have Wakim way out front, Devitt holding at second, Trimble at third and Conrad trying to hold off Buckley for fourth. Things got too hot between Steve and Derek and they had a vicious contact over in three. Naylor comments “hey boys, it’s just a six car heat race!” Buckley drives off the track and Conrad gets the hook. Tough out here tonight! With only four cars left, Wakim takes first, Devitt has second, Trimble is third and Schneider brings up the rear. That’s the last of four outstanding heat races.

Steve Conrad had a fixed rear end, Buckley was patched up and Case was repaired. This was the semi of the walking wounded. Richardson took that outside front row and grabbed first. Conrad was right behind him and New Zealander Brendon Rowlands was tasting third place Ventura dirt. Dennis Rodriquez soon passed Brendon and Kershaw was somewhere close. Richardson is getting far out front and followed by Conrad, Rodriquez and Sinsley. Where is Case? Where is Kershaw? Actually they are both on the move but the frontrunners aren’t slowing at all. Conrad is closing the gap between him and first place. Case is picking up, in fifth place and challenging. Now he is fourth place with Kershaw chasing. As they come into final laps you have Richardson, Conrad, Rodriquez, Case (pushing, pushing) and Kershaw in the non transfer spot. That’s how it finishes. Richardson has reverted to his normal style, Conrad is looking strong, Rodriquez is in and Case is in. They will all be keeping each other company in the back of the main. Kershaw and Case tied for most passes (four). Kershaw is now the alternate for the main but that won’t happen. Not a great day for the Robster.

As I mentioned earlier, points have been on my mind. I watched my Loudpedal DVD Race #1 this week and especially that first senior main event. Bob Alderman was in the hunt that first race and he’s still in the hunt. Wiley, Ron and Bob are one, two and three in the points. Huge effort from Bob Alderman all season.

Can we call Wiley Miller “Way Out”? Because lately he always way out front. He grabbed that green flag start and beat Tim Moon down the straightaway. His brother Danny was right behind him, Moon in third and Alderman in fourth. Porter was chasing with Ron Bach right behind him. Now Porter notches Moon for another spot. Bach is ramping up but we get a yellow about the sixth lap of this twenty lapper. On the restart we have Wiley Miller, Danny Miller, Bob Alderman, Jim Porter, Ron Bach and Bruce Douglas. Green comes on and they are all catapulting forward. Great for fans watching Wiley and Danny up front racing each other with Alderman pushing them. Bach is lifting with his effort. Danny is driving low trying to get under and past his brother. With about ten laps to go, Jim Porter is suddenly losing speed and getting in the way. Bach gets around him while Douglas is stuffed like a turkey. You have Miller, Miller, Alderman & Bach; like a high speed law firm. Meanwhile, “Way Out” Wiley is once again negotiating heavy traffic, holding off a determined brother, beating Bob and Ron, grabbing another checkered flag…..and I’m not sure he broke a sweat. Absolutely just another fantastic race from the seniors.

I have to think this is a special time for the Miller family. Wiley, Danny, Blake: racing each other, consistent top five finishes, championship points, Mike English in the pits, friends all around, and appreciative fans. Stuff like this is why I go to the races……

This is twenty cars racing thirty laps. Blake has a chance to convert a pole position to a main event win. Oren Prosser knows he got a fight on his hands. Chris and Kevin are capable of beating anyone within 50 feet. The speakers are blasting out YMCA and my kids are rocking out in the bleachers. The cars circle the track warily with the drivers hunkering down for the start. Jim Naylor reels off the lineup one last time, finishing with practiced perfection just as the lamps go green.

Kevin Kierce comes flying into turn one with Blake Miller and Chris Wakim. It’s Kevin but before they can complete one lap, Ronnie Case is upside down in turn three. I didn’t see it, but I suspect he was breaking every speed law in the county. On the yellow, Chris Wakim hits a bad patch in turn one and bounces the chassis hard. So hard it pushed the nerf bar back into the tire. He gets off the track and shoves the bent bar forward off the tire. He‘s back on the track but now at the back. On the restart lap Bill Camarillo is pushing or being pushed up on the car in front of him. Next restart and Blake Miller is climbing the track. Behind him is Prosser, Kierce, Thomson, Figueroa and Espinosa. Kevin’s engine is screaming as they go by. Oren takes the lead as Blake continues up high, Kierce hot after both of them. It’s a regular fistfight as they all roll down the backstretch then my notes show another yellow. On the restart, Wakim loses the blessed nerf bar completely and he is out of the race (after the race, he looks like disappointment kicked him in the gut, fortunately he’s got heart bigger than a Hoosier tire). All this and only three laps are completed!

On the next restart Prosser takes his lead and stretches it out a bit, Kierce is in second and Blake is his shadow. Thomson is gamely holding down fourth but I think he hears the roar of Greg Taylor’s engine. It’s loud and it coming up fast behind him. Taylor the Terrible is on the move. The landscape is shifting and now we have Kierce taking what is his, Prosser in second, Thomson in third, Taylor in fourth and Blake back in fifth. It keeps shifting and positions are changing faster than an episode of “Survivor”. Traffic is showing up and that kid from New Zealand must feel like he landed in the middle of a California hurricane. It’s Kierce, Prosser, Taylor, Thomson, Miller and Espinosa slugging away. Now traffic is thick (all but six cars were lapped), everybody is spreading out except for Taylor and Kierce. Taylor has finally got around Prosser and has Kevin Kierce right in his crosshairs. Taylor is whipping high for grip but Kierce is driving a perfect race. Kierce just seems to be flowing through the traffic, high when he needs it, down tight when it’s right. Taylor is close but suddenly jumps the cushion in four and drops back a bit. You have Kierce, Taylor, Miller back up to third and Prosser hanging tough. Taylor gets close again and gives it one last go….but there is no denying fierce Kierce. Talented Kevin Kierce takes his fourth main event win, followed by Greg Taylor, Blake Miller and Oren Prosser, Jr. Beautiful racing by Ventura’s tough crew. Dennis Rodriquez had the most passes, moving up an incredible eleven spots. Why isn’t Dennis winning more races?

Kevin Kierce/graciously credits all to car owner Ray Swan’s hard work
Greg Taylor/racing is always better with Taylor
Blake Miller/ tough finish for a top competitor like Blake
Oren Prosser, Jr. / awesome driving, Oren, you are fast

Heading across the darkened parking lot to my truck, I’m still thinking about points. Very few people know what it takes to be number one. It is something hard earned, not given. When I see the commitment, the effort, the money, the time and the skill all these drivers bring; drivers like Blake, Kevin, Chris, Luis, Steve, Greg, Rob, Wes and the whole crew, winning seems very special. That’s my point.

posted: 9:34 AM
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As liquid lines rolled into shore from the west, a fat and sallow moon full of methanol rose in the east. If your name is surfer/racer Bruce Douglas, you’re as happy as a milk fed puppy. Under perfect autumn weather, California Street knocked off both a classic longboard contest and another classic sprint car event. Whether you were wearing wetsuits, bathing suits or fire suits, Ventura was the host of the coast. This fan watched the best surfers carve in the water, then walked across the street and watched the best drivers carve in the dirt……

The dirt action got started with the (how about “the slightly bruised”) senior heat races. Only two heats for the seniors. Heat #1 had tough John Richards on the pole with Steve Stasa on his right. Second row had persistent Bob Alderman inside of Jeff Culver. Third row had Grady Wrinkler sitting to the inside of manifest destiny driver Willey Miller. Ross Millar was playing solitaire in the last row. As the green flag dropped, Stasa quickly converted from front row to front runner. Richards settled in behind him with Jeff Culver trying to maintain third. Bob Alderman was in fourth position but Willey Miller was immediately making his presence known. It only took a lap or two for Willey to get himself up to third. Now the front runners are starting to spread out a little bit. Stasa has a good lead, Richards is comfortable behind him and Willey is running third with Alderman bringing up the transfer. But although Willey isn’t going to take first, he isn’t going to settle for third. He starts coming up fast on Richards and immediately sticking his nose under. Richards is a little loose coming around turn one and that’s all Willey needs. (OK, TIME OUT, allow me to be presumptuous for a moment: If you have a member of the Miller family driving right behind you, you better be hugging that berm tighter than a nut on a valve cover! Put that left front wheel “one toke over the line”. If you don’t, you may as well pull over to the right and wave them past. I’ve seen this happen more times than my daughter has watched the “The Incredibles”!) Willey took what was offered to him and that’s how it finished. Steve took the checkered, Willey in second, John Richards in third and consistent Bob Alderman in fourth.

The second heat featured surfed out (two heats in the surf contest, advancing to Sunday’s semi main) Bruce Douglas on the pole. The season’s crash veteran Tim Moon was keeping him company on the front. Blue car driver Mark Chuhaloff sat behind Bruce with berm loving Danny Miller on his right. Dave Marini and Ron Bach made up the last row. Now this race got a little confusing for me because we had three #10 cars racing. Of course they are different colors, but it’s kind of hard to write “yellow just passed blue” as these guys race at freeway speed. I am writing numbers as they pass so bear with me. On the first lap, Dave Marini (working out the bugs in a new Kruseman school car) spins at turn three causing a restart. On the new flag, Bruce Douglas grabs the front spot closely followed by Tim Moon. Danny Miller is on the gas in the third slot with Mark Chuhaloff chasing him. Ron Bach is uncharacteristic in the fifth spot and Dave Marini bringing up the rear. Now Danny Miller negotiates his way past Tim Moon and has second with Ron Bach getting past Mark Chuhaloff taking the fourth spot. You have Douglas, Danny Miller, Tim Moon and Ron Bach. Now it looks like Miller is getting past Douglas in turn one when (in a complete reverse of last weeks race) he drifts, Douglas t-bones him, knocks Miller back in the race, stalls Douglas and we have a restart. Miller is the front, Moon behind him, Bach lined up third, Marini in fourth, Chuhaloff in fifth and Douglas starting at the back. On the flag, Dave Marini quickly got past Bach. Bruce Douglas immediately got back on the throttle to also pass Chuhaloff and Bach for fourth. Danny Miller, driving hard and smart the past few races, was locked into first, Tim Moon going strong at second, Marini coming from the back to third and Bruce Douglas grabbing the transfer spot. And that’s the way it was.

VRA heat #1 had Wes Richardson and Luis Espinoza on the front line. Brandon Thomson sat behind Wes with Tom Hendricks behind Luis. In the third row was the formidable duo of Greg Taylor with Blake Miller to his outside. Fourth row was Shawn Kautz and John Nock. Kevin Kierce was by himself in the fifth row. Luis snatched the lead on green. First thing you see is both Miller and Taylor both go to the outside, they both simply went around Thomson and Hendricks and slipped into third and fourth. So you have Luis, Wes, Blake and Greg. All first name drivers. Suddenly, as he is coming into turn one, Taylor seems to lock up and rolls to a stop in the corner. We are yellow. After a brief investigation he gets the hook and leaves the track. Don’t ask. On the restart you have Espinoza, Richardson, Miller, Hendricks and here comes Kierce! Miller is pushing Richardson hard and Kevin Kierce seems to overpower Hendricks and move up one. Now it’s Espinoza, Richardson (hugging the berm), Miller and Kierce as we go white. Miller is hammering away at Richardson, but Wes does a textbook job of holding off the Young Turk. It finishes with Luis way out front, then Richardson, Miller and Kierce.

VRA heat #2 has Brandon Thomson’s father Jim on the pole. Tom Schneider is outside front row. Steve Conrad and Steve Chuhaloff share the second row. Joe Henderson is inside third row idling next to Chris Wakim. Sparky Edmonston is inside fourth row running next to Bill Camarillo. On the waving green flag Steve Conrad grabs the lead and it doesn’t look like he going to let it go. He’s being pursued by Thomson, Camarillo and Steve Chuhaloff. Wakim looks like he’s feeling out the track and picking his way around traffic. He starts to run a high line. Now he’s on the gas and mid race we have Conrad, Camarillo, Wakim and Chuhaloff. There are no yellows, it’s clean and fast racing and the track seems good. At the checker you get Conrad far ahead of the class, Camarillo in second, Wakim in third and a strong Steve Chuhaloff in fourth. Both Conrad and Camarillo looked really good; stay tuned.

VRA heat #3, the final heat, is loading the track. You have spunky Dennis Rodriquez in the pole position. Larry Lloyd is next to him. Dr. Mark Weitzman is second row with Oren Prosser, Jr. to his right. Derek Buckley and bright orange Ronnie Case are in the third row. Rob Kershaw and Ron Wade are bringing up the final row. On the start, Dennis Rodriquez didn’t squander, he grabbed that early lead. Lloyd, Prosser, Weitzman and Case are all in the chase. Ronnie Case is standing on it and almost drives over the top of Prosser in the backstretch; recovers and they all resume the chase. You now have Rodriquez losing position with Lloyd, Prosser, Case and Rodriquez in that order. Now Case is really getting up to steam and takes the lead with a beautiful pass on turn one. Then Lloyd takes it back! Then Case rips it again on the back stretch and goes into the white flag with the lead. I don’t know where Buckley is, it’s like he didn’t show up. Same for Kershaw although my mates tell me he hit the back wall toward the end. At the finish you have Ronnie Case, Larry Lloyd, Oren Prosser and a rueful Dennis Rodriquez. Dennis must have suffered from a poor setup, but the first three drivers gave us fans a tremendous race. Ronnie Case is a flat out exciting driver.

The track was holding up extremely well and it apparently wasn’t going to get a shave this evening. As dusk settled in and that big ol’ moon lifted, I looked at the friendly faces in turn one. They all seem familiar because I see them there race after race. I start thinking about how long such a good thing can last. I appreciate it for what it is and try to soak up every minute. Where again will I see a track like this, the ocean air, the exceptional skill of these drivers and all these talented people making it happen. Special thanks to the mayor and Motorcycle Dan for hanging with me and sharing your considerable track knowledge. Special thanks to Scott Holder and team for giving structure and shape to all these numbers.

I went in the pits before the race and met a few of the Pony Stock players. Cool people over at the #45 car. They were having a pretty good time. Now I watch Andrew Greiman in the #11 car take out the main event. Also watched Brian Saxton sack the competition in the VRA Pro Dwarf main event.

VRA Senior Sprints Main Event started to fill the field. Tim Moon is on the pole. Willey Miller is to his right. Second row is stacked with Steve Stasa and Danny Miller. Dave Marini and John Richards take up the third row. Bob Alderman and Bruce Douglas are sitting fourth row. Jeff Culver and Ron Bach are way back in five. Ross Millar and Mark Chuhaloff are condemned to the sixth row. Lastly, Grady Winkler is sitting in his own private Idaho. The field is small, but there isn’t a driver here I would skip. The seniors are tough drivers. Get out of the way.

Green flag first lap has Moon, Willey, Danny and Stasa. It is immediately a match between Moon and Willey for that first place. Willey’s pushing hard and quickly gets under Moon in turn one (hello?!?)… but there is contact between Culver and Millar and we are yellow. On the restart, Willey has to get back behind Moon followed by Danny, Stasa, Marini, Alderman (lurking), Richards, Bach (also lurking) and everybody behind Bach is already of no consequence. On the restart, Moon is in front, but it’s a short piece of time before both Millers get under him. Willey leads, Danny’s chasing and Moon and Stasa fill out the front four. However, both Alderman and Bach are on the move and it’s a long way to the finish. Alderman gets one up on Stasa and takes the four position. About lap ten, Danny drifts a little in turn one but recovers and holds on to second. These guys are flying, bumping and banging and no excuses are being offered. You can tell how bad Danny wants to get in front but Willey is expressing no brotherly love. I think Danny is a lot more aggressive with this car as his son piles up the points lead; he doesn’t seem as cautious now as earlier in the season. Willey is getting farther out front with traffic all around. Suddenly Danny Miller and Ross Millar mix it up and spin around each other (it’s bad enough with three 10 cars but I’ve also got Millars and Millers). They keep moving but it puts Danny back to fourth. You’ve got Willey way out then Moon then Alderman (running very strong) and finally Danny. It’s a full blown brawl with dust and traffic and contact everywhere as they scream past the white flag. Willey coolly navigates it all, blows past the checkered flag and continues on down Champion Road. What a great race, kudos to Tim Moon (most improved?), Bob Alderman, Danny Miller and Ron Bach. (Bach and Alderman tying for most passes). Maybe one of the best senior mains for the season (until next week!). I’m ready to call it a night, but we’ve still got a twenty one car main event! I pull out a sharp new pencil.

Once again, for the main event Jim Naylor lined up on the front straightaway all twenty one cars and all twenty one drivers. The charming Jammy (pronounced Jamie) was on the microphone and walked the row introducing each car and driver to the fans. Well done, great feature, keep it in. Then she had all the drivers write their car number on a Frisbee and throw the Frisbees to the audience. The winning car number entitled that Frisbee holder to prizes. Keep it in! Some of the drivers hit the crash fence instead of the fans, but fortunately I think that’s just what they’re used to! As the push truck starts pushing Luis Espinoza, they crash. Don’t ask.

Billy Camarillo and Luis Espinoza on the front row. Steve Conrad and Ronnie Case in the second row (we could stop right here and it would be a great race). Hard charging Wes Richardson sits in the third row with Larry Lloyd for company. Blake Miller and Chris Wakim sit fourth row, contemplating their season long relationship. Oren Prosser, Jr. and Kevin Kierce sit right behind them and I’m not sure what they’re thinking. Steve Chuhaloff and Dennis Rodriquez are sixth row. Shawn Kautz and Rob Kershaw are reviewing the odds in the seventh row. John Nock and Joe Henderson are straining to see the front row. Ninth row has Derek Buckley and Tom Schneider thumb wrestling. The last row in the known universe is taken by Mark Weitzman and Tom Hendricks. Ron Wade, in the very last slot, is mustering up all the optimism he can.

As Phillip Stevenson brought down the green flag, third year driver Billy Camarillo grabs the front spot and he’s got his hands full! Conrad and Espinoza are right on top of him with Ronnie Case and Wes Richardson right on top of them! The top five are holding position but suddenly Richardson edges Case. Case and Wakim start going to work on building a cushion up high as Blake Miller starts moving up a spot or two on the bottom.

We are now holding with Camarillo, Conrad, Espinoza, Case, Richardson, Miller and Wakim. Camarillo is lifting as he rockets out of turn two and Conrad is desperately seeking weakness. I half turned to Dan and commented “look how bad Conrad wants this”. At this point Miller clicks another notch passing Richardson. All this and only eleven laps have passed. Now we get the worst crash of the evening. Sawn Kautz, Hollywood stunt man, coming into turn one apparently clipped Henderson’s (I think) wheels and began a violent and wrenching series of barrel rolls past the turn and into the corner pocket. Some flame erupted as he came to a stop, then extinguished as Ventura’s crash crew showed up. They carefully got the car upright and Shawn practically bounded out the cockpit. Almost just like another day at the dream factory! I hope Mike at Loudpedal got this one; it was impressive. We were red on the track and the pit crews were furiously adjusting. Buckley was also getting the hook but I couldn’t tell if it had anything to do with Kautz. On the restart we had Camarillo, Conrad, Espinoza, Case, Miller, Richardson, Prosser, Wakim, Kierce, Steve Chuhaloff and the rest of them. Flag drops and the chase is on. Case and Wakim are on the cushion and this time the adjustments seemed to help. Suddenly Espinoza bobbles badly and loses precious positions. No mercy in this crowd. Wakim slips slightly and fall back one or two. Kierce and Wakim trade positions then Wakim is back in front of Kierce. Flash: Conrad finally gets around Camarillo and takes the front position. It flip flops once more and then Conrad is firmly in control. Steve Conrad, with one year since his last main event win, has this evening’s destiny in his grip and he’s off to the races. Now Camarillo and Miller make contact, keep going but Ronnie Case has capitalized into the number two spot. You have Conrad, Case, Camarillo, Wakim and Miller. We are getting into the last five laps and it’s time to show your cards (if you have any). Now Blake notches Wakim and his relentless manner has him in fourth. Richardson has also worked his way back up and is pushing fifth. The real battle is for the second position with Ronnie Case and Billy Camarillo duking it out toe to toe. As they go from white to checker, it is clearly Steve Conrad (somewhere Reed, “Steve Conrad’s number one fan”, is celebrating), Case takes second by inches over Camarillo, Miller in fourth, Wes Richardson in fifth and Wakim in sixth. Prosser and Kierce followed that. Tom Hendricks had the most passes, moving up an incredible nine positions. Congratulations.

Steve Conrad/looking like he belongs at the front
Ronnie Case/this guy is hard wired for racing
Billy Camarillo/thanks Chuhaloff for introducing him to racing
Blake Miller/”not thinking about the points” (you don’t have to anymore, Blake)

The following morning I drove back up to see how Bruce Douglas was doing in the surf contest. He had made the final and was out in the water competing. The liquid lines were still coming in and I was still thinking about methanol moons. I don’t know how Bruce finished, but he sure looked like he was having a great time.

posted: 9:35 AM
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After last night’s race, it’s clear to me what we got to do. Let’s get some money together and send Cory to Washington DC. He can then show them old boys what it means to get on the gas! And while we’re at it, let’s make Cliff Morgan the new chief justice. He’s pretty fair about everything, except not letting Chris on the track last Saturday. How about Rip Williams for a new Attorney General. Do you think the “Ripper” is fazed by any criminals or terrorists? He’ll just put them in the wall on his way to work (he works down by the checkered flag)…...

Seriously though, watching the crowd stand straight last night as that grand old flag made a lap fluttering from the push truck, I was filled with emotion. It was tough thinking of the struggle many now are facing. Although we have stumbled, the practiced generosity of this great nation reminds me of a NASCAR pit crew. Watch it swing into action.

When I got to the track I just had to soak it all in: the cool coastal air, the pits full of cars, the fairway vendors and the track crew fussing over their baby. There were some new characters about, this was a USAC/CRA event and they bring their own officials. The most noticeable is the charming Evelyn Pratt. She is pit announcer, responsible for getting the cars to stage. Well, talk about getting on the gas. How about getting on the horn! This genteel grandmother had a voice that could raise the dead. As a matter of fact, I did see some moldy drivers rising out of the ground and head zombie like for the staging area! She is so intimidating that I started to stage; then realized I didn’t have a car. She is a sweetheart when you talk to her. She has been at it for forty years!

Most cars have a trailer and a truck that pulls it. One thing I love at this track is when the Cory Kruseman team shows up. They don’t pit, they have their own suburb! It’s called Kruseville and it’s full of cool cars and people. They had about four cars lined up and also Cory’s #38 owned by Glenn Crossno. So you have Glenn’s crew, Cory’s crew, driving school alumni, current students, car drivers, sponsors, family members and hangers on like me. After the races, depending on how they did, it can turn into a block party. It did last night.

Checking the pit board, I see there is nothing but steak on the menu. All sprints! Seniors have two heats and a main. The USAC/CRA monster 410’s have four heats, one semi and then the thirty lap main. I go through the names, drivers like Kirby, Rip, Damion, Cory, Ricky, Josh and my head is getting dizzy. I head up to my seat and belt in for racing.

Qualifying was held in ideal weather. It was cool and sunny. Kirby clocked a quick time of 12.076. He was looking for it later in the evening. I’m told the 410 track record is about 11.56; set four years ago (thanks Dan). Charles Davis was second quick with 12.174. Cory notched 12.182. Rip ripped a 12.186 (sorry, couldn’t resist..) Super Ricky Gaunt strapped down a 12.271. Let me inject here that Ricky is one super interesting driver. Pleasant, enthusiastic and genuine. I watched him handle his fans as well as he handles the track. Lastly, I need to point out Kevin Kierce, in a 360 car, landed six fastest with 12.303. Kevin one of the few drivers here tonight representing the VRA.

Seniors (how about “slightly used” drivers) took the track for their fist of two heats. Brian Kittle was on the pole with Willey Miller to his right. Second row was Ron Bach and Jim Porter. Third row sat Jeff Culver next to Steve Stasa. Ross Millar was next to his shadow in the back. On the flag, Willey snapped out front followed by Porter. Bach was stymied by traffic, I swear I could hear him shouting “get out of my way!” but finally got up to third. Jeff Culver was guarding fourth and that’s pretty much how it ended. Willey was so far out in front the rest of the pack looked like a search party.

Heat Two featured Bill Leonard on the pole with Tim Moon outside. When Leonard failed to fire, Bruce Douglas moved up to the pole from the second row leaving Bob Alderman and Sam Vail behind him. Oren Prosser, Sr. sat proudly by himself in the rear. They all got going with a false start. That gave Leonard what we all want, a second chance. He pushed off this time and started back with Oren. On the second go, Douglas wobbled on the berm in turn one and was left behind. Tim Moon had the lead followed by Alderman, Leonard and then Douglas. Then we had some static down at turns three and four which stalled Leonard and Prosser. On the restart, it was Moon, Alderman, Douglas, Prosser, Leonard and Vail. They held that line for the rest of the race with Tim Moon looking confident as he passed the checkered.

What a difference to hear the deep roar of a 410. Its starts in the heels of your feet and goes all the way up to your skull. Put nine of those engines on the dirt and you’ve got a heat race. Front row had Greg Bragg and R.J. Johnson side by side. Second row had Steve Conrad and Josh Ford (two track favorites). Third row contained Jordan Hermansde and Ricky Gaunt. Mike Kirby and Bobby Fero took up the fourth row. Kevin Mahoney started at the end. On the first lap, Bragg, Johnson and Ford were side by side coming down the front straightaway. Awesome sight. Somehow they got all that metal and machismo through the turns and Bragg had the front slot. He was followed by Johnson and Ford in that order. Bragg really started to run away with it and I could see Ferro and Kirby bumping at the other end of the track. Then Hermansde and Gaunt touched in turn four and that spun a yellow. On the restart, Bragg took the lead and again was followed by Johnson and Ford. The battle was between Gaunt and Kirby for the transfer and Kirby came up well short. Lots of bumping going on but it was an aggressive drive by Bragg that characterized the first heat. Surprising to see both Kirby and Conrad miss the transfer.

As the sky started to deepen, the second heat took the track. Devitt and Case claim the front row. “Showtime” Sheridan and Argo fall in behind them. Ostling and Kierce line up in the third. Charles Davis and Matt Stewart are stuck in the fourth row. Wes Richardson is the lone ranger. Ronnie Case grabs first position (360?) quickly followed by Argo and Sheridan. Argo is swinging high, Sheridan is swinging low. Now everybody is going to the cushion and all of the sudden Kierce is stopped and the yellow is out. I think he tangled with Devitt and ended up with a broken steering box. He would be back in the semi. On the restart, Case is still out front but he is getting heavy pressure from Argo and Sheridan. Argo is again going high and Sheridan is again driving low. Case is fighting off both of them at the same time and barely hanging on to his lead. Suddenly Argo has taken it away from him and Charles Davis has passed Sheridan for third. Ostling hits somebody or something and he is out. Restart has Argo, Case, Davis, Sheridan, Devitt, Richardson (in his regular 360 I believe) and Stewart in that order. It is a big noise and Argo is the loudest as he starts flinging at the top. Now Davis gets around Case and we have Argo, Davis and Case. Richardson is trying for the transfer but Sheridan doesn’t give it up. As somebody spins during the white, it is called with Argo, Davis, Case and Sheridan moving on. Tough deal for Richardson. Although Argo and Davis clearly dominated in this heat, I was impressed by the fight in Ronnie Case. He is an exciting driver.

Heat three presents Jimmy “the Neutron” Crawford at pole with Shawn Kautz on his right. Seth Wilson and Damion Gardner are parked behind them. Mike Spencer and Cory Kruseman take up residence in the third row. Ellertson and Tedrick are slumming in the fourth row and Nadine Keller lives out back. It’s a rough neighborhood. Crawford breaks out with a lot of lift coming out of the corners. Cory is back in sixth but he’s instantly moving on up. His first mugging is Shawn Kautz, but that only puts him in fifth. Up front, you have Seth Wilson now leading, Crawford running second, Spencer in third and Gardner hanging onto fourth. It’s a little tricky, but now Cory gets around Gardner and he can really open up. Spencer falls next and Crawford follows soon after. Now Cory has worked from sixth to second and sets his sights on Seth Wilson. The crowd is nuts on Kruseman. Driving high off the cushions, Cory buys the prime real estate and it finishes with Kruseman, Wilson, Spencer and Crawford. Amazing to me and my buddies that Gardner does not transfer. It is our first indication he might not show up tonight.

The final heat is marked by the sun sinking into the Pacific. This has to be one of the most beautiful tracks in the world! You have Joshua Williams and Tom Stansbury in the front row. Hicks and Ballard sit second row. Adam Mitchell and Tony Roberts are stacked in third, with Rip Williams and non starter Tjaarda in the final row. Joshua Williams and Stansbury start arguing immediately about first place but Tom is stronger and takes it. He then bobbles in turn one and Joshua rips it back. As we get to turn four, Mitchell gets sideways and Jones and Rip Williams stack up in him. It’s a whole new restart and Joshua and Stansbury start arguing all over again. Again Tom muscles his way into first after a few quick laps. Hicks and now Rip Williams are chasing with sudden arrival Tony Jones also applying pressure. All are driving the bottom line. Suddenly Adam Mitchell’s car dies and we are yellow. Rip and Tony butt up in turn one but apparently after the yellow. In the background the train is blowing. On the restart, Stansbury is trying to hold off Tony Jones but it’s getting dicey. Tony is now driving hard off the top as we approach the flags. Hicks and Rip Williams are close behind, with Rip nipping at Hicks heels. Tony Jones finally gets past Stansbury but Rip can’t get past Hicks. They finish as Jones, Stansbury, Hicks and Rip Williams. Stansbury looked very strong, Hicks drove an excellent race, Rip Williams is always a contender but this race belonged to hard charging Tony Jones. One of the most impressive efforts all evening.

The Senior Main Event was twenty laps starting under the lights. Front row is Bruce Douglas and Ron Bach. Alderman and Porter sit in row two. Moon and Willey Miller are in three. Prosser and Culver are far back in four. Kittle and Leonard even further back in five. Millar and Vail bring up the last row with Vail sitting alone behind them. Douglas and Bach jump to the front but suddenly cars are piling in turn one. It seems Kittle got sideways and swallowed up Steve Stasa. Stasa’s front wheels are flopping and he gets the hook. On the restart, Douglas clearly gets out front but Ron Bach isn’t done. Bach drives hard. Alderman is pushing Bach to no avail, Moon is right behind them. Where is Waldo?

Willey is back but now on the move. First he passes Moon, then he passes Alderman. Now we are getting into traffic, with Douglas, Bach, Miller and Alderman. Willey has a slight points lead over Bach and both are in the moment. Bach shrinks the gap between him and Douglas. Now it looks like Leonard’s axle is melting? and Culver is also in the wall at turn one. We are yellow with five laps left in the race. Now here is where things get interesting (unless you’re in a heated points battle). Coming out of turn three, Douglas gets a little sideways and slows up enough where Bach can’t avoid and t bones him. They both start spiraling in different directions but they are moving. Meanwhiles, Willey looks like he hits a bump or is trying to avoid the craziness and he spins and brings out the yellow. Douglas is still moving in the infield trying to figure out which way they went! Bach has a broken nerf bar and now he is done! Willey is tagged for the incident and has to go to the back! And Douglas, whose drift triggered the whole incident, is rewarded with his pole position on the restart. For a guy who has had terrible luck all season the deal was finally squared. However, his front end is badly damaged and he is hoping the car doesn’t fall apart as he races the last five laps. It is a big win for Bruce followed by Alderman, Prosser, Porter, Moon, Culver and finally the persistent Willey Miller. Postscript: Douglas’s car does fail at the finish line and has to be towed off the track. Miller had to pass about seven cars just to claim seventh. But that’s what champions do.

Bach was back in the pits filling out a police report. He was robbed.

The last chance ball for the USAC/CRA was now loading the field. This semi main was going to go twelve laps with four souls advancing, everybody else hits the road. Kirby and Gardner are the name drivers with big points at stake. At the start it’s Kirby out front with Kevin Kierce closely behind. Fierce Kierce is on the gas pushing Kirby from behind with that yellow 360 #2 car. He is tight on that berm and looking very strong. Gardner jumps up to third but Ballard is giving him a hard time (if I was a sprint car driver, I would like to go home to my wife and mention “yeah, I gave Damion Gardner a hard time”). Tedrick and Ellertson (I think) spin in the front straightaway and we go yellow. The green flag comes down again and it’s Kirby, Kierce, Ballard and Gardner. Gardner is going high. Another spin, another restart and now Steve Ostling is on the move. He passes Gardner, he passes Ballard. Now he is on Kierce and takes second.

The track is now going away from Kierce and coming to Ostling. As we go into the final laps, Ostling is pushing Kirby and Gardner is now fighting Kierce for the transfer spot. On the final lap, Ostling edges Kirby for the win, Kirby second, Ballard takes third and Gardner barely edges a ferocious Kevin Kierce for fourth. Conrad also just misses. Ballard had the most passes.

Now for the main event, they bring all of these top cars and drivers and line them up along the front straightway. This is cool! An announcer walks down the ine, introducing each driver and getting a few comments. Ronnie Case wishes his mom Happy Birthday, crews are slinking around turning this and adjusting that, Cory and Rip are shooting the breeze like a couple of neighbors on a Sunday morning…..it’s a beautiful sight.

In the coveted front row, we have Rodney Argo and Josh Ford. Second row is granted to Tony Jones and Mike Spencer. Third row belongs to Rickie Gaunt and Rip Williams. Fourth row is owned by Cory Kruseman and Charles Davis. Fifth row is deeded to Mike Kirby and Steve Ostling. Sixth row is occupied by Damion Gardner and Seth Wilson. Seventh row is filled by Alan Ballard and Danny Sheridan. Eight row (it’s way back there) is forced on J. Hicks and R.J. Johnson. Ninth row is delegated to Ronnie Case and Jimmy Crawford. Tenth row is reluctantly claimed by Tom Stansbury and Greg Bragg. Jordan Hermansde is the last seat available. That’s twenty one cars, nine hundred horsepower each and the sound lifts the sky as the green flag comes down.

Rodney Argo takes that pole position and clambers into first position, closely followed by Ford. But that doesn’t last long. Ricky Gaunt and Cory Kruseman are both standing on the pedal and soon it is Argo, Gaunt, Kruseman and Ford. Gaunt takes the lead for a lap then reluctantly hands it to Kruseman who is followed by Argo. Then Argo wobbles and surrenders second place back to Gaunt. Charles Davis is stalking the whole bunch, passes Ford and takes the fourth spot. On the sixth lap, Ford spins between turns three and four and we have a restart. It’s a gleeful Kruseman in front, Ricky Gaunt in a solid second position, Rodney Argo trying to save third, Charles Davis applying pressure from the fourth position and Rip Williams, Mike Spencer and Mike Kirby all applying at the door. Damion Gardner wasn’t there, it was his evil twin driving and not very well. With about nine laps completed, a strong Davis passes Gaunt for the second position, but in the back, the hard charging Stansbury spins out in turn one, with R.J. Johnson getting caught in the mess. Stansbury out. Gaunt reverts to the second position with the restart. Cory and Ricky are having a blast as they careen around the track. You can tell these two guys love their jobs. Cory is getting huge lifts coming out of four and Kirby seems to be picking up speed further back in the pack. Bragg and Hicks lock it up in turn 2 with fifteen laps completed. Damion’s evil twin starts going high, Cory is also pushing the cushion. Cory is high, Gaunt is low and suddenly the evil twin gets past Kirby. Suddenly Kirby is losing ground, I think there had to be something wrong with the car. There are no more incidents on the way to the finish. Cory is way out front, flying high and throwing mud with total abandon. Gaunt and Davis (teammates apparently) are slugging it out for second with Rip holding off Steve Ostling for fourth.

As Cory laps Kirby on the white flag (that’s crazy) Davis takes second, Gaunt takes third and Rip Williams gracefully accepts fourth. Now I’m not sure, but I think that would move Cory into third ahead of Kirby and Rip into first ahead of Damion. But check with your doctor prior to use.

Not a lot of suspense once this race got started, but there is something special about watching Cory Kruseman at Ventura. He has a love and appreciation for this track that comes out in his driving. Nobody could touch him. Crawford, Davis and Cory all had the most passes, equal counts. The difference was Cory ran out of people to pass. Alongside the ocean, in his arena, surrounded by people that love him, he was only racing himself.

posted: 9:38 AM
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If you don’t think this weekend’s Grand Slam Final is the most exciting thing since Dale Earnhardt met Chevrolet don’t bother to read any further. If you’re still reading, you already know that Bandits, VRA and suddenly orphaned USAC drivers will be rushing Ventura’s pit row this weekend. Many of California’s very best sprint car drivers will be here for bragging rights and maybe enough prize money to take their crews down to the pier for dinner. I decided to pick through this week’s line up and make a few projections, handicaps and wisecracks. How about this………

Peter Murphy: #21 Australian Bandit Peter “No Worries” Murphy is a trip. I talked to him for a while after the Bakersfield Race but his accent is so thick I’m not really sure what he said! Claims “experience” is what puts him out front. I think it has to do with laughing at the devil, driving outside the pack and a car that wants to race the space shuttle. With two wins and a second in the first three races, maybe start him at the parking lot gate. Check him out. Drawbacks: it’s not his track

Clark Templeman III: #18t Becoming one of my favorite drivers, Clark ran into some bad news in Bakersfield and may or may not show up. He has dominated in two of the Grand Slam events. If he does show up, I expect a chip on his shoulder. He was robbed. He will be looking for what is his. Drawbacks: hasn’t had a chance to find and fix the crash bugs.

Greg Porte: #3g Fast. This guy is as freaking fast as squirrels. The 3g has got to be disappointed with his Grand Slam results so far. He is a crowd favorite in the central tracks and he is used to winning. Wants to take something home. He will be coming in with an attitude. Drawbacks: inconsistent slam results

Chris Wakim: #9w Simi local Chris “Wake Em Up” Wakim (hey, I’m trying) clearly dominated in the first half of the VRA season. His explosive style of driving has made him a Ventura favorite for years. After getting tagged in Fresno, a Ferris wheel crash in Santa Maria, and a flat tire in Bakersfield I figure the Bandits haven’t really met Chris Wakim yet. The real Chris Wakim lives high in turn two. Drawbacks: prone to incidents

Kevin Kierce: #2 Kevin “Fierce” Kierce won the inaugural race at King’s Speedway. I can still see the surprised look on Peter Murphy’s face as Kevin blew past him. Has been improving all year, he is looking for momentum, he is looking for points. I won’t have a surprised look. Drawbacks: not predictable

Cory Kruseman: TBD Cory “the Kruse” Kruseman. What can you say? Cory was born in that little shack next to the pit stands. When Cory shows up, the whole landscape tilts in his favor. He rarely loses in Ventura. He has raced the VRA three times this season, he has won three times. Watching him drive and stick his front nose under the best drivers is worth the price of admission all by itself. Make him drive the water truck! Everybody wants to beat him. Drawbacks: none detected by man

Greg Taylor: #7 Greg is dominating the second half of the VRA season. If he’s near the front at the end of the evening, nothing is certain, no one is safe. Question: Why don’t sprint cars have rear view mirrors? Answer: The other drivers don’t want to see the 7 car coming up behind them. Drawbacks: lot of car problems this year

Spoilers:
- any USAC driver with the name Damion, Mike, Josh, Danny or Rip
- Blake Miller / he will have to step up
- Steve Conrad / always in the middle of every good fight
- Rob Kershaw / natural born competitor, races in his dreams

Wildcard: Luis “Hollywood” Espinoza is crawling toward his destiny; knows that he’s not hitting his stride yet. Always swings for the fences. Dedicated driver who knows how to maintain a lead. If Luis can get out front, don’t be surprised to see him pull off a major upset.

Is that enough motivation? I can hear the teeth grinding. Anybody I left out? Fire back!

posted: 9:41 AM
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