surfnsprint

Race #18

September 23, 2006

There’s a new sheriff in town. Derek Buckley took the pole last night and beat the pants off the best Ventura Raceway had to throw at him. LAPD’s finest Jack Parker also took down the IMCA Modified Championship a few points ahead of the CHP’s fast guy Brad Prows. As the warm winds ushered in another fall, with smoky skies and a couple hundred of California’s toughest firefighters catching their breath in the parking lot (Solvang City Fire Department sitting in the stands), so many good things happened to so many good people I can’t keep track. It was just another day in the hood…..

Jack Parker and team take it home

Quick Trip through the Pits:

I know I missed some races but I sure had good time meandering through the pits yesterday. Checked in with John Nock. John is my favorite kind of VRA sprint driver. It’s him and his dad, car strapped to the back of a trailer, doing his own setup and doing it every weekend. Doesn’t matter where he is in the points, you will see him every Saturday night giving it his 110%. Guys like him keep the car count up and pack the Main Event every weekend...Glad I ran into Brad Prows who clued me in that tonight was the IMCA Mod final race! I tried to explain to Brad in a rather clumsy manner that I appreciate the CHP, I dig him and anybody that’s on the front line protecting my family. On a night with fires raging in the hills, surrounded by firemen and all sorts of various racing law enforcement dominating the track, that’s what I was trying to say, Brad, you’re already a champion…..Andrew Greiman is back in Ventura. He took the pony stock championship in Santa Maria and is now checking in with an IMCA Mod ride. Get ready all you mod fanatics, Andrew brings it every time….Finally an illuminating conversation with Luis Espinoza about car maintenance, he is averaging 25 hours a week tweaking his ride before he gets to the track. Luis is leading the Sprint points with an incredibly consistent season, absolutely dominating by combining car reliability with driver skills. Check him out pre race all relaxed in his easy chair getting his head in the zone. He gives a lot of credit to his pit buddy, “Super Dave” Adair….For the record I also talked to number two in the points, the amazingly tenacious Jimmy Crawford. He has also got his hands in the engine trying to squeeze that one last horsepower he needs to pass Luis. I said the same thing to both of them, somebody is going to have to go deep, real deep…..

Dave Wolf has no fear

IMCA Modified Main Event

Final knock out drive with Jack “Passing Through” Parker, Brad Prows and Randy McGraw all still in the fight. When the first couple of laps got out of the way with all the debris and petty yellows, McGraw was leading the pack with Parker in fourth and Prows running sixth. Parker doesn’t need to win for the championship; he just needs to finish close to Prows. With cars dropping like flies (911 black flagged, 6 loses driveline) that’s easier said than done! Donald Houghton and Gary Curtis were bedeviling McGraw until Curtis got knocked into the infield and then left the track. Tom Topping lost his rear end and also had to bail. Now its McGraw, Houghton, Eric Evans and Parker. Prows in back in seventh giving it hell but this track is fast and its only twenty laps. They finish in that order and the crowd reacts wildly for the first time champion Jack Parker. Randy McGraw’s first place finish puts him second in the year end points with Brad Prows finishing third for the season. Jack makes an eloquent podium speech crediting Jim Naylor for the awesome raceway. He also notes the satisfaction in beating such a great group of racers including McGraw, Houghton, Prows and Rodarte. Jack and Vic Parker work hard making it happen for all the racers at Ventura, this is a cool moment in an evening loaded with good vibes. The Modifieds rock the casbah! Check out the Buzz for another in depth…

Gary Curtis had to leave the track early

VRA Senior Sprint Main Event

Oren Prosser Sr. shoots turn one and never looks back. Fast and furious race that shows how good Oren is. Although this race belonged to this living legend (as Naylor pointed out on the podium), it also showcased why Ron Bach is going to win the championship this year! He charged through the field with a determined and unyielding speed! He gave it all but heavy traffic and an even faster Prosser kept him second. Alderman showed up but inexplicably went straight into the wall at turn two, something must have broke! Bruce Douglas ran hard for a third place finish and I have to think he was good with that tonight. I say that because I talked to him in pre race and he was telling me how happy he is with his current set up. But then he noted how cool, calm and collected Ron Bach was this year. Funny, just as he said that, the Cheshire Cat himself walked by….Wiley Miller was fast and on the move but the track and competition was also fast. Wiley took fourth and Jeff Culver had the most passes with eight. Forget the blow by blow, enough said…

Tom Harper backs it into four

VRA Senior Dwarf Main Event

The senior dwarfs came out and snapped off a green white checker. Great driving with visitor Jim Scribellito getting out front and dominating. I think that monster hauler out in the pits is his ride and welcome to Ventura! John Lynch and Ed Niedzwiecki got in the fight and what a trip to watch all three shoot the traffic. Exciting elbow knocking racing with danger at every turn. Scribellito took that first place followed by Lynch and Niedzwiecki. James Soltis was all over fourth with Gary Conditt driving a hard fifth place. Cliff was happy; those green white checkers keep him on schedule! Niedzwiecki continues to hold off Lynch in the points. Three more wheel banging races before any bragging gets started.

VRA Pro Dwarf Main Event

Yellow and a restart when gregarious Brian Saxton jumps the flag. They put him back a spot or two just to make sure he gets the message. I love the way the dwarfs can actually pull over, stop and talk to the track officials. Distinct advantage over the sprints that get flagged and can’t always stop and find out what’s up! I’ll take this opportunity to point out what a tough and difficult job those track officials have and how the Ventura crew is one of the best! Anyhow, it gets restarted and Curt Cook takes to the front chased by Chuck Lippert, Bob Brown and Cole Milton. Lippert’s the one who is really applying pressure and in a few laps he takes the lead. Cook is hanging in there but Saxton the Saxon getting ready to pillage the spot. Julie Frantum spins to the infield and now Saxton makes his move into second. Thomas Velasquez exits out the back as Lippert and Saxton start dealing with back markers. Rob Anderson has worked his way to the front runners and now steals second from Saxton. It’s Lippert, Anderson, Milton and Saxton all running hard in heavy traffic. Lippert is putting some distance between himself and the others as Anderson defends the number two. Saxton is back in third and Milton in fourth as this bullet train blasts past the checkered.

Rob Anderson is third in VRA Pro Dwarf points

Kid Classes

I was lost in the pits when the kids ran, so I won’t pretend I saw their main events. I do want to mention that I saw Steve Chuhaloff who is working so hard with others to make this thing work. The crowd really has embraced these racers (I think that’s because half the crowd is family!) and the series has really taken off. I spent a little time with Taelor James grandfather who sure is proud of his granddaughter running in the VRA Junior Midgets! Christian Copley took the main event and continues to lead the points. Chris Olson, Ramon Rivas and Taylor Wright finished the top four. In the VRA Junior Dwarf Cars it went to Riley Helland with Eddie Vasquez, Tyler Jerman and Devin McCree in that order. These kids race hard and deserve the credit. We will focus on the Kids Classes on their last race October 21^st!

Taelor James gets ready to roll

VRA Sprint Cars Main Event

And now there are three. The VRA Sprints took the track and delivered a fast, clean and action filled main event. Kevin Kierce was forced from the field with a mechanical problem and I don’t think he can make it up. Rutherford was MIA and that brings the championship race down to Espinoza, Crawford and Taylor. But tonight was about Derek Buckley and how he spanked Ventura’s best. Tom Toutz listed this years “Rising Stars” in tonight’s program. Last year, Derek Buckley was nominated and elected “Rising Star”. Tonight he took all his hard earned skills and attitude and made it happen. He first earned the pole with Mike Knopf on his shoulder. Knopf, who is a popular expat, caught a bad bump on the first lap and flipped hard between turns three and four. He’s got a neon beauty that got real ugly. Fortunately Iron Mike got out and walked away from it! At this point Kierce goes out the back and there is frantic activity in the work area, some kind of oil problem. It actually takes a bit of time to restack everybody and I keep craning to see if the #2 is ready. Apparently not, they show two, then one, then green. Huge crowd disappointment!

On the restart, Buckley again decisively lunged to the front. Jimmy Crawford was sitting on the second row and he grabbed the second spot. Crawford reminds me of Kruseman, he just looks so at home on this track! He’s on the gas and it’s Chris Wakim from the second row sticking in third. Espinoza has fourth, then John Nock and Greg Taylor. Suddenly Wakim slides around Crawford for the second spot. Brandon Thomson climbs the wall in turn four and Wakim is put back on the yellow. Ventura’s adept crash crew gets it back together in a hurry, Kierce is still not ready and that’s the last yellow for the evening!

Again Buckley stakes his claim and shoots the hole. Now dig this! He’s got Jimmy Crawford, Chris Wakim, Luis Espinoza and Greg Taylor all over him and he just says “see ya!!!” He’s down the road and gone. And I mean gone. That leaves the rest of them to fight it out for second. Crawford has the spot but Wakim is like crazy glue. Chris is actually right on his bumper as they scream down the backstretch. Taylor has notched Espinoza and sets his sights on Jimmy and Chris. The track is good everywhere but these guys are all swinging the highline. Jimmy, Chris and Greg are as tight as the Pep Boys and I’m not sure which one is Moe! Greg now takes it away from Chris and Crawford is feeling the pressure. Luis is hanging but can’t get past the five spot. Now Taylor executes one of his patented slide jobs on the Neutron and takes second. It’s Buckley out front by a daydream, Taylor, Crawford, Wakim and Espinoza. Crawford’s car is getting a little weird and the tower is speculating he’s got problems!

That turned out to be true (missing a rotor and brakes) and Wakim passes him in three with five laps to go. I think the wheels could have come off Jimmy’s car and he would have Fred Flintstoned it across the finish line. He wasn’t leaving the track! Despite all the heavy traffic, despite the two restarts that gave everybody a fair shot and despite the best that Ventura could throw at him Derek Buckley drove a perfect race and tore down the checkered flag. Brother in arms Greg Taylor collected second; Wakim is again top five with third and joined at the hips Crawford and Espinoza finish fourth and fifth. An exuberant Buckley grabs the microphone from Naylor and yells at the crowd “how did you like that?” Standing ovation!

Derek Buckley and Brandon Thomson get together and talk about the “rising star” thing

This weekend was the kind of racing I love. Hard core friends getting it done clean and lean. Not much crashing, lots of passing on a fast track. Easy to follow the action when you know all of the players. We had some champions tonight, we’re gonna get some more soon. After everybody had gone home and I was getting in my truck, I realized I had left my photographers chair in the bushes at turn four. I walked back into the raceway that was deserted except for two groups. In this small racing frontier town, Jack and Vic were packing up the General Store. Off to the side, his car sitting untouched, Derek Buckley was still hanging out, having a beer and a good time. He was showing a few friends his new badge.

posted: 12:31 AM
 2 comments

Counting the Change in the Corners

Race #17

September 16, 2006

Greg Taylor uncorked number five main event win for this season and he undoubtedly will make it a six pack soon. That’s two more than Wakim and Kierce who have three each. But that’s four more than point leaders Luis Espinoza (one) and Jimmy Crawford (none, unless you count the top VRA score in Santa Maria). Sitting strangely in third, Taylor has to be wondering if this point thing is weighted correctly. Nothing new there, from the Coliseum in Rome to the arenas of NASCAR, point racing has been rife with controversy and bone picking. We are now power sliding into the final six races of the season. The championship race is tighter than security at LAX.. Espinoza, Crawford, and Taylor are swinging high for the ring. Kierce might beat them on spunk and driving off the bottom. Rutherford, Wakim and Conrad are still scrambling for top five.

you’re not going in unless Lee Davis says you’re going in
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Buckley and Taylor do ten laps
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Two Semi Mains tonight to transfer two each to the main. Put Errol Sack in a semi and he’s going to win it. Then he gets to the main and I don’t know what happens. He took this semi with Conrad and Kershaw chasing him all the way. Conrad took the second transfer. Tom Stansbury was in Ventura last night and buried his semi. I asked him if he was going to be showing up regular and he just smiled and said he wasn’t sure. Tom Harper and Oren Prosser, Jr. battled long and hard for second with Harper taking the last transfer.

VRA Main Event

We’ve had a lot of company the last couple of races but everybody’s gone home. I enjoyed the Bandits and 410’s but enough already. VRA’s just like a big dysfunctional family with a lot of love and aggravation. But tonight we all just got along and took the Sprint Main green white checker. Greg Taylor took it from the second row and asserted himself right away. Plucky Brandon Thomson went after him with a vengeance. Brandon put a good run for several laps but eventually he fell back. Joe Henderson had started second row and wasn’t giving up any ground. But Joe didn’t have much time to do his thing because here comes the indestructible Kevin Kierce from the fifth row. You can’t stop this guy! Kevin has cast a line and has got his hook on Taylor. You can actually see him reeling him in lap by lap. The track is good everywhere and there is passing everywhere. Luis Espinoza and Jimmy Crawford look like they’re having a hell of time counting the change in the corners. They are swapping laps with Luis barely holding off the determined Neutron. In the front, Kierce finally sees color and takes it from Greg. They are deep in traffic and slicing and dicing the congestion. You are seeing aggressive and clean racing from the front to the back. Without a yellow, the whole track is spread out and moving like a train chasing itself. Kierce again makes it clear you have to bring your best; Taylor reaches deep for it and reclaims his lead. They spin out the final laps and it’s clearly Greg “Full Throttle” Taylor taking his fifth win for the season. Kevin Kierce takes a huge second place. Here comes Mighty Joe Henderson with a career high third place. Although Espinoza has led Crawford for most of the race, Crawford does get around him at the last moment for fourth. A great drive by Tom Harper takes him from the last spot to a top ten finish with nine passes, the most for anybody.

Jake Vail checks out the sunset
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I really need to mention the other classes; I wish I had more time. Austin Figueroa continues to dominate the VRA Junior Dwarfs. The kid is awesome. Charlie Butcher took the VRA Junior Midget main, but he is still chasing Christian Copley for the championship. Exciting Jack Hoyt seems to have the ponies corralled, but you have to give credit to Jim, Joel, Randall and the rest of them. Great racing by all these cowboys. Brain Saxton is back to dominating the Pro Dwarfs. Ed Niedzwiecki is also holding at the top, but John Lynch is putting up a fight. Lastly the great battle raging between Parker and Prows in the mod class. Most classes are going to the wire as we finish this season.

The VRA Sprint positions continue to ratchet tighter. Espinoza continues his lock on first place, but Crawford isn’t giving him an inch. Taylor is holding third but Kevin Kierce is constantly applying pressure. Rutherford is fifth with Chris Wakim determined to finish top five. It’s the tightest finish in years and it will be decided later than sooner. There are six events left and I believe the best race of the season is still to come.

Crawford and Espinoza are bringing us into turn four
photo:surfnsprint

posted: 12:55 PM
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USAC-CRA Sprint Cars at Ventura

September 9, 2006

Call me shallow, I was pretty much disappointed with last night’s USAC-CRA 410 run at Ventura. I think I’m spoiled. Compared to the twenty or so VRA races I’ve seen this season, this race was in the bottom five. Not to take anything away from Mike Spencer’s hard driving work ethic, but I was looking for more of my favorites up front. There was so much talent sent to the back, no good passing lanes and too many yellows. Kruseman’s car dropped out from under him, Gardner shot himself in the foot and Blake Miller uncharacteristically left the track backwards. I was impressed to see Chris Wakim drive a 360 into the top ten! I was depressed to see Kevin Kierce take a brutal crash down the front straightaway. I appreciate the 410’s for coming the distance (great job by Mitchell and Jones also) but if they had seen the racing we have been seeing this year, they would understand………

Mike Spencer hit all of his marks.
Photo: surfnsprint

Quick Trip through the Pits

First checked in with my brother in arms Bob Hedlund, who was taking the #45 out (senior sprints) for the first and only time this year. He wanted to have one last spin before calling it quits. He and his sons have done all the primary work on the new pit stands this year. He wants to spend more time fixing up his hacienda and relaxing in turn one……

Took my good friend Justin around and introduced him to some of the great drivers in the USAC series, Cory, Damien, and Rip and pointed out a few others. These guys are always gracious, always a class act. Cory signed a poster I’ve been carrying around for a while. Damien gave us some of his time, chatted about the year and expressed a desire to show a little more consistency! I told Justin to watch for these guys tonight; they will be running at the front! Never happened……

Checked in with Tim Moon who wisely advised me to be careful while photographing from the infield. Keep a pair of eyes in the back of your head his crew chief commented. It got me to thinking about how more and more people are documenting the racing. Reminded me of when I used to do surf photography, the popularity grew and grew to the point where the water was clogged with photographers. Must be a little annoying to guys like Dave Wolf who has been at it forever and nobody got in his way. We all want more people to show up at the track, but I really think these uncrowded race days are the “good old days”. And one correction, Tim didn’t spin out in last weeks Saturday spectacular. He was gathered up by another driver. Sorry Tim……..

Talked to Steve Conrad who has taken over the Tom Stansbury 410 ride for the Ron Bach racing team. Steve’s stoked, genuinely excited and pleased to have this great opportunity.

He tells me he will make the 410 circuit next year and race Ventura on off nights. I asked if Ventura was special, he looked at me and smiled, “its home.”

Bob Hedlund back on track.
Photo: surfnsprint

VRA Senior Sprints Main

Steve Stassa shot the hole but before he can get going Mark Chuhaloff does some Pilates rotation in turn three. On the new green Bruce Douglas jumps out front and never looks back. I wondered what would have happened had Stassa not been yellowed and kept that initial lead? I only say that because it just got worse and worse for Steve. Douglas is in the lead and Stassa, Bob Alderman and Wiley Miller are three wide for second. Wiley moves into second and Stassa is now third. Bach has nicked Alderman and moves to fourth. Douglas is driving fast and putting some space behind him. Wiley has settled into a comfortable second and the fighting is back between Stassa, Bach and Alderman. We are at the halfway mark and Bach has now notched third. Bruce is getting into traffic but handling it adroitly. They are spread out nicely and Bruce is maintaining a healthy lead with one quarter of the track separating him and Miller. It’s five laps to go when Chuhaloff drifts too much and stops sideways in turn one. Stassa has to stop and slides a perfect parallel parking next to Mark with nary a scratch to either car! Chuhaloff is gone and Stassa is to the back. Douglas is driving a technically perfect race and on the green resumes his lead. Wiley Miller is second, Ron Bach is third, Alderman is fourth and Tom Harper is mounting an impressive but futile last minute charge. Now erstwhile racer John Richards gets sideways in turn one and again Stassa has to park it! They direct him to the infield and on the scanner I can hear a track official muttering “boy, talk about some bad luck!” Bruce Douglas meanwhile is having a great day as he hurtles across the finish line. Wiley and Bach arm wrestle for second and Miller gets it. Alderman brings up the rear.

Ron Bach continues to lead the point’s race at 9830. That’s 1115 points ahead of Bob Alderman and 1470 ahead of Douglas. With four races to go, Bach would need to DNF for anything to change. He doesn’t say much behind those impenetrable sunglasses, always just seems like he’s watching the river flow…..

Bruce Douglas coming off a bottom turn.
Photo: Frank Bigham

USAC-CRA Main Event

I photographed all the qualifying from the infield then stayed and watched the heat races. Couple of things…first they need to get more light on that night track. Second, it is an unearthly sensation to watch these cars up close. These 360 and 410 drivers are riding a hurricane and flirting with an earthquake. And when they do hook up…..well, ask Kevin Kierce about that! I was checking out Blake Miller and he has really grown. What happened to that kid that used to run around the track? He has adapted well to the 410 and was demonstrating an aggressiveness I never saw before. He drove so hard into a couple of turns my teeth were hurting. Tower was commenting on it too…Young Brandon Thomson and Brian Camarillo continued demonstrating flashes of brilliance against these better armed and more experienced competitors. They both just missed the semi transfer.

About a nine thirty start with a main event that ended having six yellows and one red. I thought the track looked pretty good but a lot of guys got loose. We started the race and right away Blake got mixed up in three and exited the track backwards in the chute. He slotted it perfectly and ended up sideways in the chute. They got him back on the track and we went green again. We go yellow right away with Rip Williams turned around in one. Next Evan Suggs takes us yellow. Now we restart and pole position Damion Gardner takes us down the straightaway. Shoulder position Matt Mitchell is holding down second and Josh Ford is all over the third position. Cory Kruseman clips Mike Spencer for the fourth slot. Suddenly Cory’s car seems to seize up in turn one and he rolls to a stop?! Go to the rear of the line.

So I’m looking at the back and there’s Miller, Williams, Kruseman and Gaunt. What’s up with this? In the front half, now alumnus Alan Ballard spins and we are yellow again. Ford had jumped the start so he gets put behind one car moving Spencer up to the third spot. On the green it’s Gardner again leading the snake up high on the turn four wall and then roaring down the straight. It’s Gardner, Mitchell, Spencer, Tony Jones pushing hard and then Josh Ford. Our leader Damion is now getting in traffic and suddenly loses it in four and stalls! Trimble nestles into him and both cars leave the track for a doctor’s appointment. They both come back to the race and we are green again. With thirteen laps completed and seventeen to go, Kevin Kierce in his 360 is running a huge sixth place. Everybody is swinging high; Miller tries the bottom and goes backward for the second time this evening. Figuratively speaking…. It’s now Matt Mitchell holding down the fort and he doing a decent job. This would be his first main event win. Mike Spencer is shadowing him followed by Tony Jones. Ford is fourth.

Eric Chambers stops in to see the homeboys.
photo:surfnsprint

Kevin Kierce is swinging high out of four and seems to hit some dirt berm. As he is correcting coming down the straight he has both Kruseman and Conrad below him. Three wide, Cory is lifting slightly on Conrad, Conrad is lifting slightly on Kierce and Kierce is lifting slightly on….oh, wait, there’s a concrete wall there! Kierce bangs off the wall, goes over a Conrad wheel and everything goes to hell in a hurry! Without a doubt the worst crash I’ve seen Kierce in, he trips violently down the line. The silence from the full house is deafening as everyone strains for a sign. When Kevin slowly exits the wreck on his own power the dam bursts with applause. I don’t know if he heard it or if the bell was still ringing in his head.

With only three laps to complete, you have Mitchell, Spencer, Jones and Ford. On the white flag lap, Mitchell bobbles in two; Spencer shows him a wheel and takes it away! It finishes Spencer, Mitchell, Jones and Ford. Steve Conrad has a very decent seventh. Spencer’s tenacious driving and skill gives him the win. They interview everybody and Tony Jones has some really kind comments. He closes by saying “Jim Naylor, I hope you’re here forever because I love this track!”

Mike Spencer and car owner Hal Engstrom enjoy a weekend at the beach!
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One more from last week’s Derek Buckley Show!
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posted: 8:30 PM
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Bandit VRA Grand Slams Races 3 and 4
Friday and Saturday, September 1^st and 2^nd, 2006

I’ve seen good folk towing a car trailer with a pickup, sprint strapped to the back like a knapsack. I’ve seen forty foot trailers pulled in by transporters that got satellite radio and plasma TV’s in every bunk. I’ve seen the less deserving leave the track with a trophy and a check. I’ve seen heroes crawl out of here on their knees with a pile of scrap dragging behind them. I’ve seen core guys drive a thousand miles; others roll out of bed into their fire suit. I know some of these guys are never leaving Booneville, others are just passing through. I’ve seen some smart guys run with it, some guys run away from it. I met the guy who almost lost everything because it was like heroin. I’ve seen jerks take everybody’s driveline and I’ve seen nobodies who took their transfer and gave it to a friend who needed it more. I’ve seen some guys racing on Visa while others charge it to their trust fund. I seen the black, I’ve seen the white and this weekend I saw it all……..

Grand Slam Victory! Chris Wakim at home in turn two.
Photo: Surfnsprint

Quick Trip through the Pits:

First I want to say kudos to Agromin who put up the cash. I saw heart and soul on the line this weekend and it’s Agromin that wrote the check. I cruised through their scene Saturday night and these guys knock me out. Billy, Steve, Mark, Rob, Wayne and all those other drivers, kids, family and crew. These guys are fully living the Ventura Raceway experience. You can find them on the pole, behind the scenes or in the Hall of Fame. Put a little PowerMix in your life and grow some wealth, health and world peace! It’s working for me.

Hooked up with Bandit Jesse Mack after his Friday night magical mystery tour (dead last to second). He owns some kind of internet something and likes to blow off a little steam on the weekends. From Visalia to Ventura; micros, sprints, 410’s; he’s checking it all out. Got a forward thinking attitude pushing his car and life. He gave the Ventura fans a hell of a show this weekend with 34 combined passes. That’s the most for anybody except maybe Kierce who unofficially passed so many people it was almost rude!

Wes Richardson and Angel Figueroa both qualified for the Saturday night main event. That’s the first time both Bach bad boys rolled out together. I caught them pre race as they walked around the cars checking this and that. They offered me some cold pizza and a soda. We talked about racing as the twilight hour deepened in the clear western and darkened sky. The harsh cold fluorescent lights of the trailer revealed a well stocked and immaculate interior. The pit area was quiet, the air was still and it felt like the calm before the storm. Joe Richardson showed up and admonished both drivers he didn’t want to see them until the winner’s circle. After an afternoon of vicious heat races, they were half way there…..

Friday Night Feature:

Qualifying and then a feature. I guess we call it a feature, what is it when a couple of division guys are seeded by points and the remainder are qualified by lap times? The usual purse ($1,000.00 to win) is up for grabs but no points for this race. However the top four for this feature will be seeded into Saturday night’s Main Event (bigger purse and points; $2,000.00 to win and Grand Slam points and VRA points). I’m pretty sure it was Taylor, Crawford, Kierce and Espinoza seeded into the Friday Night Feature. The qualifying went down about five o’clock in beautiful light with a gentle afternoon breeze. Ventura’s sharp track crew pushed them off like clockwork. Ventura’s Tom Hendricks nailed the quick time with 12.39. Nice job. Visiting 410 driver and 360 champion Blake Miller tore off the number two spot a hundredth of a second behind him. Espinoza, Crawford, Taylor, Kierce and Pombo lined up next, no surprise there. But the final three in the top ten were Tom Schneider, Brandon Thomson and Bruce Douglas. Not shocking, just impressive.

Jayson May started the weekend's metal massacre with a nasty flip while qualifying!
Photo: surfnsprint

They ran the sprints out before the main event and lined them up for the crowd to meet the drivers. I don’t think they were any strangers, the crowd was sparse and I think everybody there was related to a driver in one way or another. Cliff Morgan is still on sick leave but his team covered and executed a perfect push off. Corey Kruseman showed up on top of tower and settled in to watch the race with us. Kind of like watching a concert with Keith Richards sitting next to you. The cars are two wide, Pombo and Schneider up front, second row has Kierce and Taylor, third row has Crawford and Espinoza and the beaches of Normandy looked safer than that turn one hole. The yellow light goes out, Phillip Stevenson lifts the flag and we are green….

They stormed turn one but it was turn two where Davey Pombo stood on the pedal and shot a hole between the first two cars. He was leading by turn three and Kierce was also right there. Billy Camarillo took it into the wall at turn two and we are yellow. Espinoza has a flat and leaves the track. Rutherford leaves the track, fixes something and comes back on. Green again and it’s Pombo, Kierce, Miller and Crawford. Pombo and Kierce are engaged and a little further back it’s Miller and Crawford. Crawford gets around Miller, Taylor gets around Hendricks and Espinoza suddenly leaves the track (funny, looked at his car later and couldn’t see any damage). Now Miller nicks Crawford again and suddenly Taylor and Crawford are making contact coming into turn one. Crawford starts rotating and then flips! He’s got a broken rear end and Taylor limps off with a flat.

Suddenly the top two point leaders (Espinoza and Crawford) are DNF on a night with no points at stake! It’s like a ten car pileup but it’s only your X Box! Taylor gets back on the track under the yellow and I’m looking at the lineup. Steve Conrad started in the back as an alternate and he has worked his way to sixth! His last row buddy Jesse Mack is also on the move. We restart and Pombo fumbles his lead position. Everywhere the lead driver starts the green, but not in Ventura. In Ventura, the flagman starts the race and it’s every man for himself. It looked like Pombo was asleep and Kierce was very much awake. Kierce saw the flag go up and hit the pedal. Now it’s Kierce, Miller and Pombo with Hendricks hanging tough. In a blink Trimble gets sideways in turn four and dashed to the infield just missing half the cars. Like a pedestrian running across four lanes of rush hour freeway. Miraculously nobody hits him. He’d get it later in the weekend….

Now it’s Kierce, Miller and Hendricks with Miller diving low and actually nicking Kierce for the front. But it was short-lived; before he could complete a lap Billy Camarillo caught a wall in turn two again, started flipping and pulled in Jim Thomson. It was the first bad crash of a rash and the track went red. Thomson had the EMT’s look at him but I heard he was ok. Fourteen completed and sixteen to go. Kierce resumed the lead position and we are green. It’s Blake Miller trying to pass Kevin Kierce but Kevin doesn’t make mistakes twice. They are in lockstep, high in turns one and two, low in turns three and four. Further back it’s Hendricks, Trimble and Pombo. Now Kierce and Miller are in traffic and Miller is getting stuffed. Kierce starts pulling away and it’s five to go when Trimble stalls in three and we are yellow again, green again!

Now the track has turned into a giant cigar and Kevin Kierce is smoking it! He is so on the gas he is gone, gone, gone! He would have just run his victory laps but there was a freak out in turn three. All I can see is that Taylor, Conrad, Prosser and Hendrix are piled. I heard somebody was sliding somebody! Now the back of your top ten is moving up! Green again and Kevin Kierce really is faster than anybody. He’s been doing the heavy lifting all season, running every chance he got and now it’s paying off. He was so far ahead he was into tomorrow and making breakfast! That engine was dying and Kevin sent it straight to hell in style, roaring under the checkered flag. Jesse Mack went from the back to second and just wanted to thank his sponsors. Blake Miller took third, was headed to Perris to run 410’s on Saturday night which meant fifth place Wakim was seeded for the Saturday event. This wasn’t the only time this weekend Wakim would be helped by the Millers, more on that later. Bruce Douglas had clinched third place, big weekend for Bruce who was opening the Ventura Surf Museum on Saturday and now seeded into Saturday nights Main Event! This hard working son of a gun just wanted to thank Debra! Bruce is the real surfnsprint!

Iron Men! KK and the 2Crew win the Friday night feature!
Photo: Dave Wolf

Like I said, Jesse Mack had the most passes tonight with twenty, followed by Chris Wakim with eleven. The indomitable Chris Wakim had crashed badly the week previous. Another Wednesday night grind in his garage and he was rolling onto the track Friday afternoon. He took the last qualifying transfer and worked into the feature. He took the car from starting sixteenth to fifth. Miller’s default moved him up one and seeded him into the main event. Survivor. The stage was set.

Saturday’s Main Event:

First off a shout out to Bigbird and Yoshi Yasaki. Yoshi is a cameraman from Japan working in Hollywood who gets out to Ventura every chance he gets! I was stoked to see Yoshi in the stands for tonight’s race!

Bigbird and Yoshi digging the action in front of turn one
Photo: surfnsprint

I photographed the heat races Saturday afternoon so I didn’t keep any notes. The crisp afternoon light highlighted an unusual amount of destruction, with one heat having two reds. Jeff Oliver hit the wall in turn two on the first lap. Flipped so hard he dug a six foot trench in the cushion. Walked away into the afternoon glare with a real surprised look. The awesome Will Perkins came back and tore it up again on the backstretch. I have missed watching this guy race, this was a huge disappointment (I’m sure Rick Hendrix has a different feeling for the whole affair, he got caught up and was done for the day). There was an incredible throw down for the transfer between Brandon Thomson and Brian Camarillo, Brandon got the best of this one but these are both rising stars. Derek Buckley looked strong in his heat, placing second right behind Luis Espinoza. Espinoza has matured into a driver that just expects to win his heat. He just gets out there and gets it done. You see the same thing in Crawford, Kierce, ect……amazing how mental the whole thing is….The day rolled into evening and the large car count spawned two semis. Two would transfer from each semi with Tom Hendricks ripping the first semi. Oliver came back from his heat disaster to take the second transfer. Semi number two showed why Rutherford is top five, dominating for the first transfer. Tom Schneider got together with Joey Laymen on the front stretch and Laymen took a wild ride. It’s now Sunday morning and I bet Joey is still trying to get the taste of blood, metal and oil out of his mouth. Joe Henderson showed his grit and snatched the very last transfer. That left twenty four cars out in the cold. Twenty four drivers who bought the ticket showed up at the platform and were now only watching as the train pulled out of the station. That’s gotta be a tough feeling….

Kevin Kierce pulled an invert of ten and that rocked the lineup. Chris Wakim went to the pole and Derek Buckley landed next to him. Bill Camarillo and Bruce Douglas were behind them, Brandon Thomson and Davey Pombo in the third row. Kierce, Taylor, Crawford and Espinoza were all further back. Mike and Tim Truex hit the record button, Scott Holder pronounced the line up correct and twenty two sprint cars launched.

Wakim took the lead but we immediately had a cluster cluck in turn three. Most significant was that Kierce was going to the back. Camarillo was out. Joining Kierce in the rear was Richardson, Fiscus, Oliver, Trimble, Prosser and Jay Ervine. Complete restart, with Wakim again lunging to the front. Now we locked into a cycle of Wakim with Buckley high, Crawford on their butt by going low and the young Brandon Thomson hauling in fourth. Pombo, Taylor and Espinoza were all trying to catch Brandon! The Derek Buckley fan club over in turn four is going nuts as Derek is sticking to the high speed Wakim. Wakim had been on the phone all evening with Danny Miller and was using a set up formula Danny came up with. Danny was in Perris dealing with his son Blake’s race there. Anyhow whatever they dreamed up was working gangbusters. Wakim was the “Bullet” tonight but Derek was up for it. On the backstretch Derek passed Chris for the lead and everybody in the joint was rocking. Suddenly Steve Conrad had to check up for whatever and it spread to Fiscus and Figueroa. As the cars cycled on the yellow, Buckley fell back alongside Wakim and was pounding on the side of his car and screaming “Come on, you cowboy, let’s race!” That how Kierce told me the story and he was there. Buckley did confirm it to me later but added he also yelled “Is there any chance in hell you are going to let me win this race?!” Wakim just shook his head no….

The Chris and Derek adventure was electrifying everybody in the place….

Buckley was pounding on the side of his car and screaming "Come on, you cowboy, let's race!"
Photo: surfnsprint

Green again and now it’s Wakim stalking Buckley. Twelve laps down and eighteen to go.

It’s Buckley, Wakim, Crawford, Taylor and Pombo. Everybody is high when suddenly a Taylor slide job goes south in turn two and gathers up Davey Pombo. Tough break for Pombo, he is done. Tough Brandon Thomson has also broken something and leaves. On the new green, it is Buckley, Wakim, Crawford and Espinoza in a tight race. I remember watching Wakim hugging Buckley so tightly in complete faith that Derek was going to hold a clean line. That’s unbelievable next level racing, trusting each other like brothers. Now Trimble gets sideways in turn three and Richardson t bones him pretty good. Taylor is also stopped and he is gone. We go green and look who’s back in the top five, here comes iron man Kevin Kierce fighting and clawing his way back to the front from the back. I’m outta words on Kevin Kierce; this guy can’t bear a good race without him. He lost his engine in Friday’s win and now he’s got his dad’s old engine that they threw in this morning. Kevin lost his dad a while back; I suspect his dad’s having a hoot watching his boy now!

Now Prosser got caught up in some mess on the front and flipped wicked. The track went red and the cars all shut down. Oren was ok but this was a new chassis and it had to hurt.

I’m watching photographer Dave Wolf walk the track and talk to the stranded drivers. Dave Wolf owns that infield, he’s seen it all and photographed most of it. He’s there every day from the hot laps to the final checkered flag and that can be a cold and windy place. He walks from car to car and talks to each driver. They want to know what happened, what line is working, whatever. They’re like his children and he loves them all equally.

Twenty laps completed, ten to go and Wakim is stalking real patient. Finally Buckley swings a little too high on turn one, Wakim executes perhaps the cleanest slide job of the weekend and takes him coming out of turn two. Kierce has worked to third and it’s Wakim, Buckley, Kierce and Crawford. We have one more yellow when Tim Moon spins in one, then its off to the races. Wakim is a freaking speed machine, clipping off perfectly drawn lines, no doubt, no hesitation, no takers as he shreds the checkered flag. Kierce takes second and tells me later he knew Wakim was gone. The two top runners up from last years chase are now in their groove. Kierce is moving again from fourth to third in the VRA point’s race. Incredible work ethic. Wakim has won three of the last six races and even if can’t reach the championship; he has confirmed his role as one of Ventura’s greatest. Derek Buckley drove the pants off his car and showed everybody the spirit of dirt track racing. Jimmy Crawford took fourth and is still haunting fifth place Luis Espinoza’s point lead. Jeff Fiscus was the best bandit showing with sixth. Scott has not recalculated VRA points yet but we’ll post those points as soon as they come. On the Grand Slam, Jimmy Crawford is now first with 320 points. Greg Taylor’s DNF pushes him to second with 306. Kevin Kierce moves up to third with 296 points. Then it’s Espinoza, Trimble, Rutherford, Wakim, Douglas, Fiscus and Mack rounding out the top ten.

I want to thank every bandit that made the drive to race at Ventura. When I see this much effort, this much speed and this much destruction, I have to reach deep to come to terms with it all. The thrill of victory is fleeting compared to hard patches. Wakim caught a wheel last week and broke just about everything on that car. Fortunately you could throw him and his crew (hey Arnie) in a dark closet with a bag of parts and they will come out with a winning sprint car. I try to realize that living racing is enjoying the process. I enjoy the guys offering me cold pizza in their trailer as much as the victory dinner later. The fresh chance of every heat race is just as good as a grand slam win. I respect the winners that have figured that out and are living racing.

Chris Wakim with twenty of his 218,296 fans.
Photo: surfnsprint

posted: 2:51 PM
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