Bullrings Begin

By Kevin Eckert

April 24, 2009 Speedway, Indiana: Good time to be a Hoosier. A cold gray Wednesday turned warm and bright Thursday and remained for a glorious weekend of USAC sprint car racing at Gas City and Lawrenceburg to follow an excellent Eldora opener. True, a sorry Sunday forecast postponed Winchester well in advance, but that inconvenienced only a few. What an awesome sprint series USAC could have if not for its fetish for asphalt.

Rain last week meant that USAC on Friday served as the Gas City I-69 Speedway season opener and first race ever under direction of Leroy Battieger, its former sprint steward. For 13 years, Gas City had been one of the friendliest places a fan could park, thanks to promoters Jiggs and Nona Thomason. Over the winter, all wondered if “meet the new boss” would be “same as the old boss.” Jiggs however, still wheeled his doorless utility car and Nona still greeted everyone with a smile. In all those Fridays, she has been present all but three hours when hubby had to see a doctor after crashing the water truck.

Jiggs gradually made Gas City a secret gem. I-69 action became too good and word spread to USAC, which added I-69 in 2002. Perhaps it is the increased attention, extra cars, early start or just bad luck but Gas City USAC events have been among the track’s worst. A normal Friday seems finest; Sprintweeks have been sad. Surely it would not wither on Leroy’s first night. Why would he want people grumbling out the door?

I-69 Speedway looked good around 4pm when I rolled in to high five no fewer than ten Pennsylvanians and place a blanket in USAC’s smallest bleachers. Brother and nephew arrived later as did Titan mechanics Rob Hart and Eric Prutzman, headed to Paducah, Kentucky with Brooke Tatnell prior to truck trouble.

Jesse Hockett had also been aiming at wings in Little Rock, Arkansas (ASCS) before bad weather predictions allowed him to remain with USAC. Hockett was still smiling over a landmark weekend. Ready to go at Eldora two nights, Jesse got rained on Friday and was packed to jet to Manzanita for Jim Massey when the weather cleared over Ohio. He relinquished Jim’s ride (to Lealand McSpadden?) and came from Eldora’s eighth row, off the wall, lost the ladder, yet finished third. On the phone, Steve Stroud of Parker Stores informed Jesse that Manzy would be Sunday, so Hockett naturally volunteered to steer Steve’s car. Stroud quickly consulted Bob Ream, who owned the ex-Jeremy Sherman Maxim. It was in pieces. Bob said he’d slap it together for The Rocket, who hopped a flight from Indy to Phoenix and won the last race ever at the great Manzanita Speedway.

Jesse would not be denied. At last month’s Mini Gold Cup when word came of Manzy’s imminent death, I kidded him that they had to close the place to keep him from winning there. Jesse replied, “I haven’t won there yet.” In his mind, four wins on the third-mile equated to zero if he could not conquer its fierce half-mile.

Little Rock was the latest example of Hockett’s ASCS National schedule getting shaved. After an entire weekend was flushed in Oklahoma City (promoter Lanny Edwards just completed heart bypass surgery and has yet to reschedule), more Bull’s Gap’s bullshit dropped another weekend on some hazy excuse regarding severe economic hardships in rural U.S.A. Apparently, America was doin’ swell when they “signed” Emmett Hahn’s contract. Or maybe it was just another verbal agreement like last year’s World of Outlaws weekend that Volunteer un-volunteered. And the Elvis Presley sighting in Chandler, Indiana is also on the ASCS shelf. Skepticism is thick because Chandler is a modest oval free from sprint cars for 27 years yet was to be Presleyland by the Fourth of July when it paid $15,000 to an ASCS hero.

By postponing Presleyland to September 4-5, a Fourth of July conflict was averted 20 miles up the road at Haubstadt where Tri-State’s only POWRi midget meet of 2009 is paired with MSCS sprints. Very few Boonville locals would have missed two classes of Hud Cone for one Kathryne Minter.

Little Rock’s loss was Gas City’s gain when The Rocket rolled up I-69 in VKCC rig containing Bernie Stuebgen of Indy Race Parts and ex-360 racer Andy Korte of California, Missouri. They went right to work when Jesse uncorked an engine. Like last year at Eldora, a steel ASCS 360 was all Hockett had so that’s what Bernie bolted in for the B, which they won. Could “The Rocket” really win a 410 feature with a 360?

Sacramento, California native Bryan Clauson has contested every victory since Christmas in Kansas City when he won 10k. Walled at Chili Bowl, Bryan’s midget led both nights in Fort Worth (winning one), led Manzanita until its driveline quit, led Las Vegas until pitting for tires, and led 19 laps at Perris. In a new Gaerte Maxim, Clauson led North Vernon’s chase to $3000 until tagged by Thomas Meseraull. In his first USAC sprint start since Salem, Clauson qualified fastest and came from eighth to second in his I-69 heat, one of a few to make the top work. But early in the A, he returned there and bounced to a stop.

Indiana appeared more genuine with “Fox 53” racing for the first time since last summer’s Sprintweek. It was strange to see red, black and white stripes on a J&J rather than the DRC model that Jon Stanbrough and the Fox family used for 60 wins in three seasons. On a dry I-69, Jon pedaled the J&J to a heat win.

Trucker’s 24-hour Road Service of Indianapolis brought its fourth driver of 2009 up I-69. Two weeks earlier, they opened in Vernon with Casey Shuman and Jimmy Light. Shuman left to pay respect to Manzanita so Jim Whiteside contacted Brady Bacon for Eldora. Jim and Roger Tapy’s team arrived in Gas City with Light and Shane Hmiel, who promptly burned down an engine at the back of a heat race to begin a bad weekend that ended upside-down.

Casey returned from eighth as Nathan High’s teammate at Manzanita (where three Shumans won 133 times) to start the 52nd season by sprint car owner/crew chief Paul Hazen. They seemed ready to transfer but stumbled. Saturday went better as Shuman and Hazen won the 2009 opener at Lincoln Park Speedway. Casey became the sixth shoe to net first-place at Putnamville for Paul after Tony Elliott, Kevin Thomas, Dave Darland, Jon Stanbrough and Billy Puterbaugh. Shuman has now won seven of his last 28 A-mains at Lincoln Park since 2005.

Chico, California’s Ryan Kaplan cracked the first USAC A-main he attempted, using the front row to stay in the way. After three cars passed, Ryan tightened his “huggy pole” to transfer, irritating Cole Whitt enough to deliver a shot in the ass. Cole has been a pretty model champion for Red Bull and I-69 anger was more common to Cole’s occasional Kunz sidekick Kevin Swindell. Still two spots out after the B, Whitt used provisional status into the A.

Where would Indiana be without a fresh crop of kids from California each spring? Whipping wingless 410s around Hoosier bullrings is the next phase for Ryan Kaplan, who began in Ford Focus and three more midget seasons in BCRA and USAC Western States. In 2007, Ryan ran his first sprint car and late last summer, Kaplan arrived in Indiana for eleven races in Bryan Clauson’s sprint car. On Turkey Night, Kaplan finished fourth in Clauson’s midget. Eighth at The Burg last Labor Day, Ryan recorded its third best USAC lap before being eliminated in his heat race.

Jonathan Hendrick of Indianapolis, son of a Pendleton Pike car dealer, has dabbled in wingless 410ci while excelling in winged 600cc. He made his first USAC A-mains through Gas City and Lawrenceburg heats. Jon’s coaches include Bill Baue and Shane’s dad Blake Hollingsworth, who combined to start at least 73 national USAC A-mains.

Travis Welpott was in The Show! The last USAC A-main on dirt that included Welpott was the Four Crown midget race of 2001 at Eldora. Though he rarely tried, the 1993 UMRA three-quarter midget king had never made the final grid of a USAC sprint race.

Four spots shy was Jason Holt in the Jackson 42g, a car driven by Mark Clark for the past three years. Jackson first employed Bart Grider for five years before Brian Gerster ran 42g until Sprintweek 2005 when Clark climbed in. Holt is an ex-Indy 500 mechanic who has raced his own sprint for the last five years. In his first trip to Putnamville with Jackson, Jason scored Saturday’s B-main.

Missing the A-main at I-69 in his first career USAC sprint car start was Steve Irwin of Columbiaville, Michigan. No wrestling crocodiles for Steve; just sprint cars like those in which he has 21 wins in 13 seasons. Until the Michigan Traditional Sprints sprouted (2006), Steve was a wing guy, other than the last champ car race at Pikes Peak (2005) for neighbor Kevin Bloomstran. Following four traditional wins at Winston, Merritt, Owendale and Lake Odessa, Irwin enjoyed himself so much fun that he began spending Sundays at Sun Prairie (a 450-mile trip) in Randy Polewczynski’s midget. Michigan Traditional Sprints will hold Eldora’s first wingless 410 show not sanctioned by USAC since CRA departed in 1993. It will be Saturday, August 1.

Friday at Gas City became a tractor show. They worked the dirt after qualifying, which only wasted time. They worked it again after heat races. By now, the sun had set and now, the work paid off. There was so much bite in the B-main that Tracy Hines stuck the right rear and flipped off turn two. He joined Whitt on the tail as provisional.

I-69 reconstruction at last developed a second lane that Hockett used to edge Josh Wise. Jesse and Josh resumed their slots outside rows one and two as per flawed USAC tradition. Wise led three laps before Jesse’s screamin’ 360 took over. Hockett had the win well in hand until betrayed by traffic. Gas City is not wide enough for three continuous grooves, so when Jesse caught Hendrick outside of Hunter Schuerenberg, he was essentially stuck.

Dave Darland capitalized to steal $5000 on lap 28 of 30. Dave presented car owner/crew chief Scott Benic of Fairmount with the first win in four years (and seven drivers) on his local skid pad. Further rubbing salt in Jesse’s cut, Levi Jones handed Hockett third-place by inches. Jesse shoved Jonathan’s car a bit but post-race, refused to blame Hendrick, who was simply where Hockett wanted to be.

After a dismal trip to Arizona and Nevada followed by Eldora spectator status, Shane Cottle finished fourth in his first Monte Edison event since last year’s Kokomo opener. Cottle and Edison won 30 times in four seasons. Fifth was Chris Windom’s best since a second at the Kokomo closer. Stanbrough started 2009 fourth in Vegas, sixth at Manzanita and ninth at Perris for Indiana Underground before tunneling to sixth in the first Foxco feature in nine months. Jerry Coons was seventh over Damion Gardner, Brad Sweet and Whitt, who carried his provisional from last to tenth.

USAC brought seven Ford Focus midgets to Gas City. “Why?” seemed to be a good question. What has become of this class? It started with good intentions as an entry-level division but has too often degenerated to upwardly-mobile drivers buying ride to win no prize money. Ford Focus engines are more cost-effective to racers than Ford Focus races are to a promoter who hosts USAC, spawning NEMA Lites in New England and SuperFocus engines that bolstered BCRA on Saturday in Marysville, California. Fans lost Focus among 35 sprints and 33 modifieds (ex-sprint star Scott Orr won again) and most missed Ronnie Wuerdeman’s win.

During the 150 miles and 24 hours from Gas City to Lawrenceburg, USAC acquired the Top Two from Friday’s opener at Bloomington, Brady Short and Jeff Bland, along with Rick Vaughn, Shawn Westerfeld, J.R Douglas, Cincinnati attorney Mike Weber and California transplant Chad Boespflug, a track regular who was parked (but now cleared ) by an eye doctor. Last summer, Douglas won an AMSA mini sprint show at Salem’s Thunder Valley before shifting to sprint cars.

Lawrenceburg Speedway has become a sparkling speed palace. To walk into The Burg today is to walk into a modern sports arena complete with concrete steps and Budweiser signage. And since the Argosy Casino is paying, accessories should add scoreboard, concert sound system and backstretch concessions, given my new fondness for the spectacular view from turn two.

Lawrenceburg looked wonderful. When throttles drop for hot laps, I want to see both back tires make tracks. Saturday sprint cars did that all night. The Burg has been so wet and fast that cars spray mud to the top, making many seats almost uninhabitable. High walls make wingless vehicles invisible directly in front of you.

Riverside, California’s Josh Wise had not seen The Burg’s new banks but turned the only lap of less than 14 seconds. Absent from outdoor dirt all of last year, Wise has gotten busy. He ran all three Manzanita classes plus sprint and midget at Vegas and Perris prior to the second Indiana Underground sprint for three USAC runs.

The Burg was fast and lumpy. Cars were coated in Ohio River bottom. Wide open like a winged race, few could pass, reminding me of USAC races in Charlotte, North Carolina or Lebanon, Missouri. Only four row four starters (Darland, Sweet, Bland and Clauson) could claim one of four transfers from any heat. Boespflug looked like the first heat winner from pole until Levi lunged under in turn three. Short won the second heat from pole.

Schuerenberg timed slowly enough to start Gas City and Lawrenceburg heats from the front row and transfer both times. Last summer, Hunter cultivated quite a fan following (2009 T-shirts were eagerly awaited) with heroic drives for Jeff Walker. This year, the Missouri teen has partnered with 6R Racing, Jet Star, Daryl Guiducci, Fatheadz and Jacob Wilson on a six-cylinder Toyota that Hunter’s heavy foot has yet to make competitive. He ran a Chevy around Eldora faster than only five of the 33 cars.

Winning three of eight at Lawrenceburg last season, Brett Burdette crashed in Vegas and twice in 23 laps at Eldora. He hit I-69 in the true blue Eleven of crew chief Jeff Walker. Brett and Shane Hollingsworth used front row starts to win USAC heats at Gas City but at Lawrenceburg, Burdette needed Walker’s provisional.

Pennsylvania native Jimmy Light, second at North Vernon in his Truckers debut, missed USAC A-mains at Eldora and Gas City, timed poorly on Saturday, yet won his heat on the Lawrenceburg Speedway where he was champion in 2008.

Lawrenceburg added only AMSA. Strapped into a 1200cc mini sprint was Merrill Calvert, retired as pilot for United Airlines and away from racing eight years. In the summer of ’86, USAC midgets carried an array of talent to asphalt and dirt. One of the ten who stayed through the whole ten days was Calvert, later to win AAMS A-mains at Anderson and Illiana Speedways. A rookie in 2008, Merrill was among seven of 27 to miss the AMSA A-main on Lawrenceburg’s wavy banks.

Xenia, Ohio’s Sam Ashworth led seven laps around Lawrenceburg in a Yamaha Bishop 92. Ashworth was a famous All Star name when Denny Ashworth fielded winged 410 sprint cars for Harry Garrett, Keith Kauffman, Kenny Jacobs, Dean Jacobs, Danny Smith, Joey Saldana, Dave Calaman, Kevin Huntley, Tyler Walker, Travis Rilat, Rob Chaney, Chad Jones, Jac Haudenschild and Jeff Shepard. In 2007, Jimmy Stinson took third in the final sprint race by an Ashworth 92.

Ashworth fell to fourth at Lawrenceburg followed by a Suzuki Bailey driven by Troy, Ohio’s Drew Pollock, who (like Calvert) is an AMSA sophomore conversion from asphalt midgets. Pollock drove four Drinan seasons on miles at Phoenix, Nazareth and Pikes Peak peaking sixth at Salem in 2001. Last year, Drew defeated AMSA at Montpelier, Indiana. Winner of the first two AMSA events of 2009 at Vernon and Lawrenceburg was Rod Henning of suburban Dayton with Suzuki in a Larry Faase “Foz chassis” distributed through Spike by John Godfrey.

Saturday went smoothly enough that A-main starters rolled silently to the frontstretch for introductions. This was a traditional piece of USAC ceremony rarely attempted in today’s era of four-division midnight cards.

Huntington Beach, California’s Nic Faas started 2009 with broken pieces from Phoenix to Perris, leaving Indiana to wonder what lay in store for the new kid on the block. Well in their first full night, Faas and crew chief Jake Argo notched a Vernon victory. Tenth in his first Eldora event, Faas missed the A-main at I-69 but bounced back at The Burg. During the B, he exhibited no fear of the hellish turf, attacking turn one in dogged pursuit of winner Wise. Outside row one of the A, Nic quickly controlled the first 13 laps.

Grass Valley, California’s Brad Sweet, losing Eldora five laps from the end, carried Mopar Maxim under Faas but eight laps from $5000, J.R Todd’s roommate was evicted by a Wise move low in turn one. Josh jumped on horsepower provided by Charlie Fisher, rare in USAC but well known for pulling wings.

Lawrenceburg was a rodeo. Cars entered a corner, got tossed like a canoe in the rapids and exited wherever they happened to land. Some came to expect it and when Darland did not, Hockett hammered him. Jesse and Gardner jumped around turn two and made Ballou the victim. Any kidney-bruisin’ oval of a rocket and a demon is fine theatre. Neither could stay straight long enough for Damion to keep sixth until the last lap when he drove under Jesse in turn three, carried momentum straight up the hill, kicked mud in Hockett’s eye and edged him to the line. It was only the second time in six meetings where Jesse finished behind Damion in 2009.

Lawrenceburg became the first national USAC win for Wise since the Western World of 2006, also the last season for USAC success by Indiana Underground at DuQuoin with Tracy Hines. Terry Riggs wrench Mike Dutcher used to help Bruce Bromme and Richard Griffin and through bustling Benic Enterprises, he won with Cameron Dodson, Levi Jones and RW champ cars. Dutcher began 2008 with Brady Short and later Bret Mellenberndt. Riggs and Dutcher started this season with Stanbrough until Josh came available. They fell from first to eleventh at Gas City but landed Lawrenceburg.

Where had Wise been? Well, Daytona, Fontana, Talladega. He ran his first ARCA races at Winchester and Toledo in 2006, made eleven more ARCA appearances (second at Pocono, Gateway and DuQuoin), nine truck stops (sixth in Vegas for Darrell Waltrip) and his first NASCAR Nationwide start at IRP. Last season, Josh ran half of the 35-race Nationwide schedule capped by fifth at IRP. Wise returned to Eldora wearing a NAPA suit from four races with Michael Waltrip.

Sweet surrendered second to Levi late at Lawrenceburg. Arizona’s Chad Boat finished fourth in his best sprint finish since last June at Eldora. Darland finished fifth to maintain the national USAC sprint car point lead after six legs. Gardner snatched sixth from Hockett while Whitt was eighth over row eight starter Short and Stanbrough, who look uncomfortable on the treacherous terrain. Burdette earned eleventh from last.

Hockett sits second in USAC points and is trying to cover all bases. Jesse is due to return to ASCS at Tri-City on May 1, seeks a pavement ride for Anderson USAC on May 2, and is likely to bridge Bloomington USAC (May 8) with Little Rock ASCS on May 9. Hockett’s Memorial Day weekend looks like Terre Haute USAC (May 21) and another champ car ride around the Indy Mile (May 22) followed by two ASCS nights in Jetmore, Kansas. CnB Mushrooms informed how Hockett will also complete the 2008 Grandview USAC card postponed to Tuesday, June 2.

Those not lucky enough to open the season in Phoenix, Vegas or Perris saw their first USAC sprint race of 2009 at the 29th annual (three were rained out) Don Branson/Jud Larson Memorial at Tony Stewart’s elegant Eldora Speedway. By the time World of Outlaws arrives on May 8-9, corporate suites will be finished overlooking turns three and four. People at The Prelude will no longer get dirty, hot or restricted to public piss stations.

For three winters under Stewart, fans and competitors have held their breath. Few made happy departures from the last two Branson/Larsons. This one however, was the stuff that makes Eldora special. Since it fell on Easter weekend, Smoke his own self was on hand to watch his Chevrolets win heats from eighth-place. His high banks reward raw aggression yet dispense violent justice to those racing without respect.

Friday rain and Saturday chill (35ish) helped the track begin wet and stack a thick cushion that remained all night. Tracks with walls build cushions that cannot hide. Indiana’s fenceless bullrings of Gas City, Bloomington, Putnamville and Paragon allow kids to haul ass, miscalculate and simply press the reset button. Such careless disregard at Eldora will alert the trauma unit.

USAC drivers decided on caution flags for 360-degree spins, also enforcing a two-spin rule. In the last Eldora heat, Alabama’s K.T Thomas spun for the second time, twirling a tight 360 to see both black and yellow flags.

The race should have ended. And on the restart, Darren Hagen fired a slide at leader Robert Ballou, who held Hagen off. Down into three, Darren got over the big berm and clouted the concrete with tremendous force that fired his Keith Kunz Bullet to an astonishing height, wrecking two of Hagen’s ribs and one lung. Fortunately for his championship dream, USAC midgets do not race until the Night Before The 500.

All of the Top Six transferred from row four to place Coons pole for the A-main. In between Cowtown cards was Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon, who won his heat from outside pole. In nine seasons, Truckers have entered Eldora with Robbie Rice, Coons, Derek Davidson, Derek Scheffel, Justin Marvel, Kent Christian, Stanbrough, Bill Rose, Mat Neely, Tony Elliott, Hollingsworth, Schuerenberg, Daron Clayton, Meseraull and Hagen.

Thomas Meseraull had the black Baldwin Five at Eldora to finish second from second in his heat. T-Mez and Baldwin brothers next opened Bloomington fifth and Danville in fourth-place. Unlike the bullrings at I-69 or Lawrenceburg, no other front row starters stayed in the Top Four. Sweet drove his Dodge from seventh to first in his heat. Big Horses pay Big Dividends on Big Banks.

Speedway, Indiana’s Critter Malone, who came to Eldora with Ohio’s Joe Seeling in 2003 and won him a winged 360 show at Limaland in 2004, stuck Seeling’s yellow bird into Eldora’s opening A-main of 2009. Last year, Seeling shifted back beneath wings with Mike Brecht and Phil Gressman but reunited with Malone at Four Crown. Critter’s kid Drake Malone is in eighth grade and was a recent page to Indiana senator Michael Young.

Brecht of Deshler (50 miles southwest of Toledo) posted a stunning second in last fall’s Four Crown and returned to Eldora aboard a Stan Courtad car that was fast early until Mike scuffed cement on the backstretch. Courtad’s crew finished fifth at Fremont on Saturday with Gressman on the gas.

Also keeping one foot in the wingless world was Oklahoma’s Jimmy Jones, sweeping Eldora in 2007 with Ballou before joining ASCS. Jones brought 17-year old Trey Robb and 40-year old Jerry Bell to Eldora. After three Sprint Bandit dates, Robb ran wingless sprints three times in eight days from Jimmy’s shop near the Indianapolis Speedrome. As for the 1999 Boone Nationals winner, Bell had wings off only once and when the 2004 ASCS Gulf South king began Eldora hot laps, he gave a mighty pitch, abruptly lifted and tossed his nose at the wall. Next lap, Bell was well below. Robb and Faas became Eldora’s only rookies to reach the final.

Tucson, Arizona’s Jerry Coons led a lap at Eldora before a four-car crash on the backstretch involved Whitt, Malone (both done) and Burdette. On the restart, Levi laid a slide on Coons. On lap 11, Sweet also blitzed beneath Jerry and was ready to lay the same flyer on Jones when the red flashed for Gardner’s backstretch dump. On this restart, Jones guarded against The Big Dive one lap before Brad blazed low into three. Three laps later, Coons followed under Jones in three. On lap 17, Hines passed his TSR teammate for third and on lap 24, Burdette flipped.

On this last restart, Coons put a perfect slide on Sweet. In two laps, Brad was back on Coons tail and a lunge at the lead was inevitable. Six corners from the end, observers braced for an assault that was postponed. Waiting for the last two corners cost Sweet because he never made it that far. Brad got in the chop outside turn two and tumbled down the hill to get clipped by Hines. The second hit injured no one but took Tracy from a Top Five.

After all the wall-banging, smooth Jerry Coons was on the ramp with $5000. It seemed sad that he could not bid farewell to the Manzanita Speedway where he won 44 times (turns out, he could have as Hockett proved) but those are yesterday’s yellow headlines. Jerry is a three-sport USAC champion now, one perpetuating the rich legacy of the Hoffmans from Cincinnati. Richard Hoffman entered Eldora with Gil Hess (1967), Doc Dawson (’69), tried Cannon brothers Larry and Steve (winning with Larry), Johnny Parsons, Andy Hillenburg, Kevin Huntley, Rich Vogler, Steve Butler, Robbie Stanley (first in ’93), Cary Faas, Terry Shepherd, Davidson, Darland, Rose, Levi Jones, Stanbrough, Haudenschild, Tyler Walker and first with Hines in 2006.

Darland won three of ten Eldora events for Hoffman and won hot laps in 2009. Tripping the beam last, Dave qualified first with foot to the back of a Gaerte Engine. Darland ended second ahead of Hockett as Levi fell to fourth. Short emerged fifth following a nice dice with Ballou and Bud Kaeding’s new white Maxim. Ballou brought NorCal pals Darrin Smith and Randy Frank to make Eldora feel like a Friday night at Silver Dollar.

Grinning over my description of his post-Tulare condition, Kaeding has had a typically scattered season of World of Outlaws at Chico, Mike Sala’s 360 on the Ocean Speedway and the last USAC champ checkered at Manzanita, where Kaeding won seven of 26. After a few days in Disneyland, Bud scored second at Watsonville (Ocean) and eighth at Petaluma.

Windom was eighth from Eldora’s row ten. Clauson claimed ninth in his first appearance in the three years since a broken neck and super-speedway convalescence. Starting a season later than Josh Wise, Clauson climbed in six ARCA windows (getting a Gateway win) and five NASCAR events before 21 of 35 Nationwide races that reached fifth in Kentucky and sixth at Daytona.

Sonoma County, California’s JoJo Helberg, the 18-year old brother of 21-year old NASCAR diversity hopeful Jessica Helberg, took third Saturday in a wingless 360 on Roseville tar after flying to El Paso to race a winged 305 on dirt.

Boise, Idaho native Davey Hamilton celebrated entry to a ninth Indianapolis 500 by joining JoJo at Roseville to wheel a Western Speed 360 to seventh. Hamilton had not been to Roseville since running Ed Shefcik’s winged BCRA midget to a pair of seconds behind Craig Dillard (Hagopian 14) and Ray Derby at the Rose County Fair of 1994.

Tarlton Motorsports of Fresno fielded three of 21 sprint cars in Hanford on Saturday. Peter Murphy finished second without wings and Tommy Tarlton was second with the winged Rebel 360 series. Michael Faccinto’s third Tarlton 21 did not finish the wingless go. Central California managed to silence SCRA and bust up Bandits.

Saturday’s early rain in Dallas, Tulsa and Meeker made for a big (really) 13-car field of two-barrel 360 winged sprint cars at Lawton, Oklahoma operated by Lanny Edwards. In a twinbill born of bad weather, Norman’s Brent Swift swept the opener before Brill king Cody Metscher managed second to dominant Robert Sellers but ahead of Martin Edwards, who has ten wins in five seasons in the Devil’s Bowl of grandpa Lanny.

Russ Harper, a native to Watkins, Colorado now in Indianapolis, won six races in four seasons before selling his DRC midget to Jody Rosenboom to purchase Jimmy Light’s 2008 DRC sprint car. In his first three sprint races, Harper won a heat at North Vernon, missed the cut at Bloomington but went B-to-A in Putnamville.

The wet Wabash clouds that delayed openers in Bloomington, Gas City and Eldora enabled me to absorb Alejandro Escovedo, the 58-year old elder statesman of Austin, Texas at the 82-year old Royal Theatre in downtown Danville, Indiana. Flanked by the guitar of David Pulkingham and violin of Carrie Rodriguez (my new crush), Alejandro offered “Chelsea Hotel ‘78” about the death of Nancy Spungen (companion to Sid Vicious) when Escovedo was in a punk rock band called The Nuns.

South Bend, Indiana’s Ryan Newman, among the A-main of the 1997 Branson/Larson Memorial at Eldora, was among four NASCAR names (Matt Kenseth, Reed Sorenson and Brian Vickers) at this week’s Goodyear tire test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

As for the ol’ Brickyard, did you know the Speedway Motel is no more? Many a marriage began and ended on what is now a vacant lot. My only night there was as undeclared guest of Bob Cicconi before the Hoosier Dome Invitational of 1988.

Weedsport, New York’s Craig Keel, infamous in Indianapolis for his savage crash of 1987 on the mile (“I even broke the glass in the gauges,” he told me) has relocated to Green Springs, Ohio to be near his young son. Ten miles from Fremont Speedway, Craig cracked its A-main Saturday after failing at Attica for three weeks. During the great traction control scare of Ohio Speedweek 2003, Keel stormed out of Attica when acting All Star comp director Jack Hewitt ordered the magneto out of Craig’s cockpit.

Gibsonburg, Ohio’s Craig Mintz won Friday’s opener at Skyline and took tenth Saturday at Fremont, where Tim Shaffer of Pittsburgh produced his third win in eleven events for Aaron Call and Brian Kemenah. In between Volusia and Williams Grove, Shaffer flew to Western Australia to guide Geoff Kendrick’s car second at Kalgoorlie, third in Perth and ninth in the Krikke Boys Shootout at Bunbury City.

And there was no 305 or 360 for The Wild Child’s child. Though he told me last month how Attica would not permit his (soon) 15-year old boy, Attica is exactly where Sheldon Haudenschild ran his first race. His second start against All Stars saw Sheldon qualify quicker than Keel, Ed Lynch or Mark Keegan. In his third week, young Haud was as high as third Friday at Lakeville and outside eventual winner Troy Vaccaro on Saturday in Wayne County.

Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania’s Dave Ely posted his first 410 feature win in nine years Saturday at the Port Royal Fairgrounds. During time away from The Grove, Ely won 13 times with 360 cubic inches (URC, Mercer ESS and Virginia ASCS) and four of ten ARDC midget starts in 2007.

Chad Layton from the Pennsylvania capital of Harrisburg has enjoyed enough success in the United Racing Company (two wins in nine starts) that he wants to be an $11,700 champion like Curt Michael. In his first Delaware descent on Saturday, Layton was first in heat and second to The Jersey Jet, J.J Grasso.

From the shadow of Bridgeport Speedway resides Grasso in Pedricktown, New Jersey. J.J became the fourth URC winner for car owner/crew chief Pat Palladino. Beginning as Bud Lawrence crew chief to Frankie Kerr and Fred Rahmer, Palladino compiled a dozen wins with Sean Michael, another 21 with Sean’s kid brother Curt, three in ’03 with tall Trevor Lewis and Saturday in Delmar with J.J in a J&J.

Bucks County, Pennsylvania’s Michael Carber crossed seventh Saturday at Delaware. Two weeks after last year’s URC tour did wrap, Carber opened his third tour of Australia. Michael made a dozen starts with John Weatherall that won twice in Brisbane and took third at Maryborough and tenth in Toowoomba World Series. In the U.S, Carber’s car owner is John Pinter, an Audi dealer from Wilmington who raced New Jersey modifieds.

Flemington, New Jersey’s Art Leidl, graduating from Jasper crate engines to tenth in last year’s Big Diamond URC show, cracked the Delaware A-main on Saturday after a Port Royal shakedown. Leidl Well Drilling fielded the “L” modified built by Scott Pursell’s father-in-law and carried by Billy Pauch to ten straight Flemington features in 1981. “Go like L!” was their battle cry.

After two years and four weeks with a central Pennsylvania 410, Saturday in Delaware marked the first URC 360 start by Nick Schlauch Jr, son of another New Jersey modified champion.

Fort Lee, New Jersey’s Frank Polimeda, shaking off a Chili Bowl concussion to win the ARDC midget opener at Big Diamond, was leading the Lincoln Legends race Saturday until spun by Jason Rochelle, son of the URC champion of 1979-80.

Winning the 1250cc contest at Lincoln was 50-year old Tom Mayberry, who won the Freedom 76 for Grandview mods in 1986 and piloted the first Zemco sprint car as top Williams Grove rookie of 1989.

Phillipsburg, New Jersey’s Stephanie Stevens, seventh at Big Diamond and eighth at Susquehanna in the year’s first two ARDC A-mains, interrupted her fifth midget campaign for ninth in the winged 305 sprint car opener at Path Valley.

Tracy Trotter, who started the Carolina Ford Focus midgets in 2004, won six in that series with Bradley Riethmeyer of Texas, five with Iowa’s Robbie Ray, four with California’s Tanner Swanson, once with Australia’s Adam Clarke and another Saturday at Hickory with New York’s Jeremy Frankoski, a NEMA winner in 2007 at Beech Ridge, Maine.

Brandon, Florida’s Blaze Martin, third in Citrus County as 2008 TBARA rookie, reached second at the famous Greenville-Pickens Speedway and returned to USCS for three straight wins worth a collective $6500 from Georgia’s Watermelon Capital, North Carolina’s Ace Speedway and Florence, South Carolina.

This screed is dedicated to Fremont, Ohio’s Harold McGilton and Burlington, Iowa’s Bud Taeger, who passed away Tuesday and Wednesday. Bud was father to my friend “Odd Todd” Taeger. McGilton was a legend who made three Knoxville Nationals finals and raced sprint cars past the age of 65.

Off to The Ditch and Tri-State for (hopefully) the pinnacle of the World of Outlaws season from 4979 West 13th Street, Speedway, IN 46224 or (317) 607.7841 or Kevin@openwheeltimes.com.

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