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Los Angeles CA., – The 2nd annual USAC Pacific Coast Nationals @ Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway was the 12th and final event of 2010 at the racy, banked third-mile clay track at the Tulare Fairgrounds. It also was the 31st PCN event since the inaugural PCN at Ascot in 1962, which I witnessed. The final consecutive running of the PCN was held at Kings Speedway in Hanford during 1995. The PCN renewal at Tulare last year was promoted by Steve Faria, as was the 2010 edition, and he should be commended for his vision. It is one of the best new open-wheel wheel racing events of the season. Last year there were two nights of USAC 410 cu. in. sprint car racing. So Cal's Garrett Hansen (No. 7 Priestley) won the 30-lap main on Nov. 14 and Indianan Jon Stanbrough (No. 37x Riggs) won the 40-lap feature Nov. 15. Some persons, including me, wondered why USAC midgets had never raced at Tulare. Promoter/area dairy farmer S. Faria heard that question and made midgets at Tulare a reality this year. Bobby Gerould was the PA announcer in the booth and George Hague manned the portable mike in the infield. Willie Williams was the only starter in the starters' stand.
The Mopar Midgets – AMS/OIL 410 Sprint doubleheader as a one-day PCN made it a must-see event. It lured 32 midgets and 33 sprint cars. Both divisions ran time trials, four 8-lap heat races, 12-lap semi-mains and 30-lap features. The result was a full night of competitive action. Midgets raced for $19,700 and sprints competed for $23,700 for a combined purse of $43,400. I'm told that the annual winged sprint car Trophy Cup two-day event at Tulare in October has a purse of $80,000 and it packs the grandstands. About 3,000 persons attended the PCN event on a cool, chilly night that dropped into the low 50s. It appears the PCN has become another staple on the Tulare annual schedule. This year the USAC Western Series even had a close three-way title fight in progress with all three drivers seeking their first USAC Midget championship. Point leader Cory Kruseman, his protege Alex Schutte and Robby Josett were close in points with Tulare, Ventura and Irwindale races on tap. Kruseman had problems and had to use a provisional berth to start the main. Schutte's fourth place finish gave him the point lead by 31-points over Cory and 44 points over Robby with two races remaining..
Nine USAC drivers raced in both midget and sprint car divisions at Tulare. They were: Henry Clarke, Bryan Clauson, Jerry Coons, Jr., Dave Darland, Bobby East, Danny Faria, Jr, Tracy Hines, Levi Jones, and C. Kruseman. D. Faria bought the red No. 67x Bullet midget from Keith Kunz to race it at his home track. Drivers in the midgets field came from three states—CA. IL and IN; sprint car drivers hailed from seven states—AZ, CA, CO, IL, IN, MO and WA. Drivers making their first visit to Tulare included midget division drivers Evan Margeson, first cousins Jake and Cody Swanson, plus Brad Kuhn. Zach Daum was the fastest midget driver during hot laps and only USAC Mopar National point leader Clauson (with a NTR) beat him in time trials. Sprint car qualifying ran from 6:01 – 6:36 pm. Fast time was lowered six times before Stanbrough set fast time as the 24th of 33 cars. Midget qualifying ran from 6:38 – 7:09 pm. The new for USAC midget race had the one-lap track record set three times before 12th qualifier Clauson's 15.628 nailed down the record. Fans in the grandstand reacted with cheers each time a NTR went up on the red-figured electronic board in the start/finish infield.
Tim Clauson, father of midget/sprint driver and ex-Chip Ganassi NASCAR Nationwide Series No. 40 driver Bryan, said his son hopes to become the inaugural USAC 2010 National Championship Driver as the top point driver in national events. The winner will receive an Indy Lights ride for 2011 Indy Lights oval races, including the 40-lap, 100-mile Indy Light race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. An Indy Lights ride and success on that circuit could lead to an Indy 500 ride in 2012 or subsequent years. Bryan currently leads Levi Jones by five points with only Ventura and Irwindale midget races remaining. There were 11 flips at Tulare—four in a seven-car accident (L 2 of the feature) in which Troy Rutherford (87jr), Shannon McQueen (7), Robby Josett (2) and Sean Dodenhoff (9d) rolled. Josett's No. 2 Spike/Esslinger pit crew repaired the broken birdcage, jacobs ladder and fuel line that came off the pump. He returned 11 laps down and was RAF (running at the finish). The seven flips in sprints started early when Jonathan Logan flipped on his qualifying run. Wes Gutierrez (H-4), Geoff Ensign (S-M), Clauson, Damion Gardner, Tim Kaeding and Danny Sheridan were M-E flippers. It appeared that low-groove running Gardner would've passed leader Clauson imminently. Their cars got together in the fourth turn on lap 8 and flipped simultaneously. Gardner sat in his car as it was towed to the pits. Clauson walked down the front straight to the pits with crewmen.
Nic Faas, a sub for a sub-driver (injured Darren Hagen) in Mark Priestley's yellow No. 7, was running 16th on lap 23 in the now 19-car field from a 24 starting field. His throttle stuck open and he turned the car hard left to avoid running into the back of Danny Faria's No. 2x. Nic backed hard into the third turn wall tail first. He got out under the caution and then sat on the track with back pain. A red flag resulted and an ambulance went to the scene. It transported Nic north to a hospital in Visalia where he received a CT scan and X-rays that showed no broken bones. They checked and found no internal bleeding and after observing him for five hours discharged Nic at 4 am. He returned home to Huntington Beach according to Nic's father. They still have their No. 17F Maxim, but Nic has been concentrating on his college education at Orange Coast Jr. College. He will graduate soon and begin attending Cal State Fullerton University to study business/finance. The Tulare crash is expected to keep Nic out of racing until 2011. The Priestley 7 had its third driver in two months injured while racing it. Blake Miller caught a PAS rock that fractured his cheekbone. He spent a day at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach for surgery to repair it. On Friday, Nov. 5 during the Oval Nationals, Hagen flipped on the front straight at Perris in a multi-car crash. The car landed upright, but hard on the concrete inside wall, causing his back injuries and hospitalization in Riverside.
TULARE TIDBITS: Bakersfield CPA Shannon McQueen, 31, started her midget in heat 3 from pole position and led all eight laps. She got married on May 22 to Allan Webster, a tall, bespectacled engineer who works in Palmdale. When asked if she wanted to be called McQueen or Webster she replied, “Call me Webster if I'm slow and McQueen if I'm fast.” Lighting McQueen from the movie “Cars” would be proud. ... Tim Kaeding and younger brother Bud had a close duel for the sprint heat 3 victory. Tim (from P. 3) and Bud (from P. 6) ran 1-2 from lap 3 to the lap 8 checkers. Bud got within a length by L 6, but he didn't force his way past because both of them were in transfer positions to the feature. ... Dave Darland was interviewed by Hague in the main walkway in front of the grandstand. Dave said, “They muddied the track and it's not my style. I'm going to Ventura to race in the $10,000 to win midget race, and then to the Irwindale Turkey Night Grand Prix. I won it a few years ago. I might stay over and run Perris in the November 27 USAC/CRA sprint race.”
At 8:30 during the intermission following all eight heat races, Hague conducted an auction on the front walkway behind the starters' stand. It was held to aid injured driver Darren Hagen, recuperating at home in Riverside following his PAS crash. A photo collage signed by most drivers at Tulare brought a winning bid of $80. Two metal plaques in honor of Jesse Hockett fetched winning bids of $70 and $80. Midget and sprint car main event drivers went through the grandstands as semi-main drivers staged in the pits. Fans dropped cash into the drivers' helmets that were still a bit muddy from heat races. The Tulare total cash contribution for Hagen came to $2,900 according to a PA announcement before the main. Steve La Fond (Tear Off Heaven Photos) took a group photo of all main event drivers on the front walkway behind the starters' stand before they returned to the pits.
The two semi-mains ran from 8:53 to 9:21 pm. The midget main ran from 9:37 to 10:11 and had one red flag and four yellows. Eighteen of 26 starters were RAF and all completed 30 laps. The sprint car feature started at 10:28 and concluded at 11:23 pm. It had three reds and four yellow flags. Eighteen of 24 cars finished. The sprint car four abreast, six rows parade lap was excellent, except for the back row. The midget main event had some interesting rows. Row 10 had Kody Swanson and outside was unrelated Cody Swanson. Row 11 had the two female drivers Shannon McQueen inside and Randi Pankratz outside. Point leader Kruseman and Jake Swanson used USAC Western Series provisional berths to start in row 13. The sprint feature had the Visalia-based Vanderweerd 19-year old twins, Richard (the older twin by a few minutes) and Jace start from the outside positions in rows 11 and 12. Richard (No. 10) and Jace (No. 88) finished 14th and 15th.
On Tuesday Nov. 16 Bob East rented Toyota Speedway @ Irwindale for his two-car midget team to practice for the Nov. 23 Turkey Night GP. Bobby East drove No. 4 Beast and Hoosier teen Dillon Welch was in No. 6 Beast. Brad Kuhn practiced his No. 17B Beast/Fontana too. The Fike Racing RFMS No. 3 Beast/Esslinger Ford team also ran laps at speed during the 5 to 9 pm session. Tanner Swanson, Kody's younger brother from Kingsburg, will race the black & gold No. 3 for injured Darren Hagen. Josh Wise, who has raced for about five teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year, will race the sister No. 3F Beast/Esslinger Ford on Thanksgiving. Josh was still in North Carolina so Tanner practiced in both Fike midgets.
MIDGETS: Owner/driver Kenny Warren, 27, from Arizona, had a 2009 Dave Ellis/Fontana at Tulare. It was the ex-No. 21 Jeremy Sherman ride for Ellis in AZ. ... Evan Margeson (No. 50 Beast/Esslinger) towed from Tacoma, WA to race only at Tulare, not at Ventura or Irwindale. ... Levi Roberts Spike/Esslinger was Clauson's No. 39 last year. ... The No. 39 Parker Stone Co. Spike/Esslinger this year is owned by Tucker-Kunz-BCI. ... The dark yellow/red No. 24 Parker Machinery Spike/TRD Toyota that Tracy Hines drove to the $4,000 victory had three Hoosier Tire victory decals on top of the tail before Tulare. ... The white/gray/red No. 19 was entered by TK Motorsports and is co-owned by Kingsburg, CA brothers Tanner and Kody Swanson. It has their usual dentist sponsor—Dr. Keith Williams, DDS--(www.VisaliaSmiles.com)--on the hood. The midget is the ex-No. 19 Steve Lewis Spike/TRD Toyota that Kody had raced for Steve's Nine Racing team. Kody kept No. 19 because that is his USAC Silver Crown number. Tanner and Kody became first-time S/C feature winners this season. ... Goodwine Glass sponsors the midgets for the So Cal Swanson first cousins—Jake's No. 05x Spike/Honda and Norco's Cody Swanson. Cody raced legend cars on the TS@I third-mile several years ago for Speed Wong Racing. ... Brad Kuhn's 17B Rotondo-Weirich-Benic dirt track midget is a Beast/Fontana and it had seven Hoosier feature winner decals atop its tail. ... Levi Jones was in P. 8 on lap 22 of Tulare's midget feature driving Glenn Crossno's No. 38. Levi lost power after the battery failed and he pulled into the infield, finishing 19th. ... Dennis Howell raced his 2007 Stealth/Fontana No. 62 midget at Tulare. He raced despite suffering two separated ribs and a chipped bone in his right forearm during his backstretch flip at Perris during the Oval Nationals. Video shows Tony Jones came up the track leaving turn two and hit his No. 62 sprinter, which is painted exactly like his No. 62 San Pedro Auto Body midget.
SPRINTS: Rodney Argo missed the PAS Oval Nationals Nov. 4-6 because he still had a sore back from a recent flip. He drove his No. 19 Ford-powered sprinter at Tulare. ... Clauson's No. 2B Maxim owners listed on the car are Tammy & Jonah Benic. ... Jim Richardson's No 8 is a John Boy chassis. The No. 32 is a KB Chassis (of Visalia) and it used a 360 cu. in. engine at Tulare. ... Rusty Carlile raced his backup No. 51 Maxim at Tulare because he wrecked his favored white & green Bullet a week earlier at the PAS Oval Nationals. ... James Bond fan Wes Gutierrez, 19, of Gilroy, entered his No. 007 DRC/Chevy in the Oval Nationals. He had two good sessions with his just refreshed engine during the Wednesday night PAS practice. During the third session Wes said “I heard a knocking noise and the oil pressure dropped to 10, so I pulled into the pits.” He and his team returned home immediately and he sent his PAS engine to the builder Borello (Sacramento) who refreshed it for use in Tulare. The problem according to Wes was a two-piece lifter that broke and bent all eight push rods. They installed a new stronger steel one-piece lifter. Wes was running third in his Tulare heat when he flipped without injury. The crash ended his Tulare racing trip.... Owner/driver Geoff Ensign, 20, a graduate of Analy High in Sebastapol, used a 410 cu. in. engine loaned to them by Smitty Boys Engines of Sacramento. Geoff used it for the first time at Tulare in his No. 5E DRC chassis that had a 360 in it for the USAC/CRA race at Calistoga this year. He started the semi-main eighth and was seventh on L 3, and in a feature transfer spot, when he flipped in Tulare's first turn without injury. He said he tried a higher line, bicycled and flipped (twice). His crew was his dad and mom.
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