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Los Angeles CA., – Legends of Ascot Night @ PAS: A field of 27 sprint cars was joined by 11 WRA vintage race cars (6 midgets, 3 sprint cars and 2 CRA roadsters), 10 USAC Junior Ford Focus midgets, and 10 USAC Dirt FF midgets for older drivers. USAC-CRA 410 sprints qualified from 5:34-5:55 pm. Third-ranked USAC National Sprint driver Damion Gardner, the second qualifier to face the timing light, set the fastest time of 16.389. Seven drivers qualified faster on their first of two laps, while 20 drivers ran quicker on their second lap. The cool, 60-degree evening had an almost full front straight grandstand, augmented by the 380 LofA luncheon/induction ceremonies (11 am to 2:30 pm) attendees who do not attend all sprint car events at The PAS. Three nine-car, 10-lap heat races on the half-mile were followed by a Junior FF Midget 8-lap heat race, a WRA midgets-only 6-lap heat, a WRA sprints/roadsters 6-lap heat, and a FF Midget 8-lap heat (all on the quarter-mile). A 12-lap USAC-CRA 12-lap sprint car B-main followed. A 20-lap main for Junior FF Midgets went to Daniel Williams, who led all the way and won by 50-yards in an all-green, 5:54.88 race.
An innovative and entertaining four-driver match race series of four 4-lap races for a donated $5,600 winner takes all purse was next. The four drivers—Tony Jones (No 4), Danny Sheridan (18) , Rip Williams (3) and David Cardey (59)—drew their starting positions for the first match race. Thereafter each driver rotated to the next lower starting spot so that all four drivers would start in all four positions. A point system of 6, 5, 4 and 3 points for P 1-4 in each race determined the $5,600 winner after the fourth match race. The four match race winners all started from pole position. The first three match races ran off quickly from 8:44 to 8:50 pm. Jones led in points after each of the first three match races and entered round four leading 15 points to 14 for Cardey and Williams and 11 for Sheridan. The three race times were remarkably close--1:11.16, 1:11.13 and 1:11.12. There was a five-minute break for the four teams to work on their cars at the work area. Cardey's team was the only one to change the right rear tire, as others reportedly changed spacers or adjusted air pressure. Cardey started and finished second and his 19 total points won the $5,600 by one-point over Jones and Williams (tied at 18). Sheridan scored 17 points. The fourth match race time was an even faster 1:09.95. If there had been a tie for first place, the tied drivers would have redrawn for starting positions and run a 2-lap tie-breaker for all the money. The first-time PAS match race concept was organized by ex-CRA driver Bobby Michnowicz and his mom Belita and Lois Ward to honor the late Bob Michnowicz and Dave Ward. Match race winner Cardey had borrowed an engine recently and told the appreciative crowd, “We really needed this money.” (to race in the upcoming 15th annual PAS Oval Nationals on November 4, 5 and 6).
Next up on the October 23 race schedule was the WRA 10-lap main on the quarter mile with all cars in action. The two 1940-50s roadsters started at the back, the sprints in the first two rows, and the midgets in rows 2-3-4. Outside runner Richard Mastroleo (No. 55 sprint) led the first three laps. Kenny Van Blargen (sprint No. 7) led laps 4-10 and won by five yards in a 3:24.25-timed event. At 9:27 the 10-car FF Midget main ran 20-laps in 5:41.94 on USAC timer/scorer Dick Hindman's clock. The race had a little controversy. Andrew Mulhearn led 13 laps. Then Nick Carlson passed him on the front straight after their cars banged wheels. Carlson beat Mulhearn by 20-yards. On the cool-off lap Mulhearn, still upset by the wheel contact pass, quickly came up behind winner Carlson. He bumped the back of Carlson's car on the front straight before driving to the pits from the quarter mile. Carlson sped towards Mulhearn's car, but then backed off and entered the pits. Evidently angry words were exchanged in the pits by someone according to a pit reporter before peace prevailed. Teenage miss Taylor Ferns, from Michigan, started second and finished third in a Cory Kruseman school midget. All ten cars finished, including ageless Wally Pankratz (in his blue No. 37) and scorer Hindman's son Ty, who also started in the back row in a pair of cars that ran in the Junior FF main with teens driving them.
The USAC-CRA sprints 30-lap main event inverted the first eight starters based on qualifying times. The race started at 9:49 and had four yellows and two red flags before starter Ed Ramirez waved the checkers at 10:38 pm. Race leaders were second starter Sheridan (L 1-12), seventh starter Mike Spencer (L 13-26), Matt Mitchell (L 27), and Spencer (L28-30). He won the standard $2,500 winner's share of the purse. The main event field remarkably had three sets of brothers—Cody (21) and Austin (20) Williams, Cody and Dakota Kershaw, and 19-year old identical twins Richard and Jace Vanderweerd. The Williams brothers father, Rip, 55, also raced the feature to give his wife Becky three rooting interests in the 22-car field. All three drove black cars (No. 2, 3 and 44) owned by Rip's long-time car owner/employer John Jory. The Williams brothers entered the October 23 race ranked ninth (Cody with 518 points) and tenth (Austin with 509 points) in 2010 USAC-CRA driver points. T hat evening Cody was the 25th driver to qualify and Austin was 26th. Austin out-qualified his older brother 16.972 to 17.275. In the main, ninth FQ Austin started from pole position and finished ninth, while 16th FQ brother Cody started 16th and finished eighth, right in front of his younger brother. Cody passed Austin about lap 15. They now rank eighth (Cody @560 points) and tenth (Austin @ 551 points) after the October 23 event.
FLIPS: Rip Williams flipped on lap 7 of the main and wound up on the embankment between turns 3-4. He was OK, but according to a pit reporter his car had broken radius rods, torsion arms, a bent nerf bar and was done for the night. On lap 27 Mitchell (turn 1) and Jones (turn 3) exchanged slide job passes without contact. Mitchell took P. 2 on the inside at turn 4 as Jones slid high. Now in P. 3, Jones' brand new Alexander No. 4 Spike chassis turned right into the outside wall just past the starters' stand and flipped several times. It landed overturned next to the wall in front of section D with its tail facing the infield. Several cars racing for position passed dangerously close to Jones' car before P. 11 Greg Bragg's No. 92 RR tire clipped Jones' No. 4 tail. The impact ripped off the No. 92 RR wheel and sent the car flipping to the inside K-rails protecting the infield near the quarter-mile first turn. Bragg's car also landed overturned . Bragg climbed out without injury and surveyed damage to his Moose Racing No. 92. Jones' car was righted by safety crewmen and he sat in the car “groggy” for several minutes. Then he climbed out and walked to the infield after a very scary crash. The restart of lap 27 had determined Mitchell's No. 37 execute a third turn slide job without contact to pass Spencer for the L 27 lead. Equally determined point leader Spencer reciprocated the slide job entering the first turn on lap 28 and reclaimed the lead that he held for the final three laps. It was his fourth victory of 2010 in Ron Chaffin's No. 50 Maxim/Shaver and his 13th at The PAS. It was a thriller.
TOP THREE SPEAK: They spoke over the PA system with infield announcers Chris Holt and Ronnie Everhart. Winner Spencer said, “He (Mitchell) was running me hard and I gave it right back to him. It wasn't the prettiest four laps I've ever run. Thanks to my crew, Bruce Bromme, Jr., my dad, and car owner Ron Chaffin.” Runner-up Mitchell stated, “I kinda beat myself up. I had a bent rear end in my heat race and we changed it. Hats off to Spencer and those guys. One of these days....one of these days (we'll beat him). He's a fun guy to race with. It's a good result just before the Oval Nationals here.” When his turn came third place Darren Hagen said, “The guys back in the pits do the hard work. I got into Rip (Williams) when he spun in turn three. It was a fun night. I will race this car in the Oval Nationals.” Hagen started 11th and was 12th when he became involved in Rip's crash. He restarted last (P. 20) and raced forward to finish third in his first night driving the Priestley No. 7. Darren was subbing for injured Blake Miller, who was hit by a rock during his PAS heat race October 9 and suffered a broken cheekbone and jaw. He was fourth in points when injured. Recent surgery to repair his facial fractures will keep nice guy Miller out of action for all the remaining fall lucrative races, including the Oval Nationals. Hagen was ninth on lap 20, seventh on lap 26 and fifth on the lap 27 restart. He took P. 4 from newlywed Casey Shuman (No. 4G) on L 27 and P. 3 from Rickie Gaunt (No 66) on L 29. Well done. Darren will drive the Priestley 7 in all upcoming races through November.
CONFLICTS IN RACING DATES: Too bad three big sprint car races in California all took place on Saturday, October 23. Perris had the Legends of Ascot Night race won by Spencer. Ventura Raceway had a big $5,000 to win 360 sprint race won by Nic Faas. Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare had its annual $20,000 Trophy Cup winged sprint event Friday-Saturday. Tim Kaeding (No. 83 Roth) won the Saturday feature in Tulare. Cooperation would've had more sprint car racing fans and sprint cars at each race if they weren't run simultaneously. Where is a racing czar when you need one? Seriously, racing promoters should try to avoid scheduling conflicts in their season-ending major races by working together with a few telephone calls to avoid date overlaps. Hopefully, 2011 will avoid such scheduling conflicts.
15th BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS (November 4-6): There will be an open practice session at The PAS Wednesday, November 3 from 6-9 pm for Oval National teams. Admission to grandstands for fans will be free. A field of 55 or so sprinters is expected with both USAC National and USAC-CRA regional points at stake. USAC National Sprint Series drivers bringing their national cars to the event include: Bryan Clauson (2B), C. Shuman (4G), Tracy Hines (4x), Justin Grant (5), Bobby East (5), Chris Windom (11), Levi Jones (20), Casey Riggs (37x), 2011 multi-feature winner Jon Stanbrough (53), Henry Clarke (67), driver TBA (67K), Jerry Coons, Jr. (69), D. Gardner (71), and J. J. Hughes (76). National drivers D. Hagen will be in CRA No. 7 and Shane “the Throttle” Cottle will be in the No. 8 car from Arizona. Shane Hmiel, from North Carolina, was pre-entered in Glenn Crossno's No. 38 before he was critically injured October 9 in a qualifying flip in the third turn during the USAC Silver Crown event at Terre Haute, IN. ..... We've had ten different winners in 14 prior PAS Oval Nationals since the first one in 1996. In order the winners have been: Jimmy Sills, Rip Williams, Rodney Argo, Rickie Gaunt, Tony Jones, Bud Kaeding two in a row, Cory Kruseman two consecutive, Dave Darland twice, Bud Kaeding a third time, the late Jesse Hockett and Damion Gardner last year. Who will win round 15? Don't bet against red-hot Mike Spencer, the USAC-CRA point leader by a whopping 286 points, becoming a new Oval Nationals champion this year.
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