USAC Victorville Sprints
By noderel:
Los Angeles, Calif., April 2011– I attended the first-ever USAC race at the Victorville track on the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds premises on Saturday, March 26. It was a winner. Raciness of the three-eights mile clay track, competition, car count and attendance all were excellent. The track is a bit larger than the third-mile Bakersfield and Santa Maria clay tracks. Victorville Speedway—newly renamed Victorville Raceway Park—by new promoters Steve and Jill Quercio, of nearby Oak Hill, signed a long-term contract with San Bernardino County Fair management to promote 34 events at the facility. A press release stated they have promoted monster truck shows at Victorville for 20+ years, so they know how to market motor-sports in the high desert area. They also promoted concerts and operated several race tracks that had stock car and drag racing. Quercio owns an outlaw monster truck series, second only to Monster Jan Monster Trucks, producer of 65 shows a year. The Quercio team planned stock car, sprint car and novelty events—off-road, demolition derbies, sand drags, truck and tractor pulls, motocross and school bus races—plus concerts. They also added their “World's Wildest Street Legal Jet”, a red and white fire truck called Racing Inferno. It drove to the front straight and demonstrated jet blasts during the National Anthem on March 26.
The next VRP race will be April 9. Two other USAC-CRA 410 cu. in. sprint car races were listed tentatively for VRP on Sunday, May 29 (after the televised Indianapolis 500) and on Saturday, October 29. I was all set on March 31 (when I authored this column) to endorse those events as “must-see” races and to suggest that the Quercio duo add additional USAC-CRA races to their 2011schedule.Then a verbal war of words erupted on the www.scrafan.com website after Steve Quercio originated a post that indicated a disagreement between him and USAC over the purse for the USAC-CRA May 29 and October 29 T (tentative) race dates. Reportedly, USAC granted Quercio an introductory, one-time lower race purse for March 26; he would have to post the regular USAC-CRA purse for subsequent races. I held off sending this column as I watched the disagreement play out between Steve and USAC-CRA Racing Coordinator/Santa Maria Speedway promoter Chris Kearns on the website. I hoped things would work out. The dust now appears to have settled. Apparently they have agreed to disagree. Quercio now will promote open competition races instead of USAC events. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out in coming months. VRP's first open comp sprint event will be April 9. The USAC-CRA series does not have a race booked anywhere on that date.
The VRP grandstands hold 3,500 persons according to a PA announcement during the March 26 race. It added that USAC 410 race attendance was the largest crowd for an oval race at the site. The largest crowd ever was about 4,500 for a holiday monster truck event. The 50/50 drawing was an announced $181 on March 26. The Quercios were happy with the March 26 crowd and the racing competition as well. Steve later said there were 1,100 paid admissions. Most of us estimated the crowd present well above that total. Many people were hoping USAC Midget events could be added to the VRP schedule. An ideal show guaranteed to be SRO in attendance would be a sprint car/midget doubleheader at the racy, banked VRP track. Such a USAC doubleheader ran Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the three-eighths banked, clay Tulare Speedway and lured spectators from northern, central and southern California.
The VRP covered main grandstand reminds me of the Imperial County Mid-Winter Fairgrounds near El Centro and the Tulare and Hanford three-eights mile clay fairground tracks. Open bleachers near the first and fourth turns also offer excellent sight lines. The sound of engines reverberates off the grandstand roof and back wall as they do at Imperial, Tulare and at the one-mile Cal Expo covered grandstand in Sacramento. It adds to the sensation of speed at sprint car races. John Aden is a high desert resident and the VRP track preparer. He is a veteran sprint car driver and builder of the 777 sprint car chassis that he sells to customers. Aden mounted the track grader and reworked the VRP clay prior to the March 26 feature. The track had outside and inside grooves and facilitated passing all 30 laps.
VRP - MARCH 26: Time trials took much longer than expected because two veteran drivers took spectacular flips in the third turn. Warmups/hot lapping started at 4:30. Qualifying started at 5:14 and ended at 6:28. Seventh qualifier Danny Sheridan, in his second outing with the Sherman chassis, bicycled at the cushion on his first timed lap and took three and a half quick flips. His Kittle Racing No. 18 landed overturned on its side on the track. He walked to the pits, but the badly damaged car rode to the pits on the business end of a wrecker. Eight qualifiers later Seth Wilson (No. 1x) duplicated Sheridan's flip at the same place on his second timed lap. He flipped one and a half times and his car also came to rest on its side. Seth reclined on the track with the local ambulance crew aiding him for about 15 minutes. Then a local fire department ambulance and fire truck paramedics arrived to transport Seth to a Victorville hospital with a leg injury. Later, it was reported Seth, formerly from San Clemente, had suffered a broken kneecap. He underwent surgery soon at a hospital near his current home in Las Vegas. Seth is the grandson of USAC veteran midget driver and 1950s-60s Indianapolis 500 veteran Dempsey Wilson. With open competition sprint car racing at the Victorville track since 2008, Seth had won main events and was considered one of the drivers to beat at VRP. His first lap time held up fifth fastest time.
IT'S A NTR: The March 26 VRP race was the first at Victorville for USAC so a new one-lap track record would be set in TT. Brandon Thomson, using a 360 engine, was the first qualifier and turned a 14.007. That time held up until the first 410-powered car of Cody Williams logged a 13.692. Then fourth qualifier Nic Faas (in the Alexander 4) ran laps of 13.312 and and 13.145 to set the final NTR of the day. Tenth qualifier Blake Miller (No. 7) was second quickest of 30 cars present with his first lap of 13.390. ... The new VRP promoter had an action-packed 30-second TV commercial and a quarter page local newspaper ad in weeks leading up to the March 26 USAC-CRA race. The ad campaign worked and it appeared many new high desert residents were in the grandstands. The only admission price to the grandstand was $20 for adults and less for children. There were no lower ticket prices for seniors or active military on March 26. A track rep told me those ticket prices are planned for future races. Pit passes for non-members were $50 and $40 for members, but pit passes came with a track meal, an unusual offering at California tracks.
VRP did not have a printed program for sale to all the new sprint car fans. As used at The PAS, programs have entry rosters, points, photos, ads and driver information, plus pages to write lineups and results and a page for driver autographs. A printed program would be a good idea for future VRP events for sprint car and/or midget events. Local ads in the program (as on the VRP billboards), could cover the printing cost along with the $4.00 or so program cost. That would be another income source if done correctly. The VRP promoter stated he does not reap any profits from sales at food or beverage concessions. A printed program could advertise upcoming VRP events, include the current season schedule so spectators could make plans to attend events/races of interest to them. The new VRP website is informative. VRP promoter Quercio has stated he plans to cooperate with other area promoters, such as Donnie Kazarian at Perris, to avoid race date conflicts with similar cars.
The March 26 A-main winner received a beautiful USAC trophy made from two pieces of solid billet aluminum about 16 inches long and 20 pounds. It's a definite keeper. Video-grapher Dean Mills was present at the back row of the grandstand and sent the live video of the VRP races over the Internet. Among the usual USAC-CRA 410 sprint car fans I spied at VRP were: Don Read, Ray Vodden, former CRA drivers Ray Miscevich and Dale Crossno, plus retired CRA feature winner Mike Sweeney, now a resident of Crescent City, which was hit by high waves after the March 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Mike told me he was working with the lighting crew on the hit CBS TV show “Two and a Half Men” until antics by actor Charlie Sheen led to the shutdown of the show with five weeks remaining this season. Mike said they were all paid for the five weeks canceled by the show producers. Mike said he picked up lighting work on streets of LA and Santa Clarita on a new TV show “Wonder Woman”, so he remained in So Cal. Mike visited his first cousin, Steve Ostling, the USAC-CRA racing director. Mike, formerly from Phelan, said his mom Sally and sister Suzie were present at VRP. He said Bob Hogle, his step-father and two-time CRA sprint car champion (1960s). Hogle laid out and cut in the Victorville Speedway track 10 to 15 years ago. Mike said he helped Hogle, who served as the Victorville track preparer in the 1990s. Victorville's short, dirt track for speedway motorcycle racing is visible beyond the first turn of the 3/8-mile oval.
All four USAC-CRA sprint heat races ran green to checkers without a caution flag. Race times were not recorded, so USAC records show No Time. The Williams boys, Austin (from P.1) and Cody (from P. 4), David Cardey (from P. 3) and Greg Bragg (from P. 2) won 10-lap heats. Popular Cal Smith was the only retiree when a hole punctured the left side of his oil pan and he exited to the infield with his engine smoking. The pit area was beyond the third and fourth turns. Eight drivers started the semi-main and six transferred to the feature. Rookie Gavin Matlock was in P. 3 when involved in a two-car spin-out. He restarted, but exited quickly to the pits from the the first turn pit entrance road. His No. 25 broke the RR Jacobs ladder.
The new“Flying Fossil” seniors 360 sprint car division for drivers 45 and older was started this season at Perris. It had its first outing at VRP with five cars present. They ran one 8-lap heat and a 20-lap main. The seniors ran both races without a caution flag. Ventura's Victor Davis (31v) won the heat and Ed Schwarz, of Santa Fe Springs, took the main in Kenny Perkins older 777 chassis. Wiley Miller, of Yorba Linda, drove his No. 75 Maxim from fourth to lead lap 1. Third starter Schwarz paced laps 2-12. Then Miller passed him at the starting line on the outside to lead lap 13. Schwarz made a turn one slide job pass to reclaim the lead for good on lap 14. On the final lap the Schwarz No. 0 ride began smoking heavily on the backstretch. The water hose came off and water sprayed onto the RR tire, almost causing him to spin in the third turn. He slowed and Miller closed in, but still trailed Schwarz by five yards at the checkered flag. Following drivers were Davis, Bruce Douglass and Mike Collins, of Lake Forest.
The 30-lap sprint main started at 8:30, had two yellow flags, and ended at 8:47 pm. Spectators appreciated the early finish on a chilly night. It was 46 degrees after the sprint feature. Travelers encountered heavy fog at Cajon Pass as they drove south on I-15. Many drivers had blinkers flashing as they cautiously drove down the long winding descent at 20 to 25 mph even in the fast lane. Then they encountered rain near San Bernardino that required use of windshield wipers at full speed and more care on the slick pavement. Excellent VRP racing competition made the aggravation on the highway worthwhile.
The VRP track was an easy 63-minute, 65-mile drive from the East San Gabriel Valley via I-10 and I-15. It was 55 degrees at 4:30 under a sunny, blue sky when hot-lapping started. Driving to VRP I listened to the NASCAR Nationwide Series 300 at nearby Fontana on KFRG (95.1 fm). Josh Wise, from Riverside and a USAC champion in several open-wheel divisions, qualified sixth-fastest in the NNS Fontana race. He started sixth in the 150-lap race and finished 16th, down a lap. Josh drove the No. 7 Junior Motor-sports Chevy vacated by Danica Patrick for her IZOD Indy Car race at St. Petersburg, FL . Josh had TaxSlayer.com as his sponsor instead of Danica's GoDaddy.com.. Earnhardt Racing's Tony Urey, Jr. is the crew chief for both Danica and Josh, who ranks 17th of 47 drivers with NNS points after five races.
Indianan Bill Rose, from pole position, outgunned outside front row starter Cory Kruseman and led the first ten laps. Rickie Gaunt came from fourth grid position to run second on laps 9-10 as fifth starter Mike Spencer made it a three-way, nose-to-tail battle for the lead. On lap 11 Spencer made an outside pass in turn four to sweep from third to first. He opened a 30-yard advantage by lap 14 and had a straightaway lead by lap 18. A lap 20 caution made “Spence” do it again and he did so easily. He opened another 30-yard lead by lap 21, but his No. 50 Maxim hooked the second turn cushion on lap 23 and came back down upright, losing 20-yards from his lead. In victory ceremonies he said, “I didn't need to crash leading it.” By lap 25 Spencer again had a 30-yard advantage over fast-moving David Cardey, who started 11th and moved Gaunt aside on lap 24. Cardey cut into the lead, but he trailed by 15-yards at the lap 30 checkered flag. Spencer earned his $2,500 first place check. Gaunt, Miller, Rose and Kruseman completed the top six with 15 of 22 starters RAF (running @ finish) and only one car lapped. The race took 17 minutes, including two cautions. Gaunt was mad at Cardey and tried to run into the back of Cardey's No. 59 entering the first turn on the cool-off lap. After the top three drivers stopped for interviews on the front straight, Gaunt quickly beat a path to Cardey (still in his car) to vent his anger about his lap 24 assertive pass.
TOP 3 – QUOTES: Winner Spencer stated, “Thanks to fans for coming out. I know it's been cold. We have a good package now. Go to Perris next week (for April 2 race).” ... Runner-up Cardey said, “I didn't qualify too good, so I had to come up through the field. Mike (Spencer) had a good car tonight. We depend on up front finishes to keep running. That's why I had to come up to the front.” ... Third finisher Gaunt said, “I thought it (the track) would slick off. It was a good race. Where did Cardey come up from? It was good racing Bill Rose. He won a main event at Chico (March 12). He has driven my ride out here and I drive for him in the Midwest. That deal with Cardey was just for fans. I love him.” Clearly, “Super” Rickie had cooled off before he spoke over the PA microphone.