RACING SCENE Column – (PAS Oval Nationals) NOV. 2-3, 2012
By noderel:
Los Angeles, CA. - The 17th annual Budweiser Oval Nationals for AMS/Oil USAC 410 sprint cars at Perris Auto Speedway on Friday-Saturday November 2-3 was outstanding. A field of 44 sprinters was top quality and competition was fierce for major shares of the $62,500 purse. The USAC National Sprint championship was a three driver battle among Indiana residents and the outcome was not determined until the final race and last lap. Indianapolis 500 2012 veteran Bryan Clauson won the USAC National Sprint championship by a mere five points (2087-2082) over Dave Darland. Jon Stanbrough (2019) was in the battle until the Friday main event results eliminated him from the title hunt. Drivers came from three states—31 from California, 11 from Indiana, one from Alabama and one from New Zealand.
What more can you say about Californian Mike Spencer and his Ron Chaffin team led by National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Bromme, Jr? All the No. 50 Maxim/Shaver team did at the Oval Nationals was become the first PAS-based sprint car team to win the Oval Nationals championship in a local car since Tony Jones (in the No. 48 Cowherd Chevy) did so in 2000. All season Mike, 31, said the Oval Nationals Saturday feature is the race that has eluded him. Before Saturday's feature Mike said over the PA system, “I really want an Oval Nationals victory and my best chance is tonight.” He started from pole position, but Tracy Hines shot from the outside front row to lead the first 37 laps of the 40-lap race. Spencer was second on the first lap but he slipped to fourth on lap two after title contenders Darland and Clauson passed him on the inside.
Determined Spencer passed Clauson on lap 16 and nipped Darland for second on lap 19 entering turn one. He cut quickly into Hines' lead and it seemed only a matter of time before he took the lead. On lap 21 Spencer made a powerful inside pass entering the first turn to take the lead from Hines. However, the P 11-12 cars of USAC National drivers Hunter Schuerenber and Chris Windom tangled and caused a yellow flag, handing the lead back to Hines. With Hines inside to take away Spencer's lead taking groove, Spencer took the outside. The lead duo ran laps 21-33 in close formation with Darland right on Mike's tail. Red flags on lap 33 and just before the lap 40 checkers kept the outcome in doubt. Spencer would not be denied. He had made his winning outside pass of Hines on lap 38 on the backstretch, powering between Hines' No. 4 and the backstretch wall in a demonstration of his will to win. He enjoyed his biggest racing payday of $10,000 from the track and an additional $2,500 from USAC-CRA car owner/sportsman Jack Jory. As fastest qualifier Friday, Spencer also won the $500 cash award in honor of late NSCHoF inductee Billy Wilkerson. That pushed Mike's well-deserved financial reward to $13,000. He became the 20th different USAC National Sprint Series 2012 feature winner in 35 races during the competitive season.
OTHER AWARDS: The Wagtimes hard charger award money for a USAC-CRA driver went to Rickie Gaunt and the David Miller No. 66 for racing from 16th starting spot to seventh (+ nine positions). The Tony Jones hard charger award went to most deserving Robert Ballou, who charged from 24th grid position in a 26 car field to a closing eighth place (+ 16 positions). Robert said, “This track suited my style and everything went well.” He said his No. 81 Maxim chassis is a new test car and it worked well. Former Californian Ballou, from Westfield, Ind., towed west to the two Canyon races in Arizona last week on a shoestring budget. His race car was on an open trailer commonly used in the 1960-80 era. Robert told me he and his mom took turns driving their white Ford F-450 Super Duty truck with Indiana plates. His heroic Oval Nationals run resulted in Robert reclaiming sixth place in USAC National Sprint points. He entered the last race three points in back of Chase Stockon and they tied at 1723 points. Ballou won USAC's August 4 A-main at Grain Valley, Missouri.
Racy Ballou became a PAS fan favorite at the 2012 Oval Nationals . Friday in the B-main he started on the pole, led the first lap and spun out the next lap after contact. Only the first four finishers advanced to the 30-lap A-main. Ballou started at the back of the 21 car field and charged forward with outside passes. He was 13th of 19 cars at a lap 3 red flag, tenth on lap 4, ninth (lap 7-10), sixth (lap 11), and fifth (final lap 12). Missing the top four, he used a provisional berth to start 25th in the 28 car feature. He raced up to 16th position of 20 finishers on the lead lap. Clauson, 23, started second and led all 30 laps to edge Stanbrough. Darland and Hines were third and fourth, so the top four in national points finished in the top four positions. USAC-CRA driver Nic Faas placed fifth.
The top six in PAS Oval National points based on Friday qualifying times (10 points down to one), heat races (16 points maximum), and A main (125 points maximum) were: Darland-144; Clauson-143; Stanbrough-139; Faas-137; Hines-130, and Spencer-129. The difference in the final six in the “Super Six” exempt from time trials Saturday was Spencer's fast time of 15.891 (worth ten points). Friday's A-main sixth place driver, Thomas Meseraull, was the sixth fastest qualifier Friday (worth five points). Spencer also had a two-point edge in heat race points to overcome Meseraull's three point A-main edge (110-107) over seventh place A-main finisher Spencer. Meseraull was seventh in Oval Nationals points with 125, four in back of Spencer. The “Super Six” drivers hot-lapped separately Saturday and raced a six-lap “Super Six Dash” fully inverted race based on Oval Nationals points. The dash finish set the feature starting order for the first three rows.
PROGRAM: The PAS Oval Nationals $5.00 color program was a winner and rapid seller. The cover featured racing photos of past Oval Nationals champions and many more color shots inside. Both national and local USAC drivers received coverage. The two-page center section action photo by Tim Aylwin showed eight sprint cars in various broad-sliding positions racing through a PAS turn during the 2011 Oval Nationals. The two-page photo is suitable for framing and hanging on the wall of a den or racing garage. ... Cory Kruseman, a two-time Oval Nationals winner, did not race after flipping the Priestley No. 7 at Peoria, Ariz. a week earlier and receiving a possible concussion. He was in the PAS pits running his two-car team for rookie drivers Tom Hendricks and Trevor Cooper, from Auckland, New Zealand. ... Of interest to fans nationally, the son of now retired Art and Carol Malies had their unique “Work' N Woody” push vehicle in action at PAS both nights.
Damion Gardner put “Honoring Pat Kehoe” on the hood of his Eagle sprint car to remember his long-time sponsor and owner of Pace Lighting. Pat passed away earlier this year. Damion told me he will bypass the November 9-10 midget races in Peoria, Arizona. He said he will return to Perris for the November 22 Midget Turkey Night Grand Prix and will drive the Andy Bondio-owned No. 47 Bondio/Barnes entry. USAC-CRA drivers Mike Spencer, Brody Roa and Greg Alexander have said they are looking for TNGP midget rides as well for the first TNGP on dirt since 1998. Spencer's mastery of the 2012 Oval Nationals hopefully should bring several midget ride offers.
FLIPS: There were eight. Friday had three flipping incidents. Veteran off-road racer/sprint car rookie Kyle LeDuc (No. 23) went wheels up in the B-main. Ryan Bernal (No. 73) on lap 21 and Richard VanderWeerd (No. 10) on lap 30 were A-main flippers. VanderWeerd was angry and blamed Meseraull for his flip. He rode a four-wheeled push vehicle over to Meseraull's car stopped on the front straight under red and vented his anger verbally. Saturday had five flips. In the B-main Ronnie Case (8x) and Cody Williams (No. 44) flipped together on lap six in turn three after Case tried to pass Williams. The A-main had three flips. Troy Rutherford (No. 42) flipped on the tenth lap and his team car (42x) driven by C. J. Leary clipped his nose and bounced around without flipping. Meseraull (5x) flipped on lap 34 in turn four; Faas (No. 4) did so on lap 39 at the same spot. Drivers escaped serious injury.
Dwight Cheney, of Glendora, had two DRC chassis racing in the 2012 Oval Nationals. Rutherford, of Ojai, drove the older white No. 42. C. J. Leary, 16, drove the brand new 42x black car with multi-florescent lines on the side. Dwight and the Leary family got together through mechanic Bryan Cripes, who worked on Dwight's No. 42 sprinter when Darland raced it for Dwight several years back. C. J is the son of past USAC midget and Silver Crown No. 30 driver Chuck Leary, who retired in 1999. C.J raced his dad”s No. 30 sprinter in USAC this season. Leary brought their sponsor TNEMEC (cement spelled backwards) Paint of Indianapolis to the 42x. C.J made the Oval Nationals A-main both nights. He was the only car lapped Friday and said his car was too tight. Regarding PAS, C.J said, “It's a nice race track.” The new Cheney 42x used the first ever Esslinger Engineering-built Chevy engine. C. J said it was about the same weight and horsepower as any other Chevy sprint car engine. Esslinger has been a major builder of engines for midget engines for many years. Dwight said the Esslinger firm, of South El Monte, Calif., was sold two months ago to a buyer in New Zealand. Cheney's 42 and 42x cars started 18th and 21st in the Saturday A-main and were the only cars involved in the crash on lap 10 in the first turn. Damage parked both cars.
FIRST TIMERS: Three Indiana drivers made their PAS debuts at the Oval Nationals. Leary is from Greenfield, and recent high school graduate Wes McIntyre (second No. 5 Baldwin Chevy) is from West Lafayette. Chase Stockon, 24, is from Elizabethtown, (near Columbus) and owns his own turquoise blue 2009 DRC No. 32. It had “Ovarian Cancer Awareness” on both sides of the hood with pink lettering. It also had “Laura Stockon Spl.” on the nose to honor Chase's mom, who passed away this year on August 12 from ovarian cancer. Chase and his dad Sam came west for the first time to the Peoria, Arizona races last weekend and to Perris to pursue USAC National Sprint points (he ranked sixth nationally). Chase won his first two USAC National Sprint victories this year following his mother's death. He won USAC features at Lawrenceburg (Sept. 29) and Terre Haute (Oct. 12). He also won three MSCS features. Chase has been racing sprinters in Indiana for nine years since age 15. USAC requires drivers to be at least 16. He started at age 5 in quarter midgets, then raced mini sprints, modified lights and 410 sprints. The personable Hoosier is a rising star to watch. “This PAS track is a lot different than I though it would be.” He acclimated quickly by winning his first PAS heat race.
SECOND TIMERS: Johnathon Henry, 21, is from Stockton, Calif. and currently lives in San Luis Obispo where he is a senior at Cal Poly. His major is manufacturing engineering. He drove a 2012 Dave Ellis chassis with a 360 cu. in. engine and had the best 360 A-main finish—14th. Clint Lathrop, owner of Cargo Racing Engines, owns the No. 17 VRA car. ... Kevin Thomas, Jr., from Coleman, Alabama, is not related to the 1990s USAC Sprint feature winner of the same name. He drove west using the borrowed Zach Daum large trailer that contained Daum's TNGP midget as well. Daum helped as part of Kevin's No. 9k team.
The temperature in Perris for the 2012 Oval Nationals was 72 degrees at the start of Friday time trials and 82 at Saturday qualifying. It was in the high 50s when racing concluded each night. Wind was light both nights, so the track surface remained excellent all weekend for multi-groove inside and outside groove competition. Attendance: The main grandstand was about half full Friday night and about three-quarters full Saturday night when it was easier to get to Riverside County on So Cal freeways. Of course, many more people located 100+ miles away from the track watched the Oval Nationals live on the Internet.