RACING SCENE Column June 12, 2013
By noderel:
Los Angeles, CA - Scott Burns' Dirt Entertainment, LLC ran its second race June 1 at the now clay-covered Orange Show Stadium semi-banked quarter-mile in San Bernardino. Racing was multi-groove with passing plentiful. The dirt track opened on May 1, 1947 and has run races for 66 consecutive seasons, including only one 2012 race on December 15. It was an asphalt track from 1964 through 2012. URA unlimited sprint cars and limited (Ford Focus) midgets, IMCA super stocks, and CDCRA dwarf cars ran heat races and main events for an estimated 1,000 fans. Car counts were: 24 sprints, nine midgets, eight super stocks and 24 dwarf cars from Ventura and Barona tracks. The event took place with the four-day Orange County Festival (Thursday-Sunday) in progress behind the grandstand. That scheduling could help racing attract new fans and boosted festival attendance as well. The festival race date should be repeated.
The June 1 Macro Air Orange Show Stadium 12-page program had a color cover with a photo of the May 11 URA Victorville winner--Matt Mitchell in the No. 91 Bobby Ferro Chevy. The back cover was a full-page reproduction of the Sunday, March 19, 1961 USAC 50-lap National Championship Midget race at the quarter-mile clay National Orange Show Stadium as the track was called then. The promoter was John Banks, son of Indy 500 veteran and USAC executive Henry Banks. That 1961 program cost .50 cents and had a photo of A. J. Foyt, wearing a Bell helmet, on the cover. He was just two months away from winning the first of his four Indianapolis 500s. Inflation—the 2013 program cost $4.00.
I checked USAC records for data about that OSS March 1961 race. There were 28 midgets present. Nine veteran or future Indy 500 drivers competed that afternoon. They were: Foyt, Parnelli Jones (driving Marv Edwards' No. 45 Offy), Johnnie Tolan, Jimmy Davies, Cal Niday, Wayne Weiler, Don Davis, A. J. Shepherd (in Don Weaver's No. 32 Offy), and Norm Hall. San Bernardino resident Don Melton was ninth fastest qualifier that day in his Ford V8-60 and finished 11th in the feature. Don now lives in Redlands and attended the June 1 race as a spectator. He looks fit and about 35 years younger than his 81 years.
OSS 1961 MIDGETS: Fastest qualifier on 3/19/61 was Don Horvath, of Riverside, in his own No. 8 Offenhauser at 15.82 (56.890 mph). Results: 3 L Trophy Dash: Billy Cantrell (27 Clyde Lynch Offy), Foyt, Tolan and Horvath. Heat winners (8 L) were: D. Davis (18 Byrd Offy), “Porky” Rachwitz (41 McKeand Ford V8-60), Bob DeJong (31 Ben Humke Ford V8-60), and Davis again in a race for first and second place finishers in the three prior heats. Semi-main, 15 L – Weiler won in the No. 9 Adolph Bonini Offy. Main Event (50 L): Foyt, in Jack London's No. 5 Bowes Seal Fast Offy from Oakland, won the feature. P 2-5 in order were: Fresno's Tommy Copp (37 Linhares Offy), Johnny Morehouse (46 Gay Van Berckelaer Offy), Norm Hall (4 Graham Offy), and Steve Searock (88 Babe Stapp Offy). Lap leaders were: pole starter Melton – L 1-15, Copp L 16-21, and Foyt L 22-34. Then Foyt and Copp traded the lead several times from laps 35-49 with Copp leading at the white flag. Copp nearly spun on lap 50 of 50 and continued ten lengths in back of winner Foyt.
The June 1, 2013 race program listed interesting facts. Elevation is 1,000 feet. The grand opening race on 5/1/47 key driver names were: Fastest qualifier—Mack Hellings. Main Event Winner--”Daring” Bill Zaring. Jay East, of Colton, was the last OSS dirt track winner before it was paved. Jay's son-in-law is announcer Bruce Flanders. Rip Williams, now 57, won his first race at OSS in a NMRA-TQ Midget. He was 1978 CRA sprint car co-rookie of the year with Rick Paronelli. Rip has raced 410 cu. in. sprint cars for 35 consecutive years and is now joined on the track by his three sprint car drivers/sons aged 23, 22 and 17. Jack Jory fields black 410 sprinters for all of the Williams clan. Wally Pankratz, now 67, also raced June 1 at OSS in a 360 sprinter. In high school Wally was a running back for Garden Grove High and played in a CIF final football game on the long-gone grass-infield at OSS.
URA sprints point leader David Cardey, from Riverside, reset his own 14.526 one-lap track record from April 27, when OSS ran its first dirt event since 1963. As 13th qualifier June 1, Cardey ran a 13.797 in the Sertich No. 92. Eight drivers--C. Williams, D. Gardner, N. Faas, R. Williams, D. Gansen, B. Roa and M. Mitchell--beat the old record. Third qualifier Cody Williams, who clocked the only other sub-14 lap, ran a 13.944. The sensational 30-lap, 20-car feature contained fifteen 410 and five 360 engines. There were three race leaders and a thrilling three-way dogfight for victory to the finish line.
Don Gansen led the first 13 laps from pole in a 360. Damion Gardner paced laps 14-22. Sixth starter Cardey made an outside pass leaving turn four and led laps 23-30 despite intense pressure from Gardner and his teammate Nic Faas. He won $2,500 and the first Don Blair Cup, a large trophy named for the late, long-time sprint car owner and Pasadena speed shop owner. Watch the entire 30-lap feature on www.scrafan.com. Click Messages, then the Forum bar, and the Subject line “URA video highlights from Orange Show 6-1-13” posted June 7 by Jeff Kristensen. The ten minute video includes track announcer commentary over the PA system.
ALEX BISSETT: CLS driver Alex Bissett graduated from Hemet High recently. The 18-year old made his 410 sprint car debut June 1 at OSS in one of two Seth Wilson Maxims. Seth practiced in his brand new No. 1x Friday at OSS and let Alex practice in his older Maxim, now No. 1A. On June 1 Seth qualified at 14.685, 12th fastest of 24 cars. His protege Alex qualified at 14.800, 14th quickest. In heat two Alex started the eight-car, 8-lap heat seventh and finished sixth. Seth started and finished second in heat three after leading the first seven and 3/4-laps. Gardner got by on the outside in turn 4. Eight cars started the URA 10-lap B-main. Only the first five positions would transfer to the 20 car feature. Alex started sixth and was fifth after one lap. On lap 2 he got high entering the first turn and fell to P. 8. He regrouped and moved into P. 7 on L 3, P. 6 on L 5 and P. 5 on L 7. Not content with the final feature berth, Alex took P. 4 from Chris Gansen with an outside pass on L 10 before the checkers. As consolation, P. 6 finisher Cal Smith received the $100 cash bonus given before time trials to the announcer by super fan Ziggy.
In the 30-lap feature Alex started 19th and finished 12th, the last car on the lead lap. He was competitive, logged laps and learned a lot. It was an impressive sprint car debut and Alex shows great promise. Announcer Doug Bushey correctly called Alex the No. 1A driver all night. Unfortunately, the Hoseheads.com summary of the June 1 OSS race had Mikey Lovas listed in No. 1A and Corey Ballard in the Perkins No. 5 that Lovas actually drove. I phoned Wilson and he confirmed Alex drove his 1A Maxim at OSS June 1. He, too, was impressed by the sprint car racing ability Alex showed. He had promised Alex a sprint car ride and delivered. Hopefully, Alex will return to Seth's No. 1A at upcoming URA and USAC-CRA races. Rookie Logan Williams started 20th and finished tenth (+ 10 positions) so he received the special $500 Ron Schwarze hard charger award.
The 20-lap FF midget main was a race-long duel between Clayton Rushton, 12, in a Spike, and Cory Elliott, 13, aboard a TCR. Rushton won by one length with seven finishers on the same straight. Gary Dutton (No.1B) won the super stock 15-lap main over Nevada's Jason Pike (No.22). The 24-dwarf car feature had seven cautions and concluded racing at 11:25 pm. San Diego's Darren Brent (No. 99 replica 1934 Ford panel truck) led every lap. CLS No. 84 driver Alex Grigoreas did pit interviewing all night and performed admirably.
Spectators praised the OSS track surface and racing after the addition of more clay since April 27. A June 1 PA announcement at OSS indicated that promoter Burns plans to add more clay from the Gardena site (Roosevelt Park Cemetery) used by Ascot Park until it closed after the 1990 season. New clay should be in place before the next OSS race on June 29 featuring URA sprints, FF midgets and motorcycle-engine powered CLS winged sprints. Courtney Crone, a 12-year old feature winning 150cc junior speedway motorcycle racer, plans to drive one of the two Wally Pankratz FF midgets at OSS June 29. The 4'9”, 74-pound seventh grader completed all 20 laps in her two Ventura FF features this season in Wally's orange No. 32 FF midget. Her ultimate racing goal is to drive in the Indy 500. She will join Christine Breckenridge, 15, in the FF midget filly driver ranks.
Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan was a telephone guest on a Los Angeles 570 AM radio sports talk show Tuesday, May 28 from 1:20-1:29 pm. Hosts Pat O'Brien and Steve Hartman asked pertinent questions. Affable Kanaan was an excellent representative for racing. ... Tony brought the Borg-Warner Trophy with him Monday, June 3 when he was guest two on The Late Show with David Letterman. Seven days later Kanaan was guest two on Craig Ferguson's CBS late night talk show. Tony spent about eight minutes kibitzing with Ferguson and again represented Indy Car well.
Irwindale Speedway's use as a site for TV shows, movies and commercials was the subject of a May 15 story on the first page of the Los Angeles Times Business Section. The 17 paragraph, 21 inches story had four inches on page one and the balance on page B.3. ... Round four of 2013 twice a month oval racing at Irwindale featured five divisions and a salute to military veterans on May 25 with 3,500 spectators present. Winners were: Rip Michels (super late models), Race Liberante (trucks), Zack Green (super stocks), Darren Amidon (legends) and Sean Brennan (skid plate cars). June race dates are the 15th and 22nd.
Kern County Raceway Park week two on May 25 had a reported 2,500 fans present. David Mayhew won a pair of NASCAR CITGO Lubricants Late Model 35-lap features over Eric Richardson. Donny St. Ours won a 35-lap legend car main and Tyler Bannister took the 30-lap bandolero race. ... KCRP week three on June 1 had twin 35-lap late model mains won by Richardson and Mayhew. Chris Dalton (spec modifieds) and Johnny Wood (mini stocks) won 35-lap mains. ... Week four at KCRP (June 8) winners were: Mayhew (late model 50 laps), Neil Conrad (SW Tour Truck 40 laps), St. Ours (legend 35 laps) and Bannister (bandolero 30 laps).
Industry Speedway started year ten of speedway motorcycle racing on Wednesday, May 29 from 7:30-10:00 pm at the Industry Hills Expo Center indoor Grand Arena dirt track. Past world champion Billy Hamill won the 500cc Division I feature. About 2,500 spectators attended, an increase of 500 from the track's 2012 season opener. Hamill repeated as week two winner on June 5. There are 14 Wednesday and two Saturday race dates at Industry this year. ... Speedway cycle racing is for pee-wees, age 5 up on 50cc mini-cycles, 150cc and 250cc junior divisions, 500cc pro Division III, II and I, plus 1,000cc sidecar teams. So Cal cycle racing has a regular three track circuit that includes Fridays at Pirate Speedway in San Bernardino near OSS, and Saturdays in Costa Mesa. Other periodic sites include Victorville, Perris and Ventura.