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Eckerts Blog: Three Days in May

By Kevin Eckert
May 11, 2011 Indianapolis, Indiana: Getting warmer. Though the Mothers Day weekend was the first to produce three nights of sprint car racing since February in Florida, it did not escape Mother Nature completely. Lincoln Park lost its USAC show days in advance as epic Mississippi River levels wiped out the ASCS Rock & Roll 50 organized by Tony Bruce Jr. Rain has rendered us all a little shell shocked. Each morning, the computer brings news of another cancellation or postponement somewhere in these soggy United States.

Bloomington Speedway sits “down in the holler” according to natives. Transporters park about 20 yards from Clear Creek. It is damp, dewy, grassy and seemingly, a target for storms. Often when Bloomington races rain out, it is because today’s 18-wheel haulers will sink. Workin’ Woody has pulled several out over the years. Thankfully, the pits on Friday were firm enough to accommodate 54 sprint cars for the King of Indiana Sprint Series opener.

To the competitors, KISS races mean $2500 to win and $1000 to be champion of its six-race series. To the fans, KISS means that none of the other five participating tracks will stage a sprint car race on that night, meaning Gas City guys had no option other than a trip to Bloomington. Other ovals on the KISS calendar are Lawrenceburg, Paragon, Kokomo and Haubstadt, where the $2500 to win MSCS minimum meshes into a co-sanction on Sunday, June 19.

Friday Night rides to Bloomington are a beautiful Hoosier experience. Fridays are when brother scoops up Sully in Trafalgar, which requires rural passage back to 37 south. We generally take 46 into the college town for the mother of all Big Red Liquor outlets, but bro had steered me toward a local and economical (Sierra Nevada Glissade for 4.99 per six!) alternative. We parked at Mr. Gyro, got ‘em to go and headed for the world’s most picturesque quarter-mile. The pit line was 100 deep, so we dined before our first hugs of the season from Leslie the gate keeper.

Our routine at Bloomington is to loop around to the top of the hill and park near the pavilion. One reason is that it enables Sully to roll in the grass and have a big ol’ time. For another, his uncle can tailgate while monitoring virtually the whole track. It only takes a few steps forward to see everything without moving my head. Observers of half-miles do not enjoy the luxury of focusing on a battle for position while allowing peripheral vision to pick up most of the remaining action.

Unfortunately, action has been sorely lacking in recent Bloomington seasons. Programs there seem to follow the same sad progression from glorious hot laps to decent two-groove heat races before the red clay goes black from rubber and everyone idles around the bottom.

Each year, each visit, Bloomington hot laps never fail to make me smile. Cars are dead sideways to show why they wear bowed torsion arms and drag links. Then the other divisions have at it and we hope enough wet stuff will remain by A-main time. Friday found the answer to be another resounding, “No!”

My present formula for Bloomington says that more than 30 cars will make the surface disappear. Gas City suffers the same problem but will get reworked before the feature. What contrasts we have in Indiana: Bloomington will not touch its track; Kokomo almost never; I-69 gets ripped and watered during almost every ticket; Lawrenceburg likes to recondition at intermission; Haubstadt has tractors twice per program; and Lincoln Park and Terre Haute simply fight to stay smooth.

Bloomington promoter Mike Miles is more concerned with keeping good standing in the community (homes sit alarmingly close to his speedway) by ending early than he does about pleasing real race fans that need two grooves to go home happy. Those who only visit for KISS or USAC or MSCS have come to expect single-lane parades. But if they can see it coming, why can’t someone stop it? How long would it take to scratch the top of a tiny track? What the place really needs is a wall to catch that clay and limit caution flags, but I’ll dare not dream.

Though there is nothing to hit on Bloomington’s upper edge, there is plenty of peril on its inside border where submerged tires are hard from sun and white paint. In the second heat race, Jon Stanbrough bent his lower sway bar on one of them. Local boy Ty Deckard won the fourth heat but was first to exit the A-main after knocking the front end out. Tearing the brake line too, Ty circled to a stop.

KISS heat races had some high side heroics. Bobby Stines and Robert Ballou have seldom seen a cushion they thought was too thin. Stines stayed upstairs to steal the third heat’s last transfer from Levi Jones before Ballou ran the withering rim to win the fifth of six heats. In the B, Bub Cummings used the top to take the win from Levi.

Jones drove an old DRC for Evansville real estate mogul Jack Rogers, who landed his helicopter to watch heat races, then flew off. Rogers is a Bonneville Salt Flats speed demon and not surprisingly, friend to Princeton horsepower king Tim Engler, who put Jack together with the USAC sprint car king who currently resides in Swansea, Illinois.

Friday at Bloomington had Hunter Schuerenberg giving a noble effort by tracing the thin upper crust from deep in the B. But after he slipped over turn four, Hunter headed pitside, put it in the box, and headed for Lawrenceburg on Saturday when Schuerenberg scored his second win in as many weeks.

Bloomington was black in the center but still tan where polesitter Kent Christian positioned his left rear tire. As a 25-year veteran, Kent knows how to protect the bottom while still making topsiders pause on entry. Brady Short stalked Christian, glided to the middle and made off with $2500. Brady of Bedford is a homegrown talent who topped the tough modified class at Bloomington before embarking on USAC sprint cars. Scaling back, Brady no longer chases USAC and occasionally climbs back through the window of a modified. He showed an immediate ability to screw his sprint car down tight. To start Short inside the second row hardly seemed fair. By the time Bobby East became second, Short was long gone.

Stanbrough also worked the center aisle to advance from row seven to third-place. Jon Sciscoe shuffled Christian to fifth followed by Dave Darland, powered by Speedway Engine Development with the team that reigned as track champs with Jeff Bland Jr. Shane Cottle crossed seventh over heat winner Danny Holtsclaw, Jerry Coons (Steve Phillips 71), Casey Shuman, Bryan Clauson, Chris Windom and Robert Ballou. Fans saw no hope for the high groove once Ballou abandoned it.

Each winter, midget racing adds a few rookies to the sprint car ranks. This year, they include Cincinnati’s Buddy Lowther and Joe Liguori, grandson of the great Ralph Liguori of Tampa, Florida.

In the spirit of his friend Shane Hmiel, Florida transplant Troy DeCaire is racing as often as possible in 2011 from USAC midgets in Dodge City, Kansas to wings on asphalt to the Little 500 to Bloomington and Lawrenceburg, where he crashed Saturday. Sun Prairie is Troy’s next new experience.

Based on Gasoline Alley at Indy Race Parts last summer, California’s Keith Bloom brings Abreu Vineyards to Indiana for a sprint car maintained by Davey Jones, the Four Crown crew chief on Shane Hmiel’s midget. They earned ninth Saturday at Lawrenceburg, eleventh Friday at Bloomington and eleventh again on Sunday at Kokomo.

Kokomo Speedway is a strange situation for me. It cannot be argued that it presents the best action of all Indiana ovals, probably better than anywhere in America. And yet as warmly as I am received at Bloomington or Gas City or Haubstadt or Lawrenceburg, Kokomo could not care less for press. Yes, I know the paying fan also cares little about how hard it is to keep a free pass. But it seems important for readers to know the climate from which the words are born because too often, perks or threats cloud truth.

Sunday saw Kokomo deny my press credentials for a sixth straight season. Originally, they did so on the grounds that only print media be recognized. Today, the Mid-American Auto Racing News and National Speed Sport News that carried Kokomo results are no more. Flat Out magazine however, is still in business so therefore, my hard copy credentials should be in order. Mothers Day showed that these O’Connor sisters simply don’t like me. That’s fine. Those who write the truth are seldom popular with powers that be. But as long as Kokomo keeps staging races as riveting as Sunday’s season opener, I’ll drop 12 bucks.

What a show! Kokomo scattered 37 cars (not bad for a track that dipped to a baker’s dozen last summer) into four heats and two B-mains. The track stayed tacky and smooth all night and even with a little tractor time, the sprint car photo finish came around 9:15.

Rained out of their second night at Eldora, most of the World of Outlaws headed for the Pennsylvania Turnpike toward Williams Grove, but not Bill Rose. He went home to Indy, readied the Tapy Ten, put it on the pole, and led Kokomo early. Second at Lawrenceburg, Bryan Clauson claimed his Kokomo heat by prying the bottom from Shane Cottle and eventually did the same to Rose while Blake Fitzpatrick flirted with the idea of going top shelf on both of ‘em. None however, were willing to enter as wide as Chris Windom, who requested his car be kept loose enough to get the right rear in the cushion. Off the final bend, Chris shot between Clauson and concrete for a narrow $1400 victory.

Fitz finished third (brother Braylon made the A-main as well) trailed by New York teen Coleman Gulick, California’s Justin Grant, Rose and Cottle in seventh. Fourth at Lawrenceburg, Stanbrough won his Kokomo heat before earning eighth over Tracy Hines (Parker 24) and Darland.

Last week’s Kokomo invasion by the Haudenschilds of Ohio was postponed to Sunday when Sheldon made his wingless debut. There had been three Haudenschilds in the house at Eldora on Friday when Jac was joined by son Sheldon and nephew Brad. Indiana got a dose of Patty’s personalized merchandise on Sunday, but the rookie did not generate the sales that father may have. Earlier this year, Jac asked about taking the wings off of Dennis Roth’s car for Victorville but Bonzai Bruns was not in favor.

Kokomo was to be Jake Blackhurst’s first start in the Tucker team car to Bryan Clauson. Some days earlier, Blackhurst had hot lapped the BCI mobile in his native Illinois at Peoria. Jake pushed off for Sunday’s heat only to pull pitside to stay.

San Jose, California native Thomas Meseraull (Paul Hazen 57) did not even make it as far as Blackhurst on Sunday at Kokomo. Meseraull will head for the Indy Mile to drive the champ car of Ohio’s Stan Courtad.

San Jose’s Bud Kaeding will also be on the Indy Mile to seek another USAC Silver Crown championship. First at Maryborough and second in Toowoomba before crashing the Kratzmann Caravans Maxim twice at Brisbane, Bud came off the plane from ten days in Australia to sweep winged 360s on Friday at Watsonville and wingless USAC/CRA 410 honors at Hanford (from the tail) on Saturday. Kaeding Performance also provided the Ocean liner that netted third piloted by Rico Abreu.

Saturday in Brisbane saw Todd Wanless third with a winged sprint car and first for the ninth time with his wingless midget. A second Polar Ice midget has meanwhile dominated Parramatta City Raceway driven by New Zealand’s Michael Pickens. Three of the midgets left in Michael’s wake were owned by Michael Rinkin for Matt Smith (third), Harley Bishop (eighth) and PCR sprint car star Ian Loudoun.

Chico, California’s Jason York won on his hometown Silver Dollar Speedway for the first time since 2005 by topping Tim Kaeding and Peter Murphy, who took $500 from Tom Rolfe Trucking by winning an Australian/American dash over Sean Becker, Robbie Whitchurch and

Ian Madsen. Ian’s big brother Kerry clocked the tenth fastest lap of Eldora after crashing out of Port Royal.

Ventura, California on Saturday saw Don Gansen lead all 30 laps for Cory Kruseman, who also fielded wingless VRA 360 sprint cars for Jake Swanson and Taylor Price.

Liberal, Kansas jockey Jason Martin made the NCRA 360 A-main on Saturday at Dodge City and won the URSS 305 feature Sunday in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

Hartford, South Dakota’s Dylan Peterson placed first Friday at Rock Rapids without wings and second Saturday with wings on his hometown I-90 Speedway behind Ryan Bickett.

Grand Forks, North Dakota’s Mark Dobmeier was defeated on his hometown River Cities Speedway on Friday by Casey Mack before finishing ninth Saturday at Knoxville, Iowa.

Knoxville tore tires in last week’s opener but was wet and heavy during Saturday’s win by South Dakota’s Dusty Zomer driving a J&J for Washington’s Derek Ingalls. Zomer won when Danny Lasoski’s driveline failed. St. Michael, Minnesota’s Davey Heskin took third trailed by Don Droud and Terry McCarl, who touched on the backstretch and caused Donny Schatz to flip the Tony Stewart 14.

Just how did Schatz manage to make it to Iowa in time to race? Third on Friday at Eldora, he was not officially relieved of his World of Outlaws commitment until roughly 6pm. Okay, he got an hour back. But even though Dan and Donny have their own plane, landing in Knoxville in time to turn the fourth fastest lap of 43 cars is a logistical stretch. Fellow outlaws do not wish to believe Donny’s desire to test at Knoxville helped cancel racing at his boss’s track.

Quote of the Week goes to Joey Saldana who, after suffering a September concussion that cost him any shot at a championship, returned to the scene of the crime (Eldora) and won Friday night. “That last show,” Saldana said, “I left in a helicopter.”

In his first World of Outlaws appearance since February, Sam Hafertepe blasted from eleventh to score second to Saldana after missing All Star A-mains at Williams Grove and Port Royal for Pancho Lawler.

Oklahoma native Daryn Pittman returned home to battle the World of Outlaws to fourth-place Tuesday at Salina (he had been fourth there in 2001 ASCS action) and Eldora on Team Leland’s way back to Pennsylvania. Jason Sides had also seen Salina with ASCS in 1999.

Mississippi River flooding that closed the westbound lane of I-40 prompted evacuations in Memphis and drowned the West Memphis ASCS National night planned by Tony Bruce, who went ASCS regional racing in Mesquite, Texas. West Memphis meanwhile, ran a regular show topped by Jeff Swindell trailed by Marshall Skinner.

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin’s Scotty Neitzel won the MSA 360 season opener Friday at Manitowoc before making the IRA 410 feature Saturday at Knoxville. Beaver Dam’s Jeremy Schultz finished fifth Friday at Manitowoc and first Saturday at Plymouth.

Ohio offered no 410 sprint races at Attica or Chillicothe so Danny Smith aimed for the west edge of Pennsylvania to produce a Friday/Saturday sweep of Lernerville and Mercer. Smith said that Mercer marked the 99th international oval on which he has enjoyed a feature win. Mercer’s field contained Canada’s Rick Wilson and daughter April, both of whom competed at Clinton County on Friday.

Saturday was when Tea, South Dakota’s Justin Henderson registered his first victory ever at the hallowed Port Royal Speedway. Justin is in his second season for Charlie Sorokach, street stock king of Big Diamond. Port Royal’s accompanying ARDC win by Bruce Buckwalter marked the track first midget race since Ray Bull won in 1999.

Hanover, Pennsylvania’s 18-year old Trevor Little won his first 358 feature Friday on his hometown Trail-Way Speedway by beating Westminster, Maryland’s J.B Cunningham, a 21-year old graduate of Trail-Way micro sprint cars.

First at Williams Grove and third from eleventh at Lincoln represented the best Pennsylvania weekend for Fred Rahmer in a coon’s age.

Lincoln has shifted its Saturday show to Sunday, May 15 to accommodate anyone headed to the World of Outlaws weekend at Williams Grove on May 13-14. None of the outlaws however, are permitted to compete because Lincoln does not host the series.

URC graduate Justin Collett (John Pinter 92) was seven laps from his first 410 feature win at Lincoln on Saturday when Alan Krimes threw a successful slider. Krimes clocked Friday’s quickest lap at The Grove.

Pedricktown, New Jersey’s J.J Grasso made his first trip to Dundee, New York pay $2500 by winning the tri-sanctioned Black Rock race that split 34 cars between URC (13), ESS (10) and Patriots (11), the latter freshly divorced from ASCS.

Otego, New York’s J.R Hurlburt handled the 305 sprint cars at Orange County Fair Speedway to become the second stock car driver in as many weeks to net a CRSA checkered. “I haven’t been to Middletown since 1983 when my dad had Mike VanDusen driving for him and I was still working on the cars in the pits,” said J.R.

Hoping to round up the cash to come to Wisconsin this weekend for USAC midgets at Sun Prairie, I am Kevin@sprintcarstats.com or (317) 607.7841.

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