By T.J. Buffenbarger, image courtesy of surfnsprint.com
Weekend thoughts…
• Mike Spencer is on a tear with the USAC / CRA sprint car series. Spencer has now won the opening three races of the series with two victories at Perris Auto Speedway and a win at Victorville Auto Raceway. Spencer mentioned in an interview during one of our webcasts he plans on coming back to the Midwest for Indiana Sprintweek. The USAC / CRA sprint car series continues May 7th and Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, California.
• If someone would have predicted over the winter that USAC separating the pavement sprint cars into their own series with a smaller purse would produce over 20 cars in April at Anderson Speedway I probably would have disagreed. 23 cars at Anderson on Sunday was a pleasant surprise. Now the question will be how many cars will show midway through the season during one of the several Thursday night programs schedules at O’Reilly Raceway Park?
• Some surprise names in the results at Anderson included Brian Olson making his pavement sprint car debut and veteran Indiana driver Kevin Atkins. Olson has primarily competed in midgets and on dirt in non-wing sprint cars while Atkins has been absent after being a regular with the ASCS Sprints on Dirt tour several years ago.
• In an attempt to get more seat time early in the year several midget car veterans were participants in the USSA Kenyon Midget feature at Anderson Speedway. Travis Young, a regular in the USAC National and Regional midget car series, won the feature. Midget car driver Mario Marietta also participated in the Kenyon midget program.
• Several painfully long programs too place over the weekend. The World of Outlaws event in Calistoga, California on Saturday featured 13 caution flags, and red flag, and a fuel stop during the feature event that ran well over an hour to complete. The NCRA sprint car opener at 81 Speedway in Kansas did not go much better as the feature pushed off well past midnight and ran well past 1:30 a.m. In contrast Attica Raceway Park has fans out of their opening night event well before 10:30 p.m. EST time.
• If the early portion of the season is any indication Central Pennsylvania sprint car racing might be one of the most unpredictable racing scenes in the country. Alan Holland, webmaster of hoseheads.com and proprietor of the Central Pa. 410 sprint car point series, points out nine different drivers have visited victory lane this season. The most unusual being Mike Bittinger’s at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday when he took the checkered flag and promptly crashed while taking an extra lap to insure he took the checkered flag.
The unusual situation produced the best quote of the weekend courtesy of Bittinger, “”I’m the only guy who can win it and wear it all at the same time!”
• Tyler Walker is the latest injury victim of having a mud clod come through the lower side panel of his sprint car and hit his leg Saturday at Port Royal Speedway. Walker was taken to Hershey Medical Center where X-rays showed a fractured fibula. Apparently no cast is needed and Walker plans on resting his leg to be ready for action this weekend.
• Second generation driver Ross Rankine is the latest Midwest kid to show up jet setting around the country racing USAC Ford Focus Midget Car. One week after signing a developmental deal with 9 racing Rankine won a feature at Madera Speedway during the Gerhardt classic. Ross is the son of Ohio 410 sprint car veteran Eric Rankine.
• The most unusual stories of the weekend included a protest on Danny Martin, Jr.’s winning car at East Bay Raceway and wingless sprint driver Terry Schank suffering a suprise attack from a group of unknown individuals while in his pit area at Marysville Raceway Park. Martin’s car passed the inspection while Schank was treated and released at the race track. Marysville track officials along with Yuba County Sheriff’s office are investigating the issue.
• New series first events are always of interest with the TJSlideways.com. In particular groups that generate high amounts of publicity and hype preceding their first outing. So our eyes will be pealed on the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series opener Saturday at Antioch Speedway. Series owner Dan Simpson has made a major investment in infrastructure and staff with television aspirations as part of the plan with the California based series that essentially taking off the turf that the Golden State Challenge series once occupied.