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RACING SCENE Column
– By Tim Kennedy
Los Angeles, CA. - The Lowe's Motor Speedway garage area dispute on Thursday, October 9 between Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick was one that many fans would like to see. Carl admitted he was at fault for causing "the big one" multi-car crash in the October 5 Talladega 500. Kevin, who has made on track errors himself, made some unnecessary post-race disparaging comments about Carl being "a pansy". According to ESPN, Carl approached Kevin on October 9 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series garage at the next event to discuss the matter. Kevin turned and walked away. Carl grabbed his shoulder to continue their discussion. Kevin shoved Carl away from him. Kevin's motor-coach driver then put Carl in a headlock and the episode ended. NASCAR took no action. I hope their verbal dispute doesn't spill over onto a racetrack. If they actually came to blows my money is on athletic, physically fit, tough-guy Carl over verbal intimidator Kevin. If they laced on boxing gloves and protective headgear and entered a boxing ring away from a speedway they could charge admission and donate all proceeds to charity. The Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp would be an ideal recipient for charity funds raised by such a match. The Talladega crash took out Travis Kvapil/Yates Racing. That is the one I feel sorry for because Kvapil had qualified for his first NASCAR Cup pole position and needed a good finish to help his Yates Ford team secure sponsorship.
The Helio Castroneves income tax evasion charge is embarrassing for him, the Indy Car Series, Roger Penske Racing and auto racing in general. One has to wonder if Helio's 2006 victory on the ABC-TV hit show "Dancing With The Stars", which made him a nationally-known celebrity away from the racing world, made him a high-profile target for the Internal Revenue Service. Helio's sister/business manager Kati and his lawyer are co-defendants in the case. Whatever becomes of the tax charges may have a significant impact on personable Helio's racing career. Most likely Penske will continue to employ Helio as his Indy Car driver until the outcome of the tax case is determined. Appeals, if necessary, could carry the case beyond the 2009 racing season. Stay tuned.
CHUCK HULSE, JR: Round three of the Star Mazda formula car season was shown June 24 on SPEED-TV from 12 to 1 am PDT. There were 23 starters at the famed Watkins Glen, N.Y road course. Charles Hall won and Chuck Hulse, Jr. was 14th and won the Masters Division for drivers over age 40. Chuck, Jr, who drove the No. 12 car, is the son of four-time Indianapolis 500 starter and USAC sprint car winner Chuck, Sr., from Downey, CA. During a taped TV get to know the drivers segment, Chuck, Jr. was asked who would play him in a movie. Chuck replied, "Tim Allen or Jerry Seinfeld." Chuck, Sr. was the 1959 CRA sprint car driving champion in the Roger McCluskey-built Morales Bros."Tamale Wagon" Offy. He then started his USAC sprint car career and advanced in the 1960s to his Indy 500 rides for the Bob Wilke Leader Card/A. J. Watson operation. Chuck, Jr. also drove CRA sprint cars at Ascot Park during the late 1970s. As a 1978 CRA rookie Chuck, Jr. drove the No. 83 and No. 44 sprinters. His return to racing two years ago was on the Star Mazda national circuit. Chuck, Jr. also raced in the Star Mazda race at Portland, OR and in other series events such as Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca on October 18. Chuck, 55, usually was a front-running Masters Division contender and he won the Star Mazda Masters Division title this year according to his dad. Chuck, Jr. also raced in the Formula 2000 Series at Las Vegas October 19. Several years ago Chuck, Jr. started his successful Orange County electronics recycling business, one of the largest such operations in California. His employees recycle electronic waste, such as computers, TVs, cell phones, electronic games and other toxic materials.
The September 3 demo runs by two USAC Ford Focus midgets at Industry Speedway during intermissions for the speedway cycle races was interesting. Driver Wally Pankratz owns both cars and hot-lapped the blue No. 37 with Alan Budnik in the yellow No. 8. Wally said he would like to see the FF Midgets compete at the indoor Grand Arena if additional fencing could be added in front of the grandstands. The color announcer who described the midgets on the PA system, along with regular Industry and Irwindale announcer Bruce Flanders, was Jerome Rodela. Jerome, the 2005-06 USAC Western Midget Series driving champion, broke two vertebra in his back and suffered a shoulder injury on Saturday, 2/16/08. The injuries came during his flip at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix during the "Copper on Dirt"event. His new No. 25 Stealth/Toyota midget was in its third race. During the second heat race, Bobby East slid up into Jerome as they exited the fourth turn. Jerome, the seventh fastest of 57 qualifiers, flipped down the front straight. He spent five days in Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix and then flew home in some discomfort. He received more medical attention in California. Bills so far have approached $30,000 and insurance (personal vs. racing) are haggling about payment. Jerome missed almost the entire season and just returned for a USAC Western midget race at Ventura in his new dirt track midget. Personable Jerome told me he cut up his destroyed Stealth chassis and threw it away. Jerome said he plans to race a new paved track midget in the annual USAC Thanksgiving Night Grand Prix on November 27 at Irwindale, which is only a few miles from his home in El Monte. He finished in the top five in that event a few years ago.
USAC ROOKIES: A USAC press release on August 22 showed Chad Boat and Nic Faas as front-runners for three 2008 USAC rookie of the year titles. Boat, 16, was atop both the USAC National Sprint Car and National Midget Series point charts. The son of retired Indy 500 driver Billy Boat, 42, led the final 22 laps and won a USAC National Sprint Car 30-lap feature at the half-mile clay Hagerstown (Md) Speedway on June 7. He became the youngest winner in series history. Cole Whitt held that honor for only two days. In mid-October Chad ranked in the top 13 in both USAC National Sprint and Midget point standings in his first full season on USAC dirt and paved track national circuits. Faas, 19, was the leading rookie and overall point leader in the USAC Western Midget Series. He drives the No. 40 Western Speed Spike/Toyota on dirt tracks and the house-built Toyota powered car on paved tracks. Nic has four USAC Western Midget feature victories (July 12 at Santa Maria, August 23 at Hanford, September 6 at Bakersfield, and September 20 at Ventura). With only two races remaining (PIR-Phoenix on November 6 and Irwindale on November 27), Nic has a 143 point lead (958-815) over second place Scott Pierovich. That all but clinches the 2008 Western Midget championship and rookie of the year honors for Nic. The USAC Western Midget Series has raced in four states (AZ, CA, KS and NV) this year. The 21 races completed so far this season have taken place at 12 tracks—7 dirt and 5 paved. Dirt tracks run have been Manzanita in Phoenix, Bakersfield, Ventura, Santa Maria, Belleville, KS, Hanford, and Calistoga. Paved tracks include Altamont in Tracy, Madera, Las Vegas "Bullring", with the PIR mile in Phoenix and Irwindale upcoming. Nic also is a USAC-CRA 410 cu. in. sprint car feature winner on August 16 at Santa Maria in his family-owned Maxim sprinter; he also has a second place. Nic ranked tenth in USAC-CRA points in early October, despite missing eight of the first 25 USAC-CRA sprint events because of conflicting race dates with his primary emphasis circuit—the USAC Western Midgets. Both young drivers are classy, professional representatives for motor sports and are destined for racing greatness.
ALEX BOWMAN: Another outstanding young USAC driver to watch is rookie Alex Bowman, of Tucson, AZ. He turned 15 on April 25 and won the USAC California Ford Focus Dirt Track Series championship on October 25 at Ventura by 13 points (531-518) over veteran Walt Johnson. Alex also ranks a close second to Pleasanton, CA-based USAC FF Midget veteran Ian Miille, 18, in the USAC California Ford Focus Paved Track Series. That circuit has raced in four states (AZ., CA, NV and UT) and at seven tracks—Lake Havasu, Irwindale, Blythe, Altamont, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Roseville. Alex has won ten USAC FF Midget features so far this season. He won four of nine on dirt (two each at Ventura and Bakersfield) and six of 17 on paved tracks. That's 10 victories in 26 FF Midget features for a "batting average of .384 in baseball terms. In major league baseball that would get you a long-term contract worth millions. His main event triumphs on pavement have come at Las Vegas, Altamont, Lake Havasu and three at the Irwindale third-mile track. Alex drives a Beast "combo car" that Nic Faas raced to his USAC FF Midget title last year. It is converted by Alex and his father from paved to dirt tracks as necessary, while most other teams have pavement-only cars that give them an advantage over combination cars. Alex, an only child, attends every race with his dad and mom in a true family operation. Alex is hoping for sponsorship to move up to the USAC Western Midget Series next year as Faas did this year after winning his Ford Focus championship in 2007. Miille leads Bowman by 35 points (967-932) as they enter the November 27 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale. With more than 70 points available that night, a double FF Midget championship in the same season is a possibility for Alex.
ROAD RAGE: The Sunday, October 12 ARCA/ReMax season finale, a 200-lap race at Toledo (OH) Speedway, was the most memorable of 21 series races this year. Formula One veteran Scott Speed, from California, was the point leader and USAC open-wheel veteran/Silver Crown race winner Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., from Mississippi, was his main challenger. It would be the first stock car championship for either driver. They were running second and third on lap 27when Stenhouse hit the back of Speed's No. 2 Eddie Sharp Red Bull Toyota, which spun into the first turn outside wall. After repairs were completed, Speed returned to the race and allowed the leaders to lap him. Speed then rammed the back of the Stenhouse No. 99 Roush/Fenway Ford, which spun into the third turn outside wall as Speed spun into the inner wall, directly across from the Stenhouse car. Unbelievable! Both stopped cars (shown in the same ARCA photo) were towed to the pits, dashing championship hopes for both drivers. Speed was interviewed by the TV pit reporter after he climbed from his car; his relatively calm, measured words gave away his intent. In effect he said if I can't win the title he won't either. Stenhouse made it back onto the track (down 69 laps) and finished 25th, slipping from second to fifth in points. Speed , who was parked by ARCA officials, finished 34th and dropped from first to third in final ARCA points. The beneficiary of their "road rage" was Justin Allgaier, who took the race lead 12 laps from the end, won the Toledo 200 and jumped from third to first in points. Perennial ARCA champ Frank Kimmel finished the race third and climbed from fourth to second in final points, only 50 points shy of his ninth title.
Allgaier, an open-wheel veteran of midget racing at the Tulsa Chili Bowl, won his sixth ARCA event this year and the eighth of his ARCA career in his family-owned No. 16 Chevrolet. He entered the Toledo race 110-points out of first place. Allgaier is the latest Roger Penske development driver. He made his Penske debut Friday night, October 10 at the Lowe's 1.5-mile track near Charlotte, N.C. He drove the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental Dodge in the NASCAR Nationwide Series 200 lap race. Allgaier started 14th in the 43-car field and was involved in an accident after his 125th lap. He finished in P. 34 and earned $15,140. Allgaier also had Nationwide Series races scheduled in the Penske No. 12 Dodge for Texas and Homestead before the end of 2008.
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