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VENTURA RACEWAY: CRAWFORD WINS RACE, KIERCE WINS CHALLENGE AND TITLE
by Lee Elder

VENTURA, Calif. (Oct. 24, 2009) – Ventura Raceway crowned four champions and gave away two pots full of money Saturday, capping the night with one of the most dramatic finishes in track history.

Ventura’s Jimmy Crawford won the final installment of the All Coast Construction Challenge, surviving a final lap restart and finishing with Ventura’s Greg Taylor, Camarillo resident Brent Camarillo and Reseda’s Kevin Kierce jockeying for position behind him. Crawford’s win was worth $5,000.

Kierce clinched Ventura’s 2009 Sprint Car championship by starting the main event and then won $5,000 for winning the three-race All Coast Construction Challenge series.

The other champions crowned Saturday included Yucaipa’s Ray Estrada who won the Pro Dwarf Car main event and clinched the title at the same time, Bill Van Praag (of Ventura) who duplicated Estrada’s trick in the Senior Dwarf Car feature and Darren Gunnell (Santa Paula) who won the feature race and the title in the Sport Compact Front Wheel Drive class.

Crawford led the Sprint Car feature three different times. He initially took the lead after John Nock led the first five laps. Crawford led for two laps, then fell in behind Jesse Hockett for the next dozen laps. Crawford went back ahead for four laps before Brandon Thompson, the 2008 Challenge winner, grabbed the lead for four laps. Crawford led the final three circuits around the Ventura oval.

“When Thompson got by me, I knew he was creeping on the bottom like he did last year,” Crawford said. “I said, ‘I’m just not going to let him get away from me.’ He was running about a car (width) or two up and I just stayed on the bottom.”

Thompson eventually fell off the pace when his right front wheel broke away from the car’s suspension.

After the wild finish, Kierce finished fourth in the feature, earning enough Challenge points to beat his closest competitor, Ojai driver Troy Rutherford.

“I came out to drive like I needed to win the deal,” Kierce said. “Came out fourth and I’m thrilled to death with the talent that was here tonight.”

The Challenge and its extra-large purse attracted a field of 42 cars. The season championship is Kierce’s second straight and his third overall.

“I almost threw it away tonight,” said Van Praag. “I got too excited, starting out, but I calmed down finally. We ran hard. I couldn’t change the pace. If I’d changed the pace, something would have happened.”

Estrada’s championship was his first. “We had a rocket tonight,” he said. “This thing thundered.”

Gunnell said, “Tonight was awesome. The car worked perfectly. I don’t know why. (His crew) was a little superstitious. They didn’t want to check the tire pressures or anything. They said it was good to go, so I went with it and it worked perfectly.”

More information about Ventura Raceway is available at www.venturaraceway.com.

Ventura Raceway Race Results

VRA Sprint Cars -- 1. Jimmy Crawford, Ventura, 30 Laps; 2. Greg Taylor, Ventura, 30 Laps; 3. Brent Camarillo, Camarillo, 30 Laps; 4. Kevin Kierce, Reseda, 30 Laps; 5. Blake Miller, Yorba Linda, 30 Laps; 6. Steve Conrad, Quartz Hill, 30 Laps; 7. Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, MO, 30 Laps; 8. Mike Spencer, Temecula, 30 Laps; 9. Troy Rutherford, Ojai, 30 Laps; 10. Rick Hendrix, Palmdale, 30 Laps; 11. Richard McCormick, Aqua Dulce, 30 Laps; 12. Matt Mitchell, Yorba Linda, 30 Laps; 13. John Nock, Newhall, 30 Laps; 14. Derek Buckley, Ojai, 29 Laps; 15. Brandon Thomson, Ventura, 29 Laps; 16. Bobby Michnowicz, Torrance, 21 Laps; 17. Kevin Mahoney, Stockton, 20 Laps; 18. Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria, 19 Laps; 19. Luis Espinoza, Castaic, 19 Laps; 20. Brian Camarillo, Camarillo, 17 Laps; 21. Johnathon Henry, Stockton, 3 Laps; 22. Cody Kershaw, Oak Park, 1 Lap; 23. Chris Wakim, Simi Valley, 1 Lap.

Lap Leaders: John Nock (1-5), Jimmy Crawford (6-7), Jesse Hockett (8-19), Jimmy Crawford (20-23), Brandon Thomson (24-27), Jimmy Crawford (28-30).

Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: John Nock; Heat 2: Steve Conrad; Heat 3: Jesse Hockett; Heat 4: Cody Kershaw; Heat 5: Jimmy Crawford.

Top 10 in points: 1. Kevin Kierce, 4960; 2. Troy Rutherford, 4435; 3. Brian Camarillo, 3710; 4. Steve Conrad, 3655; 5. Chris Wakim, 3585; 6. Cody Kershaw, 3355; 7. Rick Hendrix, 3335; 8. Brent Camarillo, 3280; 9. John Nock, 3205; 10. Brandon Thomson, 3100.

All Coast Challenge
Top 10 in points: 1. Kevin Kierce, 685; 2. Troy Rutherford, 625; 3. Steve Conrad, 615; 4. Greg Taylor, 590; 5. Chris Wakim, 475; 6. Cody Kershaw, 460; 6. Brandon Thomson, 460; 8. Richard McCormick, 420; 8. Rick Hendrix, 420; 10. Jimmy Crawford, 400.

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VRA Pro Dwarf Cars -- 1. Ray Estrada, Yucaipa, 20 Laps; 2. Brian Saxton, Mentone, 20 Laps; 3. Lee Majors, Simi Valley, 20 Laps; 4. Michael Sweeney Jr, Whittier, 20 Laps; 5. Eric Moore, Ventura, 20 Laps; 6. Thomas Velasquez, Camarillo, 20 Laps; 7. Ben Sheen, Palmdale, 20 Laps; 8. Glen Benton, Thousand Oaks, 20 Laps; 9. Tom Stephens Jr, Ventura, 12 Laps; 10. Angel Figueroa, El Segundo, 12 Laps; 11. Mike Lewis, Sunland, 12 Laps; 12. Steven Benson, Valencia, 10 Laps; 13. Adam Schricker, Hollywood, 1 Lap; 14. Alex Wood, San Dimas, Did not show.

Lap Leaders: Steven Benson (1-7), Ray Estrada (8), Steven Benson (9), Ray Estrada (10-20).

Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: Ray Estrada; Heat 2: Brian Saxton.

Top 10 in points: 1. Ray Estrada, 3500; 2. Angel Figueroa, 3040; 3. Brian Saxton, 2795; 4. Steven Benson, 2625; 5. Lee Majors, 2495; 6. Thomas Velasquez, 2345; 7. Mike Lewis, 2275; 8. Michael Sweeney Jr, 2025; 9. Curt Cook, 1940; 10. Tom Stephens Jr, 1895.

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VRA Senior Dwarf Cars -- 1. Bill Van Praag, Ventura, 17 Laps; 2. Ron Capodieci, Saugus, 17 Laps; 3. Mark Davis, Ventura, 17 Laps; 4. Mike Neal, Northridge, 17 Laps; 5. Tim Morse, Burbank, 17 Laps; 6. George Sack Jr, Aqua Dulce, 17 Laps; 7. George Calvo, Agua Dulce, 17 Laps; 8. Bobby Lague, Colton, 17 Laps; 9. Ed Niedzwiecki, Ventura, 17 Laps; 10. Mitch Hedrick, Simi Valley, 17 Laps; 11. Linda Taylor, San Dimas, 17 Laps; 12. Dave Revard, Ventura, 17 Laps; 13. Dave Dotson, Thousand Oaks, 16 Laps; 14. Cindy Addison, Oxnard, 16 Laps; 15. Keith Koslov, Agoura, 5 Laps; 16. Tom Stephens Sr, Ventura, 4 Laps; 17. Rick Lapka, Apple Valley, 3 Laps; 18. Kevin Alverson, Thousand Oaks, Did not show.

Lap Leaders: Bill Van Praag (1-17).

Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: George Sack Jr; Heat 2: Tom Stephens Sr.

Top 10 in points: 1. Bill Van Praag, 3385; 2. Mike Neal, 2880; 3. Kevin Alverson, 2845; 4. George Calvo, 2690; 5. George Sack Jr, 2595; 6. Ed Niedzwiecki, 2575; 7. Ron Capodieci, 2360; 8. Mark Davis, 2275; 9. Dave Revard, 2240; 10. Kent Benson, 2045.

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VRA Sport Compact (Front Wheel) -- 1. Darren Gunnell, Santa Paula, 20 Laps; 2. Joel Chavez Jr., Santa Paula, 20 Laps; 3. Jess Carlucci, Camarillo, 20 Laps; 4. Roger Sutton, Camarillo, 19 Laps; 5. Eric Lopez, Ventura, 12 Laps; 6. John Butcher, Santa Barbara, 6 Laps; 7. Mike Frazier, Santa Paula, Did not show.

Lap Leaders: Darren Gunnell (1-20).

Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: Jess Carlucci.

Top 10 in points: 1. Darren Gunnell, 2945; 2. Jess Carlucci, 2780; 3. Joel Chavez Jr., 2730; 4. John Butcher, 2515; 5. James Brown, 1635; 6. Joel Chavez, 1145; 7. Roger Sutton, 780; 8. Mike Frazier, 740; 9. Eric Lopez, 600; 10. Joanna Brown, 590.

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VRA Sport Compact (Rear Wheel) -- 1. Trevor Fitzgibbon, Camarillo, 20 Laps; 2. Brent Underwood, Camarillo, 20 Laps; 3. Andrew Greiman, Camarillo, 20 Laps; 4. Jason Marshall, Ventura, 20 Laps; 5. Brad Long, Burbank, 20 Laps; 6. April Banvelos, Sylmar, 18 Laps; 7. Justin Klucker, Santa Maria, 18 Laps; 8. Bill Changus, Fillmore, 18 Laps; 9. James Brown, Oxnard, 14 Laps; 10. Brandon Reta, Ventura, 12 Laps; 11. Mark Rogers, Camarillo, 10 Laps; 12. Cody Greiman, Camarillo, 6 Laps; 13. Ryan Changus, Port Hueneme, 3 Laps; 14. Zachary Peterson, Oxnard, Did not show.

Lap Leaders: Andrew Greiman (1-17), Trevor Fitzgibbon (18-20).

Heat Race Winners: Heat 1: Trevor Fitzgibbon; Heat 2: Brandon Reta.

Top 10 in points: 1. Brent Underwood, 3265; 2. Cody Greiman, 2815; 3. Brandon Reta, 2565; 4. Jason Marshall, 2555; 5. Brad Long, 2365; 6. Ryan Changus, 2265; 7. Bill Changus, 2255; 8. Trevor Fitzgibbon, 1665; 9. Corey McKinney, 1365; 10. April Banvelos, 1285.

Wow, no mention of why Hockett and Matt Mitchell (1st and 2nd) stopped on the track on lap 20. The red light flashed on and back off when a car crashed and was on fire! They were told to go to the rear. "Rocket Hockett" comes out tomorrow to get the real scoop!

If this post isn't results, stories or something c
constructive, it isn't me! 
@BillWMedia
www.OpenWheel101.com

Do you see the light red with your own eyes?

JayP, no I was in Iowa, but apparently the lead pair did...

I don't think the lead pair stopped because they felt like it! LOL

If this post isn't results, stories or something c
constructive, it isn't me! 
@BillWMedia
www.OpenWheel101.com

I watched from the turn four bleachers. Never saw a flash but many were calling for a red. Surprised all of us that the three cars stopped. Maybe Louis Espinoza saw something he was in the 3rd car.

(Bill W) October 27, 2009...Jesse worked his way by Jimmy Crawford into the lead on lap eight. He was cruising out front ahead of Matt Mitchell when another competitor crashed on lap 20. "We were leading the feature," he explains. "With ten laps to go, we were cruising, and there was a driver flipping hard. The red light blinked on the backstretch so I shut it down and so did Matt Mitchell, who was running second. I guess after Matt and I crossed the light it switched back to yellow, and the rest of the field kept going."

Unbelievably, Hockett and Mitchell were sent to the back of the field and the yellow light stayed out despite the crash. No mention of the incident was in the track's press release. "The guy was upside down and on fire," says Jesse. "They've been real strict about that across the rest of the country, especially after the fire (Mike Houseman Jr.) at Knoxville. I was trying to look out for another driver's safety, but it ended up costing me $5,000 at Ventura. I wasn't too happy about it. We were really good, it was just a shame what happened there."http://www.hoseheadforums.com/forum.cfm?ThreadID=35883

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

No red light was ever on. 09 was stopped on the track because he was involved in the accident. I never saw a flame only steam. Several people have opinions that were not there... interesting.

Never argue with an idiot, they drag you down to their
level and beat you with experience!!!! 

Maybe I'm reading more into this but it appears that some are defending the track's policy to NOT go red whenever a car flips. I'm a bit curious about the thinking behind defending the decision to not go red when a car flips.

The right thing morally and ethically was to go red. The policy of saving time by not throwing a flag is dangerous and will someday bite the track in the Naylor.

Jesse and Matt were just trying to be safe

Red light never blinked so in a way in was also Driver error

should it of been red? yes...was it? no

hope Jesse comes back another time, that guy fun to watch

alky fires arn't clearly visible...odd the safety crew member saw fit to discharge the fire exstinguisher...any other track in the country would have put the red out...by the way -Hocket and Mitchel proved they were and are a class act,,,they lined up and finished the race like men-no cry baby stunts

NO fire extinguisher was popped. Have no clue where you heard that. Engine steam was the only white stuff in the air. The track has had that rule in place since they were live on TV with the Midgets.

Never argue with an idiot, they drag you down to their
level and beat you with experience!!!! 

"any other track in the country would have put the red out", Sure they would!!... To hell with all the accuses that Ventura has about why they didn't throw the red flag. The bottom line is they they should have, but didn't. I've alway's had a good word for that track, and the guy's that run out there, but this lack of judgement and concern for the drivers safety is inexcusable. And whether it flashed red for a second or not is irrelevant... I noticed that some of the first post's to be criticle of this deal were from guy's who have been around this sport long enough to know what could have happened, because they've seen it, and don't want to see it again!

Kenny

Half the lies they tell about me aren't true. 

I'd like to give it a go, RichCee. I'm close to Naylor and Morgan, so I can't say this is a objective opinion. However, I do have a soft spot for race car drivers and Danny Sheridan is one my all time favourites. So, I guess I'm still not objective.

First: There is no policy not to go red when a car flips. I looked at the records for this year and the track instantly went red seven times in nineteen Sprint Car main events (I excluded the Grand Slams). Four times in seventy-six heat races. Let's look at ratios and follow up. Although they went red in nineteen mains, they went yellow ninety-five times. That means they threw a yellow 93% of the time, red 7% of the time. Clearly that is a vast difference from other tracks. I looked at the most recent Santa Maria Grand Slam and they threw 20% reds on the main. What's interesting ( I have to rotate thru all the videos to confirm this) is that in Ventura I don't think a yellow developed into a red in almost any incident. Maybe once or twice. It's also interesting to note that the ambulance rolled in maybe five or six instances. Transported in maybe three or four cases. We also had firetrucks on the track twice.I think once was for a Dwarf.

Second: I am not sure a red flag is always safer for all the drivers and especially the flipped car. It would seem prudent to flip a yellow, slow the cars in a safe manner and quickly assess the situation. The red could come instantly thereafter if conditions warranted. We have all seen cars drive over the car in front of them on both yellows and reds. I think it happens more often with a red. The race director may also determine he doesn't want to stop the cars near the wreck, limiting emergency vehicle access, whether a tow, ambulance or fire truck. In Saturdays instance, an instant red would have put the bulk of the cars directly in front of the wreck.

Third: I tend to defer to the experts. The race director has access to much more information than I do. He has people on the track with radios reporting information to him. He has the best overview of the track. He is responsible for the safety of everyone on the track, including the other drivers, track workers and miscellaneous personnel. He is aware of his resources and where they are located. Thank God they do not delegate safety decisions to a committee. He is responsible, he has the call, everyone else is second guessing. There are no puppets. He makes the call, the flagman implements, Naylor weighs in with his opinion later. Another interesting note is that Cliff rarely leaves that tower once he settles in. He is watching incessantly, he wears headphones, he is oblivious to scorer chatter in the room next to him. He is as focused a person as have ever met in any job. Even thankless jobs.

Fourth and finally: What stings me here is the impression or accusation that Jim Naylor or Cliff Morgan would ever consciously compromise a driver's safety for money or time considerations. I've learned the hard way that I am a naive and trusting person, but that's one concept I can't get my head around. Up close I observe that these are two of the most intelligent and caring race fans on the planet. Does Cliff ever make a mistake? Absolutely, he's human. Does Naylor hold a hard line at his track. Absolutely. I read the excellent autobiography Earl! by Eldora founder Earl Bates. It's like Bates was writing about Naylor! Earl didn't let the inmates run the asylum either. Jim and Cliff may be different from others, but they are conducting the track, racing and safety in a judicious manner they consider appropriate.

Lastly: I will spare you from my opinion of the real danger, dirty driving. Cliff censured several drivers Saturday and got nothing but attitude. We all know people are going to get hurt. For cris sakes, they are strapping themselves into rockets with open wheels and dancing with the devil. Someone will make a mistake, someone will be late to get there. I'm glad everyone is talking about this. I hope they don't lynch the race director.

Thanks for your up close opinion, much appreciated and well put together. Wish I could write that good! Many times we are busy taking pictures, in the pits, in turn four stands and don't get to observe the flag situation. When ever I sit in that area I watch the show from a different perspective. Can we assume there are no stats on how many yellows or reds were not thrown when needed. Public buys a ticket to watch a 20 lap senior main and gets a 15 or shorter race. Why are races shortened? To save time. Move the race start time up. Open the gates earlier start sooner and have time to safely help a driver that is upside down.

Bottom line is it takes a clear track to safely attend a driver. How is that accomplished?

Everyone keeps saying "start earlier" well, these are the same people who are going to be saying... "why is it so dusty?" or "the race track is a dried out piece of..."

I feel you. I hate the laps being cut on the mains. Starting earlier than we already do I think will lend itself to worse track conditions and more stoppages for spins on a tricky surface. Until the sun goes down in summer there is no way to keep moisture in the track.

I think, more cars in heat races, we see six car heat races fairly often in a lot of classes. Well, four six car heats would take less time as three eight car heats.

The red vs yellow thing is something that I have been in two minds about for as long as I have been to Ventura. The one that really gets me is not throwing the yellow on the last lap to get a heat in while someone is stranded in turn one or turn four for sometimes what feels like two laps. Sure the vantange point lends itself to the race director being able to see the situation better, but why not throw the yellow and checkers?

Whats funny is we were looking down turn 1 from turn 4 and saw the red flicker. There was more than just one of us that saw it. Like the flagman hit it on accident. Then there was a yellow. I know most of you didnt see it and were probly watching the leaders go into 3. But I saw it with my own two eyes. a couple of us wear glasses, but my eyes are 20/25. Alright guys, give it a go.

Everyone is a little Crazy in their own unique way...

Its the one's who Don't think they are Crazy you have
to Look Out For!!!!

Red flag, yellow flag, right, wrong or otherwise, I think the bottom line is Hockett and Mitchell got SCREWED. The race director or flagman should have made an exception and allowed those guys to restart the race where they were running before the incident. It's not like your giving them something for free, they earned those spots and as in most any form of racing, there is always something in the rule book that states " the race direction has the final decision and can make changes at his discretion". And in this particular case, that should have happened. If the guys running behind Hockett and Mitchell couldn't see the reasoning behind that kind of decision in that situation it would only be because of their fear that they wouldn't have been able to beat them fair and square on the track !!!