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Septermber 20, 2015 (Perris, CA)
Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair...not even a little bit. Some days it seems like the Racing Gods are just plain cruel...especially to the "Nice Guys". I've always hated that old adage that "Nice Guys always finish last". First of all, it isn't always...thankfully. Second, aren't we taught from early childhood to be kind and humane to others? Maybe that rule doesn't apply at all in a competitive sport like Auto Racing...but it sure makes it tough when you see the nice guys have a bad night!
On any given Saturday night USAC-CRA Sprint Car race in SoCal, you'd be hard-pressed to find nicer guys in the pits than the boys at John Springstead Racing (JSR). I've known John for decades...since racing Quarter Midgets with his kids in the 70's and 80's. Talk about someone who is passionate about this sport! John and his wife, Evelyn, have fielded open wheel, dirt race cars of all types for a huge list of drivers. Despite operating on a shoe-string budget, Team JSR has combined sheer desire and great people to put multiple race cars on the track each month. They're the ones that people are talking about when you hear them say "they'd give the shirt off their back".
Somewhat "flying under the radar", this couple have done everything they possibly can to bring their fire-breathing machines to the race tracks for other people to enjoy driving. That's exactly why when I watch this team unload their cars and struggle all night long...it just doesn't seem right. These guys are trying so hard to keep car counts up by bringing their hardware from South Orange County to the Inland Empire and elsewhere throughout the season. They are there to help put on a show for the fans. Despite health issues, they spend countless hours maintaining the race cars each week. So to see them have bad luck, you'd have to wonder if Karma took a vacation!
Last Saturday night, Team JSR brought two Sprint Cars to Perris Auto Speedway Saturday to do battle. The #04 machine was piloted by "Hubcap" Mike Collins?. The Lake Forest native was slated to do "Double Duty" this night, as the team entered his John Aden? built 777 Chassis in both the USAC-CRA and the PAS Senior Sprints divisions. The second entry, which is maintained with the help of Glendora's Dwight Cheney, was the team's familiar #36 sprint car driven by USAC-CRA series rookie Anthony Lopiccolo.
"Hubcap" Mike's night got off on the wrong foot early, as he took the #04 out for practice and had what appeared to be a fuel delivery issue. Assuming a clogged fuel pump, the crew quickly thrashed to replace the pump and get Mike out in time for his heat race with the Senior division.
They got the car running, but still not perfectly right. You could tell Mike wasn't up to speed and the heat race result suffered. Wrenches were flying when I visited the team during intermission, as the crew finally got Mike's car running to their satisfaction. However, they lost so much time working on the car, "Hubcap" was disqualified from competing wiih the USAC-CRA portion of the event, due to missing his qualifying and heat race. Another kick in the crotch!
In the Senior Sprint main event, Mike had a great charge from the rear of the pack early, but problems continued to plague the night, and he struggled to keep the fuel mixture correct. He eventually faded and retired. Definitely not how "Hubcap" and the JSR gang envised the night going. It just wasn't fair...all that work, and no results to show for it.
The owner of HubcapMike.com...a successful hubcap company in Southern California...he's not the youngest on the track by a long shot, but he is one of the most genuine and sincere guys in the sport. He's out there for one reason...to have fun! Nights like Saturday kinda mess that up a bit. But knowing "Hubcap", he'll be at the races next week in a Go Kart...or a full-fendered dirt Stock Car...or whatever else he decides to throw hub cap graphics on and bring to the short tracks.
Meanwhile, Anthony's night wasn't going a whole lot better in the JSR #36. His qualifying effort wasn't what he was hoping for, timing in towards the back of the pack, which meant he would have his work cut out for him to earn some valuable points in his heat race so as to not have to start the feature from the rear. Anthony is the owner of "Pools by Pic", a pool service company based out of his hometown of Brea, California. He is also the 2014 NMRA TQ (Three-Quarter) Midget Champion. 2015 is the first season for the dirt track veteran in the 410 cubic inch Sprint Cars.
Racing with the "Best in the West", the heat race was not an easy one, as he settled for a 6th place finish. That meant he would start the feature in the rear. Only a lap after the green flag had dropped, Anthony made contact with another car, sending his brand-new Drc Chassis? hard into the Turn 1 wall, and ripping the entire front end...frame and all...from the car. This was only the second race for the car, which was a replacement for a chassis that suffered a similar fate the previous race in Perris. Thankfully, "Pic" was okay and was able to climb from his mangled car on his own.
Definitely not the "Fairy Tale" night that Team JSR was aiming for. But you know what...I guarantee you that we'll see them at the next race. How do I know? Because racing is their everything. These guys don't have corporate sponsors. They don't have fancy haulers. They don't have huge crews of young guys wrenching on the cars. But they have hearts and souls big enough to compensate for all of that...and that keeps them coming to the track each race to sling some dirt for the fine folks in the grandstands to witness!
Next time you're at the races...please stop by their pits afterwards and say "hello" to these guys. Shake their hand and ask them how their night went. Even after a night like last Saturday...I'm sure they give you some stories worth listening too...and with a smile on their faces!
Maybe the "Nice Guys" are winning...because these cool cats keep coming back...just happy to be there and be a part of the best sport in the world.
Doug Bushey
Passionate Fan / Announcer / Media & Public Relations
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