April 16, 2014

By Ken Wagner

It’s been a while and I have been relaxing as the CRA season starts and is up to 3 races already. I can’t remember ever missing 3 CRA races in a row in my history, but it is what it is. For the last 25 plus years I have attended every race methodically with my early arrivals, a long day of pit visits and picture taking, plus doing the Wagsbucks deal for the racers always. Since 2006 I added a long drive to and from the tracks with a very late night home arrival in Las Vegas. Whew, just thinking about it makes me tired. The weekends produced plenty of pics to sort thru and post plus a story to write. I was always committed, or should be anyway, as my enthusiasm fueled my racing quest and nothing could keep me from my appointed rounds over the eyars. But, this season things have begun to change for me in my world. Terry’s retirement is a blessing for her and the resulting new budget has shot a hole in my race travel budget. I passed on four WOO show that included 360 races of drivers I knew, including one event in my back yard. I don’t go to WOO shows anymore because their format is worse than watching TV races for me. With 16 WOO cars at Perris, isn’t that amazing after some 30 at Hanford the night before, but whatever!

For Arizona Hall of Fame pics Click here to view! For the Doug Allen Photos click here to view. For Arizona Raceway pics Click here to view! For Ellen Ellis's pics Click here to view!

Times change and over the winter break I realized I was missing out on a few things without really accomplishing much in my racing world these past couple of years, so after much thought, I decided my future endeavors will include less time on the road and in the pits, while I will sit in the grandstands and enjoy the races when I go. I don’t plan to go to every race and won’t be leaving at the crack of dawn when I do. I realized what the Wagtimer’s and I accomplished was fun, productive and I am proud of it all! We put on 20 fun Wagsdash events for the racers and fans as nearly $300,000 was paid out in those low buck affairs, plus we passed out a grand total of $615,000 overall of OPM (other people’s money),and that was good!

I look back and smile for the fun I had doing all of that, and still was watching our races. I know the future of CRA racing requires a new look to get it back to the special place it was once in our memory. I have no clue to what will make it better for the racers and fans, but the sad economic times have ripped us off. Many car owners and fans have moved on down the road, or probably more realistically, they stay home to watch free NASCAR on the tube, it’s a lot cheaper. Remember when the CRA purses were $18,000 and more from Frank Lewis? Now they are what with USAC, $13,000 if that? Why does a class of sprint cars pay their way in to race for free? It’s the sign of the times and unfortunately, I can’t see the end of that.

The CRA of old averaged over 50 races a year before the SCRA rolled over them in 1994, then the SCRA with smaller purses averaged about 40 races a year for 10 years, then the USAC started with 37 for 4 years and it dwindled down to what is now 23 races a year. That’s not going the right direction! Nevertheless, it is what it is and I am worried the 360’s will replace my favored 410’s and I too will be watching NASCAR on TV. Right now if you want to see good weekly 410 racing with lots of cars, you go to Indiana where they have plenty of dirt tracks running three nights a week with strong fields that makes ours look like the bush league. Today’s dominating driver in CRA wasn’t all that in Indiana and that doesn’t speak well for our club, er… I mean our bunch of racers on the west coast whose talent and expertise is not what it once was. There was a time when our heroes went back East and pretty much dominated, but not today as those legendary drivers are in the hall of fame and their replacements haven’t kept up. It’s pretty sad when the best race I saw last year was the Trophy Cup, a wing race, where cars and fans packed the place and the inverted starts were unbelievable! I wonder if CRA would ever try something like that? NOT in our lifetime!

I’m not really complaining here looking for cheese with my whine, but I’ve been watching this scene for a long time and it doesn’t pass my growth expectations. With no club thriving any longer, no voices heard from the “membership”, and a gaggle of sheep following the USAC mantra (pay us and we will take care of you), it appears we have lost our identification. What’s left is the few who can afford to race and they will by damn no matter what the rules! Where are the families and fans that can’t miss a race? Are they, let me say this quietly, too old to continue coming? I doubt there is a fan who has my attendance record over the last 25 years in So Cal 410 racing, so was I crazy or did I just love my Thunder & Lightning so much that I couldn’t miss? I still love it, but have realized I no longer can make a difference (in my expectations), so I will mix it up and try spending more time with my wife, continue to visit with my Wagtimer’s whenever I can and see some races when I choose. We had a Wagsland visit recently and it showed me that the Wagtimer’s are very important to me and my wife, so why not enjoy that and still go to the racers, just not at the total dedicated pace I maintained for so long. Maybe I’ll find a cool hobby closer to home, who knows?

Can you spell r e l i e f? Retired is the word I see as I am parking my Wagtimes efforts with one exception. The Wagtimes/Lafond Hard Charger Award will go on under the originator’s guidance. Steve Lafond owns that award and the Wagtimer’s have committed to support it each year from now on. I already have saved nearly $50 in change for it and other Wagtimer’s have pledged to do the same. Steve will decide when and where the award will be given out, but in the meantime save your change for this racers $$ award that is always a fun one. We have given out a bottle of specially labeled Crown Royal along with $1000 cash in change to the local CRA hard charger for the last two years, as the award was a staple of most of the 20 Wagsdash events thru the years, and will continue it forward, so get involved.

So far in three races the stat sheet shows the same winner and the same handful of cars in the front of the pack. Car counts of 21, 31 and 28 aren’t spectacular, and Damion Gardner’s dominance is not unexpected, but how is the racing? If you’re favorite wins, it’s always good, but will the “anyone but Damion” signs go up this year like they did for Dean Thompson when he was in his heyday? Mike Spencer hasn’t had much of super crew chief Bruce Bromme’s touch on his car this year as Bruce has had hip replacement and ongoing health issues keeping him off his feet. Bruce is doing better and took the hauler back home after Saturday night.

I reported last year on more than one occasion, we don’t have many heroes anymore and losing David Cardey just adds to that thought. Where are the new rookies and the excitement of them? Will Jake Swanson be the one? Can Logan Williams beat his brothers? Can Nic Faas now take his talent to the front? Does Matt Mitchell finally get some wins to go with his awesome slide jobs? Did Rip Williams retire? Is orange a change of luck move for Brody Roa? Can Ronnie Gardner get his first sprint car win? Will Kruseman stick around this year? Can Seth Wilson get back to the Victorville winning days? Who will be the most improved this year? All that to look forward to and I haven’t even seen a race this year. I will be at Ventura for the one CRA appearance of the year there. I won’t be at Santa Maria because the last time the sprinters ran there, they didn’t get paid. I am planning on a trip with Big Steve in his big rig sometime in the summer back east and will see some Indiana racing while I figure how to drive a big rig, Hah! I am looking forward to not lugging around that big camera and lens to get pics that other better photogs do easier this year. I hope I get a lot of pics from them because my stuff will be way less than the past. I will put my thoughts down in my web page from time to time, but won’t do the weekly reporting that went on for the life of Wagsworld. That pit world and it’s stories have kinda gotten away from me so much now that I know little of what’s going on anymore, and have lost my ears out there. If someone wants to write about the weekly races and send it to me, I’ll publish it. I have surely been blessed in my Wagtimes career and have many memories to look back on, thank you all for being a part of it.

In my long list of memories I now recall and miss so much! I miss the heroes gone from the track. I miss the teams I hung out with that have closed their shop doors. I miss the yearly picnics that were so much a part of CRA.I miss the big fun banquets of the past. I miss many close friends in the pits that have moved on and in some cases, passed on. I miss the trips with the Kittle Motorsports team. I miss Mike Kirby’s skills that roll on in late models. I miss Ascot and that different world of wonder. I miss the CRA tours. I miss Manzanita Raceway. I miss the large crowds and big car counts. I miss J J Yeley and Cory Kruseman when they were rookies. I miss Billy Boat in the little red sucker. I miss Bubby Jones, Lealand McSpadden, Buster Venard, The Gasman and those special hall of fame legends. I miss Danny Sheridan in the little blue bugger. I miss the lost loved ones in our world. I miss so much, but most of all I miss the Wagsdash’s at Ventura, they were the best. Ah the good times are great memories, but somehow we need to keep on truckin! There’s racing ahead and everyone can be a part of it, if they wish. Find a way to get involved and go or it. God bless sprint car racing, it is the best! I’ll see you there when I see you!

This past weekend Mrs Wags and I took a little trip to Phoenix to deliver the great Wagsdash trophy. The one created by Trophy Dave of Trophy City in San Jose, that showcases all the Wagsdash winners and the legends of Ascot Grand Marshals that we we honored over the 20 years. The polka dotted four poster is pretty special to me and marks that historical event that is no longer on the schedule. It will live on in the Arizona Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum and attract attention to what “we the Wagtimer’s” accomplished together. Steve Stroud, the founder, creator and owner of the museum greeted us as we dropped off the trophy complete with a Wags polka dot car and picture of the Wagtimer’s reunion photo shot in February at our home. The museum has been added to and is packed solid now so you can always go visit and see new stuff! It is an honor for our trophy to be there! Go check it out when you are in town.

We were at the Ellis Hacienda for three days and enjoyed their company and had a couple of Wagtimer meals to share with those who were available in our time there. We went to the Arizona Speedway and caught the local 360’s on a nice looking oval that can only get better as time goes on. Only 17 sprinters, but they put on a good show with R J Johnson winning the 25 lapper with Josh Pelkey right behind him. The stands were full and we skipped out by 9:30 after the sprint feature. A little more mud, a 410 show and a cushion will make this place special.

Until next time remember, when it’s racetime, it’s Wagtime!