By Ken Wagner
February 22, 2009

I missed the opener in Phoenix this week, but the Friday night 10 lap shootout finish looks mighty similar to the Saturday feature finish. The top four each night in this order Daren Hagen, Kevin Swindell, Dave Darland and Cole Whitt, might have been running outlaw style in the 40 lap feature, one might presume, but has it, it was good racing. Mike Spencer’s 9th place was the best of the west CRA boys. Plenty of cars with nearly 20 of the 54 from So Cal. With two other classes running, fans should have seen a good show. Congrats to Bud Kaeding For his Silver Crown win and Brad Sweet for his Midget victory.

The USAC/CRA season begins with a slimmer schedule than last year, partially due to Perris running only once a month. With 22 race days, 23 if you count the non feature Friday at Manzy this week, and four to be announced events, there are a lot of breaks in the schedule. This includes two trips to Manzy, one each to Calistoga, Petaluma, Hanford, Tulare, Santa Maria and Las Vegas, plus 12 trips to Perris. That’s a total of only 20 trips if you do them all. For those with tighter budgets, we’ll see if this is a help.

The Wagtimes world is certainly up in the air as I ponder the possibility of a 19th annual Wagsdash. So far there is no CRA race at Ventura, where the last 11 Wagsdash’s were held, but I haven’t given up hope, yet. I don’t feel lucky in moving it because it has become a Ventura staple, but times change. I have an offer to take it to another track, but at this point I am not sure it would even work. Only time will tell. Maybe comments from all you Wagtimers out there would be appropriate at this time. Let me hear it!

In the mean time perhaps I should consider bringing back the Wagsbuck’s on a race by race basis. Since I no longer have official ties or even a racing job like I had most of the past 20 years with our various racing clubs, I have to rethink what my goal is to help the racers. I am considering collecting Wagsbucks again, especially if there is no Wagsdash. Of course it would have to work for the fan’s as that is where the money comes from. Perhaps collecting money for the low bucker’s is just what those racers need again. There are so many other causes out there now, I am not sure if it is even worth resumming it. I am up for it, so maybe I’ll bring my clipboard to Perris and see what happens. Let me know if you are interested.

At the Perris opener next Saturday there will be a $75 bonus presented to positions 7 thru 11 in the semi that night. It comes from an anonymous donor. This person, or persons, thinks it might help some of the low buck guys to come back if they get a little bonus. So the first 5 drivers who miss the main will receive this $75 bonus. I will make sure you get it that night. I wonder how many people out there are like this who have a few extra bucks to give the racers. That’s what we called Wagsbucks for many years. The spirit is to help the little guy!

Wagtimes just passed that 20th anniversary in December of last year, and I am amazed. Amazed it lasted that long, amazed of the accomplishments the Wagtimer’s have done, amazed at the results. My hats off to all who have made this possible, you know who you are!!! Think of it, together we have raised over $500,000 for the low buck racers in the 19 years of Wagsbucks! And, there were no fee’s associated with the money, they got it all! Although the individual Wagsbuck pay outs were not large, they helped and over the years there are more than 500 drivers and car owners who received the money. In addition we added money to several purses, supported the recovery funds of Rusty McClure and Cory Kruseman, as well as putting money in the SCRA Benevolent Fund. Add tour money collected and other various causes we supported, it adds up to a half a million dollars. I guess I am proud!!

The Las Vegas race can be good for So Cal racers or bad, depending on the track. If it gets wet like last year, it should be good for our boys. If it goes dry slick early like trips before that one, then lets watch the slick track racers from Indiana and enjoy. Either way, it should be better than the outlaw event that follows it.

I have a lot of memories in my racing life and right now I am thinking about them. I hope the promised change doesn’t make me change?

FEATURE (Feb. 21) at Manzanita:

(40 laps) 1. Darren Hagen, 2. Kevin Swindell, 3. Dave Darland, 4. Cole Whitt, 5. Jesse Hockett, 6. Jon Stanbrough, 7. Damion Gardner, 8. Brad Sweet, 9. Mike Spencer, 10. Levi Jones, 11. Tracy Hines, 12. J.J. Yeley, 13. Casey Shuman, 14. Charles Davis Jr., 15. Johnny Herrera, 16. David Cardey, 17. Garrett Hansen, 18. Nic Faas, 19. Josh Wise, 20. Danny Sheridan, 21. Chris Windom, 22. Cory Kruseman, 23. Brady Bacon, 24. R.J. Johnson, 25. Tyler Brown, 26. Jerry Coons Jr., 27. Seth Wilson, 28. Dustin Morgan, 29. Chad Boat, 30. Blake Miller. NT