SCRA OPENS AT TULARE WITH ANOTHER KRUSER WIN!

The southern California return to Hanford made the victory by Damion Gardner all the sweeter as his No Cal fans had far less to drive to see him race. Damion took advantage of Mike Kirby’s “little red wagon” type launches to take the lead and his first win in his new ride for 2004, the Ron Chaffin # 50. With 28 cars in the pits, it was good night of racing and entertained the crowd.

Mrs Wags got it done! Check her picsout now click here.

Damion qualified 5th, ran 5th in his heat to make the main and started on the on the second row in the 30 lap finale. He moved from the Harlan Willis # 45 to the championship car over the winter. The first two races didn’t bring a win as the driving styles of retiring champion, Richard Griffin, and young lion Damion are worlds apart and it took the team some sorting out time to get it right. Sort it out they did as Damion took the lead on lap 12 and checked out on the rest of the field. The tacky track was too heavy for some, but Damion loved it. Driving the Temecula Valley Pipe and Supply # 50 will be a pleasure for this rising star as he works on winning many more times for the Bruce Bromme Jr led team.

Rip Williams had a tough night starting out after qualifying 4th. He missed the transfer from his heat, but won the Semi and started ninth on the grid. He utilized the tacky track to his advantage and moved forward until he got into second, but lap traffic didn’t give him enough time to close on the leader. Great job by the veteran who is third in points at this early point of the season.

USAC weather luck was only good at Hanford as the Western 360’s were rained out in Las Vegas and the national USAC opening races in the Midwest were “colded” out in time for Cory Kruseman to fly back home and run the Alexander car for two nights. Cory was 2nd quick and 3rd in his heat to make the main, starting on the 4th row. He worked hard coming through traffic to put himself in third before the end. A brand new “team” car for the Alexander’s made it’s first laps this week with Jordan Hermansader at the wheel. It was going to be the only car run by the Alexander’s this weekend, but Cory added one more race to his plan of about 15 in this car on his sudden break. Jordan pulled off early in the main and finished 15th.

Mike Kirby won his heat and started on the front row of the main event. It wasn’t that easy as the car was running rough in hot laps and the team changed a few things to get him going. He led immediately on the green flag start of the main with Charles Davis Jr right behind him. Kirby had his hands full as the car began to hop a little coming down the straights and after two restarts, Charlie spun out when he lost his steering, and Mike suddenly had the Demon on his tail. Mike was really launching off the corners and as the track got stickier, he got more airborne more often. The front-end pop-ups eventually cost him the lead and forced him back to his 5th place finish as he manhandled the beast to the end.

Troy Rutherford comes under the term “unlucky” this week after setting fast time at 15.711. He was a rocket in his heat coming to 2nd in the 10 lap opener, but got involved in a tangle on the track in the main that eliminated several cars. Peter Murphy, a Northern California wing driver that has run Perris with the SCRA on many occasions, was in a strong and borrowed Tommy Tarlton # 21 car. He was 12th in qualifying and made a scintillating outside move in his heat, racing by three cars, to make the main. He had no luck there when a car in front of him got sideways and he had no place to go, ending up flipping lightly onto his side, but that wasn’t the end of it. He was hit immediately by Mike Spencer, then Rutherford and finally Kaylene Verville. Spencer had front-end damage and was done. Kalene’s mount was more seriously banged up and also done, but Troy wasn’t. He had a bent rear axle and still came from the back for 6th on a wild night in the new Bullet chassied car.

The Tony Smiley race team had no luck after the long tow from Phoenix. Rickie Gaunt just missed the main from his heat and had to run the Semi. There he was doing OK, but somehow a muffler came off and he was done without time to repair. Alan Ballard ran over the loose piece of metal muffler and had to go get another tire mounted, but was unable to come from the back on the restart to make the main. The other team car with Charlie Davis Jr in it was doing just fine running 2nd in the main when his steering broke and he spun out in front of the grandstand off the track into the infield.

The heat winners were Alex Pruett, Mike Kirby and Bobby Cody. The youngster Alex ran off and left the field as he ran the track the week before and looked very smooth. He was 11th in the main. Bobby had his new car out and Harlan Willis and Mike Nigh wrenching on it. The difference was night and day as he was able to race the car all night with very few problems and finished 7th for a great job. He looked like a man about to prove something as set-up really does mean something.

Steve Oslting about to hit Perris in his regular ride next week, was in Mike Sala’s # 19 and ran it hard and to 4th by nights end. He was in the battle and was moving up well at the end. The Fischer Motorsports # 29 will finally make a race next week as the cost of sprint car racing delayed their coming out until now.

Hanford has always been a great racetrack, but in recent years the non-wing racing has been only 360 version with the local Bandits doing the deed and Danny Sheridan, who finished 8th this week, winning the last Bandit race here a week ago. Here’s hoping the crowds will grow and the non-wings can continue to be 410 there on occasion.

It was a long ride home Sunday morning and then a bumpy plane ride to Phoenix as I attend a business roundtable related to data processing for the 6th year in a row here for three days. Most attendee’s come from back easy where it is cold, so they are smiling at the warm climate when they come.

So I missed the SCRA opener at Tulare, and I have the official results now, as Cory won with Damion, Rickie and Hermansader in that order. They had 39 cars and a sun filled day. Nineteen of the 39 cars stayed over from the Hanford race. Check out the latest SCRA schedule changes.

USAC/CRA FEATURE: (30 laps)
1. Damion Gardner, 2. Rip Williams, 3. Cory Kruseman, 4. Steve Ostling, 5. Mike Kirby, 6. Troy Rutherford, 7. Bobby Cody, 8. Danny Sheridan, 9. Ronnie Case, 10. Greg Bragg, 11. Alex Pruett, 12. David Cardey, 13. J.Hicks, 14. Dwight Cheney, 15. Jordan Hermansader, 16. Charles Davis, Jr., Pete Murphy, 18. Dwayne Marcum, 19. Mike Spencer, 20. Kaylene Verville. NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-11 Kirby, Laps 12-30 Gardner.

NEW USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR STANDINGS: 1-Kruseman-242; 2-Gardner-223; 3-Williams-204; 4-Rutherford-191; 5-Kirby-173; 6-Hermansader-153; 7-Tony Jones-138; 8-Jeremy Sherman-111;

SCRA A FEATURE (30 Laps) 1. Kruseman, 2. Gardner, 3. Gaunt, 4. Hermansader, 5. English, 6. Davis, 7. B. Kaeding, 8. Sheridan, 9. Rutherford, 10. Murphy, 11. Spencer, 12. Sweeney, 13. Ballard, 14. Harvey, 15. Wilson, 16. Faria, 17. Martin, 18. Urton, 19. Coelho, 20. Case, 21. Altaffer, 22. T. Kaeding. - No Time.

Laps Led: Gardner 1-22, Gaunt 23-26, Kruseman 27-30