The SCRA was racing at their home track in Perris this week, and as the firemen holding boots for donations for the survivors of the attack on America greeted the incoming crowd, Cory Kruseman went back to work. Remembering his last trip to the track he had been on his head stopping his 6 race win streak at the PAS, he was quick to take advantage of two early breaks in the 30 lap main event. He slipped into 2nd on the opening lap restart from his 5th starting spot and chased down early leader, Danny Sheridan, to win his 14th record-breaking race of the year replacing Rip Williams in the record book.

Mrs Wags pics appear NOW!

h American flags and patriotism waving everywhere, we saw an evening full of dirt track racing to ease the nerves and make our real world more palatable than 10 days ago. When Cory, driving the WorldGate Networks, TCR, Del Mar Wire # 45, took the lead on lap 5 of the main event, he had no clue to the battle for second raging behind him, nor did he care in his workmanlike approach to another victory. Instead he just methodically ran the low groove thru several yellow and red flag stops to win going away in the end as if it were scripted this way in a "dream season" for the Kruser and his team. It was another strong statement from his amazing confidence when he set fast time at 16.3388, very close to the track record. His uncanny patience was noticed also in his heat when he battled with Cowboy Jones for 5th place, then made the last corner pass on a fast Rickie Gaunt to get the last transfer and moved on to the dash.

Cory admitted on the podium that 14 wins was his goal for 2001, but really didn't expect to make that level unless he …….. got hot, got in a zone, got lucky sometimes, got a lot of breaks, got a podium pass, or all of the above. His 51 SCRA victories puts him alone in 8th place on the Wagtimes combined CRA/SCRA victory list, ahead of Brad Noffsinger and Richard Griffin at 50, and behind Jimmy Oskie at 58. What he has accomplished is even more remarkable when you consider whom he is showing his heels to. The long list includes 3 time and defending SCRA champ, Richard Griffin, plus some heavy hitters that can dominate a race in their own right. Rip Williams, Tony Jones, Mike Kirby, Troy Rutherford, Rickie Gaunt, Steve Ostling and John Scott are just some of the best of the breed winners in this club. A group of near victory competitors includes, Danny Sheridan, Charles Davis Jr, Rodney Argo, Jarrett Chaney, Adam Mitchell, and Mike English. A few veterans that could grab a win are Gary W Howard, Verne Sweeney, Brian Venard, and Bobby Graham. Sometime competitors Troy Cline, Jeremy Sherman and Bob Ream Jr can steal a victory with their skills. Add the new blood coming like Lance Gremett, Michael Hinrichsen, Michael Spencer, Ronnie Clark and more, and you have a list of potential winners so long it makes you ask the question how does he continue to do it, week after week? He is clipping along at a 43% winning percentage after 32 races. That's not bad for a man who almost bought the farm on a mile track in Sacramento some years back, a time we don't even want to think about.

Danny Sheridan may have had his best run yet at his first win this week as he drove the Jan's Health Bar, Costa Mesa Honda, Koehler Chiropractic, # 92 Moose racing team car to his 2nd runner-up podium spot this year. He led the first 4 official laps, after a wheel banging altercation with pole sitter John Scott on the opening attempt to start. That unfortunately spun the # 83 out and transferred him to the back on the restart. Danny then fought off the eventual winner before he got caught up in a classic battle with Richard Griffin, Rip Williams and finally Troy Rutherford to keep his hard earned 2nd place finish. His first victory just looks a breath away!

Troy Rutherford continues to impress in the newest Gardner 4 bar Sled car. After they abandoned, for now, the coil-over version, Troy has been a model of consistency. This week he finished third, and in the last 10 outings, he has made the top five eight times. He was second quick, driving the Sander Engineering, Barnes Oil Systems, Tucson Tool # 4, on the night and ran 6th in the dash to set up his night. The quiet confidence building bodes well for the Gardner clan as they are building another new car just like this one for a spare.

John "Hollywood" Scott, sans mustache, came back from the 22nd tail-end restart spot to get into 7th with about 10 laps to go. Unfortunately, he had a motor problem stop him there, and yet he hung on the rest of the race. Tony Jones got tangled up twice with other cars very early in the race, and was out with two spins before we could really get it going. His newly repainted blue # 37 of Mike Wall's now sports some pleasing American flag graphics that makes this one a sharp contrast to the all white it was a few weeks ago. Sharp and with a new sponsor, too! The Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply (the ones who brought you the $25,000 payoff for last years Oval Nationals) are now in Tony's corner. This should help the young Cowboy as he sets his sights on the big money yearend races coming soon!

Richard Griffin can't get a brake! And I mean brake not break, and here is why. After last weeks dirt clod smashing his car at Manzy put him out as he was battling for the lead, his nemesis this week was lost brakes. He was in the fight with Cory and Danny for the victory until he suddenly had no brakes and was forced to stay on the top groove instead of going down where the fast line was. He was looking great until then. Rip Williams didn't get any breaks this week either, when he pulled off after gaining second and was reeling in Cory midway through the event. Rip was showing his PAS experience and the crowd was cheering for him when he slowed and silently pulled in the opening on the front stretch, his night done. The car was strong and he has gathered in his second wind, so watch out for him in the weeks to come.

Gary W Howard pulled in on one of the main event red flags, and didn't restart this week. You might note the car was pristine clean this week after a new paint job! I have been razzing the low buck team about paint recently, mostly trying to encourage them to go with a more dramatic color like yellow or red instead of the white. After losing the motor three weeks ago in a cloud of smoke from the power plant of the # 25 car, it was a surprise to see them back and with a new white paint job, too! Don't know what the malady was, but Gary ran 7th in the JE Pistons Passing Masters Dash that Scott won, so the car was running great. I think he was running in that spot when he dropped out.

Others not completing their tour of duty in the 30 lapper included Mike Spencer who was rammed on the second yellow flag and couldn't fix in time to return. Jordan Hermansader, who paused on the work area for a few racing laps before coming back out and then ducking back in the pits with an unknown problem. Steve Ostling who flipped it big time, when he had no place to go, and was done. Jarrett Chaney who was a rocket early in the race and pulled off. Charles Davis had a flat tire push him back to 13th after running well nearer the front, and he had to go in to change it.

Another race without the brothers Venard not running the main event together was close to being changed. This week Steve made the main and ran 14th for a good outing. Brother Brian dropped out of his heat then finished one spot out of the transfer from the Semi and was parked. It will happen, and soon we hope, because Grandma Rosie said so! The boy's mother, Linda, was hurried to the hospital to fix a busted blood vessel after she rung out a mop earlier in the day? She doesn't know her own strength. Her strength is obvious when both of her boys are on the track! She and Grandma Rosie were left behind by the boy's father, as Buster and the hauler had to go racing, but they caught up later and enjoyed the races.

DJ Everett, long time Wagtimer and sometimes referred to as our "California Son", is in town to visit a very ill mother. After leaving his beloved modified racing in Flemington, New Jersey when he was about 15, he came west with his family and spent the next part of his racing life at Ascot until it closed. He then got married to Monica 5 years ago and promptly moved off to NASCAR land somewhere in far off somethingville North Carolina. He has worked for the Richard Petty driving school and at one time wanted to go racing himself. He spent enough money on one driving school adventure, after a mishap in the school car, to pay for a lot of racing, but I think he's over that. He has hopes to spend a lot of time with his mom and maybe sneak in the race at Santa Maria this coming Saturday.

Adam Mitchell had a great race this week. In a brand new "White Knight" # 99 car, after totaling the other one a few weeks ago, he was last in the dash with a problem. He came back to run hard to earn 6th on a great night for the Mitchell racing team. He has a little more red highlight color on the very white car, and it stands out more on the track now.

Teammates, Rickie Gaunt and Mike Kirby had mixed results this week. Mike had a motor stumbling problem on his mount that almost drove him to the pits. He explained it as blubbering whenever he got on the gas hard, but was able to get an adjustment from the crew enough to make it to 10th after struggling in the back the early part of the race. He said something about water pumps and mechanical bugs. Super Rickie came from the 5th row to get 4th as he was tenacious in his Stinger # 5X car all night.

Great shiny tire show this week as the brilliant job by John Scott's crew took the big bottle home and Rodney Argo's crew the small one. This fan picked award sure brings out the extra effort to make these cars sharp for the fans. My thanks to Krista Bandy for taking control of this weekly choosing as she inspects each car for tires shined on both sides and reports to the Wagtimer's who help her pick. Like there are so many shiny ones, and only two awards to go around each week, it's tough!

The Wagsdash collection's, both for the purse money and the auction items, are coming along a little slow this year. Understandably, and in light of recent events, there have been things of a higher priority that require attention. With only four weeks left until Wagsdash XI on October 20th at Ventura Raceway, we need to get to work! You can send money to P.O. Box 9040 # 327, Mission Viejo, CA 92692, or we have billboards for sale on the event shirt still available, so call me and reserve your spot now or tell me what you would like to do to help. 949-472-WAGS will get you a choice spot on a great new design by Timeless T's, and help build the Wagsdash purse. I might, if things go right, have a new 4 wheel ATV to raffle off in the next few weeks. The money collected will go into the dash, then in the Jack Kindoll Classic and if any left over, the SCRA benevolent fund, and maybe next years NWWC tour. The raffle tickets go on sale at Perris on Oct 5th, with the drawing to be held on November 17th!

A few notes of success here from graduates of SCRA. J J Yeley, who has 17 lifetime SCRA wins, won the Silver Crown and Midget portion of the 4-Crown annual event at Eldora this past weekend. He was second to Bud Kaeding in the sprint car event, but didn't try the stocker race. He will be here for the Oval Nationals, so look out! Bud Kaeding has had great success this year after getting a new crew chief, one Davey Jones of "the" Jones family, who changed Bud's ride to a 4-bar type and he is reaping the results. Bud and Davey will also be here for the $25,000 to win Oval Nationals. Get well quick Dave Darland, we hope you will be running that race, too!

Don't forget - Ellen Ellis has created her annual non-wing calendar. She enlisted the photographic talents of Steve Lafond of Tear Off Heaven Fotos to make this years calendar the best one yet. New for the 2002 edition is the driver headshot added to a great car shot. The calendar features the top 12 in the SCRA championship point's race. For a collage of the 12 months of speed and beauty, and to get yours use above address or phone number. All proceeds from the sale of the calendar will go into this years Wagsdash XI race.

Hook em' up and head for Santa Maria this week for the last chance to see the SCRA there this season. Two winning races have happened up there this year, and the last one will be no different. The very beautiful setting makes for more fun and great race watching, so go early and hit Jocko's for lunch with us! The 2nd Midget/SCRA double header is lining up at The PAS for Oct 5/6. Last year there were over 100 open wheel cars and plenty of great racing, so get off early Friday and head out to Perris.