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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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NCMA Race at Altamont by Debbie Shipherd |
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Saturday, March 29 began as a beautiful sunny day at Altamont Raceway Park. Our #20 crew entered the pit gate at noon, anxious to get some practice laps in, as this was just our 2nd time racing on pavement. Soon we were joined by the Cargill’s Welding #38 crew who towed from Bakersfield, George and Ardie Terry with their #2 car, and the XX of Pat Ariaz. With the first of two practice sessions scheduled around 1pm, new sprint driver John Fenton and veteran George Terry were also eager to get out and practice, both experiencing their 1st race on the paved ½ mile track. Altamont assigns pit areas to each different division, which made it convenient to visit and help out other crews. Scott Holloway was giving the #38 crew a hand, and our #20 crew helped #77 Bert Siverling who was crew-less. A second 15 minute practice gave everyone more time to get comfortable, and then we went out to qualify, with Scott Holloway taking the fast time with an 18.962.Ed Amador arrived just after the prayer and driver’s meeting as he had just finished putting the finishing touches on his new asphalt car. We compliment the track officials for keeping everything running smoothly, with 6 divisions racing. Throughout the evening, crews never felt rushed, and were given ample notice prior to staging for their races. At times drivers and crews had time to relax in lawn chairs and visit in the shade. Our heat race began with a moment of drama as we watched the 1st car out, #11 Russ Wallenwaber enter the track on turn 3 and immediately lock up his brakes and spin safely onto the grass. I later learned that his throttle had stuck. The heat race was won by XX Alum-Line driven by Pat Ariaz with #41 Scott Holloway right on his tail til lap 5, when we saw smoke coming from the TBS #41 and he pitted with a loose breather. On lap 7 George Terry made a pass on the #76 Amador who had lost his power steering, and the finish was XX, 77, 20, 2, 76, 38, 41. During the break, crews were making adjustments, some repairs, checking tire temps and tire pressure. Small changes to the tires are one of the biggest differences in pavement and dirt racing. Dinner was delivered to the pits, courtesy of Mountain Mike’s Pizza, an NCMA sponsor, and we thank them, especially with our large crew. We were able to watch the trophy dashes, and saw veteran sprint driver Don Hicks win the dash in a cute little baby grand, then #41 Scott Holloway won the sprint dash , followed by Pat Ariaz in the Steve’s Construction XX,#11 Russ Wullenwaber, and Bert Siverling’s OCR #77. The 20 lap main event began with #11 Wullenwaber and #77 Siverling on the front row. Having some brake problems, Russ opted to go to the rear, and XX Ariaz moved up to the pole position. Araiz took the lead at the green, but my focus was intensely on our #20, tracking him as he made his way around smoothly and running 4th behind Siverling. On lap 16 a yellow came out for some unfortunate contact between the lead cars, and at the restart, the OCR #77 was leading, with our #20 behind him, and Amador’s #76 on his tail. The Western Tile/CC Auto Parts #20 made a pass in turn 2, and at the checkers, it was #20 Shipherd 1st, #77 Bert Siverling 2nd, XX Ariaz 3rd, #76 Amador 4th, #11 Russ Wullenwaber 5th, #2 Wadco driven by George Terry 6th, #41 Holloway 7th, and the #38 Ray’s Automotive driven by John Fenton was 8th, driving smooth and holding his line. It was great to see the drivers shaking hands and congratulating each other, our #20 for his win, our surprised crew, and George and John both for successful 1st times racing pavement. Later I had the opportunity to accompany Kass Wullenwaber to the track office above the grandstands. Altamont has several enclosed viewing rooms with a terrific view of the entire track, which seem almost surreal compared to standing near the fence on the back straight feeling the rush of the cars going by and hearing the thunderous whoosh of engines reverberating against the wall. Racing at Altamont is a thrill, and we are grateful to our crew, friends and sponsors who gave us the opportunity for this experience. We’ll be back next Saturday. Drive safe, have fun, and take
care,
Deb |
