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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| HOT LAPS WITH NORM BOGAN
#04B by Norm Bogan |
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For the past couple of years, West Coast turmoil has swirled around
the demise of Ventura Raceway.
The Fair Board entertained proposals to dump the racing venue
in favor of an Amphitheater and trendy boutiques along the scenic
Shoreline Drive leading to the racing facilities.
Beautiful people wanted to cast out those who chose to spend
their Saturday evenings listening to the purr of a finely tuned
racing engine as opposed to occasional lucid presentation from some
Heavy Metal or RAP group.
Well, as the political climate changed in Sacramento, suddenly a
kinder, more gentle Fair Board uttered that famous quote, “Can’t
we all get along”. Now a spirit of cooperation exists between Ventura Raceway
and Seaside Park as they work together to maintain friendly
fairgrounds. Raceway
management has addressed public concerns dealing with noise.
Curfews have been established and construction of noise
barriers will help to keep the venue within legal limits for both
racing and possible concerts scheduled during the year.
Also, the ease of conversion for the raceway is being
addressed to make it a more viable multi-purpose facility. On Saturday, February 7, the VRA held their 2003 Awards Banquet.
While it was a celebration for the various racers and their
accomplishments, it also welcomed the dawn of the new era, a
long-term marriage for the local racers and their fairgrounds
facility. Something that has always impressed me with the Ventura Racing
Association banquet is that it is held adjacent to the field of
battle. Rather than
securing a distant hotel and banquet room, the VRA books one of the
Fairground exhibit buildings and contracts with the Downtown Lions
Club to cater the event. The
menu consisted of salad, barbeque tri-tip and chicken, chili beans
with soft drinks, coffee or water and a no host bar serving other
beverages of choice. Dessert
consisted of a number of flat cakes each displaying the photo of one
of the class champions. This
was a down home banquet for a group of grass roots, blue-collar
racers. There were no tuxedos or three-piece suits.
This crowd was comfortable in a clean pair of blue jeans and
polo shirts, many touting a racing team or sponsor.
A number of the women attended not in evening gowns, but nice
dresses, nothing to compare with the couture witnessed at the
Oscars. In addition to trophies or plaques for tenth through first in
each of seven different categories, point fund monies and numerous
gift certificates was presented from the myriad of track sponsors,
who support the racers throughout the year.
These really are gift certificates, since they can be
redeemed for merchandise needed for the racecar. Champions received a letterman’s type of jacket, personalized
and designating them as a track champion for 2003.
Awards were distributed to the following classes, Pony
Stocks, VRA Modifieds, IMCA Modifieds, VRA Pro Dwarf Cars, VRA
Senior Dwarf Cars, VRA Senior Sprint Cars and VRA Pro Sprint Cars.
When called to the dais, the champions were able to thank
their crews, sponsors and families, who are there throughout the
year, but receive little recognition.
I would venture the attendance at somewhere between two and
three hundred. VRA
management had accumulated many door prizes for an ongoing drawing
during the event. Ventura Raceway has always been a class act with the
acknowledgment of their hard working staff of behind the scenes
personnel. VRA awards
each racing class with Rookie of the Year, Sportsman of the Year and
Hard Luck of the Year plaques.
They also recognize several of their loyal employees with
similar awards. The most prestigious award is the Maureen Kauffman award,
given in memory of the late office manager, who passed away a couple
of years ago. This
year’s recipient was Hobie Conway, a member of the track safety
crew. Hobie is always
the first to an altercation and quickly evaluates a driver’s
condition, using her skills as a trained EMT.
During the course of the evening, you will see Hobie
maneuvering around the infield on a quad, then jump off and help to
realign the field. Often
during “tune and test” sessions, Hobie will be in attendance, in
case medical assistance is necessary.
She truly emulates the memory of Maureen Kauffman.
Many of the racers left after an evening of camaraderie with
their fellow racers, issuing warnings that they would be going full
out in 2004 to reach the top. They
say that racing is a family and this was kind of like going to
Grandma’s for a holiday dinner with all the relatives.
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