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July 13, 2004....Indiana Sprintweek Preview
Since
I didn’t attend a race this week, largely due to the threatening
weather covering the entire Hoosier state, this week’s edition
will be a preview for the upcoming seven-race series for USAC sprint
cars in Indiana. Unfortunately, it came on a weekend when the area
was entertaining it’s largest amount of events on one Saturday.
Besides regular shows at Lawrenceburg, Putnamville, Paragon, and Red
Hill, MASS was to be at Liberty, AVSS at Salem, MSCS at Boswell,
USAC at Indianapolis Raceway Park, and HOSS at New Paris.
Hopefully
the horrible weather is out of equation, and we will be able to see
a loaded series full of USAC regulars, local drivers, and some
outsiders. Challenging drivers to qualify well and race hard all
evening just to make the main event, many drivers consider the week
to be a large headache. Others take it as an opportunity to prove
themselves or improve their points standing. The champion of the
week can be known as a driver with great versatility, as they race
on all different kinds of venues. Also, it takes a dedicated crew
and superb equipment to last the week.
USAC
Regulars
Jay
Drake
A former Sprintweek champion, Drake is the USAC points leader
and driving for the best team in USAC, Tony Stewart Racing. With
Eagle chassis and backing from Mopar, Drake is an instant favorite
for the entire week. Last year, Drake won the round at Lincoln Park
Speedway in Putnamville to go along with two runner-up finishes, a
third, and a fourth place finish.
Bud
Kaeding
Quite possibly the hottest driver on dirt coming into the week,
Kaeding won at Attica Raceway Park earlier in the year and was the
series champion of the Buckeye Nationals. He also won an MSCS race
at Haubstadt earlier this season. Kaeding has climbed to second in
points and is one of the obvious favorites coming in. Kaeding is a
former winner at North Vernon during Sprintweek action, and he won
one event during last year’s series, at Kokomo. Kaeding has gotten
better each year during Sprintweek, and this is the year he could
put it all together.
Cory
Kruseman
Another former series champion, Kruseman won with Keith Kunz’s
67, just as Drake did. Kruseman is currently 3rd in
points, directly behind Kaeding. Kruseman has won Sprintweek events
at Haubstadt, Gas City, Putnamville, Bloomington, and Terre Haute.
He also won the Hulman Classic earlier this year at Terre Haute.
Kruseman has to salvage decent finishes when the tracks slick off
severely, if they do. He also counts Lawrenceburg as possibly his
worst track.
Dave
Darland
Hooking up with Lynn Reid before the season started, many
didn’t believe that Darland would be a contender when Sprintweek
rolled around. Darland has found momentum after two strong
performances to end the Buckeye Nationals. Looking to make up some
points he lost during pavement events, Darland will need to qualify
well during the week, which is one of his largest challenges.
Darland is a former series champion, and he ran last year for Steve
Chrisman.
Levi
Jones
Departing from the BWB Racing team less than a month ago, Jones
has slid from 2nd to 5th in USAC points. He
now collaborates with Scott Benic and his Big Max to run Sprintweek.
Although Levi hasn’t won a race yet, he could rattle off multiple
victories after he finally claims his first. Levi drove in two races
for Benic last year when Boston Reid was injured. He had two podium
finishes, at Bloomington and Terre Haute.
Brian
Tyler
One driver who has struggled when this time of year arrives,
Tyler is looking for some redemption. With a few great finishes on
pavement behind him, Tyler has entered the fight for second in
points. Now utilizing Twister chassis on dirt, it will be
interesting to see if Tyler improves his Sprintweek performances.
When Tyler was a USAC champion in 1997, he also won two Indiana
Sprintweek races.
Tony
Elliott
Another former Sprintweek champion, Elliott is another supporter
of the Twister regime. Elliott struggled last year, but he has been
rejuvenated since that time. Elliott has yet to win this year, but
he has been competitive and is now hooked up with Bill Biddle for
the pavement side of things, offering him a chance at finishing
higher in points. He’ll be trying to prove, once again, that he is
the king of the Indiana bullrings.
Josh
Ford
Being his first time running in the Midwest, Ford has never run
a Sprintweek race, and he only has laps at Gas City, Bloomington,
and Terre Haute. Experience will certainly be a factor, but his
mechanic, Keith Kunz, is a wizard of Indiana Sprintweek. Ford is
usually a good qualifier, but he will need to transfer through as
many heat races as he can to keep himself from the gruesome
Sprintweek B Mains.
John
Scott
Having a better year than last year, Scott has been trying to
figure out his Maxim chassis before this week begins. With a great
finish last year at Haubstadt, he will try to improve his
consistency this year in qualifying for each event. He has competed
in more local shows this year aiming at a week such as this one,
looking for great results.
Marc
Jessup
He may have missed some early dirt shows, but Jessup has charged
back to challenge for the top ten in points. With a new chassis
built by Wayne Simmons, Jessup ran well at Terre Haute and was very
fast during the Buckeye Nationals. Luck could be something on which
Jessup focuses, as he had three unfortunate incidents happen during
the three-race Ohio series to nullify strong finishes. He struggled
during Sprintweek as a rookie, but he was better last year driving
for Rock Steady Racing.
Josh
Wise
Without a pavement ride, Wise has fallen in USAC points. He does
have two wins on dirt, however, both occurring at quarter mile
tracks, which frequent the Indiana Sprintweek schedule.
Unfortunately, he’s never competed at four of the tracks. With his
teammate Josh Ford, Wise will undoubtedly benefit from the
experience of Keith Kunz. While he is young and fairly
inexperienced, Wise shows great ability, and he can qualify well
also. He could be the next in the line of Kunz’s Indiana
Sprintweek champions.
Jon
Stanbrough
While he might not be considered a USAC guy to some, he is now
driving for a stalwart in the series, Hoffman Auto Racing. He
started with two great performances with the team at Attica and
Lima. He also is one of the best on Indiana’s short tracks.
Stanbrough is certainly a favorite, especially with more unlimited
resources than his previous combination with Paul Hazen.
Mat
Neely
Neely did very well during last year’s week, despite his lack
of experience. This year, he is looking for some success after a
very tough year thus far. Neely’s best USAC finish came at
Putnamville last year, where he scored third.
Brian
Lee
Another dirt-only competitor, Lee knows the local tracks as well
as any other driver in the series. Although he has less funds, he
has a knack for transferring through heat races and slicing through
fields during the A Mains for top-ten finishes.
Tom
Hessert
Undergoing his first full year of sprinters, Tom Hessert has
done a great job on pavement and is steadily improving on dirt. Also
under the tutelage of Keith Kunz, he will be one guy trying to make
the A Mains each night and getting more laps. Hessert is currently
15th in USAC points.
Kevin
Newton
Pairing with the Law Brothers team for this season, Kevin Newton
is a former NAMARS frontrunner, and he also was one of the best in
the world of pavement winged sprint cars, running with AVSS. Newton
has had his share of trouble this year, including a tough tumble at
Attica. He has been able to qualify well on dirt, though, in most
races. He’ll need to continue to race as hard as he has been all
season to make main events. He will be looking to break into the top
20 in points soon.
Invaders
Damion
Gardner
As the hottest driver on the West Coast right now, Damion comes
in with momentum. Gardner is rumored to be driving for the Truckers
team as a teammate to Derek Scheffel. Gardner arrived for Sprintweek
last year, with his best finish coming at Haubstadt. He’s also
raced at North Vernon, Gas City, Lawrenceburg, and Terre Haute.
Rickie
Gaunt & Charles Davis, Jr.
The current SCRA point leader and dominator, Gaunt comes back to
the Midwest for his first Sprintweek in a few years. He was
upside-down in his first attempt to run Sprintweek, but this year he
has a great ride with Tony Smiley. Gaunt has always fared well on
wet tracks, but he will need to adapt to the different tracks this
year. His teammate is Charles Davis, Jr., who competed during
Sprintweek last year. By the end of the week, Davis was running well
and was excited to try his hand again in Indiana.
J.J.
Yeley
With a part-time stock car effort this year, Yeley has only been
racing with USAC when he can. He does have a midget score in
Wisconsin and nearly won at Attica in the debut for the Stanton car
he will run during Sprintweek. Yeley may miss a race during the
series due to other obligations. Yeley dominated all last year, but
this car is more experimental. As always, Yeley will be exciting and
will probably find the winner’s circle.
Troy
Cline
A winner in last year’s USAC finale at Charlotte, Cline had
planned to compete with USAC all year before setbacks sidelined him.
Cline competed in last year’s second weekend, struggling to
qualify at Lawrenceburg and Bloomington before running very well at
Terre Haute. It’s hard to say what races Cline will contest this
year, but he will no doubt be competitive on the Hoosier bullrings
if he can only qualify better.
Mike
Spencer
Hooking up with BWB Racing in time for Sprintweek last year,
Spencer had a couple good runs, and he is back for another try this
year. Spencer is another great driver to come from the West Coast,
but he has a smoother style than the usual back-it-in that we see
from those who venture to the Midwest. Among his best tracks last
year were Haubstadt, Lawrenceburg, and Terre Haute. He is usually a
good qualifier, which will help him make the shows this year.
Locals
Shane
Cottle
Driving this year for the Edison Motorsports team, which has one
Sprintweek win, Shane Cottle has caught fire and is one of the top
challengers to come from the local tracks. While they haven’t
branched out very much on Saturdays this season, he has scored wins
at Gas City, Bloomington, and Terre Haute already. Cottle will need
to do well on the tracks he doesn’t know as well, though,
including North Vernon, Putnamville, Haubstadt, and Lawrenceburg. He
drove a great race at Lawrenceburg last year in Marc Longworth’s
4m, and he finished strong at Kokomo during last year’s series.
Cottle has qualified well this year and they seem to have found
their stride at the right time.
Kevin
Briscoe
A perennial Sprintweek favorite, Briscoe comes in this year
possibly stronger than he ever has been. With a new Stealth chassis,
Briscoe has been the fastest car around over the last few months.
Briscoe is always a threat at Lawrenceburg and Bloomington. He’ll
need good runs at North Vernon, Gas City, and Terre Haute to keep
him in the race for the other tracks, where he is as good as anyone.
Michael
Burthay
With a KISS championship now under his belt, Burthay could be a
contender, especially at his best track of Gas City. Burthay has
also scored a win this year at Putnamville. He may not run all races
during the week, but he has to be considered a favorite at Gas City,
where he is dominant on the low line.
Derek
Scheffel
A one-time winner this year in his new Truckers ride, Scheffel
has been tough in past years at certain tracks during Sprintweek.
This year, he has the resources to run every race. Scheffel is a
four-time Bloomington Speedway track champion, and he has won there
once this year. This team has found their stride at the right time,
with four wins as a team in the last few weeks. Gas City and
Putnamville are two tracks where he has the least experience.
Shane
Hollingsworth
A flip victim in his last race before Sprintweek, Hollingsworth
will probably split time between the Hajduk 21 and his family’s
own Big Max. Hollingsworth has wins at Lawrenceburg and Gas City
this year, and those will be his best tracks. He’s also been very
fast at Bloomington, but he has also torn up race cars in the past
during this week. He’s a good qualifier and is aggressive, often
helping him make features through his heat race.
Justin
Marvel
Still winless in 2004, Marvel had his closest call at Paragon,
where he finished second in KISS competition. Marvel is always a
contender at Bloomington and Putnamville, where he was the 2003
track champion. He has the only Sled chassis in USAC competition,
and it is possible that he could use his other car, a KC chassis,
for some of the shows as well. He is almost always a good qualifier,
but he has struggled somewhat in his bids against USAC this season.
Brandon
Petty
Winner of the opening races this year at Gas City, Putnamville,
and Lawrenceburg, Brandon Petty’s had trouble in recent time as he
blew an engine in a Terre Haute contest. He is, however, one of the
most well-rounded drivers in Indiana after starting at Paragon
Speedway. With help from Joe Devin’s DRC chassis, Petty’s crew
chief, Brian Cripe, has had success in Indiana Sprintweek before
with Eric Shively. If they have the funds to run the whole week,
Petty could be a contender at any time, especially if there is a
cushion for him to ride.
Eric
Shively
Now driving for Rock Steady Racing, Eric Shively was a crowd
favorite in 2002 as he went toe to toe with JJ Yeley for the
championship. Although he came up short, he further enforced the
fact that anybody can win the Sprintweek crown. A winner this year
at Bloomington, Shively has always been a favorite at Gas City and
Putnamville, and he has been a regular this year at Lawrenceburg.
Being from North Vernon, the Rock Steady gang has always been good
at their home track, and both ends of the operation are fast at the
Tri-State oval.
John
Wolfe
The best local qualifier without a doubt, John Wolfe is coming
back from a season-ending injury last year. He’s easily better at
Gas City than any other local track, but his ability to qualify near
the top of any field of cars is an asset for him.
Dickie
Gaines
His partnership with the Hoffmans did not work out, but Gaines
has always been better in his own car. Back in the Popeye’s car,
he just won at Lawrenceburg after a fine run against USAC at Eldora.
Gaines has always pegged Vernon and the ‘Burg as two of his best
tracks, and he’s also been good at Putnamville, Bloomington, and
Haubstadt. One driver who excels when the tracks go slick, he will
have to focus on his qualifying to have a good week.
Matt
Westfall
Hooking up with Steve Simon late last season, Westfall got on a
roll and won many races, all accumulated after Sprintweek. This
year, they’ve started slow but are beginning to find their groove.
Although he admits that he doesn’t qualify well, Westfall makes up
for lost time when the tracks go away. His style fits well at North
Vernon, and he’s improved at Gas City this year. He also nearly
won the KISS race at Putnamville. His best track would have to be
Lawrenceburg, though.
Kevin
Huntley
No matter who he drives for, the “Pup” is always a gasser,
and he already has a win this season in Indiana sprint car action.
While driving for Danny Roberts, Huntley has put the black Twister
at the front. While he hasn’t competed in Indiana Sprintweek in a
few years, he is automatically a contender to finish near the front.
Another guy who is great on a slick track, Huntley will probably not
run all the races, but he is one to watch when he shows.
A.J.
Anderson
Now driving for Indiana legend Paul Hazen, A.J. Anderson has yet
to get on a roll with the veteran car owner, but they certainly have
the potential to be a race-winner. Anderson has won a Sprintweek
race at Bloomington before, and he has been a regular in the past at
both Gas City and Putnamville. He also has had success at Haubstadt,
and was competitive despite a lack of power on the half mile at
Terre Haute.
These
are just a few of the drivers that a fan would need to keep an eye
on for the entire week. Each track offers a distinct group of
drivers. Tracks such as Gas City, Putnamville, Lawrenceburg, and
Bloomington have regular shows, which gives their locals a huge
advantage when this week comes. Of course, Gas City and Bloomington
locals also have the experience of qualifying on a weekly basis,
which does make them more dangerous when it comes to Sprintweek.
There will be some surprises, and I hope all the drivers can stay
safe while putting on more of the great shows that Hoosier fans have
grown accustomed to in the seven years of USAC Indiana Sprintweek.
North
Vernon
The only three-eighths mile sized track on the schedule,
Twin Cities Raceway Park hosts the opening night of Indiana
Sprintweek. A high-banked track with fairly long straightaways,
North Vernon has had some great shows over the years, including one
show that people still talk about now from 1999. An SCRA tour date,
Tony Elliott won a great duel over Cory Kruseman and Bill Rose. Bud
Kaeding’s first USAC sprint score came at North Vernon, from deep
in the field. Although it used to be the worst facility of the
group, it now is much better. While this is their only race of the
year, they have held regular shows in the past, and Pete Abel is in
charge of track preparation for this show. It is a racy track that
seems to have moisture come back up during the night, probably
because of the nearby Muscatatuck River. Last year’s race saw 55
cars, and about the same amount should be on hand this year. JJ
Yeley won last year’s race over Jay Drake, Boston Reid, Bud
Kaeding, and Dave Darland. My picks to be up front in this race
include Yeley, Kaeding, Jon Stanbrough, Levi Jones, and Tony
Elliott.
Gas
City
Only on the Sprintweek schedule three years
before, Gas City is the second stop of seven. A little jewel for
Indiana racing, this is a quarter-mile with short straightaways. The
track record is in the low twelve-second bracket. It’s a great
facility, but the track has had trouble finding a happy medium on
track preparation this season. They will certainly be trying to have
a great track. Gas City does have one of the better concession
stands I’ve ever seen. Last year, 65 cars showed at Gas City, and
they should have somewhere near the same number this year. Yeley won
there last year, too, followed by Drake, Tracy Hines, Reid, and
Terry Pletch. My picks for this year would include Stanbrough,
Drake, Shane Cottle, Michael Burthay, and Cory Kruseman.
Putnamville
They have had some problems this year at Lincoln Park Speedway,
but those have been sorted out in the past few weeks, giving us the
opportunity to see one of the best venues for Sprintweek racing. At
just larger than a quarter-mile, the track features two very
different sets of corners. Turns one and two have quite a bit of
banking and are fairly narrow. The other end is very wide, with
gradual banking. The bottom is soft, lending the possibility of cars
backing it into the corners all night. The top usually has a healthy
cushion. Putnamville also has great food. The facility does not live
up to the previous night at Gas City, but the comfort of a lawn
chair helps as the hillside seating offers an overlook of the track.
Last year, Jay Drake won in a photo finish over Yeley, Mat Neely,
Hines, and Stanbrough. This year, my favorites going in are
Stanbrough, Drake, Kruseman, Darland, and Justin Marvel. Expect
50-55 cars at this race.
Haubstadt
Tri-State
Speedway is a narrow quarter-mile with long straightaways and
paperclip corners. The corners do have substantial banking and widen
out quite a bit, however. Tom Helfrich is the master of track
preparation, and you can usually expect flying mud and wheelstands.
“The Class Track” has great seating and good concession options.
Don’t worry about rain, either, because you’ll almost always see
a show. JJ Yeley scored his third win there last year, passing
Stanbrough with a slick move on the bottom. Behind them, it was
Drake, John Scott, and Hines. This year, I pick Kruseman, Drake,
Briscoe, Rickie Gaunt, and Eric Shively for stardom. Slightly more
than 50 cars should be on hand.
Lawrenceburg
This race was on television last year, and Jon
Stanbrough took home the emotional win over JJ Yeley. It also had
the largest car count of the week, with 68. Look for over 60 cars
again. The ‘Burg features huge grandstand seating, so there’s no
worry of finding a place to be able to see. They have good
concessions and a great facility. The track is usually wet, and last
year’s track was a cowboy track. This has been the reputation of
this track for a long time. A track with a knack for photo finishes,
you will also see a different group of cars at this track as the
local drivers usually come out to support the show. For this race,
the tough guys will be Stanbrough, Dickie Gaines, Briscoe, Cottle,
and Drake.
Bloomington
With beautiful red clay on the high-banked
quarter south of Bloomington, this track is the fastest quarter mile
of the group and one of the fastest in the country. With more
hillside seating, the grandstands are uncomfortable, but there is
room for lawn chairs. The track will always produce clay coming into
the stands during hot laps, and you can usually count on some late
qualifiers to set good times. 56 cars showed last year, and that
many or more should be there this year. They have a good concession
stand, but it is sometimes slow. Last year, JJ Yeley won another
over Levi Jones, Stanbrough, Drake, and Darland. This year, look for
Briscoe, Kruseman, Cottle, Stanbrough, and Derek Scheffel
Terre
Haute
One of my favorite tracks, Terre Haute is a big
half mile set on the beautiful Vigo County Fairgrounds. Track
conditions haven’t been great this year, but they promise to be
better for this race. Being the finale and with other options on
Saturday, expect about 45 cars for this race. The food is good and
so is the abundant seating, which includes a grassy infield to watch
from the other side. This was Tracy Hines’ race last year, as he
led Yeley, Jones, Kruseman, and Troy Cline to the line. Look for Bud
Kaeding, Levi Jones, Drake, Stanbrough, and Charles Davis, Jr. to be
contenders in the race this year.
See
everyone Thursday at Twin Cities Raceway Park for the kickoff of
another wonderful week of racing.
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