|
Los Angeles, CA - June 3, 2005. - The
54th annual Coors Light USAC Silver Crown Hoosier Hundred on Friday
night, May 27 at the mile dirt Indiana State Fairgrounds had
some new twists this year.
The Indiana Lottery posted a $50,000 bonus
incentive for a driver who would start last and win the 100-lap
race. The offer went first to the pole position winner, then to the
next highest starter on the grid until someone accepted the offer.
Additionally, a $100 bonus for each car advanced during the 100-mile
race, based upon finishing position, was posted.
Instead of single-car qualifying as in past Hoosier Hundreds for all
44-cars present, officials used group qualifying with four groups of
eight to ten cars in each session. It provided more interesting
viewing for spectators in the grandstands. The fastest ten
qualifiers after group qualifying sessions then faced a secondary
session of track time to determine the first ten starting positions
in the 33-car, 100-mile race. Tracy Hines accepted the challenge and
charged from 33rd grid position to fifth place for a $2,800 bonus.
The 100-lap Hoosier Hundred had three
leaders-Paul White (L 1-2), Josh Wise (L 3-85) and 21-year old Teddy
Beach (L 86-100). He is the elder of two racing brothers known as
"the Beach boys" from Donnelsville, OH. He won a
career-high $16,000 in his family-owned Beast/Ed Pink Ford. Wise, a
22-year old comer from Riverside, CA, finished a S/C career-best
second, two lengths behind Beach. It was only his fourth S/C start
and his second on dirt. His other S/C efforts came at the Phoenix
International Raceway Copper World Classic in 2004 and 2005 in the
No. 28 and 10 Beasts and at the May, 2004 Hoosier Hundred in the No.
24 car. They resulted in DNFs. Wise, who drove Tony Stewart's No. 10
Vital Express Eagle/Mopar, had an engine misfire at the halfway mark
and settled for second after an excellent pass by Beach. The
talented Californian is
clearly on a fast-track with his fast qualifying, race driving
talent, coupled with Stewart Racing backing. Now relocated in
Indiana for his second season in a row, Josh has his family also
relocated to Indiana as well this year to provide all-important
moral support.
Jay Drake double-dipped at Indianapolis with a
fourth place in the S/C Hoosier Hundred Friday night and a third
place the next day in the 18-car Infinity Pro Series 100-miler at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile track. Other IPS drivers of
note were fourth place Al Unser III, 22-year old son of Al Jr, and
non-finisher Marco Andretti, 18-year old son of Michael and the IPS
winner of the St. Petersburg, FL street race earlier this
season. Cole Carter, 22-year old son of Indy 500 veteran
Pancho Carter had a front starting spot but spun and hit the wall
early. Cole's two grandfathers-Duane Carter and Carl Forberg-both
raced in the Indy 500 after WW II. A weird mishap occurred during
the S/C Hoosier Hundred parade lap. Jack Hewitt, driving his
two-seater S/C
car, rear-ended David Gough's No. 82 S/C car, rupturing Gough's fuel
bladder and
making him the 33rd finisher. Then Tom Hessert III and Kevin Huntley
got together on the backstretch and sidelined both cars, resulting
in a confrontation between the two upset drivers.
The newest members of the National Midget Auto
Racing Hall of Fame have been named. They are Vic Edelbrock, a
long-time post WW II midget car owner and Ford V8-60 engine builder
and parts manufacturer, and driver Crocky Wright, a
driver/historian/author. Also named was Floyd Alvis, seven-time BCRA
midget champion between 1978 and 2003. He won his first main event
at Santa Rosa, CA in 1971 and the 2004 season-opener at Stockton,
CA. The other inductee is Danny "Kid" Caruthers, the 1971
USAC National Midget Champion killed at the now gone Corona, CA
half-mile dirt track. He crashed in the first turn aboard the No. 57
Fitzpatrick midget late in championship season. The 21-year old
driver was the brother of Jimmy Caruthers, the 1970 USAC National
Midget Champion and son of champion USAC midget car owner Doug
Caruthers. Danny became the youngest USAC national midget champion
and the first to be honored posthumously. Older brother Jimmy, an
Indy 500 veteran, later lost his life to cancer after a brave fight
with the disease. Jimmy's advice to other drivers was his well-known
line, "Don't try to out-brave a cancer patient." The four
2005 honorees will be inducted formally on August 28 at the Hall of
Fame Classic weekend at the NMARHofF, which is located at Angell
Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI.
Here is a suggestion to the NMARHofF selection
committee. Induct popular
long-time midget owner/driver and champion Wally Pankratz, of
Orange, CA, to the NMARHofF in 2006. Wally will turn 60 on August 30
and he is phasing down his race-driving career this year even though
he is still a threat to win midget main events. In 2004 Wally had
one main event second place and three third-place finishes en-route
to third place in USAC Western States Midget final point standings.
He has competed in USAC W/S midget races every year from 1983 tothis
season. Through 2004 Wally had made 445 starts with 19 feature
victories, 26 seconds, 39 thirds, 33 fourths, 43 fifths and 121
sixths to tenths. He also posted 21 fast times. He finished in the
top five in the competitive USAC W/S points in 13 of those 22
seasons. He was the 2000 USAC W/S Midget Series champion driver. He
has one USAC National Midget feature victory. He also was the Ascot
Park Midget champion, driving a Jim Sullivan VW, when the Gardena,
CA track ran its own midget series. Wally clearly belongs in the
NMARHofF and his
first year away from point-chasing is a perfect time to get it
accomplished.
For fans of Monster Trucks: Here are the times
for qualification laps by the behemoths over two-piles of old cars
lined up in the infield of Irwindale Speedway during their
advertised event on Saturday, May 21. 1-Big Foot (blue)-21.18.
2-Destroyer-21.25, 3-Monster Moose-21.35, 4-Summit Big Foot
(white)-21.38, 5-Sudden Impact-21.51, 6-Kicker-22.05, 7-
Obsession-22.09 and 8-Natural-53.35.
|
