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Los Angeles, CA. - The 29th Copper World
Classic at Phoenix International Raceway) on January 21-22, 2006
used the same four classes as last year. The NASCAR Elite Division
Southwest Series and NASCAR AutoZone Grand National West stock cars
were joined again by the USAC National/Western Midgets and the USAC
Silver Crown Series, now sponsored by K & N Filters. The only
change from last year was the introduction of the all-new generation
Silver Crown cars for their first racing competition. The new
S/C cars, which are longer, wider and heavier, had a car count of 12
Ten S/C cars actually took the green flag for the 50-lap feature
Sunday. Last year there were 48 of the older, traditional S/C cars
for a 100-lap feature. USAC officials anticipate a field of 16 of
the new S/C cars for round two on March 24-25 at 1.5-mile
Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Nine of the 14
scheduled S/C races will be on paved
tracks, including new S/C races at the 1.5-mile Kentucky,
Chicagoland and Kansas
Speedways.
CWC CAR COUNTS: There were 126 cars in 2006 (33
Midgets, 12 S/C, 43 SW
Series and 38 GNW). In 2005 there were 159 cars (34 Midgets, 48 S/C,
43 SW Series and 34 GNW). In 2004 the PIR-CWC had 118 total cars in
action (37 Midgets, 49 S/C, and the balance from the IRL Indy Car
and Infinity Pro Series). Total CWC car-count in 2003 was 119. The
two USAC main events were taped for delayed telecasts on the Outdoor
Network. The Wednesday night telecasts will start at 8:00 p.m
Eastern time (5:00 Pacific time), with the S/C race on February 8
and the Midget feature on February 15.
TRACK RECORDS: One-lap track records set in both
USAC open-wheel divisions in 2004 were not broken this year. The
best 2006 USAC qualifying times were Midgets--26.578 vs. 26.049
(138.201 mph) by Dave Steele on March 19, 2004; S/C-27.518 (130.823
mph) vs 25.317 (142.197 mph) by Steele on March 20, 2004. The
Midget feature started Sunday at 12:32 and concluded at 1:09 p.m.
Four yellow flags during the Midget main prevented drivers from
challenging the 25-lap track record of 11:38.64 (128.822 mph) set by
winner Dan Drinan on February 5, 1995. The $79,158 S/C race January
22 started at 3:19 and concluded at 3:46 p.m. The race had one
caution flag to check for oil in turn three and lasted from lap
19-24. The official time was 26:28.11 (113.342 mph) vs. the S/C
50-lap track record of 22:54.92 (130.917 mph) set by Mike Bliss on
February 5, 1995.
CHASSIS/ENGINE CHOICES: Midgets-Seven chassis
makers filled the 34 entered cars (including a backup). Beast had
27, Gerhardt two, and one each from Autoresearch, Callahan,
Competition Welding, Drinan and Hawk. Midget engines: Six basic
engines were led by Esslinger with eight, Mopar-six, Fontana-four,
Ford and the new Toyota-three each, and Gaerte-one. Four builders
accounted for the other nine cars: Ed Pink Fords-four, Gary Stanton
Mopars-two, and one each Pink Chevy, Frampton Ford and Wirth Mopar.
The Midget winner used a Beast/Toyota. Silver Crowns-Four all-new
chassis builders were C & R with four, Riley and Stealth with
three cars each, and DRC with two cars. S/C teams used three engines
with Chevy in nine cars Ford in two and Mopar in one car. The winner
used a C & R/Chevy. Stock Cars: The SW
Series had four car manufacturers represented. Chevrolet led with
37, Ford had three, Dodge two and Pontiac one. The GNW Division also
had the same four manufacturers. There were 25 Chevrolets, eight
Fords, four Pontiacs and one Dodge.
CWC DRIVERS BY STATES: Midget drivers came from
ten states: 13 IN, eight CA, four IL, two AZ, and one each from FL,
MA, MO, N.J, OH and WA. Marc Jessup, from IN, started the # 20 car
Sunday for Josh Wise, who was injured Saturday in a USAC/CRA sprint
car flip at Manzanita Speedway. S/C drivers came from six states and
one driver from Chile. Three drivers each came from FL and IN, two
from CA, and one each from AZ, MI and N.Y. SW Series drivers came
from 11 states and one from Canada. There were 22 from CA, six CO,
four ID, two each MN and N.C, and one each from AZ, MO, OR, UT, WA,
WI. The GNW drivers hailed from 10 states and one country. CA led
with 20, WA and Canada had three each, AZ, CO, ID and NV had two
each, while CT, MA, MO and VA had one each.
QUALIFYING SPEED VARIANCES: The time/speed
differences in all four divisions were relatively close from the
fastest to the slowest qualifiers. MIDGETS: Steele's 26.578 fastest
to 29.664 slowest = 3.086 seconds; S/C: Brian Tyler's 27.518 to
31.205 = 3.687 seconds; SW Series: Tim Schendel's 27.157 (132.563
mph) to 32.331 = 5.174 seconds; Spencer Clark's 28.140 (127.932 mph)
to 31.471 (114.391 mph) = 3.331 seconds. The $5.00 PIR-CWC 40-page
color program had four photos on the color cover. The photos were:
2005 S/C winner Steele and his CWC first place trophy, the new
generation prototype No. 1 S/C car, a group of USAC Midgets on the
front straight at the start of the 2005 CWC race, and the GNW No. 16
NAPA Chevrolet representing stock cars. The grandstand crowd
appeared to be down somewhat this year as the CWC bucked competition
from two NFL league championship games on TV. Therefore, unsold CWC
programs should be available from PIR headquarters in Avondale,
AZ.--home of a new homes building boom during the past decade.
CWC FEATURES: (showing cars starting/finishing,
percent finishing, cars on lead lap, percent of finishers on lead
lap, number of race leaders, lead changes and winning margin):
MIDGETS-32 started, 19 finished = 59%, all 19 on lead lap (100%),
two leaders, two lead changes, seven yards between first two
finishing cars); SILVER CROWN-10 started and seven (70%) finished,
all seven on lead lap (100%), one leader, no lead changes, 60-yards
winning margin; SW SERIES-43 starters, 31 finishers (72%), 14 on
lead lap (45%), four leaders, five lead changes, ten yards (0.686
second) winning margin; GNW-34 starters, 26 finishers = 76%, 17 on
lead lap (65%), three leaders, five lead changes, two yards between
first two finishers and closing rapidly during closing laps.
Runner-up Eric Holmes was 30-yards behind leader Ken Schrader with
two laps to go, ten yards back with a lap to go, and a mere length
and a half back at the checkered flag. From the foregoing facts, the
Midgets (with many cars changing positions in close packs) supplied
the best race Sunday, as is usually the case at the CWC. The GNW, SW
Series and S/C cars ranked next in that order.
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