Hoseheads Sprint Car Photos & News

May 27, 2015

As we turn the calendar from the Month of May to the unofficial start of summer 2015, Sprint Car racing kicks into high gear.

Last but not least for the Month of May comes the 26th Annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductions, featuring a stellar cast of Open Wheel icons from across all avenues of life-long acheivement.

On May 30th at the Knoxville, Iowa Fairground's Dyer-Hudson Hall, Pat Sullivan and Dave Argabright will emcee the Class of 2015, which includes Veteran Photographer Mike Arthur, Announcer and Writer Bruce Ellis, Car Owners Gil Sonner and Roger Beck, and Drivers Danny Smith and Don Kreitz Jr., who are all expected to be on hand for thoer induction. Also expected are the families of "Tiger" Gene Brown and Charlie Wiggins, who will accept their deceased relatives honors.

If you are able to attend and have yet to purchase tickets, you are strongly urged to call the Hall of Fame & Museum at 800-874-4488 as soon as possible. Tickets for the banquet and awards are $25 per person, and after attending more than one induction, the ticket os worthy of the history that will be written on May 30th.

Slider's Shorts - Inductee Danny Smith will be flown by Tony Stewart from Knoxville after his induction so that he can race Saturday night at Wayne County, Ohio. Just another example of racers helping racers, and an outstanding gesture by Smoke helping out behind the scenes........Past Inductees expected to attend include Shane Carson, Lynn Paxton, Ralph Capitani, Ray Lee Goodwin, and Bob Trostle.....In racing action at Knoxville Raceway, once the Spring rains that wiped out the first 3 weeks of their season subsided, Justin Henderson has became the man to beat, not only in the 410 division, but also in the 360s. Henderson recently swept both A Mains........History was made when McKenna Haase won one for the ladies, becoming the first female to win an A Main at Knoxville, beating the boys of the 305 division.......Many time Knoxville Raceway winner and champ Terry McCarl raced to a $10,000 NSL win at Jackson, MN with a fractured vertabrae......equally tough buddy of McCarl's Daryn Pittman scored his third career World of Outlaw win at New Egypt, NJ racing with a fractured collarbone........Bud Kaeding became the third family member behind dad Brent and brother Tim to win the coveted Bradway Memorial recently out in California........Also in California, Richard Vander Weerd and Ventura-based crew chief Tommy Horne have been the team to beat, racking up an impressive Spring record.......Look for Horne and Vander Weerd to test the USAC Eastern Storm non-winged waters the first week of June........Not counting the WoO event at Williams Grove, Brian "The Edge" Montieth has won three consecutive feature events at the Central PA Friday night track...........Greg Hodnett took the Lincoln WoO event over Donny Schatz, with the roles reversed the next race at Williams Grove.......Dale Blaney's 117th career All Star win at Plymouth and Tim Shaffer's 58th career All Star win at Fremont saw both former Series point champions score $10,000 victories........that's all for now, email reaches us at rpms410@gmail.com

4-27-15

The Spring invasion of the Ohio-based All Star Circuit of Champions into Central PA saw Tony Stewart's newly acquired sanction do battle with the PA Posse at Williams Grove and Port Royal Speedways this past weekend, with All Stars shining brightest at Path Valley Speedway.

Friday nights are always Williams Grove Speedway race nights, and as traditonal as dogs with kraut. Out of 28 sanctioned events at the big half mile, no card carrying All Star member has ever won a sanctioned A Main. The 29th would be no different.

Greg Hodnett has been very fast throughout the early 2015 season, winning early in Florida All Star competition at Volusia, in addition to taking checkers first at Port Royal and Lincoln.

After running 2nd to Stevie Smith's $5,000 win at the Grove's Tommy Classic April 17th, Hodnett was a determined driver looking to pocket his own $5,000 payday when the All Stars invaded. Williams Grove's one-lap track record, held by Brian Paulus since April 26, 2002 at 16.140, was bettered by Hodnett's 16.122 aboard the Mike Heffner's XXX mount.

Ideal track conditions for speed, and little hear race passing, saw Lucas Wolfe execute the first move forward in heat 3 over Lance Dewease, only to watch as Lance returned the favor on the high side in three and four the following lap. Things were getting more interesting at this point.

Hodnett, elbows up in the fourth and final heat, advanced from sixth starting spot to take third, showing that passing was possible, especially with a hooked up quick time car.

Hodnett raced to a third place finish in the Dash, where little passing saw Danny Holtgraver take pole position in the 30-lap A Main by winning the short sprint over Brent Marks. Hodnett's start at the three hole was short-lived however.

On the intial start, Hodnett hit the inside guard rail with his left rear, and nearly spun on the first lap exiting turn two. A save saw the veteran gather his composure and begin stalking the top five, and pick them off one by one.The race got very interesting around midway. Through lapped traffic on lap 15, Holtgraver, Marks, Danny Dietrich, Dale Blaney, and Hodnett raced together, two by two and sometimes three wide, with Marks getting the lead past Holtgraver, who was experiencing rear end problems and quickly faded to 5th before retiring on lap 20.

Hodnett took 2nd from Dietrich on lap 16 with Dietrich returning the favor with a top side move in one and two. Almost four wide racing among the top four against lapped traffic made the race hectic to say the least. Hodnett asserted his dominance on lap 18 and took complete control in one fell swoop, passing Dietrich and Marks, before checking out and driving away to another zip code.

A late yellow bunched the top three of Hodnett, Dietrich, and Blaney, but all held their position in the last two circuits, with Hodnett earning the $5,000 win, his 2nd sanctioned event victory of 2015.

Slider's Shorts: All Star Circuit of Champions owner Tony Stewart was on hand at Williams Grove and also flew to Port Royal's Weikert Memorial after rain postponed his NASCAR event Saturday at Richmond......All Star point leader Dale Blaney was driving the Muddy 1, Big Game Treestands entry fielded by Janet Holbrook and Aaron Call at the Grove and Port Royal.....Cody Darrah earned $18,900 by winning the Weikert Memorial at Port Royal Saturday driving dad Joe's 89, that included $3,900 in lap money on top of the $15,000 winner's share of the purse.......In 3 races at Port Royal, Darrah has earned over $40,000........Consistant Brent Marks was 2nd to Darrah at Port Royal, with the Blaney brothers, fast qualifier Dave in 3rd and Dale 4th leading fifth place finisher Ryan Smith............Smith, an Attica All Star winner in 2015 raced from 10th to a top five at the Grove..........Fred Rahmer's Path Valley $5,000 to win event Sunday saw Chad Kemenah take the win, with All Star drivers dominating the top five.......Caleb Helms, another All Star was 2nd in the event, with Brian Montieth, Cory Haas, and Aaron Ott the top five...........Tickets for the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 2015 26th Annual Induction Dinner and Ceremony at the Knoxville Raceway in Iowa on May 30th are available for $25 each by calling 1-800-874-4488.

April 7, 2015

14 years ago was the last time I signed off with one of many Slider's Corner columns here at hoseheads.com, and after much soul searching and contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to bring back my writing efforts, and restart what will be a weekly effort here with the column, along with bit and pieces from notes in Slider's Shorts.

My heart and soul have always flourished and shined the brightest as a writer and journalist, while bringing a unique spin on racing in general, with concentration on short track Sprint Car and Midget racing as a specialty. Commitments with a paid position dictated that I give up my writing efforts those 14 years ago if I wanted to keep the job I was hired to do, so this column was a thing of the past, so very long ago. No longer tied to that commitment, with those bonds no longer attached, Slider's Corner and Slider's Shorts are just like the blossoms of Spring, escaping the doldrums of a hibernation that spanned the aforementioned 14 long years!

Sprint Car racing is flourishing as we start the 2015 season, and there is much excitement in the air! While the World of Outlaws remains the top dog and standard bearer by which other series are gauged, a re-birth of the All Star Circuit of Champions, and the formation of the National Sprint League are forces that will have to be reckoned with as the year progresses.

After a mutiny of sorts orchestrated by owners and drivers of the All Star Circuit of Champions that were unhappy with the direction former All Star chief Guy Webb was taking the Ohio-based sanction, an upstart deal called the Renegade Sprint Series was born midway through last year. The sanction was founded to compete directly with Webb's All Stars, and after just a few events, folded as quickly as it was formed.

Competing sanctions are nothing new in racing, and as history has shown, rarely do they ever survive. Back in 1989 we saw the formation of the United Sprint Association that was a group of former World of Outlaw car owners and drivers, unhappy with the direction that WoO Founder Ted Johnson was taking the Texas-headquartered nationwide sanction. Johnson sold the World of Outlaws sanction in 2003 to the DIRT organization based in New York state. Then in 2005, former Sprint Car driver, car owner, and promoter Fred Brownfield formed the National Sprint Tour to compete directly with the World of Outlaws. Brownfield had former WoO stand-outs Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Tim Kaeding, and Tony Stewart Racing among others, under the National Sprint Tour banner. After enjoying several years of solid television packages, the future lack of televised races was one of the chief complaints and reasons that led to the formation of Brownfield's National Sprint Tour organization.

The NST sanction seemed to be the answer to many team's wishes for a stronger, more organized 410 Winged Sprint Car national sanctioning body, and the series enjoyed moderate successes until founder Fred Brownfield was killed when he was struck by a race car in June 2006. Soldiering on, the series was short-lived and folded after most supporting drivers and owners announced they would return to competition with the World of Outlaws in 2007.

On the surface, it seems anytime that owners and drivers try to form and race under their own, newly formed banner, the established sanctions such as the WoO and All Star Circuit of Champions have prevailed. New life was breathed into the All Stars just recently, with former Sprint Car driver and champion Tony Stewart, who also owns one of dirt track racing's biggest stage, Eldora Speedway, purchased the All Star Circuit of Champions from former owner Guy Webb. Credibility with the Stewart name and fame has been perceived and restored to the All Star sanction, and thus the stalwart owners and drivers who formed the Renegade Sprint Series folded their sanction and have returned to their original series.

This leads us to the new kid on the block, and perhaps the most exciting news to make waves in many a moon in Winged 410 Sprint Car racing, the National Sprint League.

Car owner Tod Quiring has fielded cars for many years in a owner's capacity, with drivers such as multi-time Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and Huset's (South Dakota) Speedway champion Terry McCarl, Hall of Famer Sammy Swindell, Craig Dollansky, and WoO/Knoxville/Huset's champ and Knoxville Nationals winner Danny Lasoski. Quiring's Big Game Tree Stands company is a familiar sight and has adorned all the aforementioned driver's teams as a huge sponsor and supporter of Sprint Car racing.

Quiring has formed a unique new sanction, the National Sprint League, and is giving many Midwest teams a chance to compete on midweek dates throughout the states of Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Unlike other upstart sanctions born into conflict, Quiring is not in direct competition with other sanctioning bodies, and is using a philosophy of working together with other tracks and sanctions, instead of working against them. To date, Quiring has 39 race teams signed on as members, who will be competing for a posted point fund of $350,000! The NSL has a goal to join forces with sanctions and tracks in strengthening 410 racing in the Midwest and to give fans the greatest on track product possible!

All in all, the 2015 Sprint Car season is shaping up to be an exciting endeavor for car owners, drivers, tracks, and most importantly the fans of 410 Winged Sprint Car racing.

SLIDER'S SHORTS

Quiring's National Sprint League sanctions it's inaugural event this Saturday at Burlington, Iowa's 34 Raceway........Former World of Outlaw Champs Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell will both race at 34 Raceway.......through the first 12 World of Outlaw events of 2015, eight different drivers have scored A Main wins.........Point leader Donny Schatz (Volusia, Stockton, & Chico) sits atop the point battle with 3 wins, while Pittman (Volusia & Antioch) and part time competitor Rico Abreu (Tulare & Stockton) both have won twice........Brad Sweet (Volusia), Shane Stewart (Las Vegas), Terry McCarl (Las Vegas), Brian Brown (Tucson), and Tim Kaeding (Tulare) have all scored single wins.........Abreu, McCarl, Brown, and Kaeding are part time competitors with the WoO.....Sweet is promoting the World of Outlaw return to Placerville Wednesday evening, and actually covered the 1/4-mile bull ring with tarps to protect the track surface from forecast rain......the last WoO race at Placerville was in March 1992, and remains as one of the very best races this writer has ever witnessed......Jac Haudenschild scored the win that night at Placerville, driving the Forbrook #5 after a torrid battle among himself, Steve Kinser, and Dave Blaney.......PA driver Ryan Smith ventured West last weekend to win Attica's $10,000 to win the All Star-sanctioned Spring Nationals.........it was a night of first's for Smith, as it was his first All Star victory, his first look at Attica, and his first win with VAHLCO Racing Wheels........Smith led wire to wire in the 40 lap A Main, that saw 41 cars signed in to the Ohio track......... up next on the All Star Circuit of Champions 2015 schedule are dates at Wayne County in Ohio on April 18th and Bedford, PA April 19th, before a pair of Pennsylvania dates at Williams Grove April 24th and the $15,000 to win Weikert Memorial at Port Royal Speedway Saturday, April 25th........Brian Montieth doubled up at PA's Lincoln Speedway, winning Sunday March 29th & then Saturday, April 4th, pocketing $5,000 for the Spring Championship 30-lap event......Montieth sits atop the early season point chase at Lincoln, where Greg Hodnett won the 2015 season opener March 15th......weekly racing at Lincoln Speedway continues each and every Saturday, with the World of Outlaws invading on Wednesday, May 13th........April 11th at Port Royal will feature $1 hot dog night, and April 18th's Race to Cure Cancer Night...........Aaron Ott won Port Royal's 2015 season opener worth $3,600 April 4th.......Danny Dietrich sits atop the 2015 Williams Grove Speedway point chase, winning the season opener March 27th.....two Diamond Series added purse events are on back to back weekends at the Grove, with both Friday evening races scheduled for April 17th (Hinnerschitz Memorial) and April 24th when the All Star Circuit of Champions invade......No All Star Circuit of Champions driver has ever won a sanctioned event at Williams Grove........a double header of 358 and 410 Sprint Cars are scheduled for Friday, April 10th at Williams Grove...................Tommy Tarlton held off Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding to win last Saturday's Sprint Car event at California's Ocean Raceway............Kyle Hirst scored a Placerville Speedway win at the King of the West event last weekend......................in Non-winged action at Bakersfield, Ryan Bernal nailed his 5th win of 2015 protecting his USAC West Coast point lead as the series heads to the tight confines of Santa Maria.........limited advertising space with links to websites is available with this column at very reasonable rates............News, notes, ad inquiries, and PR can be sent to me at rpms410@gmail.com