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16 YEAR OLD TAKES FIRST AT RACEWAY FRIDAY
By Bruce Crowley
Winnemucca, Nevada…It’s natural for a 16-year old kid
to ask his dad’s permission to borrow his car for a Friday
night date. What’s not normal is that the car is not your
showroom type car from a dealer, but, rather, is a 2003 D &
M chassis I.M.C.A. Modified racecar. The Friday night date was the
7:30 race at Winnemucca Regional Raceway. The young man is Alex
Stanford, a second-generation driver from Chowchilla, California,
who has clinched the 2005 ‘Rookie of The Year’ award
in the Western Region of I.M.C.A. His dad Jack Stanford won the
same coveted honor back in 1999 and it seems as if Alex is stepping
in those same footprints. While the elder Stanford won one feature
in the region that year, Alex has already raced to five feature
wins so far this season including Friday’s race here.
With a record eighteen Modifieds jammed into the pit area (along
with eight Mini Mods and nine Pro Stocks), drivers were seeking
valuable points for either the track title or state and region,
or all three. Nevada defending, and current, point leader Billy
Smith III and defending, and current, California point leader Garrett
Steitz would be in action, as well as track point leader Gene Kay
and Rodney Sweet. Kay, Smith, and Sweet were the top three in points
and going into the final races and, frankly, it will be a battle.
Although the I.M.C.A. points end next week, the track points go
another two events.
Local drivers Sweet and Mitch Green won heat races as did Kay but
Alex Stanford raced to victory in the six car six lap Trophy Dash,
leading into the 30-lap feature event. Smith had car problems and
was unable to run his heat but was ready to start the big one. Sweet
was in row two with Kay a row back. Steitz started in row six paired
with Late Model star Bill Pearson. The Kid was in the fifth row.
Smith and Sweet had their backs to the wall in regards to the point
situation. Smith was looking up from a 14-point deficit at Kay in
first; second; Sweet was five more behind Smith.
The seventeen cars roared into turn one as the starter waved the
green to start the first of thirty. Outside pole Chad Farstveet
outgunned Heinz Woelki to take the early lead but Woelki fell back
as Sweet and Kay diced around the well-groomed quarter-mile oval.
Farstveet led the first lap but gave way to the charging Sweet,
and then Kay. Kay got by Sweet for the lead as they took turns three
and four and onto the front stretch, with Kay on the outside. That
when it happened. Full moon syndrome struck the racetrack. It was
over in a little over a heartbeat. Most observers say that Sweet’s
car hit Kay’s car and forced the leader Kay into the front
wall and flipped. A minority of the observers said that Kay went
down on Sweet in order to make the upcoming turn. With ever happened,
the red flag was out. Kay was unhurt but was upset and shaken. The
Director of Competition Dennis Bennett, after discussions with the
flagman and corner men, disqualified Sweet for rough driving. After
Sweet and his crew continued to vent their frustrations with Bennett,
the DOC levied a one-race suspension for Sweet. Moreover, Sweet,
with his disqualification received zero points in this race, saw
his championship vanish. Smith, however, could pull ahead of Kay
by winning the feature, as Kay would receive minimal points in this
one.
With the track once more ready to continue, the race resumed with
new leader Nick Ayers, racing here for only the second time this
season. The defending Battle Mountain Raceway champion led the next
eight until Alex Stanford took advantage of Ayers’ going a
little high in turn two and raced into the lead. Closely behind
was Bill Pearson who was running a Modified for the first time in
nearly a year. Stanford looked like he was a ten-year veteran on
the track and made all the moves required. Young Alex had some help
this night as he kept calling his dad who was back in California
and former Winnemucca champion Robert Miller for advice on chassis
set-up. Miller raced the same car Stanford raced tonight here in
2003 when he won nine features.
The real battle was the dicing between the two state champions Smith
and Steitz. Smith had it his way until the final turn when Steitz
slipped under him in turn two and beat him to the checkered flag.
The 19-year-old Steitz is also a second generation driver and has
a chance to equal his dad’s record in 1976. George Steitz
won track championships at Merced Speedway and Watsonville Speedway
in California that propelled him to the NASCAR Sportsman State of
California title. Nearly 30 years later, Garrett Steitz will be
the State California titleholder this season, but also is leading
at both of those tracks with only one week to go. Can you guess
which driver is second to Steitz in the California race? If you
answered Alex Stanford, you were right. Alex: “This was the
best track I’ve ever raced on. The tracks back home aren’t
this good. I wish we could come here all the time.” This was
a good tune-up race for him as he takes off next week to race at
the “Super nationals” in Boone, Iowa where he will compete
against over 300 other Modifieds for an entire week. Good luck,
Alex.
In the WRRA Pro Stock action saw defending, and current, point leader
Brandon Vandermay from Winnemucca took the lead of the first turn
in the 25-lap feature and never looked back, even though local lad
Rodney Sample was right behind him the entire time. Much improved
Mike Miller raced in the third spot for most of the feature and
took that position at the finish over Jerry Mock. In the first heat
race, Battle Mountain’s David Carrera made his racing debut
a winning one. Carrera did not finish the feature but seems to possess
all the tools to be a future winner. The rookie bought the car from
Reldon Hatch, who won the feature here on opening night. Sample
beat out Vandermay in the other heat race but Vandermay proved best
in the Trophy dash. With three races left in the season, Vandermay
still holds a thirteen-point advantage over Sample.
Although we did not have a full moon here Friday night, full moon
symptoms were in evidence during the night. It wasn’t just
reserved for the Modified as the Pro Stock feature had it, too.
Fernley star Shawn Natenstedt had forged a hefty point, thanks to
his seven previous feature victories here. Natenstedt doesn’t
have to ask his father to borrow the car on Friday nights, but has
to borrow the racecar from his wife Melissa, who is the point leader
at the Fernley track and owns the car. As his custom here, Natenstedt
took the lead at the start with Richard Scott in tow. The two raced
side by side and one in back of one another, until the ‘full
moon syndrome’ stuck. With two back markers just ahead of
Natenstedt in turn three, the leader had seconds to try to figure
out where those cars would go. Natenstedt took the middle of the
track while Scott took the low groove. Scott took the right choice
but it was a drag race down to the checkered flag. Scott took the
narrowest of victory to record his second feature race here of the
season.
Next week the final I.M.C.A. point race of the season will be held
here Friday night at 7:30. Other races are September 16 and the
finale on September 30.
WINNEMUCCA REGIONAL RACEWAY results Friday night August 26, 2005
I.M.C.A. MODIFIEDS
Heat one: Rodney Sweet, Alex Stanford, Nick Keller, Kevin Boles,
Scott Harding
Heat two: Mitch Green, Garrett Steitz, Heinz Woelki, Alan Boles,
Randy Artz
Heat three: Gene Kay, Nick Ayers, Steve McGee, Chad Farstveet, Jimmy
Delaney
Trophy dash: Alex Stanford, Garrett Steitz, Rodney Sweet, Mitch
Green, Gene Kay
Feature: Alex Stanford, Bill Pearson, Garrett Steitz, Billy Smith
III,
Jimmy Delaney, Chad Farstveet, Nick Keller, Alan Boles, Kevin Boles
Mitch Green, Steve McGee, Nick Ayers, Scott Harding, Heinz Woelki,
Randy Artz, Gene Kay, Tim Mazour DNS, Rodney Sweet DQ
WRRA PRO STOCKS
Heat one: David Carrera, Jerry Mock, Walt Frazier, Doug McGibbon,
Alan Picket
Heat two: Rodney Sample, Brandon Vandermay, Mike Miller, David Ausano
Trophy dash: Brandon Vandermay, Rodney Sample, David Carrera
Feature: Brandon Vandermay, Rodney Sample, Mike Miller, Jerry Mock
David Ausano, Walt Frazier, David Carrera, Doug McGibbon DNS
WRRA MINI MODS
Heat one: Dave Jenkins, Ken Knight, Ron Wagner, Kevin Smith
Heat two: Shawn Natenstedt, Richard Scott, Mike Wogan, Casey Katzenmeyer
Trophy dash: Shawn Natenstedt, Richard Scott, Dave Jenkins, Ken
Knight
Feature: Richard Scott, Shawn Natenstedt, Ken Knight, Casey Katzenmeyer
Ron Wagner, Mike Wogan, Kevin Smith, Dave Jenkins
WINNEMUCCA REGIONAL RACEWAY SCHEDULE 2005
JUNE 3 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
JUNE 17 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
JUNE 22 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
JULY 1 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
JULY 15 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
JULY 29 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
AUG 12 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
AUG 26 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
SEPT 2 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
SEPT 16 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
SEPT 30 FRIDAY NIGHT 7:00
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