From The Grandstand

by Ron Rodda
September 17, 2009
(See below in blue)

Lincoln, CA¦.Last week’s Four Days Of Chico started on a rather low note but finished with a last turn pass for the win and was an overall success. While the car count at 76 was the lowest of my career as a Gold Cup attendee, it isn’t the number of cars but what they do that makes a show successful.

As always, things started on Wednesday with a $3,000 to win Civil War point show for winged 360s that only allows the top 32 in points that RSVP to race. Support came from the nonwing spec sprints, usually involving the top 24 in points. This season the spec sprint car count has been so low that it was open to all comers and 29 showed up for their $1,000 to win prize.

Sean Becker was threatening to run away with the point title in the series that usually goes down to the final laps at the late September Placerville closing event. While mathematically Becker has not claimed the title, about the only way he won’t win is to skip the remaining events. He led all 20 scored laps off of the pole to win the Wednesday show to add to his lead.
To say this one was ugly would be an understatement. While heat racing was quite good, the track became a tire consuming rubberized surface come main event time. Some of us thought the track conditions would potentially create a great race, but tire choice and management were two ingredients that apparently led to the flag filled, 10 laps shortened, and curfew pushing race.

Reds and yellows led to 37 laps being recorded without one official lap. Then when the tires started to go, more yellows from that led to time running out and the race losing its last 10 laps. Becker was followed across the line by Herman Klein from the original starting spot of 14th, and Stephen Allard who lined up 22nd. Six of the first 10 cars going to the back before a scored lap or after only a couple were counted helped both.
The next night one car owner told me his tires were fine after the 20 scored. I wonder just how good this one could have been with different tire management techniques. One thing for certain, the Wednesday night show did not create a tough act to follow.

The nonwing spec sprints certainly did their part towards putting on good racing and Jimmy Pettit added to his track title fame with a bottom of turn 4 pass on the next to last lap to win over Mason Myers and Bobby McMahan.

Thursday started the first of 3 nights for the official Gold Cup and the opening night was fine, the next one even better, and the finale capped off the week in dramatic style. Jason Meyers dominated Thursday from 3rd starting ahead of Sammy Swindell off of the pole and Tim Kaeding from 7th. Friday had Joey Saldana from 4th leading the last three after passing pole starter Jason Sides while the other front row starter, Brent Kaeding was 3rd.

Saturday’s finale was daja vu all over again, but much more dramatic than Friday’s finish. Sides led almost all of the 40 laps , but almost does not work when the last feet are not included. Saldana showed again how it is often better to be in 2nd when approaching slower cars as he raced around Sides using the top of turn 4 to lead maybe 100 yards of the 10 mile race. That pass meant Saldana got the 50 grand while Sides slipped to 2nd and 20 thousand.

Despite the flawed start to the four days, things turned out very successful with crowd growing larger each night leading to a truly packed house on Saturday. Having 76 cars was enough and great weather and officials that kept the show moving made for no late finishes.

Three things kind of stood out to me as to how little things can alter a driver’s hopes. On Thursday Steve Kinser got up into the loose material at the north end of the track and flipped during the main, finishing 23rd. Due to the point system used for Gold Cup, it is very unlikely a drive can finish 23rd in a preliminary night and be anywhere but the C main or worse on Saturday. Kinser started 7th in the transfer 2 C main and was a DNF when he took himself and Jason York out by not holding his line on the bottom of turn 4 resulting in the double flip.

On Friday Tyler Walker was called for a jump in his heat, a move I did not see. The two position penalty at the end of the heat meant instead of finishing in a transfer position in the lame invert 4, take 5 heats, Walker was 7th after the jump. That put Walker in the C, which he won, but starting in the last row of the B was tough and he came up one spot short of a transfer.

The third item is the worst because the driver did the right thing and was unfairly penalized. In the final night A main, the 17 year old star from Elk Grove, Kyle Larson, was absolutely on the move forward. A lap 28 yellow in the 40 lap run led to what I feel was a complete blunder by the officials. Larson, a driver I was watching mostly during this part of the race as Sides led Saldana by a significant margin, was moving forward from his 18th starting spot. Passing some national stars along the way, he looked to be on his way to a good chance at a top 5 with a easy grab of the hard charger award.

On the restart with 28 done, Swindell was in front of Larson and moved up as the field accelerated in turn 4. Swindell had a nearly flat right rear, a fact noted by the officials over the radio. When Swindell slowed dramatically and move up the track Larson had two choices, pass Swindell on the bottom and jump the start, or stay behind Swindell and almost certainly stack up many cars.

Larson did the right thing and moved on past Swindell, saving who knows how many cars from running into each other. His reward for saving so many was to be called for a jump and put back two spots. This easily qualifies as the worst officiating call I saw all season. Sure, he jumped by the rules, but even the officials acknowledged that Swindell had a low tire and did not keep a proper pace. I wonder if the two drivers had been reversed in their roles in the matter if it would have been called the same.


Next action at Chico will be the Gold Cup copy event, the Pacific Sprint Nationals on October 1, 2, and 3. The format is the same but the engines are 360s, leading to less speed but no less exciting racing and drama. Well, I guess there is one significant difference, about $145,000 lower purse than the Gold Cup.

Incidentally, there were two provisionals listed on the A main payout for the Gold Cup, but none were on the track come green flag time. I thought it was great having no provisionals, the way it should always be everywhere.