Hammerdown USA website March 7, 2006
http://www.hammerdownusa.com
Positivity & a dose of reality - By Bobby Gerould ...Mat
Neely was driving the Garrett/Jerry Ishii #71G in his top five run at Perris
Saturday. ...The 2006 version of the Tony Hunt Karting Challenge raised
$15,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A lengthy spell at the RPM Indoor complex Sunday
brought with it a few 'pearls' (as the late Doug Fort would say) of
information. As I decompress on a rainy Sunday night I will try my best to share with you
some of the tidbits I remember. Bam. Brad Sweet tips that he has 70 plus
races on his `06 schedule. Brad tells me that he is excited about running at Kokomo
Speedway which has undergone some transformation. Sweet said, "Kokomo is a racer's
racetrack." That is good to hear since we put the Kokomo race during Indiana Sprint
Week on the Racer's racing Series schedule this year. …The Green Room was buzzing
with talk of Paul McMahan's WoO win at Tucson, and Cory
Kruseman's triumph at Perris in USAC/CRA racing. Racers getting ready for the
Kart competition were watching the Busch race from Mexico on a large TV. We heard
chit-chat about Chad Kemenah's grinding crash at Manzanita. …Audra
Sasselli still does not have her plans nailed down for this season. She has been
racing for more than 20 years and is feeling the frustration of the lack of quality
opportunities for good drivers. Among the best in the USAC Ford Focus Midget ranks, Audra
said she feels it is time for a new challenge. However, the only viable opportunity for
her right now is a dirt midget ride. She feels most comfy on the pavement. Audra, from
Fresno, is married and works as a teacher. She admitted she sometimes wonders what life
would be like if she were not at the track every weekend. We totally understand if she
steps away. But we sure hope she stays with racing. Sasselli is a fan favorite that
consistently shows class in all situations. If racing lost her it would be a sad day. …Jerry
Kobza shared a story of his days in North Carolina when he was helping Carl
Edwards meet NASCAR types. I'd say Edwards has made it. …Robert
Ballou's kart team won the overall competition. It was a good day for sprint car
drivers as Kyle Hirst's team was second, and Sweet's squad finished
third. …Jason Meyers made the long tow from Clovis to Sacramento to
participate. He was blown away by the RPM facility which is a first class establishment.
The always-scheming Meyers was already having thoughts of a 'sponsor-day' at the karting
joint. Meyers said he will run some events outside of the National Sprint Tour but those
events will be 'hit and run' type deals where the team simply shows up without having the
event as part of their posted schedule. Jason will run at Eldora, and he will run the Gold
Cup at Chico. …Kyle Larson, the kid with 117 career dirt-kart wins, is going to race a full midget in
Arizona at a few events later in the year. Larson still owns a track-record at the RPM
facility. Readers of this space know that I try not to hype anyone under age 16 but this
kid is so good I got my picture taken with him today just to say "I knew him
when…".
 The above pic was
snapped at the Tony Hunt Kart Challenge - Sunday March 5, 2006. The Umbrella Girls are
teamed with my fictional crew of (L to R) Brad Sweet, Kyle Larson, and Hunt.
…One more reason to love RPM is that they have Mountain Dew both from the soda
fountain or bottled. …Matt Sherman is a fast young racer I met
Sunday. His dad Frank Sherman Jr. grew up at Capitol Speedway in West
Sacramento. Matt is also a track record holder at RPM. …Benny Moon
tipped that he will drive a stock-car in 2006. We will miss him at the USAC events. The
Shingle Springs driver won Ford Focus races in `05 for car-owner Ron Sutton.
Moon is yet another young driver we think has a future as a professional racer. …Mike
Henry, two-time Civil War champion, is set to drive a dozen shows in the 410
ranks for Mike Stallings. Henry said the team is seeking sponsors to keep
the car as active as possible. Larry Shelton will turn wrenches on the
#93. …Newly named Hall of Famer Jimmy Sills was one of many who
received a stop-and-go penalty for rough kart driving. He said, "If you don't get
back flagged at a kart track - you're not racing." The Professor reports he is doing
great and waiting for the rain to stop so he can get going with his racing school in
Marysville, CA. Sills said he spends lots of time on his Harley Davidson or riding dirt
bikes. Among his friends he rides with are Jimmy Boyd, and Mike
Zine. …Another pilot seeking a ride is Garrett Peterson.
The son of Greg is an engineering student at Sac State that has a rich
history of good performances in karting. …Greg DeCaires will run two
cars this year. His 410 sprint car will be #39, and his 360 will remain #35. Greg said he
is attacking the Civil War series again.
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