The Hoosier Race Report: Winding Down

By Danny Burton

Danny Burton’s Hoosier Race Report appears courtesy of OpenWheelRacers.com

As yet another racing season in the Midwest slowly reaches its end, so do other matters, or even careers. Kevin Briscoe has had a racing career that is one we all could admire, but one should remember that first and foremost, he doesn’t race for a living. Instead he races for the love and joy of it all. He is also a businessman and a family man as well. So as he gets a year older maybe he feels the need to consider what the next move should be. Should he finally retire from the cockpit and devote more time to his business and to his son’s racing endeavors? Or should he just cut back as he has done this year, racing only occasionally and showing up now and then as a fan? Or should he keep racing as much as he has before this year? On Friday night, perhaps this decision was complicated somewhat as Kevin Briscoe ran off with the feature win at Bloomington, as he has so many times before. For one night at least, the so-called “old boy” proved that he can still show the kids the quickest way around the high banked quarter mile clay oval.

Jimmy Light ran second to Briscoe on Friday and commented in effect that there was no one that he’d rather trail to the checkered. Then Jimmy went to Lawrenceburg on Saturday and won the feature there as my grandson cheered the Pennsylvania kid on.

Closing Night

30 sprint cars were among over 100 jamming the pits as the super stocks were going topless for the night. (No topless jokes, please. They’ve all been used.) As usual the track was in fine shape, despite the dry conditions that have plagued this area all summer.

Danny Holtsclaw won the first heat as Jeff Bland Jr. won the 2007 points championship by merely unloading the car. But Bland had an engine go away early in the first heat and most thought that he was done for the night. But a quick engine change would see him re-appear for the B Main later. Davey Ray won the second heat. Kevin Briscoe checked out to win the third heat as yet another kid, Dylan Burge, held off John Memmer for the fourth and final transfer spot to the feature. Dickie Gaines was the third and final leader of the fourth heat, passing Jimmy Light, who had passed Lance Grimes.

Blake Fitzpatrick had been fighting an ill handling car in his heat but came back to win the B, leading Memmer, Kenny Biro, and Kenny Carmichael Sr. to the line. Bland started this race and had moved up to fifth before he was nudged over the turn three banking. He finished sixth and, remember, short track racing has no provisionals, at least not at Bloomington.

For the last time this year, the gang of 20 lined up with Light and Briscoe on the front row. Behind them were Ray, Kent Christian, Gaines, Holtsclaw, Brady Short, Arin McIntosh, Eric Smith, and Chris Babcock, who all were ready to race, too. Light took the early lead as Burge spun on lap two. On the re-start Light led Briscoe, Gaines, Christian, Short, Ray, Smith, Holtsclaw, Bobby Stines and McIntosh. But Briscoe used the high side to take the lead on lap five and coast to his first win this year at Bloomington. Three more caution flags would be the only thing that could slow him down as he took the checkered ahead of Light, Ray, Short, and Christian, who came on strong at the end. The second five was Gaines, McIntosh, Holtsclaw, Kenny Niflis, and Stines.

Travis Howe won the super stock feature as Jeremy Hines took the points crown for the year. Matt Boknecht won the modified feature as Shelby Miles claimed the season’s point championship.

Bloomington’s next race is scheduled for April 12, 2008. I aim to circle that date on my calendar right now.

I’d like to thank the folks at the track that give us all a great program each Friday. Tim, Chuck, Mike, Judy, the great lady at the pit gate, the other great lady at the main entrance, and especially the people who have supplied me with cheeseburgers all year have all combined to make me feel at home on Fridays.

Jimmy and Joss Steal the Show

I don’t seem to get tired of watching people overcome setbacks in their lives and then achieve something that is very important to them. The human spirit is all too often underrated as a weapon, especially for good. So seeing Jimmy Light win Saturday night’s feature at Lawrenceburg was pretty special as this kid has spent the last two summers in Indiana, learning his craft and improving as time has gone on. And seeing Joss Moffatt take the 2007 points title at the ‘burg was even more of a treat. True, he comes from my town as well, but all year he raced believing that his mom was watching him from a special seat up above. Earlier this year she passed away, leaving and his dad Bill to carry on. And so they did, running all year at Lawrenceburg, winning one feature (that I missed, being at another race), and being consistent on the nights they didn’t win.

How many race tracks would love to have “only” 34 cars show up? Well, 34 sprint cars were in the pits at da ‘burg and that was the lowest number I’d seen there all year, I do believe.

Most of my buddies were at Eldora for the Four (really three) Crown, but I was in good company anyway with the grandson and his dad letting me tag along in his big Dodge truck. For Landon this was his first ever consecutive race weekend, seeing that he and I had been to Gas City a weeke ago. For his dad, it was his first visit to Lawrenceburg in a few years, maybe since the ARCA truck race of a few years ago.

Kevin was stuck behind a slower car coming down Indiana Road 1 as I’d been late getting off work, so we missed most of the first heat. But Joss Moffatt won, helping his points situation. We settled in for the second heat, which turned out to be the heat race from hell, a very rare occurance. Bobby Stines flipped, bringing out the red flag. He was taken to the hospital and the unofficial word was that he suffered some back injuries, but will recover. Not as bad as that, but yet unfortunate was the several yellow flags that followed, one of which sent John Memmer packing for the night after he ignored a directive to exit the track. John had caused two yellows and didn’t leave after the second one as per track rules. Kevin made two trips with Landon to the bathroom and missed zero green flag laps. That’s racing, as we say. Tim Spindler, another hometown boy (mine, that is), won this heat finally. Blake Fitzpatrick won the third heat. Rick Vaughn won the all-green fourth heat. And Jimmy Light made a statement of sorts by winning the fifth heat, even taking time to call Landon and ask him who that cute lady was sitting behind him. (I made that last part up. There were no ladies sitting behind us.)

Despite the delays and all, the program was moving all quite well. And that included the sprint B Main… until the checkered flag, that is. This race may have been better than the A Main as six or seven cars fought for the first five positions for most of the race. Jake Cook had worked his way to the front and had taken the lead from Larry Beck with only a lap or so to go. But coming to the checkered flag, Jake turned a bit too far sideways and got such a bite that he went into a series of tumbles down the front straight, yet winning the race. (I should mention that the track was in outstanding shape all night.) Jake was a good bit shaken, but walked to the ambulance. Mr. Beck was trailed by Wil Nedderman, Dylan Burge, Dakoda Armstrong, and Bub Cummings, who had passed Tim Creech II late in the race, then took Mr. Cook’s spot in the feature.

We were told that all Joss Moffatt had to do was finish sixth or better and the title would be his. So it helped, of course, that he’d won his heat and started on the pole for the feature. Tim Spindler shared the front row with him. Behind them was Blake Fitzpatrick, Rick Vaughn, Jimmy Light, Bret Burdette, Bill Puterbaugh Jr. (tonight in Paul Hazen’s 57), Kyle Robbins, Derek Franks, and Chris Nabor.

Moffatt took the early lead as Fitzpatrick and Light were close at hand. Fitzpatrick took the lead on lap three and Burdette, running fourth, had to leave with a flat tire. Lap seven saw Kent Christian spun (with help?), bringing out a yellow flag. Rex Norris III was also involved. On the re-start Fitzpatrick led Light, Moffatt, Spindler, Robbins, Franks, Puterbaugh, Sammy Imel (the object of Mr. Christian’s wrath), Vaughn, and Nabor. Fitzpatrick still led at the crossed flags, but Light was not happy with second place. Lap 16 saw the kid from Pennsylvania take the lead and that was that. Fitzpatrick faded late, but was still very impressive as Moffat passed him to take second. Spindler recovered nicely from a bad start to take fourth. Imel came from 14th to grab fifth. Six through ten was Robbins, Franks, Vaughn, Armstrong (from 19th), and Ryan Hamilton, who spun across the finish line.

So the start/finish line saw announcer Kimb Stewart having to interview two winners, Jimmy Light, and Joss Moffatt. You can’t beat that.

J.D. Largent won the modified feature. Jerry Back won the super stock main. And Greg Owens won the pure stock feature.

The sprint feature was over at 9:35 p.m. To our surprise, Landon said he was ready to go home, so home we went, missing a chance for him to sit in a sprint car again. Up next at the ‘burg is the MSCS $10,000 to win show on October 6.

Elsewhere…

Over in Illinois Kyle Cummins won at Danville. At Eldora, Jerry Coons Jr. won the Silver Crown portion of the Four Crown. Robert Ballou won the sprint car edition. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the midget feature. Jon Stanbrough won up at Gas City on Friday night.

Trying to find a high school team that the Notre Dame football team can beat, I’m…

Danny Burton

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