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RACING SCENE Column – By Tim Kennedy
LOS ANGELES – I made a sentimental journey Saturday back in time to a speedway I had not visited in 18 years. The site--Bakersfield Speedway--began existence shortly after World War II in 1946. The track looks similar to those earlier days. The main grandstand from turn four to turn one still is all concrete with steps allowing access to seating rows. Knowledgeable local fans bring folding lawn chairs, cushions or blankets to sit on the concrete.
The speedway doesn't offer plush seating or suites, but that is off-set by a dust-free, racy clay racing surface. It makes two-wide racing action intense with outside and inside grooves. Grandstand seating is lower than at many tracks and gives fans a closer at track competition. It almost appears race cars are passing slightly below eye level. Most fans sit at or near the top row.
Bakersfield Speedway (actually in the town of Oildale or north Bakersfield) started life as a quarter mile dirt track and used that configuration through 1997. Track management expanded it to a third-mile for the 1998 season. They moved the backstretch east a bit towards No. Chester Ave. and gave drivers more racing room from the second turn exit to the third turn entrance. Racing improved noticeably.
The USAC Midget one-lap track record listed in the USAC Yearbook for years was 12.339. Ricky Shelton set that mark in his own No. 75 on June 21, 1997. The track announcer gave that time as the current track record prior to time trials Saturday. However, the USAC Midget Bakersfield one-lap track record as a third-mile since 1998 is 12.623. The late Jason Leffler set that standard on March 14, 1998 in Steve Lewis' No. 9 Beast. Others have come close, but no one has beaten Jason's fastest lap in the first USAC race following the expansion from a quarter to third-mile.
For years Doug Bainton was the Bakersfield Speedway promoter. He booked USAC races and hosted the annual USAC Midget Turkey Night GP five years in 1992-95 and 1998. Winners were: Ron Shuman (twice), Jordan Hermansader, Billy Boat and Jay Drake. The current track announcer saluted 21-year Bakersfield Speedway announcer Mike Mosier, who died three years ago.
Scott Schweitzer currently promotes a schedule with stock cars of various classes, modifieds, dwarf cars, NMRA-TQ midgets and other open-wheel cars on their busy schedule. Admission and concession prices are family friendly. Tickets are slightly higher for touring series such as USAC and IMCA.
Bakersfield hometown hero and 20-14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Kevin Harvick is pictured on large Budweiser track schedules posted around the premises. Parking is free and the track has good sound and lighting systems.
The November 19 Bakersfield season-ending race had 15 mini-dwarfs cars, 16 American stocks, and 14 hobby stocks as support classes. That helped occupy about 40% of the grandstand space and put about 60 race cars in the pits.
USAC midgets qualified from 5:35 to 5:55 pm. Ronnie Gardner, the USAC Western Series champion from 2013-15 and 2016 point leader, was the 13th qualifier. He set fast time of 12.869. Fifteen mini dwarfs qualified from 5:59 to 6:10 on a tenth-mile track inside the third-mile. All divisions ran several heats and features. Track watering periodically kept the track racy and dust-free. The first heat race started at 6:30.
Second generation USAC drivers competing were: Randi Pankratz, daughter of 2000 USAC W/S champion Wally Pankratz; Tyler Dolacki, 23, son of long-time USAC Midget driver Robert Dolacki; Maria Cofer, 17, daughter of 1994 USAC W/S Midget champion Johnny Cofer; 2016 Belleville Midget Nationals winner Chad Boat, 24, son of three-time (1995-97) USAC W/S Midget champion and Indy 500 veteran Billy Boat; plus Gardner, 28, who has numerous Gardner drivers and Indy 500 vet Ronnie Duman in his family tree.
USAC ran three eight-lap heats with six midgets in each. Boat (from P. 2 in his No. 84 Spike) led all laps in heat one. Michael Faccinto (from P. 3) led the final five laps in heat two. Courtney Crone, 15, started sixth and impressively won heat three after passing pole starter/laps 1-3 leader Cofer on the outside to lead laps 4-8 in Jerome Rodela's Breka/Toyota.
The final support main ended at 9:08 pm. The 18-car USAC 30-lap main event started at 9:22 with Troy Rutherford and Frankie Guerrini in row one. The race had four red flag incidents in which five drivers flipped (28% of the field). Flippers were: Nate Wait (L 5), Ron Hazelton (L 11), Quintin Crye (L 14), and a double rollover (lap 21 in turn one) involving P. 7 Robert Dalby, 16, and veteran David Pickett. No injuries resulted. Dalby restarted tenth and finished seventh, with ten cars on the track.
Quickest qualifier Gardner started sixth and chased lap 1-20 leader Guerrini from lap 3 to lap 11 when his car got tight and dropped to fourth after high-running Faccinto and Boat passed him on laps 11-12. Gardner re-passed Boat on the lap 14 green. P. 2 Faccinto lost his muffler and exited on lap 20. On the lap 21 restart Gardner passed Guerrini on the inside entering the third turn for the lead. He won by 25-yards over Guerrini.
Ten green flag laps preceded the 10:04 pm checkered flag. Boat, Cory Elliott, Crone and Cofer followed within half a lap. It was Gardner's sixth victory in 13 features this season. Gardner won two of the three Bakersfield 2016 races. He extended his point lead from 121 to 155 over Faccinto with only the Ventura Turkey Night GP remaining. Gardner and his Mitchell Johnson Stewart/Esslinger team are trying to win four consecutive USAC Western Midget titles. Five other drivers have won 2016 main events.
NOTES: Ted Finkenbinder was in the Bakersfield pits with his No 3T driver Tim Barber. Ted said he owns 11 midgets/sprint cars. He will tow two of his Bullet/Esslinger midgets to the January 9-14, 2017 Tulsa Chili Bowl. Barber will drive the No. 3T and Idaho's Davey Hamilton, Jr. will drive the No. 3F.
Second year USAC midget driver Maria Cofer and her dad Johnny will race their No. 57 at the Thanksgiving TNGP in Ventura for the first time. They also will tow their 2015 Spike/Esslinger to the Tulsa Chili Bowl where high school senior Maria will compete as a rookie.
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