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Lake
Geneva Raceway presents
Round and Around by Fay Hendricks |
Upcoming Events at Lake Geneva
Raceway:
See you for the 2006 Season opener in April |
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| Round
and Around: By Fay Hendricks |
| The following is a column
written by Fay Hendricks for The Checkered Flag Racing News. This race publication began
in 1968 and ceased operations as of July 13, 2005. The wife of 7-time sportsman and mini
stock champion Jim Hendricks, Fay has been writing since 1981. As a way to allow readers
to continue following the travels of Fay Hendricks around several venues, Lake Geneva
Raceway owner-promoter Kevin Dawson has decided to offer the columns here. We hope you
enjoy the reading. |
November 8, 2005 - The All American 400 was
originated in 1981 by the late All Pro owner-promoter Bob Harmon along with American Speed
Association owner-promoter Rex Robbins as a way to pit their talented racers against each
other in what Harmon dubbed “The Civil War On Wheels.” Held at the generous
five-eighths asphalt oval at Nashville Fairgrounds, this arena has had several owners and
name changes, but today‘s Music City Motorplex is still within a half-day’s
drive for most racers and fans. Back then today’s NASCAR stars were still racing
short tracks, with ASA’s Mark Martin earning the first pole for the North and the
late Butch Lindley winning the original 400 for the South. The 400 saw many changes as
sanctioning bodies were bought, legendary racers moved on, and the contest sat idle after
its 20th running in 2000. With the passing of Harmon, much of the spirit was gone, not to
mention the hard work behind the scenes to make diverse groups come together. It
wasn’t until 2003 that this event was revived and updated to fit new sanctioning
groups and rules.
The list of names in the All American 400 is a who’s who of the racing world. Rusty
Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Travis Kvapil, Jeff Purvis, Dick Trickle, Jim Sauter, and Butch
Miller are on the all-time list of winners and fast qualifiers as well as legendary short
track racers Bob Senneker, Gary Balough, Mike Alexander, Harold Fair, Junior Hanley, Gary
St. Amant, Steve Burgess, Mike Garvey, Eddie Mercer, Bobby Gill, Tony Walls, Wayne
Anderson, Matt Hutter, Freddie Query, Brian Hoppe, Eddie Hoffman, and Chuck Barnes Jr.
Balough, Query, and Barnes were the only ones to date who set fast time and also won the
event, and Kvapil’s qualifying record is still unbroken. This year’s field held
some who weren’t born when this event began as well as “seniors” like
Stanley Smith who know how big an event this is.
The big race is now 300 laps coupled with a 100-lap contest for the non-qualifiers. The
North is now represented by the Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series, the South
by the Southern AllStars Racing . Sunday began on a sad note when we learned Harmon’s
widow had just passed away, and a tornado had hit during the night to level a neighborhood
in a nearby state. But the story begins days earlier.
Friday afternoon‘s practice had several finding the concrete at Music City Motorplex
as hard as always. Some returned for Saturday’s qualifying, others were spectators as
the remaining 62 vied for quick time. North Carolina’s Jeremy Pate set the pace
early, topped by Alabama’s J. R. Norris, then Florida’s Scott Carlson just four
cars from the end. Wisconsin’s Ryan Mathews was the quickest of the North with fifth
in time. With entries from 16 states and one province of Canada, the first 24 feature
berths were divided among a lucky 13 Southern cars, 11 Northern. Wisconsin’s Ryan
Mathews topped the Northern racers as the fifth-quickest. Provisional starting spots were
given to three from each sanction, last chance races added another trio from each body,
then one more driver was chosen from each to make up the final field. It was just
coincidence that Sunday’s 300 started with 20 Southern and 19 Northern cars.
A surprise came Sunday morning when the winner of the 100-lap non-qualifiers race was
offered a starting berth as well. During the on-track autograph session Illinois racer
Jeremy Miller calmly told your scribe, “We‘ll be okay, we‘ll win this thing
”. He wasn’t bragging, just confident the team had figured out what was lacking
before. Kentucky’s Greg Boone and Indiana’s Kenny Tweedy led the 19 entries
before Miller made it to the front, losing to Tweedy and regaining the point with five
laps remaining. “This is our rookie year down here”, Miller told the audience
before eagerly accepting the option to begin the 300-lap finale from 39th place.
Miller’s day, like half a dozen others, ended when his engine met its expiration
date.
Sunday’s 300 started off with high hopes, but over two hours and seven cautions
changed the outcome. Seven cars were eliminated from accidents, another six parked with
mechanical problems. Norris took charge from the beginning, then Mathews until supplanted
by Pate. This trio would also lead later in the race, joined by Georgia’s Wayne
Willard. By lap 74 there were 24 cars still on the lead lap; at the next slowdown on lap
186 there were only two dozen still running.. After 16-year old Iowan Landon
Cassill’s engine erupted less than 20 laps from the end, leader Mathews had his car
falter after the restart and Pate wasn’t able to dodge him, giving the lead to
Georgia’s Jason Hogan to the end.
Hogan was born just before the second annual All American 400, recently one of the
thousands vying for a NASCAR ride from Jack Roush. After receiving the traditional
Nashville guitar, Hogan declared, “I’ve been racing here a long time. This means
something to me. This is just awesome”. Illinois veteran Boris Jurkovic was
runner-up, stating, “We were coming real good. We just couldn’t catch
him(Hogan)”. Charlie Bradberry, younger brother of former racer Gary, was happy with
third, claiming, “Early on I got a lap down. We came in and put lefts (left side
tires) on, it made the car real tight.” Indiana’s Chris Gabehart was one of
several gaining a lap back, finishing fourth, as Mathews rallied for fifth place and
Brazier was the final car on the lead lap.
Several of the Nashville contenders would be racing in California’s NASCAR Touring
Series shootout or Florida’s Snowball Derby, others would regroup until the 2006
season. Next year the Southern AllStars turns into ASA’s late model southern series.,
joining the new northern and challenge series. Florida’s Jack Smith tells me he plans
to run all three of these tours, making some 30 of the races in 2006. Illinois racer Eddie
Hoffman is headed to California, while fellow “Flatlander” Jurkovic is pondering
a visit to Florida, as well as returning for Speed Weeks in February. Wisconsin’s
18-year old Dexter Bean will head to California after being on the road for weeks. Mathews
is still pondering Florida, but fellow Badger State racers Nathan Haseleu and Rich Loch
are finished for the year.
We were surprised to find former “Cheeseheads” Darrell and Sandy Franklin doing
the videotaping at Nashville, having moved to Georgia to care for ill parents a few years
ago and never returning. They still take care of editing tapes for Wisconsin tracks Lake
Geneva and Shawano as well as Rockford, Illinois, and have added Georgia racing to their
full schedule. Rockford transplant Jack Deery greeted me as Nashville’s general
manager, also hosting his mother Jody and brothers Tom, Chuck, and David this weekend. It
was still 73 degrees when we left Sunday, nearly 30 degrees cooler when we reached home
the next day. This is November, after all.
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| Archives |
| July 20, 2005
July 27, 2005
August 3, 2005
August 10, 2005
August 17, 2005
August 24, 2005 |
| August 31, 2005
September
3, 2005 September 10, 2005
September
21, 2005 September 28, 2005 |
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October 2, 2005
October 9, 2005
October 31, 2005
November 8, 2005 |
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