GRAYSON'S TOP TEN LEFT COAST RACING STORIES FROM 2007


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Jan 8, 2009

Source: Dave Grayson
Date: 12/29/2007

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So it's that time of the year again. The final few days of 2007 has me pondering the stories for my annual top ten list. Other than the aspect of tradition I honestly don't know why I put myself through this process every year. The decision of picking ten stores from 12 months of possibilities is often angst ridden and probably not that good for my overall state of health. At this point of the writing process I'm already on my third pot of writing juice, aka coffee. So for what it's worth here's my top ten list of left coast racing stories that raised my excitment level or somehow gave me a warm feeling in my heart.

10. RACE FEST 2007

For those of you who attended this event I'm going to pause here a moment so you can scream WHAT???? This particular evening was filled with rain, wind and near freezing temperatures. How could it possibly make a top ten list? That's exactly why Race Fest 2007, presented by the California Speedway last February, made this year's list. It was a true representation of the spirit of a racing fan. They braved some harsh elements just to meet and greet their favorite drivers. The NASCAR personalities, in turn, were truly amazed by the turn out and fan's willingness to stand in line in the rain just to say hello and get an autograph. Later in the evening Fontana rocker Sammy Hagar hit the concert stage and yelled "we're not going to let some rain ruin this party." The crowd agreed with him and rocked out with him for nearly 90 minutes. To these devoted fans who braved the winter elements to attend Race Fest 2007 I hope you had as much fun as I did.

9. CAMPING WORLD

In the latter part of the 2006, and all through the 2007, racing season we started seeing a lot of the blue and yellow logo that represented Camping World which is a large chain of retail stores that caters to everything involving the enjoyment of the great outdoors. There entry into racing was particularily evident on the cars and trucks fielded by Kevin Harvick Inc. Apparently Camping World quickly noticed the return on their racing endorsements because in December they agreed to become the official title sponsor of NASCAR's Grand National Divisions. It's that outstanding support of NASCAR's future teams that places them on this year's top ten list.

8. WINTER RACING SERIES

This particular category is especially aimed at Greg Scheidecker, from the Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway, along with Dennis Rudin and Bill Rozhon, from the Havasu 95 Speedway, for their outstanding efrorts in presenting fans with racing during the off season as well as the contributions they have made to their respective communities. Approximately seven years ago Schiedecker, a well know driver,promoter and Lucas Oil executive, salvaged a quarter mile paved oval, in Blythe-California, from being destroyed and turned into a highly respected and successful operation with the creation of the Winter Blast Series. 2007 was no exception as Scheidecker pulled out all of the stops to entertain his fans with a winter's worth of special events including the always magnificent Thanksgiving 200 weekend.

The same story applies to Rudin and Rozhon who took over the reins of the Havasu 95 Speedway, in Lake Havasu City-Arizona, which was yet another quarter mile paved oval that was facing extinction. Through their efforts the speedway quickly returned to its former glory and their 2007 Winter Series has received a lot of critical acclaim. Adding to the racing excitment was the fan interactive fun created by the speedway staff which included special contests such as the biggest beer belly, a mashed potato eating contest and turkey bowling. Both of these speedways has displayed innovative thinking, combined with some hard work, and their respective winter racing series are well worth a visit.

7. THE ASA SPEED TRUCK CHALLENGE SERIES. (ASA-STC)

I simply can't remember when I had this much fun during a racing season and travelling with the ASA-STC series turned out to be one of the smartest racing decisions that I made all year long. This very fine regional touring series for trucks had a banner year in 2007 that was filled with exciting racing that included a very dramatic championship finale between two time series champ Darren Young and eventual champion Victor Pfluger that concluded during the final laps of the final race of the year.

If I had to choose just one favorite event from their 2007 season then I would likely have to go with the road course race last summer at the California Speedway which was won by Darren Young. This event was staged on the California Speedway's mammoth 1.8 mile road course and presented a very daunting challenge to the teams especially those drivers lacking in road racing experience. The other unique aspect to this race was the fact that there were no predetermined ammount of laps. This race was on 35 minute time limit and that meant it was go time from the initial green flag because the drivers had no way of knowing how many minutes of the race would be consumed by yellow caution flag laps. Actually all of the drivers did a great job and there were very few caution minutes. There was hard racing from the front runners all the way back to the two drivers fighting it out in the rear of the field. It still remains one of my all time favorite road course races.

6. THE TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX ####